Would you like the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of Microsoft solutions to an audience of business leaders in your community? That's probably a pretty easy one to answer, and on a recent Thursday in Greene County, Va., Phil Jaderborg and Chip Taylor of PJ Networks took advantage of just such an opportunity. The Greene County Chamber of Commerce and PJ Networks sponsored a lunch-and-learn through Microsoft's Community Connections program.
Connecting Local Businesses with Partners
The Community Connections program was recently launched by Microsoft as a way to connect local business organizations like Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Clubs with Microsoft partners. Promoted to the end-user organizations, Microsoft provides everything from event promotion materials to prepared presentations. The presentations are designed to help business leaders learn how current Microsoft Windows, Office and other productivity tools can help them improve their business operations.
Melissa Liberatore, Greene County's Chamber of Commerce director, who's always looking for programs that address "issues that are relevant to our membership," was intrigued by the Community Connections program. The added bonus of having one of the Chamber's members qualified to present the Microsoft materials made the event a win on multiple levels. For PJ Networks, the program provided a perfect opportunity to introduce their computer and network services offered through a new location in Greene County.
Lessons Learned
Liberatore and Jaderborg decided that a lunch-and-learn at a local hotel meeting room would be the best venue for the Community Connections event. Liberatore promoted the event, titled "Focus on Your Business. Integrate Windows 7 and Office 2010 into Your Business," through the Chamber Web site and with materials that Microsoft provided. About 15 business leaders paid $15 (or $30 for non-Chamber members) for a two-hour session over lunch.
About the promotion of the event, Jaderborg said, "Word of mouth was probably one of the best avenues, but the most valuable asset was teaming up with the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. Most of the attendees were also members of the Chamber and the Chamber coordinated the process of actively signing up participants."
Jaderborg and Taylor found the Microsoft-supplied materials a little too extensive and had several suggestions for partners. "Instead of spending a tremendous amount of time trying to learn and memorize every single detail and shortcut for every Office feature, it would be wiser to start by paring down the material you plan to present. That process includes thinning out the PowerPoint presentations and removing some of the scripted material from the provided resources. After that, you can focus more easily on the remaining features to be covered."
Are the Results Worth the Effort?
Events take time to organize, promote and prepare. Commitment from both the sponsor organization and the partner is the key to a successful event. That was clearly the case with the Greene County and PJ Networks teams. Jaderborg said, "The time and effort was definitely worth it; both Chip and I even learned a lot of interesting little tidbits and hidden features that we may not have discovered so easily on our own, such as Sparklines in Microsoft Excel."
Liberatore was appreciative of Microsoft's process and support. Copies of Windows 7 Ultimate and Office 2010 Professional were supplied to support an event raffle as well as an internal use copy for the Chamber. "Feedback was very positive," Liberatore said, but had one suggestion for event organizers: "A couple of attendees brought their laptops and, next time, I will recommend that everyone has a computer to follow along in the applications through the presentations."
In terms of building business for PJ Networks, Jaderborg believes, "This experience has reinforced our reputation for being knowledgeable engineers, but has also helped to demonstrate that we are hands-on with the technology that we utilize and deploy on a regular basis. Those who did not know us before the event saw that we are friendly and approachable as well -- that never hurts."
Connect with Your Local Business Organization
As Jaderborg says, "We have received a lot of positive feedback from the attendees, and that is valuable in a smaller community where people pass your company name around as a matter of course."
Get people passing your name around! Talk to your local Chamber and suggest participation in the Community Connections.
Have you sponsored a successful event? Let me know about it so we can share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 09, 20110 comments
As businesses emerge from their buying moratorium, how can you help them spend their IT budgets wisely...and spend them with you? The top concerns of organizations evaluating IT purchases include cost overruns and project failure. Overcome those worries with packaged services that clearly define costs and outcomes to build prospect confidence and add to your bottom line.
Packaged Services for Repeatable Project Delivery
There is some confusion about the term "packaged services" in the partner channel. Packaged services don't have to be "vertical" or focused on a specific industry. Any set of services that solve a problem or offer a benefit and can be delivered in a replicable process can be "packaged." Some examples of service packages that you could offer to your customers include:
- Exchange upgrades,
- business continuity planning and protection,
- Office 365 deployment and
- document imaging implementation.
While it clearly takes some time and effort to create packaged service offerings, there are significant benefits to your organization (in addition to sales). Well-defined packages will:
- make it easier to train employees,
- lower risk with predictable outcomes,
- increase profit margins and
- provide calls to action for Pinpoint listings.
Define the Process To Set Pricing
The first step in building your pricing is to clearly define the process. A detailed project plan will give you the foundation. Apply your experience to include a reasonable margin for unexpected complications. Your documentation will provide a sales tool and playbook for your consulting team.
Keep pricing simple. Exchange upgrade pricing might be based on user count, while document imaging is set per department. There is no right or wrong way to do pricing as long as your clients will purchase and you make money. Ask your current customers for input -- maybe even give them a special deal to test your project plan.
Fixed Price Versus Time and Materials
Would you rather have a time and materials bid or a fixed bid on the new roof for your home? No question about it. The fixed bid reduces your risk and motivates the roofer to finish quickly and move on to the next job.
The same holds true for your customers. They get cold sweats when there is no clear price tag on the contract. Showing your customer a detailed project plan with a fixed price builds trust in your organization and confidence in your ability to deliver. For your customer, packaged services provide:
- better understanding of the services to be delivered,
- predictable outlay of cash and
- clear understanding of the benefits and deliverables they will receive.
Sell the Value with Simplicity
Whether you create a flier, post it to your Web site or include it in your newsletter, keep the packaged service message clear and concise. Keep your focus on the business value and benefits, not the technology. Include:
- bullet points listing the business benefits and the steps in the process,
- clear pricing to both entice and qualify prospects and
- and a clear call to action in the closing. (Example: Call today to receive a free copy of "Office 365 for Smarties.")
Packaged services show prospects and customers that you have experience and confidence in your ability to deliver services predictably. Lower your risks and win more business with repeatable project delivery.
Are you gaining market share with packaged services? Please tell me about it so we can share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 02, 20110 comments
You may feel like the odd man out if you don't have a blog on your Web site, but is a blog really important to your marketing efforts? That's a good question and there is no black-and-white answer. A recent study gives us some interesting data points to consider.
According to Hubspot's The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing report, the percentage of businesses with a blog grew from 48 percent to 65 percent from 2009 to 2011. And while the survey also reported that many (57 percent) of those businesses are indeed generating leads from their blogs, that's not the whole story.
The Benefits of Blogging
Blogging has clearly become a mainstream marketing tactic for organizations that can commit to the demands of writing regular blog posts. Blogging will help you:
- increase organic search engine rankings,
- drive online traffic to your Web site,
- establish your organization as an expert and
- develop marketing content that you can test and repurpose.
All desirable outcomes, but does that mean you will close more deals if you blog?
Does Blogging Build Your Pipeline?
A critical finding of the Hubspot survey was the direct correlation between frequency of blog posts and customer acquisition. While 89 percent of the survey respondents that post several times a day reported gaining customers through the blog, only 49 percent of those businesses posting monthly had acquired any customers via the blog. Frequency matters.
While this survey is certainly not definitive research, it makes sense that the results from your blog will only be as good as the content that you deliver. If you have more content than you know what to do with and can leak it out onto a blog with regular posts -- sounds like a good plan. If you can't make the commitment to post regularly -- very regularly -- then you should probably focus on other marketing tactics.
Group Blogging
Some partners have found an alternative to single-handedly creating content through group blogging. The ERP Software Blog and CRM Software Blog were two of the first Microsoft partner group blogging sites and combined draw over 30,000 online visitors each month. The brainchild of Anya Ciecierski of CAL Business Solutions, a Dynamics GP partner, and Dave Foreman of Interactive Limited, an SEO consulting firm, the sites harness the power of 75-plus Dynamics partners that share the chore of writing blog posts.
Since joining the group blog, CAL Business Solutions, a Connecticut-based Dynamics GP Gold partner, has seen its Web site traffic increase over 100 percent with 67 percent of FY11 closed deals coming from Web site leads. Even Microsoft has taken note of the sites' success and now syndicates content from the group blogs onto Microsoft customer-facing sites.
Additional blogs serving the entire Microsoft partner community have recently launched, including the SharePoint Blog and the Microsoft Infrastructure Blog. New, but growing quickly, the SharePoint Blog launched March 1, 2011 and in April alone received over 3,000 visitors.
Whether you decide to go it alone or band together, blogging can definitely build confidence in the prospects that find value in your posts. As with any marketing tactic, blogging is a useful tool, but doesn't fit every partner organization. Focus your marketing efforts on tactics that work for you -- there's plenty of others to choose from.
How do you build and use content for marketing? Please tell me so we can share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on May 18, 20110 comments
How do most of your new customers find out about you? If you are like most partners, you will answer, "From referrals." So why is it that so few partners include referral programs in their marketing plans?
For some reason -- whether it's because you are humble or it seems presumptive or defies the manners that your mother taught you -- asking for referral business makes most partners uncomfortable. Maybe some creative ideas will help you overcome your reticence. Here are a couple:
Sources of Referrals
Customers are an obvious place to start. The very best way to get referrals from customers is to do something extraordinary that is worth talking about. When you provide over-the-top service, your clients are going to tell their friends about it.
To augment your "wow" factor, you can also help clients remember you without overtly asking for referrals. For instance:
- Send a hand-written thank-you note when you complete each project.
- Send a congratulatory e-mail when you see an announcement about the company.
- Find out when the next company meeting will be held and offer to provide lunch.
Partners can also be rich sources of referral business. Some of the ways that you can help partners remember you for referrals include:
- Inviting your partner to speak at an event or co-sponsor an event.
- Offering to provide content to your partner's newsletter or blog.
- Sponsoring a networking event for your partner's sales team.
Friends and family are often overlooked as sources for referral business. Give multiple business cards to your inner circle so that they can hand them out when an opportunity arises.
Be a Connector
During networking -- or any conversation, for that matter -- do you listen for opportunities to connect people to your customers or partners? When someone mentions a problem that one of your customers can fix, ask if you can send an introductory e-mail. Your customer will know you are thinking of them and be more likely to repay the favor.
Community Service
A preface to the following suggestion: Be sincere in whatever you do. You won't get referrals from all the good things that you do, but if you genuinely want to contribute to the community, there is no reason that it can't help your business as well. A few ideas include:
- Promoting or making an unsolicited contribution to a customer-sponsored fundraising event.
- Volunteering for a board position with a community organization that is meaningful to you.
- Donating in-kind services to a school or organization that serves your community.
Your customers, partners, friends and family are probably happy to refer business your way. By keeping your name in front of them in positive ways, you will give them more reasons to think of you when an opportunity presents. Even Mom would approve.
Do you have a favorite referral method? Tell me about it and let's share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on May 12, 20110 comments
Do you send out a monthly newsletter to your clients? Quarterly? Randomly? Maybe your commitment to the newsletter is tempered by the results; if you got new work from clients every time you sent out a newsletter, you'd be more likely to devote the time and resources.
Do you offer them a compelling reason to call you? Do you ask them to respond? Do you give as well as ask?
Here are some pointers to help you motivate your clients to respond when your newsletter hits their inbox:
Package services with Microsoft promotions. While there are plenty of Microsoft license promotions that you can announce to your clients, how about packaging the license up with your services? Instead of just announcing a BPOS promotion from Microsoft, offer a BPOS-plus-migration package deal. Make it easy for your clients to upgrade to current versions with everything -- licenses and services -- in one predictable package.
Call to action -- don't forget to ask. Often overlooked when creating a newsletter is the "call to action." Ask your customer to do something -- either sign up for a webinar or download a report -- at least once in your newsletter. Offer your customer educational content that will help them with their business, like a report or video. Label clearly with "Click Here to Download." It sounds simple, but if you don't ask your clients to do something, they won't. So ask!
Give/get ISV content. If you are an ISV, are you offering newsletter content and promotions to your resellers? Don't wait for them to ask -- they are just as busy as you are. Make it easy and send them a batch of articles that they can use in their upcoming newsletters. Get creative and figure out how you can roll your reseller's services into a promotional package to offer to their customers.
If you are a reseller working with ISVs, are you asking them to contribute content and promotions to your monthly newsletter? Most ISVs are happy to partner with you providing articles, webinars and other marketing content.
Give back to your community. When you read about successes of your clients in the local business journal, do you make a note? How about asking if you can mention the news in your newsletter? You get content that shows how successful your clients are and give that client additional recognition. Help them promote their business and they will remember when it comes time to upgrade.
Do you engage your clients with creative content? Please let me know about it and we'll share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on May 03, 20110 comments
Twice in as many weeks, I have gotten the same surprising reaction during lunch conversations from friends who work in technology-related professions. When I asked them what they were doing with the cloud, each one of them said, "The cloud? I keep hearing that term and am afraid to sound stupid, but I don't think I understand what it really means."
If we say the word enough, will everyone understand? Maybe. In the meantime, there are a plenty of smart people out there, including your clients, that don't know what "the cloud" means and are afraid to ask for fear of sounding stupid. And if they don't understand it, they sure aren't going to adopt it.
Sounds Like an Opportunity for You To Help
There is a school of thought that webinars and seminars with titles like "Embrace the Cloud" and "Cloud Power" will intrigue prospects to want to find out more. Certainly, there are many professionals -- especially IT buyers -- that understand the cloud and all its variations very clearly. But what about your target prospects?
If your current and potential client contacts are non-technical people, you may have the perfect opportunity to help them "not feel stupid." Take it down a notch and educate your audience on the basics first. You will earn points and trust.
Keep It Simple
Part of the challenge in keeping the message simple is that "the cloud" is used to describe a pretty wide range of applications, services and combinations of the two. For your audience, start simple and expand from there.
Something like this: At the basic level, "the cloud" or "cloud computing" refers to software -- from e-mail to accounting to customer relationship management -- that users access through the Internet. Cloud computing allows small companies to use powerful applications, including Exchange, SharePoint, Live Meeting, CRM and Office without expensive hardware or extensive IT support.
Shed Some Light
Now that you have their attention and appreciation for clearing the fog, take the opportunity to explain the value-add that you bring. Bullet-point the benefits that they get from working with you if they decide to transition to the cloud, but don't get too deep too fast. Adoption for many companies will take years. Help your clients understand the variations and options offered through the cloud over time.
However you introduce the cloud to your customers, whether it's through your monthly newsletter, webinars or seminars, start with the basics and build from there. Our industry is notorious for talking over people's heads about the latest advances in technology. Keep it simple.
Do you have a good cloud story? Tell me about it and let's share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on April 28, 20110 comments
So you're thinking about holding an event to promote a new service that you've recently added. You know that a visual presentation will wow the audience if you can get in front of the right organizations. Unfortunately, your target e-mail list is as limited as your advertising budget. Time to get creative.
As with any good marketing campaign, you have to start with the definition of your target market. Who will your new service benefit the most? Retail businesses, HVAC/plumbers, health care providers? Narrow your target.
Next, identify the primary business benefit from the service you want to promote. What problem will you solve for your prospects -- lower costs of IT service, better customer service, improved inventory management? Keep it simple.
Not the Usual Suspects
Now, think about other organizations that serve that same target audience with a different but complementary product or service. It may sound old-fashioned, but flipping through the Yellow Pages may give you more ideas that searching the Internet. Think outside the box to find your partners. Consider
- a Web design company that specializes in building retail online stores,
- a car dealer with fleet sales and service for home service companies, or
- a medical supplies distributor.
To get the biggest benefit, seek out companies that have a large contact list or advertise regularly. Then create a business-driven message that will benefit you and the partner company. Host events that focus on things like:
- Winning in Retail: Boost online sales without IT headaches;
- Home Service Excellence: Maximize customer service and onsite visits; or
- Health Check: Improve profits with better inventory management.
Make it easy for your partner to promote the event. Give them an e-mail template that they can send to their e-mail list and flyers to post. Take the lead and the initiative to ensure that you get the full value of the event.
The venue can provide the opportunity for partnership as well. Get commitment for event promotion when you host your event at a local winery or restaurant. If their clientele aligns with your target market, it can be a win for both companies.
A Case in Point
Let's say that you are promoting unified communication to local architects, engineering firms and other small professional services companies. The business benefit you want to focus on is allowing home workers and field personnel to be fully connected to the information they need. The business decision makers for these organizations are generally the owners, but you don't have much of a contact list.
Doing some research, you a find local printer that specializes in blueprints with a new state-of-the-art facility that they would like to show off. You also contact a CAD software company to see if they would like to present in exchange for promoting the event to their mailing list. Voila! By finding partners, you have tripled the number contacts to invite to the event, tripled the value of the information, tripled your chances for a stellar event.
Have you had a great partnership event? Tell me about it and let's share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on April 20, 20110 comments
Everyone has seen the statistic: You need at least six and as many as 17 impressions to get the attention of your target prospects. Multiple factors affect that number, like your list quality and call to action, but the fundamental point is that you need to repeat your message again and again to get the attention of your audience. Consistency is your secret weapon.
Most of your competitors -- and maybe even you -- engage with prospects in fits and starts. You send out an e-mail when the latest version of Windows is released or when you hire a new salesperson and promise marketing support. Most of the time, there are more pressing day-to-day issues that have to be handled and marketing goes to the bottom of the pile.
To make your marketing program really stick, don't worry about what campaigns are "working" for other partners. Figure out what marketing method is the easiest for your organization to execute on a regular basis. Making it happen consistently is far more important than the vehicle or delivery method. If you regularly communicate the benefits of working with your company to your prospects, you will get new clients.
How To Deploy the Secret Weapon
Decide what type of marketing content you are most likely to support for the long term. Do you have someone in the organization who likes to write, give presentations or network? If he or she enjoys the task, it won't be a chore. Then, pick one delivery method and stick with it:
- monthly e-mail newsletter or snail-mail postcard to your house list
- weekly blog postings
- regular networking with consistent follow-up
- monthly webinars or on-site seminars
Make someone in the organization accountable to "make it happen" -- whether it's sending the e-mail or posting the article. Give him or her incentives to get it done regularly. There are methods to fine-tune your marketing and improve results, but don't get distracted by details until you have an established routine.
If you have limited resources to devote to marketing, get some help. Microsoft's updated Ready-to-Go marketing programs contain some great tools to help you with content. There are numerous services available now that you can contract to help get your marketing on track for a reasonable fee.
Steady as She Goes
Your prospects need to see your name and message often to remember who to call when they need your services. Don't lose patience and don't feel like you are pestering. Prospects that are a good fit for your services want to hear from you. With consistent contact, you will get their attention and their business.
What's your secret (or not-so-secret) marketing weapon? Send me a note and let's share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on April 13, 20110 comments
Finding an organization that attracts people that fit your prospect profile is the first step to building your business through networking. Attend a meeting or two as a guest to make sure the group is a good fit before you invest in the membership fee. When you find the right organization, attending events won't be a chore -- you will have fun and feel like you are building valuable business relationships. Here are some tips for maximizing your networking value.
Meet local business owners at the Chambers of Commerce. Your local Chamber of Commerce is an obvious place to start if your focus is serving local businesses. Most Chambers hold regular networking meetings and many sponsor special interest group meetings and workshops. "Technology" and "Women in Business" subgroups can be a great place to start with a smaller group if you are hesitant to attend a large group meeting.
Build partnering relationships through IAMCP and HTG Peer Groups. When a customer asks you about a service that you don't provide, do you have trusted partners that you can refer? If you don't, you lose control of that customer's research. The International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners and HTG Peer Groups help VARs, SIs, ISVs, managed services and training partners work together to build complementary relationships and sharing leads.
Focus on your niche through professional organizations. If you have an industry focus or target a specific professional role, consider joining a related professional organization. Local chapters of national associations give you a unique opportunity to connect with a targeted group of people and have the added value of building your knowledge of your market. If you have specific expertise, offer to share your knowledge through programs or workshops.
Start up your own networking group. Do some of your current customers share a common interest? If you sponsored a regular meeting, would they tell their friends and business associates? LinkedIn makes it easy to announce and promote meetings to special interest groups. Focus content on the attendees' interests -- not yours -- and you'll keep them coming back. Business will follow.
Take advantage of Microsoft resources. Microsoft Community Connections is a program sponsored by the Local Engagement Team to help you bring valuable content to your networking organizations. The site offers presentation templates, videos and marketing materials that you can use to create a presentation for a meeting or workshop. This is a great tool to help establish you as an expert in your community.
For many people, it's not easy to take that first step out into the networking world. Social media is great, but no replacement for face-to-face relationship-building. Take a chance, get out there and give networking a try.
Where are you building beneficial business relationships? Please tell me about it so that we can share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on April 06, 20110 comments
While content and social media marketing are grabbing all the headlines, there's still no replacement for building business by getting out and meeting people face to face. Start small -- commit to attend one event per month -- and don't let excuses keep you away. Look for organizations that serve the needs of your potential customers like a Chamber of Commerce, or business partners like the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP).
If you're the type of person who is uncomfortable walking into a room with a bunch of strangers, you're not alone. Manage your stress by setting very specific, reasonable goals to help you focus on the purpose of your attendance. Make it easy -- talk to three people you don't know and exchange business cards.
The Goal: Build New Relationships (Not Sell!)
Even though your end game is to find new customers, don't sell when you attend a networking event. The best way to engage someone in conversation is to ask them about themselves. Focus on what they are telling you, not on what you want to say to them. Listen for clues about the business challenges that they face, companies they work with and people they know.
Even if the person you are talking to is not a good fit as a potential customer, they may be an advisor to other companies or have connections that could help you win business. You can't learn about that potential for referral business if you are doing the talking. By asking questions and listening, you may turn a conversation that seems to be going nowhere into a hot lead.
Follow Up Quickly and Regularly
For those connections that you believe hold value for your organization -- either as a potential customer or a referral partner -- follow up the next day with something that will build your relationship. Send a friendly e-mail with an article on a topic you discussed or a link to a useful Web site. Demonstrate the value that you can bring to that person or to his clients without asking for any commitment.
Schedule follow-ups or send a note when you find something that might be useful to your new connection. Build that relationship as a "giver" and you will build your credibility. The real beauty of attending monthly events is that you get to see the folks that you talked to last month and follow up in person.
Next week, we will look at specific organizations and how you can leverage them to build your business. Where are you building beneficial business relationships? Please tell me about it so that we can share the knowledge.
Posted by Barb Levisay on March 30, 20110 comments