Microsoft Partner-to-Partner
The power alliance between Microsoft consulting partners.
Microsoft Partner Channel
Partner-to-Partner
Successful partnerships build stronger businesses
Partner-to-Partner is an alliance between two or more consulting partners with defined, mutually beneficial business outcomes. This can range from entering new markets, differentiated offers, expanding customer base, and increasing customer wallet share. The alignment to customers’ digital transformation goals through effective partnerships naturally leads to more business revenue. Microsoft has thousands of partners specializing across the technology and industry spectrum. The right partnership can open the door to unlimited opportunities.
The Partner-to-Partner Relationship Matters
Digital transformation is the number one priority for the majority of business executives. As they seek end-to-end, cloud-based solutions for their key business challenges, the partner role is rapidly changing. To remain relevant, your approach to the marketplace must evolve as well. This could include reassessing where your products and services fit in the end-to-end customer digital transformation journey. The pace of change can impact how partners add value to their customers. Partnering allows you to increase your capacity to scale and accelerate your ability to respond. Leveraging the RIGHT partner can help fill the gaps you will identify.
The Partner-to-Partner Success Formula
Ready
Assess your readiness, discover and refine your value proposition, identify solution gaps, and make a plan for connecting with partners.
Connect
Work with us to achieve a digital transformation market share, a go-to-market plan, and manage your partnerships effectively.
Grow
Drive deeper connections with your existing customer base and expand clientele by introducing joint offerings and investments.
Partnership is a journey
Partnering together starts with defining value and business goals. Together, we can address gaps that you may have in your offerings and fill them with our strategies. Maximizing the partner consulting opportunity means constantly pushing for better results and seeking new partnerships. Consider how working with another partner can help with competitive differentiation, increase customer loyalty, and accelerate customers’ move to the cloud. We can work together as one team to thrive as a business, accelerate opportunities, and grow profitability.
Why partner-to-partner?
Achieve Scale
Partnering increases your capability to scale and accelerates your ability to respond to new project opportunities. The time you put into partner-to-partner activities will make you stand out from the crowd.
Digitally Transform
A strategy to enable digital transformation is finding the right go-to-market partner that can help you unlock potential. You can sell in new ways as your operational and resource gaps are filled.
Tell a Compelling Story
Leverage marketing and sales content through the Microsoft Partner Marketing Center to create a sound narrative. A joint story can reach a wider audience by utilizing customer pitch decks, copy blocks, and professional campaign assets.
Drive Profitability
The natural outcome of partner-to-partner is more revenue for both businesses. By collaborating with another partner, you can reduce the cost of selling and increase solution delivery efficiency.
Create Marketing Strategies
Create and execute marketing strategies to expand reach, generate leads, and increase customer loyalty. A mutually beneficial relationship stems from joint marketing, joint selling, and joint solutions.
Expand into New Markets
As a way to augment your partner relationships, you can get involved in exciting areas of business. Access to additional technical skills can allow your organization to break into new markets.
Ready to partner with us?
As your trusted partner, DCG can mend the gap that professionals often face with Microsoft. We are a global leader in Microsoft consulting and offer full-stack development, implementation, and support for partners looking for a dedicated Microsoft team. DCG is a North America based team that will provide an expert level of care to your clientele. Learn more about our partner-to-partner consulting services here.
Ready to take the next step?
Partner-to-partner FAQs
Partners typically experience a 10-20% increase in margin when working with another Microsoft partner.
To know the value a partner will provide to you, you have to be able to answer why you need partners in the first place. In preparation for this, you need to do some research, and consider the following:
- Understand the importance of partnerships and the value they can provide.
- Understand the investment required to secure lasting and successful partnerships.
- Understand what makes a good partner, what you have to offer, and why partners should invest in you.
- Define your partner/channel strategy.
By focusing too narrowly on one’s own traditional business model, you miss the larger opportunity and risk getting left behind in the environment of digital transformation. Some key weaknesses to be aware of:
- ISVs expect the value of their solution to speak for itself, and often don’t specialize in the relationship sales approach required to build long-lasting partnerships.
- Channel partners and SIs have their go-to technologies already decided upon and may be unwilling to try new things.
As a Microsoft partner, you need to know when to invest and work harder, and when to look for new opportunities. Evaluating your partnership activities is a critical component to ensure progress. Here are some ideas that will help you achieve success together:
- Annual Reviews: These are essential to building long-term relationships. They provide the foundation for your next year’s joint business plan.
- Scorecards: Scorecards are a key tool to manage this dynamic, allowing you to asses and measure past performance against current.
- Course-correct: If you don’t take advantage of unmet opportunity for growth, you’ll have missed out on driving profitability.
Quality partnerships are formed from a successful joint Go-to-Market plan. Together, you should be able to sell and close deals.
Contact us today to learn how we can work together through our Channel Consulting services.