Kevin Machayya is a 14-year veteran of Microsoft and Great Plains Software. He has held various roles in technical support, customer service, and sales operations. For the last 10 years, Kevin has focused on the Microsoft Dynamics partner channel through partner account management, readiness, marketing, resourcing/staffing and development programs.
Connect with the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community on:
Our series of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner Technical Community Calls continues next month with a session dedicated to data analysis. Register today for this upcoming event taking place on Friday, June 22 at 8:00AM PT.
Getting the most out of your CRM investment is as important today as it’s ever been. The ability to analyze data to drive actionable results is a key factor in making a CRM solution valuable to an organization. Join us to learn more about enhanced business intelligence for Microsoft Dynamics CRM through PowerPivot and the new PowerView capabilities delivered with SQL Server 2012 and SharePoint.
Register for the community call via the Partner Learning Center.
--Kevin
REGISTERED FOR WPC? IT’S NOT TOO LATE:
ATTEND WPC 2012 FOR INSIGHT INTO THE VISION AND STRATEGY DRIVING MICROSOFT DYNAMICS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Make plans now to attend the largest annual networking event for Microsoft partners, and join an estimated 2,000 other Microsoft Dynamics partners expected at this year's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC). In addition to WPC keynote guest speaker, Deepak Chopra, WPC provides a wealth of learning and networking opportunities.
Expand your capabilities and Microsoft Dynamics knowledge by attending keynotes from Microsoft executives and attend a specific track dedicated to Microsoft Dynamics sessions that has over 20 available breakout, interactive, and panel sessions.
Please join Kirill Tatarinov, President, Microsoft Business Solutions, as he takes part in the Vision Keynote that is scheduled on Tuesday, July 10 from 9:00 – 11:00am at the Air Canada Centre.
Not to be missed is the Value Keynote presented by Doug Kennedy, Vice President, Microsoft Dynamics Partners, to be held on Monday, July 9 and repeated again on Tuesday, July 10. Listen to your peers sharing their success stories, learn about the partner strategy, new programs and key changes & announcements made by Doug Kennedy and let our executives give a glimpse of both ERP and CRM product roadmap and momentum.
Here are some exciting highlights from our breakout and interactive sessions:
Visit the Microsoft Dynamics expo booth & lounge in the Solution Innovation Center and speak to the experts from the Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL & Microsoft Dynamics NAV products and services teams.
While you’re visiting the booth, be sure to spend some time in the Microsoft Dynamics lounge to connect with other partners, have one-to-one discussions with Microsoft Dynamics experts, and catch up on email or recharge your laptop or phone.
Learn more about the Microsoft Dynamics session offerings and start planning your time in Toronto with the WPC agenda and session catalog.
Register for the all-access event pass. This pass admits you to Microsoft keynotes, regional presentations, track sessions, and more.
If you still haven’t registered for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2012, now’s the time.
See you in Toronto!
Best regards,
The Microsoft Dynamics WPC Planning Team
On Monday I eluded to the new URL for the official Microsoft Dynamics page on Facebook. Today, I will walk you through other best bets for engaging with Microsoft Dynamics throughout Social Media.
Now on Twitter, you can now follow @MSFTDynamics for Microsoft Dynamics customer stories, general news & product announcements and more. Please review the additional social media guidance below.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
And as always follow and stay connected to the latest Microsoft Dynamics partner news and updates via the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community blog.
A Blog Series for Microsoft Dynamics Partners by Kati Hvidtfeldt, US Microsoft Dynamics ERP Cloud Lead.
In our last blog Dan Youngers explained why “going vertical” puts partners at an advantage—especially in competing against other providers in the cloud. In this week’s blog, Josh Richards at Merit Solutions explains how the company was able to help a leading life sciences industry player implement a Microsoft Dynamics AX2012 cloud solution that fits their needs and budget like a glove.
In addition to its consulting services, Merit Solutions is an engineering and software application development firm. Because the company understands infrastructure and how to build IP, they were able to create a vertical cloud ERP solution and implementation methodology, putting them a step ahead of the competition.
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At Merit Solutions, we are extremely fortunate to work with companies around the world who create products and offer services that improve the lives of millions. Our driving principle is to help them increase their business success—whether that’s through growth and expansion, business process automation or creating jobs and healthy communities.
Like most companies in the software solutions industry, we enjoy working with clients who are forward thinking and understand how their technology decisions can better position them for competitive advantage. Innovare Health Advocates, a medical services industry leader, is a perfect example. Innovare came to us understanding the impact technology has on its ability to serve its customers and recognized the need to move away from fragmented, inefficient processes. The company needed a new ERP system that would improve visibility, streamline processes and support exponential growth—but they couldn’t support a large up-front investment.
Merit Solutions helped Innovare understand the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 with our MAXLife Cloud ERP software for life sciences. We determined that a private cloud delivery model would better position them for success and enable them to achieve their business goals. Innovare also recognizes tremendous value in the Merit Solutions Rapid On Implementation Methodology, which will enable them to get up and running quickly while minimizing their ERP deployment risk.
The benefits of a cloud-based solution helped tip the scales on Innovare’s decision, and they are already beginning to reap the benefits:
Through their use of an integrated Cloud ERP system with MAXLife Cloud and Rapid On deployment, Innovare is now able to improve efficiency, easily support its projected growth and realize a more rapid time to value.
A Microsoft Gold Certified partner since 2003, Merit Solutions is an award-winning mid-sized IT services company with offices in North America and Europe. Merit Solutions was recognized as one of the top Microsoft Dynamics ERP resellers of 2011.
To learn more about how to incorporate cloud-based solutions into your business plans visit the Microsoft Dynamics Countdown to the Cloud page on PartnerSource. Go to www.microsoft.com/dynamics/growyourbusiness for resources that demonstrate to customers how Microsoft Dynamics ERP cloud, hybrid and on-premise solutions can benefit their businesses.
The Microsoft Dynamics page on Facebook now has a new URL. You can find us at facebook.com/msftdynamics.
The page is designed to share a variety of case studies, stories, and customer evidence as well as demonstrate how Microsoft can help individuals – and organizations – realize their full potential and drive significant impact by offering an end to end business solution that is flexible and easy to use.
Today, over 7,000 people “like” the Microsoft Dynamics page on Facebook. Join them to share your stories and successes!
Announcing a really cool contest for partners! Share your highlights of how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Q2 CY2012 Blitz Days helped you Catch the CRM Fever for a chance to win* one of three Xbox with Kinect consoles or Grand Prize of $1,000 USD Gift Card!
How to Participate
Enter sweepstakes by posting and sharing your 30-60 second video highlighting how the Blitz Days helped you Catch the CRM Fever.
Send email to CatchTheCRMFever@microsoft.com – include your name, company, role or title plus a link to your video.
Come back to the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Blog “Catch the CRM Fever” section to view videos. Winners will be announced on May 23 and 30, 2012.
*No purchase necessary. Open only to employees of registered Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) companies in the 50 US (and DC). Ends May 30, 2012. See Official Rules.
A Blog Series for Microsoft Dynamics Partners by Christian Lindberg, Solution Sales & Marketing, Microsoft Dynamics Partner Team.
As a small business, Microsoft partner Ask Distribution has always relied on the web to drive sales. Making its solutions and services discoverable and getting qualified leads, however, has been a challenge until the company began taking advantage of the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace. Says Gideon Ellis, CEO of Ask Distribution, “Compared to our old strategy of search engine optimization and paid keyword search with Google, the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace provides us with much better qualified leads and more of them—as many as six per day versus three with Google.”
Reflecting on the move to the marketplace, Ellis goes on to note, “The Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace has been very successful for us—it’s where we get most of our business and it allows us to compete against even the big players out there.”
Read the full story: http://bit.ly/Ka2MIT
If you missed the exciting announcement yesterday from Paul White, Senior Director – Microsoft Dynamics ERP Product Management, be sure to navigate over to The Edge blog to learn more about the recent release of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 Beta for partners.
Partners can access and download the beta from PartnerSource.
Also, stay tuned for the opening of registration for US Directions 2012. This year’s annual event arrives October 27-30, 2012 in beautiful Phoenix, AZ at the Arizona Biltmore. Directions 2012 will provide you with a great opportunity to hear and learn from the developers who have been working on this release.
Wondering what the hot topics are for the month of May? Worried you have to sift through volumes of articles on various websites? Don't worry. We have answers. Take a time out and watch our Microsoft Dynamics May 2012 PartnerSource North America Highlights video. You'll receive a quick update in 5 minutes!
Special guest blog contributed by Jamie Tozzi, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, US Microsoft Dynamics.
Like many of you, I spend a lot of time on the road delivering on what’s required in a business that has tremendous momentum. I just reached the highest membership level in my airline of choice’s awards program and I wasn’t sure that I felt like the congratulations they sent me was in order! After all, sometime (I must admit!), I’m a bit tired out! There is one thing, though, that I can always count on to reenergize me like nothing else. The one thing that feels like an immediate charge of my internal battery (much like when I’m searching for an outlet at the airport to charge my computer!), and that’s to hear from a customer just how excited they are about a Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution that Microsoft and one of our partners helped deliver that has made a material impact on their business.
Recently when I needed it most, I heard such a story from one of our customers in the Northeast who was able to significantly improve their sales productivity by deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in their B2B solution business. The customer told me that their “secret sauce” was their implementation partner who took the time to deeply understand their business and rapidly deploy just the right solution. Now they are expanding their use of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to the B2C side of their business and will increase their usage by more than 10X. Why? They were impressed by the flexibility and ease of use of their existing solution and they trusted that their implementation partner could make them successful in their B2C business as well. This story (and hundreds like it!) is a great reminder to me that we are winning in this CRM market due to the strength of the solutions we are delivering in the market and because of the strength of our partner community. So for that, I want to write today to say “Thank You!”. You are so incredibly important to the success of our business and I value your partnership today and in the future.
We are driving toward an amazing close to our Microsoft Dynamics CRM fiscal year. Here are some key opportunities for you to be aware of as we head into June:
Catch the CRM Fever! Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 CY2012 Service Update Training Blitz We are excited to share with you as part of the energy around our 6-month release cycle we will be hosting our TRAINING BLITZ in May for Sales & Pre-Sales roles to ramp on the newest additions to the product and how they can showcase to our prospects and customers! The TRAINING BLITZ allows you to not only to learn via web sessions but ask interactive questions through the “chat” feature to Microsoft Subject Matter Experts! Register here.
The Big Easy Offer is Back! Accelerate Your New and True Up Deals Customers who make a qualifying purchase between March 5, 2012 – June 30, 2012 will earn a partner subsidy check that can be used for implementation of their Microsoft software and associated services with their choice of an Authorized Selling partner. For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, they can earn 15% of the annual subscription fee; for Microsoft Dynamics CRM purchased via Open or Open Value, they can earn 10% of license and 20% of annuity. Visit the partner website to learn more!
ESS CAL Offer Extended To June 30th! Grow New Deals and Expand Existing Accounts Today At 10% the cost of a full CAL, the Employee Self Service (ESS) CAL enables an enterprise to expand the footprint of CRM to every user within the organization. That means you can not only grow the deal size for new customer opportunities, but also go back and expand within existing accounts. If you aren’t leveraging this license option – and the 5 for 4 ESS Cal offer – today, please revisit PartnerSource for a training refresher.
Maximize the 40% CSA Promotional Fee by Closing Deals in Q4 Prior to the June 2012 Expiration! Back on August 1, 2010, we announced a limited-time CSA promotion where all partners who are eligible for the CSA program and selling new subscriptions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will earn 40% on their CSA fees – up from 18% previously. This has been an incredible opportunity, and there is no better time for partners to introduce their customers to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online than now with this promotion! This promotion went into effect August 1, 2010 in North America and will continue to run through June 2012. Please be aware of the expiration date and drive FY12 Q4 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online deals to maximize their benefit! Read the FAQ on PartnerSource for all the details.
Thanks again for everything you do to drive our mutual Microsoft Dynamics CRM success! What you do keeps me “charged up” while I’m on the go. Best wishes for a strong year-end close!
Jamie Tozzi General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM US Microsoft Dynamics