DWPC 2008 - Infrastructure Optimization Selling Models

By Lisa J. Downey, Lead Program Manager, WW Optimization Strategy, Microsoft Corporation

Email:  lisadown@microsoft.com

We’re hopeful that this year’s conference helps you gain a firm footing towards integrating the Microsoft Optimization strategy into your solution selling efforts.  At Microsoft, we passionately believe that Optimization is a powerful tool to drive deeper and more meaningful customer engagements.   Achieving “Trusted Advisor” status is the epitome of every customer relationship.  Optimization offers the opportunity to achieve this goal.

So now that you’re convinced you should integrate Optimization into your solution selling efforts, you should begin aligning your company with Microsoft to create as large a sales footprint in the market as possible.  To ensure you are recognized by the Microsoft sales force and customers as a go-to partner for Optimization-related solutions, we urge you to take the below actions.

1.       Align your sales approach with Optimization to create a bigger sales footprint per account (http://www.microsoftio.com)

2.       Build an Optimization practice and establish joint engagement opportunities with the Microsoft field

3.       Align your Optimization solutions with Microsoft solutions to scale to Microsoft opportunities and drive to close (http://www.microsoftio.com/osc)

During my session held on Wednesday, July 9th “Grow Your Enterprise Business by Optimizing Customers’ Infrastructure” session, Brent Johnson, with Cadence Preferred, outlined Five steps partners should take to build an Optimization practice; which were supported by Partner evidence and credence from Mark Murrin, Alliance Manager, SCC.  If you weren’t able to participate, I’ve outlined the steps below along with the resources referenced. 

Building an Optimization Practice

Step 1 – Earn a Microsoft Partner Program Competency related to Optimization (https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40021633)

Step 2 – Register with Optimization Sales Connection (http://www.microsoftio.com/osc)

Step 3 – Acquire all Microsoft Optimization resources for partners and customers (http://www.microsoftio.com)

Step 4 – Develop solution offerings that align with the Optimization model (http://www.microsoftio.com/osc)

Step 5 – Implement best practices for selling through the Optimization model

Partners that have already started using Optimization to drive sales, have experienced improved opportunities and growth with customers.  If you’re serious about Optimization and are considering building a practice, please take care to follow the steps above and/or work with your field PAM/BDM to assist. 

Regards,

Lisa J. Downey

By Lisa J. Downey, Lead Program Manager, WW Optimization Strategy, Microsoft Corporation

Email:  lisadown@microsoft.com

In yesterday's Optimization session, “Bridging IT and Business: A Structured approach,” Yoav Land, Sr. Platform Strategist on the WW Optimization Strategy team and Jean-Pierre Beelen, Principal Consultant at Getronics illustrated how connecting business solution areas to IT capabilities is essential to helping business decision makers better evaluate what IT solutions will help drive the business vs.  IT solutions designed to maintain and support systems and people.  In today’s hypercompetitive economy, business leaders are looking to their IT leaders to steer IT investments towards solutions that provide business value, while minimizing investments perceived as “cost center” oriented IT investments.  By adopting Optimization as part of  your selling strategy, you can help your IT customers better prepare for and position their IT investment rationale during key executive meetings leveraging the Microsoft Optimization methodologies.

New in FY09, we’ve developed a set of resources to help you help your IT customers better illustrate to their business counterparts the value of optimizing their organization’s infrastructure and platform.  We call this framework the “IT to Business Bridge” or (IT2B).  These resources range from Business Priorities Guides (solution attributes) and Platform Discussion Guides (Platform Capabilities) to Customer Decks and Architecture Guides.  The IT2B Framework offers you a powerful way to help impact the outcome of your Optimization customer conversations.

For more information on how to leverage the IT2B Framework as part of your Optimization selling strategy, please contact your Microsoft representative for more details.  You should also try to meet with Yoav (yland@microsoft.com ), while you’re here at the conference if you have any questions.

Regards,

Lisa J. Downey