Why Microsoft Partner businesses are getting distracted in our channel

Microsoft Partners try many things to be seen as a go-to-solution partner, yet still struggle to be seen as a partner that Microsoft would prioritise and invest in.

A focus on business improvement is one way to scale and grow. However, focusing on this alone is like seeing the tip of an iceberg and forgetting that everything below the waterline is what moves it.

So, what are you missing?

Decisiveness, predictability & relevance are the three key attributes that partners really need when looking at how they can grow and scale their business into one that is ‘Investible’ in the eyes of Microsoft.

This means having proven and repeatable processes in place that allow you to;

1. Be decisive in the action you take in your business
2. Have predictable control - premium execution in your business, and
3. Have relevant currency with Microsoft so they see you as a differentiated segment leader. 

With consistent focus on these three attributes in the business, the weight you will carry in the ecosystem grows, developing you into the most relevant Partner for Microsoft and its customers to look to for their specific solutions or services.

Where do you start?

Partners need to spend time and attention on what’s important for their own business growth, first. Perhaps the most common excuse for slow business growth in Partner businesses is the belief that partnering with Microsoft alone, will help you grow and scale.

In truth, most Microsoft’s channel partners can’t effectively use the laundry list of benefits that the Microsoft channel program offers like go-to-market, technical training, sales training, or various forms of “enablement”. So, while passionate about technology, many Partner businesses fail to turn technical competency into profitable business capability.

Channel distractions

Microsoft programs and incentives are designed and changed regularly in line with Microsoft’s economic drivers. When they  change, Partners drop their focus and scramble to align themselves with these new priorities, spending time and attention re-aligning their focus in the hope of accessing new revenue opportunities.

This all happens regardless of whether their existing business model, skills or capability lends itself to those priorities.

So, while being part of the largest partner ecosystem in the world, Microsoft’s ‘trillion-dollar channel opportunity’ is a bridge
too far for many Partners. Performance criteria to meet relevant opportunities like Advanced Specialisations for example, are
simply out of reach for most.

If this sounds familiar, download the Investible Partner eBook and learn the 9 keys to creating decisiveness, predictability and relevance in your business.