Official Microsoft Partner Network Blog : TOP VAR

Interview: Jason Reading on Winning the Australian Small Business Solutions Partner of the Year in 2009

Clayton M — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:58:08 GMT

With only two days left to submit your Partner of the Year award entry, I thought it a great opportunity to inspire you by asking last year's Small Business Solutions Partner of the Year winner about his experience...

PARTNER: Jason Reading of Comcity Technology (shown second from left, accepting the award at last year's Australian Partner Conference)

CM: Hi Jason, did you feel winning the award last year gave Comcity a tangible point of difference versus your competitors?

JR: Hi Clayton. Having been a finalist in the year prior to winning, Comcity Technology was aware that there was an increase in activity associated with the status of Partner of the Year. What we were not prepared for, but absolutely delighted with, was the positive response from Clients and Prospects alike. We always ask prospects why they chose to engage Comcity and, over the past year, have definitely won a significant amount of business over our competitors due to this differentiation.

CM: That's great! So did you actively promote the fact you won the award to existing and prospetive clients, and would you honestly say it's resulted in winning new business?

JR: Yes. From the day we won, we’ve been actively promoting our win to both new and existing clients. We have absolutely no doubt that this has been a significant contributor to our high success rate (when pitching for new business or projects).

CM: And what about from an industry perspective - do you think the award helped "put you on the map" with not only Microsoft but other industry vendors and partners?

JR: There has certainly been a higher level of visibility for Comcity. Within Microsoft, we have engaged on a variety of programs which we may not have been a part of otherwise. This has also flowed through to partners outside of Microsoft where they have acknowledged our status as Partner of the Year and been interested to find out more about our business and success.

CM: Last question for you Jason; Did winning the award add value to Comcity from your staff's perspective - was there a sense of achievement and pride from your team?

JR: We certainly celebrated our success with our staff! The whole team was very excited to have won and definitely identified it as recognition of their hard work, particularly coming off the back of some challenging times with the GFC. It was a particular thrill for the team directly involved with the solution which was submitted.

CM: Thank you very much for your time, and I hope to see you up in the Gold Coast in September!

JR: Absolutely, we'll be there.

Clayton Moulynox
Microsoft Australia | Channel Development Manager – SMB
Twitter: @claytonhm | Blog: Microsoft Australia Partner Blog (SMB Feed, Top VAR Feed)

Are you the Microsoft Australia Small Business Partner of the Year?

Clayton M — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:16:00 GMT

Potentially you could be - but unless you submit an entry, we'll never know! HURRY - SUBMISSIONS CLOSE SOON!

"This is only going to inspire our team to continue to build industry leading solutions for a market segment we’re passionate about – because we are a small business too." - Managing Director, Evolve IT Australia, Winner 2007.

"BCA are very honoured to receive such a prestigious award. It highlights our passion and commitment to our customers in helping them achieve their business goals." - Managing Director, Business Computing Australia, Winner 2008.

"Our award this year is direct recognition of the work we’ve done in the SMB sector. We are delighted with the recognition this prestigious award brings." - Managing Director, Comcity Technology, Winner 2009.

Do you provide Microsoft solutions to customers in the small and medium business space (5-250 users)? CHECK!
Do you consider yourself a trusted technology advisor to your customers? CHECK!
Do you deliver solutions that improve the way your customers do business? CHECK!
Do you want to stand out from the competition and be acknowledged for your industry-leading solutions? CHECK!

Then don't delay - enter your award submission today.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR A WINNING SUBMISSION

1. Answer the questions

Seriously, I know that sounds obvious, but I mean it: Make sure you answer the question that's being asked. If the question says "What business benefits did your customer experience" then don't write a thesis on your customer's history or a technical essay on the development of IP networks - just tell us how the customer is now better off than before you delivered your masterstroke solution.

2. Be succinct and relevant

There's no need to elaborate on what Small Business Server does or give a blow by blow description of how it's installed out-of-the-box. These things are mostly ubiquitous across partners, plus we kind of know this stuff already. What we want to know is how you added value by applying your own unique customisations/services/expertise to Microsoft products to deliver a great solution.

3. Use language that's easy to read

This isn't a legal dissertation, so there's no need to use overly formal language. Try and avoid words like "ubiquitous" and "dissertation" ;) and make sure you expand any acronyms that aren't really commonplace. You might be a technical genius and know what CAPTCHA means, but the judges may not (for the record, it's "Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart". In fact, have a third party non-IT person read through your submission. Maybe don't subject your Grandma to it, but seek feedback from your partner or friends outside your company - if they're struggling to understand it or identify the killer benefit in your solution then you've probably missed the mark.

4. Use real stats and data where you can

It's great to be able to support your submission with real facts and figures in relation to your solution. For example, saying "Client XYZ are now better off" is a bit non-specific. Saying "Client XYZ reduced costs after implementing our solution" is nice. Saying "Client XYZ now make a saving of $4000 per month in travel costs" is excellent. Saying "Client XYZ has nice teeth" is just weird.

5. Relate to Microsoft

Remember that ultimately this award is about utilising your Microsoft Partner Network membership, combined with your own value and services, to deliver an exceptional solution to SMB customers. So in answering questions, make sure you consider and explain how you leveraged Microsoft products, tools, resources and knowledge to help deliver your solution.

Clayton Moulynox

Microsoft Australia | Channel Development Manager – SMB
Twitter: @claytonhm | Blog: Microsoft Australia Partner Blog (SMB Feed, Top VAR Feed)

Windows 7 LiveTalk Webcast: Deployment Tips from Early Adopters

Clayton M — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:53:00 GMT

Are you and/or your customers getting ready to roll out Windows 7? If so, then we invite you - and you can invite your customers - to join a webcast to learn what tools and best practices can be leveraged.

Hear Suncorp Metway’s Executive Manager, Client Technology, Ian Thompson, speak with Danny Beck, Microsoft Senior Enterprise Product Manager, about the company’s experiences in tackling, and successfully resolving, their real-world Windows 7 deployment challenges. Join panel discussion and get your questions answered about executing a successful Windows 7 pilot, building and managing a deployment project in your organisation.

Event Title: Windows 7 LiveTalk Webcast: Deployment Tips from Early Adopters (Suncorp Metway, Australia)
Event Date: June 25, 2010
Event Start Time: 2:00 pm EST Australia
Event End Time: 3:00 pm EST Australia

Register for this event. Attend for a chance to win a HTC HD2 Mobile Phone, click on registration link for full details and conditions.

Clayton Moulynox
Microsoft Australia | Channel Development Manager – SMB Commercial
Twitter: @claytonhm | Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/auspartners/

REMINDER: Webinar Series to Help You Sell

Clayton M — Mon, 03 May 2010 05:01:39 GMT

We’ve talked about the Windows 7 and Office 2010 opportunities, covered off the opportunity around Exchange, Sharepoint and Microsoft Online Services and tomorrow we’re discussing how to sell Business Servers in our ongoing webinar series.

Go here to register for tomorrow’s webinar, plus other webinars we still have coming up in this series.

In the Business Server’s webinar on Tuesday 4th May, Mark O’Shea & Clayton Moulynox will discuss the Top VAR initiative, the partner opportunity around selling business servers and related technology, how to identify and sell to customers most likely to purchase and tools & resources to help you sell. Don’t miss out!

Clayton Moulynox

Follow me on Twitter: @claytonhm

“Secret” Tools & Resources to Grow Your Business

Clayton M — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:52:00 GMT

It’s no secret Microsoft makes available so many great tools and resources for partners that inevitably the best ones are sometimes hard to find. And let’s be realistic – you have a business to run and haven’t the time to be idly surfing through the Microsoft Partner Network site to explore its vast expanses.

Well, luckily for you, I do (note to my boss: OK, so I don’t really have that much spare time, it’s kind of part of my role to surf the partner site, right?). If you came to our SMB Business Building sessions throughout March you may have seen me expose some of these “secret” tools.

The Microsoft GearUp Sales Toolkit, Partner Marketing Centre, LicenseWise, Partner Sales Resources, Demo Showcase, Customer Insights Tool and Partner Learning Centre were all discussed - some even demonstrated.

GO DO: If you missed the presentation, or want to see it over again, you can download the deck. Sure, I know what you’re thinking…it’s not quite as good as seeing me present it live and listening to my dulcet tones, but hey, you can’t have everything :)

I recommend these tools having actually used them in practice when I was in your shoes managing a Microsoft Gold Partner and pounding the pavement selling solutions to SMB customers not so long ago.

PARTICIPATE: Share with us via the comments what tools within the Microsoft Partner Network you use and find helpful. Give me your feedback on the tools I’ve linked to in this post. Or tell me if you’d like a deep-dive in how best to utilise a tool in a future post.

Clayton Moulynox

Follow me on Twitter: @claytonhm

Check out the NEW LicenseWise tool - including ISV Royalty Licensing now....

Sarah Theiss — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:23:00 GMT

Microsoft® LicenseWise is a one-stop shop that can help Microsoft Partners recommend Microsoft product and Volume Licensing solutions for customers, optimize the sales process, and build new revenue opportunities. Partners can also use LicenseWise to...(read more)

TOP VAR Money Tree

Arron Child — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:48:04 GMT

Hi Partners, Ever dreamt of growing your own personal Money Tree? You thought they didn’t exist right? Well, if you have sold over $10,000 of Open Licenses in the past 12 months, you qualify as a Microsoft top value Added Reseller (TOP VAR). By becoming...(read more)