What’s your plan for WPC attendance? In this video , Jenni Flinders, Vice President, Microsoft U.S. Partner Group, talks about how U.S. partners can take a fresh approach to their planning for this year’s Worldwide Partner Conference. Remember, early-bird registration ends April 5—it’s a great time to...

A blog series for U.S. partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. The title of my post this month is a quote borrowed from famed fashion designer and icon, Coco Chanel, and I believe these words are very true for the channel. As a Microsoft partner, you...

A blog series for U.S. partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. The word “entrepreneur” makes most of us think about the innovative thinker who summons enough confidence and support to make a go of launching his or her own business. The many entrepreneurs...

A blog series for U.S. partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Over the years, one of the hot business topics we’ve encountered has been managing work/life balance. Before I address this topic, I need to state first and foremost, I am a mom who is successfully...

A blog series for U.S. partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and the product refresh season is revving up! I’m thrilled by the level of enthusiasm expressed by partners regarding the incredible Microsoft product...

A blog series for U.S. partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Take yourself out of “salesperson mode” for a moment, and put on your customer hat. Aren’t the most persuasive sales pitches, marketing campaigns, and ads those you perceive as truly genuine...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Last week, from July 9-12, the epicenter of IT was Toronto. That’s where nearly 16,000 Microsoft partners and executives from across the globe gathered for Microsoft’s biggest event of the...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Surprised? While I absolutely think the 2012 Microsoft  Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) is an essential event for Microsoft channel partners, if you’ve never attended and plan on simply...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. We’ve all watched award winners on stage tearfully proclaim, “Really, I wouldn’t be up here accepting this award without the support and dedication of…” and then list those responsible for...

Join Microsoft executives and U.S. team members at this social, an opportunity to build a strong community of minority-owned and woman-owned IT businesses in the United States. At this WPC networking event, you’ll meet other U.S.-based partners and Microsoft executives, making connections that can result...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. With the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get together for a virtual discussion about what you, our valued partners, are...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs.   The most successful Microsoft partners don’t sell products—they sell solutions. It’s a significant distinction. Rather than entering into customer conversations intent on selling a...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Microsoft partners continue to ask me questions about where their business fits in the cloud, and I think that’s a great sign. Asking questions is essential to growth, and our most successful...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is the channel partner event of the year—a unique event that brings us all together in one locale. It’s where you find out about our key strategies...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. An increasing number of your customers are likely considering whether cloud solutions are right for their businesses. It’s quite natural that the more your customers learn about cloud computing...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. As members of the Microsoft Partner Network, you understand the value of “community.”  In a previous post , I spoke about the importance of not only using Partner Network resources for...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Believe it or not, resolutions are actually made to be kept! Many of us have great intentions at the beginning of the New Year to get fit, lose weight or perhaps, save money. The trick to...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Right on the heels of the Microsoft Partner Network’s first-year anniversary on November 1, we have cause once again to celebrate as Microsoft Lync “turns 1” this month . One year ago, we...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Microsoft invests in the success of its partner channel, spanning 640,000 organizations across Microsoft’s partner ecosystem in 170 countries around the world. Partners have been instrumental...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs. Nearly one year into the new Microsoft Partner Network structure that we launched on November 1, 2010 , and I’m excited how passionate – and vocal – you have been about the changes we introduced...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs Since introducing the concept of “winning together” at the Worldwide Partner Conference in July, I’ve received great feedback from partners, indicating that many of you are eager to share business...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs There is strength in our numbers. At no time was that more evident than at the 2011 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles a few short weeks ago. It’s the foundation upon...

A Blog Series for U.S. Partners by Jenni Flinders, Microsoft U.S. Vice President, Partner Strategy and Programs What’s your plan for making the most of Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 (WPC) in Los Angeles this month? In the most positive way, WPC offers an astounding amount of networking, learning...