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Microsoft UK takes the top slot!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:26:50 Z

Announced at MGX (Microsoft’s internal global conference) last week; we've had confirmation that Microsoft UK won the large global sub of the year! Amazing achievement – and can only be good for partners as successful performing Microsoft businesses get the budgets they need to do even more ... Microsoft’s internal competitions are just as fierce as the partner competitions with every country that has a Microsoft office driving hard to achieve “Sub of the Year”. It’s all about turning those incredibly tough scorecard metrics from red lights to green lights – so clearly Gordon Fraser has done an outstanding job this year to lead his management team to take the prize for the UK. The hierarchy of seating during the MGX conference is a big indicator of success – with the UK being placed right at the front of the stage (rather than shoved up at the back as has been the case in the past), so it's well recognised globally that the UK are holding the top position and are the guys to beat. Get in there!

Musical jobs and the effect for Microsoft UK Partners

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:21:18 Z

Oh yes, it’s that time of year again when many Microsoft people move roles and change focus. A few key changes for you ..

Scott Dodds moves from Head of SMS & P to Head of BMO (look it up in the MAD dictionary if you don’t know what that is www.resourceit.net/MAD/default.aspx ). We're very sorry to see Scott go, but like everyone else that is affected by BMO; absolutely thrilled to have him! Read more about Scott here.

Barry Ridgeway, takes over from Scott as Head of SMS & P. We heard at the UK Keynote from Barry, that he was previously Kevin Turner’s ex-Chief of Staff, so this appointment basically gives the Microsoft UK Business a “Bat Phone” all the way to the top! To understand how strategic this is; read more about Kevin Turner here.

Paul White moves from being GM for UK Dynamics Business to working for Corp in a leadership role for development of the suite of Dynamics products. Not wanting to leave his beloved Blighty (or is that his boat), Paul will still be based in the UK. Rumours are rife about who is going to take-over, will it be Steve Morrow, Ian Corcoran? The bets are on ... nevertheless Paul will be a tough act to follow in more ways than one. Congratulations Paul, we are raising a glass of bubbles to you!

One more for you.... Hayley Rixon. Hayley has been a shining star over the last year or so and well known to most of us as the SCDM for SharePoint; and what an outstanding job she has done as well. Hayley's role now aligns to Simon Gautrey and his online team where she will focus on enabling partners to develop their Cloud strategy – so HUGE congratulations to Hayley who very much deserves this new role. Good luck girl!

Microsoft Partner Programme Brand changes ... AGAIN!

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:33:22 Z

Ever get that feeling of Déjà vu? We guess the change at the top from Allison Watson to Jon Roskill, may have initiated this but it was announced at WPC that the Partner logo is no longer going to include the word 'network'. Also, from now on, partners won't be categorised as Advanced Competent, Competent (and perhaps in some cases incompetent) but will be accredited as Gold and Silver – after all that .... This is the best link we could find relating to the announcement.

New sales competency of real value

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:39:29 Z

We picked up a kit on http://www.microsoftSalesSpecialist.com entitled “What’s your MIQ?”. This is a new website which includes the best in Microsoft solution training designed specifically for sales professionals. There are a range of sales tracks including BI, Virtualisation, Data Platform, Identity and Security, UC, CRM and ERP. We had a quick play and frankly this is the best toolkit we have seen from Microsoft which is specifically designed for sales people. Go and have a look if you're keen to encourage your sales people to be pitching solutions rather than product and are trying to help them uncover and close bigger deals.

Top 10 Guide to the Microsoft Partner Network

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:45:50 Z

We've put together a quick guide to the top 10 most useful pages in the MPN PLUS a link to Pinpoint. Pinpoint is the Marketplace for finding a Microsoft Partner so make sure your profile is up-to-date with your products, solutions and services - this is your shop window to all Microsoft customers.

Pinpoint

https://partner.microsoft.com/UK/40102720

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/salesmarketingsection

Business planning tools and details of how to obtain marketing funding.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/salesmarketingsection/smmarketingcenter

Template marketing campaigns, latest sales offers and more.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/salesmarketingsection/smsalesprep

Sales training and resources including a business assessment toolkit and competitive, vertical,

role and solution selling approaches.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/salesmarketingsection/smsalesprep/spsalesresources

Resources to help accelerate your sales cycle.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/productssolutions

Clear messaging framework for all of the Microsoft products and solutions.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/40033315

How to submit a case study for funding.

https://partner.microsoft.com/uk/licensing

Everything you ever needed to know about Microsoft licensing. Includes online tutorials.

https://partner.microsoft.com/UK/communitysection

Links to the Partner community website - http://www.microsoftpartnercommunity.co.uk/

Main area where partners can network. Join forums, start a blog, get advice from the wiki. More and more of our customers are seeing revenue from partnering and taking a joint proposition to market. This is the ideal place to meet and maintain those relationships.

http://digitalwpc.com/awards (or link from MPN)

Enter your solution into the Worldwide Partner Conference awards. What have you got to lose?!

https://partner.microsoft.com/UK/40011092

The Microsoft Partner Programme is changing and so are the competencies. Make sure you know what it means for your business.

Tim Wallis, CEO of Content and Code, reviews “Thinking of .... Maximising your Investment as a Microsoft partner... Ask the Smart Questions” ..

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:49:03 Z

Content and Code (the SharePoint 'connoisseurs’) well known for its exceptional engagement in working with Microsoft and its technology platform had this to say about the book ..

“As a long-standing Microsoft partner that is well-versed in dealing with Microsoft and the partner channel, I really didn’t expect that this book would reveal much to me in how to maximise my investment in our Microsoft partnership. However, I was genuinely enlightened in a number of areas and was easily able to identify a list of things we could be doing to realise even greater value for our business. I would most definitely recommend partners get hold of a copy of this book as soon as possible and put its ideas into practice”.

Full reviews of the book are already on Amazon, where it's available to buy.

Get On Track - RevItUp2 Hits the Channel!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:18:53 Z

If you missed the RevItUp events last year, this is your second chance to attend some great sales and marketing training that will help you build your pipeline of qualified opportunities. We are delighted that the Microsoft Readiness Team has asked us to continue our involvement in this training programme. We are building and delivering some new and exciting content to help partners increase revenues through excellence in sales and marketing. The first event in the new OnTrack programme is scheduled for 24th November at TVP - further events are scheduled for Birmingham and Manchester in December. Places are going fast so book soon:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/registrationex/LMS_Registration.aspx?UserMode=0&Mode=0&ActivityID=557602

ResourceiT Selected Again for Oracle Compete Campaign

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:11:02 Z

Following an extremely successful marketing campaign in FY09, Microsoft has again selected ResourceiT to execute a campaign to increase SQL Server market share. In the previous phase of the campaign, the superb questioning and networking techniques used by Sam and Matt delivered a strong pipeline of opportunities for Microsoft within some highly strategic accounts. The project is now in phase 4 and we expect it to continue throughout FY10.

ResourceiT Celebrates the Arrival of Tracy "Microsoft Finance" Patient

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:05:21 Z

ResourceiT is delighted to welcome Tracy Patient to the team. Tracy joins us from the Microsoft Finance team, bringing with her some great skills and experience. As a Senior Account Manager, Tracy will work alongside Andy Sullivan and the marketing team to provide sales, marketing and Microsoft consulting services to our partner clients.

ResourceiT Welcomes Another New Team Member

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:13:43 Z

ResourceiT is delighted to welcome Samantha McCann to the marketing team. Samantha worked for several years as an Industry Marketing Manager at Microsoft and brings creative experience, industry knowledge and depth understanding of successful marketing in the Microsoft channel to our business and yours!

Hyper-V Workshops Help Partners Exploit Market Opportunity

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:19:14 Z

“Its events like these that help us to make the best decisions about where we focus and invest.” Jerome Mohammed, Sales Director, OctaviaIS

ResourceiT is working with Microsoft deliver a series of workshops to help Microsoft partners build their virtualisation practice. These events are helping partners to make the most of the market opportunity for virtualisation solutions with Hyper-V. The first workshop took place at Cardinal Place on 3rd September, the next is on the 29th September in Edinburgy - more to come.

Leading Web Agency Teams up With ResourceiT

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:08:48 Z

Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Sequence has selected ResourceiT as its sales and marketing partner. Sequence has a diverse UK-wide client portfolio that includes Storm Model Management and hit BBC programme Doctor Who. The partnership will help drive forward the business and further enhance its position as a leading web agency. Richard Baker, Managing Director of Sequence says “Our selection of ResourceiT as our preferred sales and marketing partner was a complete no-brainer and after only 3 short weeks has confirmed and far exceeded our expectations” ...

Excuse me, do you speak Microsoft?

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:47:28 Z

“Love it!”
Terry Smith, Senior Director, Public Sector, Microsoft UK.

After two years as a humble A6 booklet, the Microsoft Abbreviation Dictionary (MAD) is now live and available online. Thanks to the efforts of ResourceiT’s in-house Web designer, Dom Hey, and development partner, 3 Chillies, the dictionary is now available at www.resourceit.net/MAD and, for a small subscription, can be used to keep up to date with the ever-increasing acronyms and abbreviations used throughout Microsoft and the partner channel.

ResourceiT Welcomes New Microsoft Partner Specialist to the Team

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:52:03 Z

An exciting addition to the team, Andrew Sullivan joins ResourceiT direct from Microsoft, where he held a number of roles including Partner Program Specialist, Partner Account Manager and Business Development Manager. As Microsoft Alliance Consultant and Business Manager at ResourceiT, Andy brings great experience to the ResourceiT team and extends the breadth and depth of knowledge available to partners.

The Partner Program is Changing

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:51:31 Z

Worldwide Partner Conference (13 – 16 July, New Orleans) set to give partners their first look at Microsoft’s new partner program.

Microsoft is launching the Microsoft Partner Network at WPC09 this month. The Microsoft Partner Network is a community born from Microsoft’s continued commitment to serve the needs of partners and help them reach their full business potential.

The Microsoft Partner Network will provide:

Opportunities to strengthen partner technical, sales, and marketing capabilities
Expertise to help partners capture business opportunity with customers during the biggest launch wave in Microsoft history
Communities that spark innovation and connection

You can learn more about the Microsoft Partner Network by logging in to the Partner site at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/partner

ResourceiT will be providing a range of services to help partners incorporate the program changes into their sales and marketing materials.

ResourceiT Helps Partners “Rev Up Their Revenue”

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:46:12 Z

Microsoft invites ResourceiT to deliver country-wide series of sales coaching events.

In repsonse to ongoing demand from Microsoft partners, Microsoft provided valuable sales and marketing training through a campaign called ‘Rev Up Your Revenue’. This was a series of online training courses, to help partners to up-sell and cross-sell to drive revenue, supported by a launch event to approximately 100 partners.

ResourceiT helped Microsoft to develop and present the content for the one day launch event. This included three 40 minute presentations: "How to identify and attract your best clients"; "Driving your conversation forward"; "Accelerating off the grid".

Following the success of the Rev Up Your Revenue launch, ResourceiT was asked to re-deliver the content at events in Edinburgh, Leeds and London. A further 100 partners attend the sessions. Mike Hoffman of Dumbrae Solutions said: "I feel like I have been driving all these years and just had a driving lesson. Thank you so much!"

Find out more at http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/revitup/rev-up-your-revenue.aspx

ResourceiT is Moving Up

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:48:14 Z

ResourceiT welcomes customers and partners to the launch of its fabulous new offices.

ResourceiT celebrated the move to its new offices by welcoming customers, partners and suppliers to an evening launch party. Attendees were given the opportunity to explore the new facilities and get to know some of the other people who have helped ResourceiT achieve its success to date.

The new offices give ResourceiT and its customers some great new facilities - including a superb meeting room for running the popular business assessment workshop. Julie Simpson says: “Our new premises are a reflection of the way the business has grown in the last few years and give us the flexibility we need as we continue to provide more and more services to Microsoft partners.”

ResourceiT on Partner TV

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:39:52 Z

ResourceiT MD, Julie Simpson, talks to Microsoft’s Partner TV team.

Julie Simpson spoke to Partner TV’s Tara-Jade about the sales, marketing and Microsoft relationship support that ResourceiT provides to Microsoft partners. In the interview she talked about why she chose to create ResourceiT, and gave examples of partners ResourceiT has worked with in the past. She also spoke about the current opportunities available to partners.

Download the video from http://silverlight.services.live.com/81686/ResourceiT/video.wmv