For Partners who see technical capability as a key differentiator and a strategic asset, they need to focus on turning this into profitable business capability.
This is done by leveraging the fundamentals of owning their specialised niche, disciplined marketing that reflects business goals, and a proven go-to-market process. This is where you create your Winning Playbook and move your business from aimless to operating on-blueprint.
But, where do you start?
Create relevance with Microsoft's workload priorities
To be on Microsoft’s radar Partners need to demonstrate relevance to one or more of their current four workload priorities, so they get the visibility they need.
Microsoft has four key solution areas that identify the specific customer needs and priorities that they want to drive with their products and services. When Partners can align what they offer with what Microsoft is trying to drive on their scorecard, the Partner will create meaningful alignment with Microsoft.
This does not mean constantly changing the business model to fit Microsoft’s changing priorities, but rather being strategic about utilising the skills and capabilities already in the business for impact, and then acting decisively when trying to reposition and address new opportunities brought by Microsoft’s changing priorities and focus.
Demonstrate capability with technical intensity
For Microsoft to view you as a reliable partner, you must meet their certification level to demonstrate capability and technical intensity that the Microsoft brand can trust with their customer delivery promise.
Meeting the technical certifications that Microsoft impose will always be a requirement of being in the Partner Program. Partner’s need to be strategic about using what they have in the business now, while also considering ‘investing ahead’ to address the gaps that need to be filled to ensure their continued relevance in their customers digital transformation journey.
This isn’t about approaching technical certifications as a “tick box” exercise just to be relevant or attain access to investments. Rather, being deliberate and strategic about how you will create the technical intensity that will help your business and customers be successful while allowing you to make the right investment decisions.
Have a repeatable and systemised approach to scale competency
To build an influential, dependable practice you need a step-by-step proven pathway to follow that allows you to apply new technical competencies that Microsoft requests, in a scalable way that also keeps your business aligned with the Microsoft blueprint.
Partners that have created meaningful alignment and identified the technical certifications required to deliver on their go-to-market now have a scale problem. Transforming business is about creating repeatable and systemised processes that will scale the competency. This means having a precise pathway to building a practice and turning a technical requirement into profitable, repeatable delivery.
If you'd like to understand more about creating your Winning Playbook, or the other two key outcomes of an Investible Partner business, download our eBook.
We talk about how to get your business from obscurity to prioritised in the eyes of Microsoft, and also how you can change the mystery of Microsoft into a method in your business.
