At the Channel Partners 2016 conference, Andrew Pryfogle, SVP Cloud Transformation, and a group of panelists from CallTower, Evolve IP, NaviSite, RapidScale, and SADA Systems gathered to talk about new opportunities for Sales Partners looking to offer Microsoft solutions to their customers.
Microsoft has embraced the channel. The active usage on sold licenses is about 30%, and Microsoft is looking to Sales and Supplier Partners to take over existing licenses, knowing that they can increase consumption and the active usage rate. Microsoft admits that they do not offer high-touch support on their products, allowing Sales Partners to differentiate on customer service and support. Supplier Partners manage implementation and support, and help end-user customers get the full value out of the licenses they’ve already purchased, creating sticky customers for Sales Partners.
The panel includes a Q&A session with Sales Partners attending the session on topics such as:
- Commission opportunities for Partners selling Microsoft solutions.
- Real-life examples of the big differentiators Sales Partners can use to position themselves when selling Microsoft solutions.
- Office 365 vs DaaS: Specific cases where Office 365 may not be the right fit for your customers, and why.
- Security or compliance reasons why customers may not want to be a part of the multi-tenant environment, and how to find the best solution.
- When you offer Office 365 solutions to customers, you dive deeper into relationships within the organization. In addition to talking directly with IT Director or CIO, how can Sales Partners layer in decision makers from other departments?
- When customers consider Microsoft and Google solutions, it’s not just a matter of providing a side-by-side quote comparison–the products are very different. How do you help your customers choose the right solution for their business?
Watch the video to find out how you can offer Microsoft solutions to fit the needs of your customers, and take advantage of the opportunities created by Microsoft’s embrace of the channel.
