Microsoft US Central Region Partner Team

Lately I've been running into a lot of situations with partners who are in panic mode because a customer has finally decided to act on a quote.  Good news right?  Well not always, especially if the quote is from 3-4 months ago.  And as you already know, offers and incentives can change significantly in that time frame.  So do yourself, and your customer a favor.  Put a reminder in your calendar to check all outstanding quotes at the beginning of each month for any offers that may have been included.  Then check out www.microsoftincentives.com to look for any updates or changes to the promotions.  You may just uncover a gem while you're out there and save your customer some additional dollars. 

Ok, I’ll admit it- I'm actually not much of a tweeter…. but I've been flirting with the idea of starting.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one trying to figure out where tweeting should fit into my marketing plan.  Today alone, I had 2 Microsoft partners bring it up in conversation.  I started looking around for what’s the best way to start and I thought I’d share a post I found you may find helpful.

I’ll sum these up as how to and best practices on tweeting..  .

 http://coalescemarketing.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/what-the-tweet-%E2%80%93-lesson-one/ 

But follow it up with lesson 2 below.

http://coalescemarketing.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/what-the-tweet-lesson-two/

Finally a quick Bing search will yield you a bunch of resources to get going...

Good luck and happy tweeting..  

Happy Marketing!

Lesley

 

 

For partners that are building a UC Voice Practice, this is a must training course.  With an almost 90% discount on the price and the possibility we may not offer this again until next FY, it is a great time to take one of the few remaining classes still available.

Here is the summary:

Microsoft's Unified Communications (UC) Voice Ignite is a 5-day technical workshop for IT, Networking, and Telecommunication professionals who are proactively delivering Voice over IP solutions to customers. This workshop is based on Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Unified Messaging (UM) and Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2. During UC Voice Ignite, you build on your previous experience with Microsoft's UC products and learn how to successfully design and deploy Microsoft voice solutions for your customers through presentations based on experience, Labs, a Make It Real group project, and a Make It Right lab.

The UC Voice Ignite Workshop reviews many of the features and capabilities that are built into Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, including Rich Presence, Instant Messaging, Audio/Video/Dial-In Conferencing, Response Groups and Enterprise Voice. Acting as an OCS Administrator, attendees will deploy an OCS Voice environment beginning post-server installation, through to enabling users and clients, and including the configuration of some advanced features, such as edge servers, gateways, and dialing plans. Primary attendee focus will be to perform Telephony Integration, creating a "single click for all media Enterprise Voice Solution, as well as exploring new Voice Workloads such as Response Groups and Outside Voice new to Release 2.

Register for upcoming events here.

Audience:
The UC Voice Ignite workshop was created for technical professionals who are mobilizing to deliver Microsoft Voice over IP solutions to customers with Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Unified Messaging (Exchange 2007 SP1 UM), and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (OCS 2007 R2).

Prerequisites:

• UM Power Up - 3 labs and 4 tutorials, all need to be completed to meet the pre-reqs. Allow about 5 hours (1 hour per tutorial, .5 hour per HOLO).
• OCS 2007 R2 Ignite - 9 labs and 9 tutorials, all need to be completed to meet the pre-reqs. Allow about 20 hours (1 hour per lab, 1+ hour per tutorial). Additional presentations to support the labs can be found here under Training.
• Recommended Pre-reading modules can be found at http://trainings.partner.microsoft.com

Course Summary Outline:
Day 1: UC Voice Architecture (UM/VoIP/Conf architect/deploy/troubleshoot)
Day 2: OCS VoIP (architect, deploy, troubleshoot)
Day 3: OCS and UM integration
Day 4: Make it Right - design, troubleshoot, correct
Day 5: Conferencing, Microsoft roadmap, Certificates of Achievement

-Scott Akin

Regional Enablement Director 

 

Many of our partners will be re-enrolling in Q1 CY 2010.  It’s easy to find out if you are one of them.  Here are some steps that many of us at Microsoft are trying to communicate to our partners:

 

·        Sign In to the partner portal (https://partner.microsoft.com/US/) with your Windows Live ID.

·        Click the “View Your Membership Account” bar at the top of the page, and you’ll see a quick summary of your membership information, including your company’s Membership Expiration date and the name of the Program Administrator.

 

The Program Administrator is the person in your company authorized to update your organization’s profile and complete re-enrollment.

 

·        Program Administrator:

o   Visit the re-enrollment page on the partner portal at https://partner.microsoft.com/us/40011092 for online step-by-step guidance.

o   Visit the Partner Membership Center  (https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/partnermembershipcenter.aspx) to review messages and guidance about any requirements to be fulfilled for your company’s re-enrollment.

o   Contact our MPN Experts, who can provide coaching on the easiest way to complete the re-enrollment process.  By phone at 877.254.6825 or by e-mail at msppexp@microsoft.com.

o   Review and update your company’s Organizational Profile (https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/organizationprofile.aspx) in the Partner Membership Center and ensure the information accurately reflects your current business model, customer segments served, products focus, etc. We use these data to help deliver relevant communications about membership, benefits, and opportunities.

·        Other Roles:

o   If your company is a Gold Certified or Certified Partner, you can see your company’s performance in the Partner Dashboard (https://partner.microsoft.com/us/40046493).

o   Review and manage your Individual Profile (https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/individualprofile.aspx) to set your primary Job Role and submit your Microsoft Certified Professional credentials.

RESOURCES

·        Trouble accessing your account on the Partner Membership Center (https://partners.microsoft.com)? Contact the Regional Service Center by phone at 1-800-MPN-SOLVE or e-mail at MSPP-na@microsoft.com. 

·        Registered Member exploring whether to become Certified or Gold Certified? The MPN Experts offer competency consultation as well as re-enrollment guidance. Contact them by phone at 877.254.6825 or by e-mail at msppexp@microsoft.com.

·        Self-help re-enrollment guidance on the partner portal at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40011092

 

I hope this helps.

 

Scott Akin

Regional Enablement Director

sakin@microsoft.com 

 

Yes!    I know, when you hear Datacenter Edition you may not think of a solution that fits well in the Small Business space.  However,  one story in the Windows Server 2008 R2 lineup that is really taking off with Small Business customers is the unlimited Windows Sever VM's in Datacenter Edition.

 

If you are a small business and you have a need to run multiple instances of Windows Server in a virtualized environment you can buy Windows Server Standard and get the rights to one instance, buy Enterprise and get four, or buy datacenter and get unlimited.  Of course,  scale and price of the underlying server that is going to run all of those VM's will always be a  major factor.  With today's server architecture and customers that want to consolidate several simple  workloads,  Datacenter Edition is becoming a popular choice.

 

Here’s more info on Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Edition:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/licensing-datacenter.aspx

 

Need more info on Licensing Windows in virtual environments?  Check this out:

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/virtualization.aspx

 

 Good selling

 

- Jason 

Please join your local Microsoft team for the spring partner briefings coming to a city near you (unless you live in the frozen tundra and we will just call it the late winter partner briefings!).

 

As a result of your feedback - the briefings are moving to the morning.  The events will run from 9am - noon with check-in at 8:30am. 

 

Please save the dates on your calendar and register using the appropriate links below.

Area	Date	City	Event ID #	Event Link
Heartland Area	Tuesday, March 09, 2010	Cincinnati	1032440327	Register Now!
Heartland Area	Thursday, March 11, 2010	Columbus	1032440328	Register Now!
Heartland Area	Tuesday, March 16, 2010	Nashville	1032440329	Register Now!
Heartland Area	Wednesday, March 17, 2010	Detroit	1032440330	Register Now!
Midwest Area	Thursday, March 18, 2010	Milwaukee	1032440331	Register Now!
Midwest Area	Tuesday, April 13, 2010	Chicago	1032440333	Register Now!
Midwest Area	Thursday, April 15, 2010	Indianapolis	1032440335	Register Now!
North Central Area	Wednesday, March 17, 2010	Minneapolis	1032440320	Register Now!
North Central Area	Tuesday, April 06, 2010	St. Louis	1032440324	Register Now!
North Central Area	Wednesday, April 07, 2010	Kansas	1032440326	Register Now!
South Central Area	Tuesday, March 09, 2010	Austin	1032440272	Register Now!
South Central Area	Thursday, March 11, 2010	Dallas	1032440318	Register Now!
South Central Area	Thursday, April 08, 2010	Houston	1032440319	Register Now!

Cheers!

John LaLonde

Microsoft Local Engagement Team, North Central

 

I continue to hear partners asking for ‘solution sales’ training and other non-product specific sales training.

 

As a result of your input, we have developed a popular destination within the Learning Plan Tool (www.microsoftlearningplans.com) called Business Readiness.  Over the past year, we have been compiling some great training to build sales acumen.  This is not product specific but instead touches on key aspects that make up strong sellers.

 

I have blogged about the Learning Plan Tool before.  As a refresher the Learning Plan Tool is: A FREE tool that dynamically builds prescriptive learning plans of recommended training searchable by Specialization, Product, Role, Exam, Business Readiness, and Licensing.

 

Check out the Business Readiness plans under Business Readiness:  The Best of Business Readiness, Business Readiness Sales, Competitive Sales, and Tough Economic Times.

Under Business Readiness Sales: Negotiations, Presentation Skills, Prospecting, and Sales Management.

Each one of these plans has multiple trainings to select from such that you can customize the plan.

 

As always, I am eager to hear your feedback.

 

Good Selling!

Scott Akin

Regional Enablement Director

sakin@microsoft.com

 

 

Partners,

 

We have been communicating this new requirement for some time, but understand that we may not have been that effective in our efforts.  We encourage you to meet this requirement as quickly as possible – not only to maintain your Gold Certified status – but also to help you make more informed business decisions, discover opportunities for business improvement and benchmark your performance against your peers.

 

As of November 20, 2009, Gold Certified Partners re-enrolling in the Microsoft Partner Network are required to participate in the CSAT Index.  Partners must receive ten survey responses in the twelve months prior to when they re-enroll - a maximum of eight survey responses can be from the same organization.  Survey responses must be received no later than the 23rd of the month prior to a partner’s anniversary date.  For example, if a partner’s re-enrollment date is January 31 or February 15, they must receive 10 survey responses by January 23.

 

To get started, sign in to the CSAT Partner Portal at https://mspp.tns-online.com/msportal/portal.aspx and access the CSAT Index Quick Reference Card at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40101290 to walk through the simple steps.

 

If you aren’t able to meet the CSAT Index requirement by your anniversary date, you can re-enroll as a Certified Partner and upgrade to the Gold Certified level after you meet the requirement.

 

Please contact our Microsoft Partner Network Expert team for coaching on how to meet the CSAT Index requirement.  The Microsoft Partner Network Experts are available at 1-877-254-6825 or msppexp@microsoft.com.

 

As always, you can reach out to me directly.

 

Good Selling,

Scott Akin – Regional Enablement Director

sakin@microsoft.com

 

 

I've had a few people in the last hour point out this helpful post for partners, I thought I'd pass it along..

http://blogs.technet.com/msuspartner/

It leads you to more BPOS Resources and one partner raved about these:

The BPOSitive blog at http://blogs.technet.com/bpositive/. This blog is written by Brett Hill, a technical evangelist on the BPOS product team, and I saw a note there that new technical training, including a deeper dive on Exchange and SharePoint online, will be posted later this month.

The Microsoft Online Services Team Blog at http://blogs.technet.com/msonline/default.aspx. It also lists new training, and gives you information on how to send them e-mail (they have a “community mailbox” at bposcom@microsoft.com) or follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/msonline).

The new Resource Wiki on the Quickstart for Online Services at https://www.quickstartonlineservices.com/partner/resource/Pages/Wiki.aspx. It’s currently in beta, but it looks promising, and you can ask questions or give feedback about the Wiki—there’s a contact e-mail right on the page.

Good Selling!

Lesley

Lap Around PDC featuring Steve Ballmer

Did you miss the Professional Developers Conference in November?  If so, join us as we bring the “highlights” from the PDC09 conference to you!  At this special FREE event we will cover the latest Microsoft technologies and exciting announcements from PDC09 and deliver over 16 sessions presented by Microsoft, Partners, MVPs and Community Leaders.  The keynote will be delivered by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and will cover Microsoft’s three screens and the cloud strategy.

 

Microsoft is releasing more than 25 products and frameworks over the next six months, more than at any other time. Our goal is to get you up to speed on what is coming, and how it can help you do more with what you have. The sessions will cover multiple technologies such as Microsoft® Windows® Azure™, Visual Studio® 2010, .NET 4, Silverlight™ 4, SharePoint Server® 2010, SQL Server® 2008 R2, Windows® 7, and Windows Server® 2008 R2.

During the event, we encourage you to network with your peers and chat one-on-one with the speakers at the “Ask the Experts” area to get all of your questions answered. You can also visit the Customer Showcase area to see how customers are using the latest technologies in real world applications, and the amazing results they are seeing. We will also showcase the latest Windows powered gadgets and mobile devices in the Customer Showcase area.

If seeing isn’t enough, we will also have a fully staffed Hands-On-Lab area packed with PCs, labs you can practice with, and expert staff to help you learn the new tools.

We will be hosting the event at Vanderbilt University Student Life Center in Nashville, TN. Specific information about event parking and shuttle service will be posted on the registration site and emailed to you prior to the event as well. 

Every attendee will receive a Visual Studio 2010 Beta2 DVD, a t-shirt and an event bag filled with a collection of product information, case studies and other great resources.  We will also be raffling off some great prizes at the end of the day!

Come spend the day with us and learn about the future of developer technology!

We look forward to your attendance!

Register here:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032438491&Culture=en-US

Hi Partners,

I just wanted to call out that we have a few openings remaining for SharePoint 2010 Ignite Developer and IT Pro training.

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Ignite – Developer

This 300 level, 3 day training targeted towards experienced SharePoint 2007 developers, covering developer topics for SharePoint Server 2010 including SharePoint 2010 Services Architecture, SharePoint Development with VS10, changes to Workflows, External Data in SharePoint, Extending the SharePoint 2010 Search Infrastructure, etc. Next course: January 13-15!

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=562485

 

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Ignite – IT Pro

This 300 level, 3 day training targeted towards experienced SharePoint 2007 professionals, covering IT Pro topics for SharePoint Server 2010 including deployment and upgrade topics, such as Topology Planning, Capacity Planning, Security, Governance, Operations, etc. Next course: January 13-15!

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=562501

 

The Ignite series are deeper technical training.  If you are looking to gain an edge in SharePoint 2010, this is the training you will want to take advantage of.  Seats are limited...

 

Good Selling,

Scott Akin- Regional Enablement Director

sakin@microsoft.com

 

Can you believe that Office 2010 is already around the corner?  If you’re starting to plan your strategy for driving new customer adds and existing customer upgrades with the launch, I’ve got a resource for you.

The Office 2010 Sneak Peek Campaign is now live for partners to leverage!

It’s got a great set of customer ready resources, data sheets and tips and tricks to help you drive the Office 2010 buzz!

The icing on the cake- the Launch in a box kit will be available after 1/25!

Happy Marketing!

Lesley

 

To the delight of many partners we launched The Big Easy 4.0 on January 3rd! What better way to say Happy New Year to our partners! The Big Easy is an incentive program where after a customer makes a qualifying purchase of Open Licensing and valid redemption, a check is sent to the customer made payable to the partner of their choice to use toward the purchase of additional services or products (software and/or hardware) provided by the partner. To learn more about The Big Easy attend our Channel Incentives monthly call this Friday at 1PM CST (Register for the webcast now!) and go to http://www.MicrosoftIncentives.com/bigeasy.

 So why Open Value?

First, the Open Value  program that includes Software Assurance (SA) helps customers get the most from their software investment. SA includes new version rights and the ability to spread payment evenly over three years as well as potential rights to eLearning, 24x7 phone support incidents, at home use program rights for Office, training vouchers, Deployment Planning Services and Cold Backup for Disaster Recovery to name a few. To dig deeper on SA benefits go to https://partner.microsoft.com/US/licensing/volumelicensesoftwareassurance. Next go to the LicenseWise Configuratort to see exactly which and how many benefits a specific purchase will earn a customer at http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/licensewise (once you create a quote via Open Value, SA benefits are listed on tab 4, Quote Overview and click on the windows pull down menu by SA benefits).

Second, via The Big Easy, your customer will qualify for higher payouts. Let me NET out a couple of examples. Office Pro via Open L (Open Business) earns a customer back $30 per copy. Windows Server Standard via Open L earns customer $45. Via Open Value customer would earn $105 for Office Pro and $160 for Windows Server Standard. See what I mean? This is a pretty easy break even. So let's now NET out a real life example. Customer needs 50 copies of Office Pro, 1 Windows Server Standard and 1 Exchange Server Standard. Under Open L customer will earn back $2,255. Under Open Value customer will earn back $5,870. Next, ask your customer how they are going to protect their environment and position Forefront. Adding Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) to the Open Value deal brings the total to $6,435. The amount will also grow as the customer purchases from two and three product groups. Check out the Big Easy Calculator at http://www.microsoftincentives.com/BigEasy4/estimate.aspx.

It's all about bringing more value to your customer to close the deal and earn services revenue. The Big Easy and Open Value are tools of the trade.

 Happy 2010!

Andy McNulty, Partner Territory Manager, Midwest Area (IL, IN, WI)

 

Happy New Year! 

This week I had the opportunity to present a LIVE MEETING to a group of 30 partners spread across the US.  The purpose of the meeting was to share the Local Engagement message.  I explained our mission – to help our partners increase their marketing reach through connections to local community & diversity groups, other Microsoft partners and complementary companies.  And I provided some real-life examples of how our partners are engaging in the community. 

As we wrapped up the presentation, a partner in South Dakota asked, “what is the secret sauce to success?”  Hmmm.  Great question.  The answer - DO SOMETHING!

There are tons of resources available to you as a partner.  Local Engagement and Ready-To-Go campaigns are a great first step.  Schedule an event.  Host a Live Meeting.  Post a blog.   Send out a newsletter.  Update your website. 

Microsoft has a ton of content to help you in your marketing efforts…but the critical step is doing something.  The new economy has influenced the way we need to do things.  Over the last year I have seen partners fall into 3 categories:

•                 Duck and cover.  These partners are crossing their fingers.  They’ve done some things one-off.  Like sending out a postcard and hoping they get a return.  It didn’t work, and they are never doing it again.  Hope is not a strategy!

•                 Cut, Cut Cut.  These partners are slashing expenses to the point of no return.  It is wise to shore up your expenses – Microsoft cut $3B last year.  But, if you view sales & marketing as an expense and not as investment, you risk cutting yourself out of the market altogether. 

•                 Grow your share.  These partners are investing in their business.  They are taking advantage of the programs in front of them.  They are taking some risks…doing new things.   And they are growing their share.  Partners in this category have grown their revenue upwards of 25% in the last year.  And they are gaining share from the Duck & Cover and Cut, Cut, Cut groups!

Your mission for 2010, if you choose to accept it – DO SOMETHING!  Leverage your chamber relationship.  Partner with a local Microsoft training partner.  Join a peer group like HTG or the IAMCP.  Take advantage of the programs provided by Microsoft.  Do something! 

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

John LaLonde

Microsoft Local Engagement Team, North Central

Dear Partners –

Is it Christmas already?   It looks like Christmas.  We have fresh snow on the ground.  I put a Christmas tree up in the living room three weeks ago.  Cards from family and friends are pouring in.  And Lisa Hughes even gave me a tray of Christmas cookies yesterday (Lisa – we ran out!).  I am even preparing for my last minute shopping bender.  But before I go, I have one unfinished bit of business to attend to…and it involved you!

I want to offer my thanks for your loyalty, passion and commitment.  This has been an incredible year to say the least.  And we have accomplished incredible things.  But I wouldn’t be at Microsoft without you…so I offer you my heartfelt thanks!

And whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or Festivus – take some well-deserved time to spend with family and friends – relax and recharge! 

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! 

Cheers!

John LaLonde

Microsoft Local Engagement Team, North Central

 

Check out this Christmas Techno House