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Michelle Glennie (MG): What specific vertical is your organization in? If manu-facturing, for example, what kind of man-ufacturing?Jennifer Imes Lupiba (JL): AccuNet has completely adopted the vertical focus. In fact, we focus solely on the biotechnol-ogy vertical, and in particularly, on those companies developing drugs, testing them, and consulting with companies to get them through the FDA process. Another Part-ner, after looking at our very verticalized Web site, said that we would turn away other industries since we didn’t list them on our Web site. That’s the point of go-ing vertical. We only want companies in biotechnology. Michael Camp (MC): Professional service organizations (PSO) including the archi-tecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry. We used to market to anyone, in-cluding distribution, non-profits, and gov-ernment, but quickly saw that professional services and AEC were a perfect fit for our project-accounting expertise in Micro-soft Dynamics® SL. We’re not as narrowly focused as some who go vertical because we focus on project-driven companies. For example, many architecture and engineer-ing firms are going “design-build,” so it be-came important to focus on construction as well.MG: Why did your organization choose this vertical? Personal experience in the indus-try? Consultants and salespeople with a depth of knowledge? A concentration of the industry in your geographic area?

JL: About four years ago, the executive team sat down and reviewed our client base and our skill set. We found that many of our good customers were in the biotechnology vertical and that our strongest skills were in working with Microsoft Dynamics SL’s project and accounting package that all of

those biotechnology firms were using. It was a natural fit. Also, many of our consultants were already experienced with the complex reporting and regulatory compliance needs of these biotechnology firms.MC: In a similar way, we went vertical be-cause of the conclusion of a strategic plan-ning initiative in 2004. It became an obvious decision when we saw we had the domain knowledge (project accounting expertise), a product that fit PSOs and AEC perfectly (Microsoft Dynamics SL), existing referenc-es, and little to no competition. MG: What did your organization have to do to understand the customer needs in this vertical?JL: Because our best customers and our best

skill sets aligned, we realized we al-ready knew many of their needs. However, since we “discovered” our already vertical fo-cus, we did spend much more time interviewing those customers, read-ing industry pub-

lications, joining industry associations, and finding the commonality in the informa-tion we gathered from prospects during our prospecting.MC: Well, we’re not where we want to be yet in terms of knowing everything or in marketing, but the main thing was educa-

AccuNet designs, implements, and maintains study/project management and accounting systems for mid-market com-panies across the world. They find their soft-ware and services best fit contract research

organizations (CROs), contract testing laboratories (CTLs), pharma consulting, contract manufacturing organizations, and other project-focused industries.

About the Partners

Serving professional service organizations and architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) companies on the West Coast, Synergy Business Solutions sells, implements, and

supports Microsoft Dynamics® SL project and cost accounting software that integrates with Microsoft Office and Microsoft Dynamics® CRM. Synergy creates strategic value for project-driven organizations to help them thrive in the market place, not merely survive a business phase.

tion. Some of our consultants needed to be trained in the Microsoft Dynamics SL project management and accounting se-ries. Others already knew these companies’ needs because of our experience. In time, through more needs assessments, sales per-sonnel asking the right questions, research-ing industry trends, and reading industry publications, we gained a greater under-standing. For marketing, we had to learn the right terms to ensure we were talking the same language as the vertical. MG: What kinds of services do you need to provide to best serve your customers in this vertical? How are those services dif-ferent than what you provide to custom-ers outside the vertical? JL: Many biotech companies have unique billing needs, especially if their research staff fluctuates or needs to track their time to specific projects that then flow back to in-dividual clients. Our vertical services need to know their business needs. Actually, this idea of knowing your customers’ business needs is not exclusive to being vertical; it’s exclusive to doing good business. MC: Construction firms typically need a strong project management dashboard in addition to project accounting, so we part-nered with an ISV to provide that. PSOs often need several levels of accounting detail to accommodate their client’s re-quirements or for their own reporting. The principle is the same for customers outside the vertical – to assess their specific needs and meet them – it’s just easier in a ver-

AccuNetBusiness Systems Network Services

In today’s economy, we need to take the tIme

to look at how we can better serve both our

exIstIng customers and new customers.

Spring 2009 41

tical to serve them because they become more familiar. MG: Now, you have existing customers that were not in this vertical. What do you do to continue your service to them?JL: We have a strong client base with many not in this vertical, so we have developed another portion of our marketing to focus on current customer marketing and rela-tions. We provide useful and helpful news-letters about updates to their products, our services, and our Partners. We conduct user groups and host an annual open house for our customers. These companies are tried and true customers, so we want to show them that we care about them as well.MC: Our commitment to client services and technical support to existing customers outside this focus is the same through user groups, training, and so on. We just don’t spend marketing dollars on generating leads outside our verticals. MG: What is a key bit of advice you can offer to other Partners on how to best serve customers within a vertical?JL: Choose just one or two verticals and focus on those. You can’t go vertical if you are too worried someone may not look at you because you have a focus. Create mes-saging that is unique to the industry and captures their needs and pain – the worst

thing to do is to go vertical with a horizon-tal message.MC: Do thorough research from several different angles. Research the industry, read publications, and more importantly, interview sales and marketing people and get to know the decision makers and us-ers on a level where you begin to under-stand and speak their language and know their needs well. Also upgrade the skills of your consultants to match the solutions that particular vertical requires to meet those needs.MG: By specializing in a particular in-dustry, what have been the three biggest benefits for your organization?JL: Shorter sales cycle. Happier and easier to work with customers. A unified focus be-tween marketing, sales, and management; how often does that happen?! Everyone in the company knows and is working toward a common purpose.MC: First of all, it’s been successful as far as sales. We have had an average of 38 per-cent compound annual growth. Second, we are not yet where we want to be, but we are gaining a reputation as project accounting experts for PSOs and the AEC industry. Third, the more we focus on these, the more our marketing, sales, and consulting depart-ments become that much more experienced

in communicating in the language of the vertical and solving the specific problems they face.

Starting on a road of evaluation within your organization will help you begin to un-derstand where your vertical strengths may lie. Microsoft has created the Partner Verti-cal Resource Center within PartnerSource to help Partners research verticals, read in-dustry studies, and analyze opportunities. Learn more at https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40020485?PS=3.

Whether you decide to go vertical or stay more horizontal in nature, you need to dis-cover what you can do best to service your customers, prospects, and company. Un-derstanding all of these needs will help you build your business, marketing strategies, and sales, ultimately driving growth to your bottom line.

Michelle Glennie is with The Partner Marketing Group and has more than eight years of experience in the Microsoft Dynam-ics® GP channel. Her experience includes leadership in business development, opera-tions, marketing, and human resource man-agement. She can be reached at [email protected].

42 The Partner Channel Magazine

congratulations to...nobody! yikes. no winners from last quarter - time to redeem yourself and that $10 starbucks gift certificate!

now for round V of the tPc Word-a-Ganza! Posted below are 25 words that relate to the topics and themes included in this edition of the Partner channel magazine. these words can be found in the grid horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backwards, and forwards. you can submit your completed word find to us for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to starbucks so you can enjoy future word finds over a latte or cup of joe! simply fax your completed puzzle to 701-478-1077, attention Jenny Davis, or scan and e-mail it to Jenny at [email protected].

If you prefer, contact Jenny and she’ll e-mail you an electronic version of the same word find.

WORD-A

-Gan

za

Advertisers InterDyn CFO Consulting Marketing Spring The Partner Channel

Beat up Ben Kirill Tatarinov Offense Strategy The Partner Event

Convergence Leadership Partners Surprises Tough

Customers Look Up and Let Go Sales Team Beans Trust

Entrepreneurs Corner Marcil Technologies Save September The List Vertical

e N t r e P r e N e u r s c o r N e r a D V e r ts a V e t H e D a t e Y o o F F e N s i V B N e rG N i r P s P r u N G s N P i H s r e D a e l N uV e r t i c a l o o K H u P a N t a e B M a e t se G D t l e a D o r c s F o l l K e s u r t N e sr N o o l D c s F e s a e F G D i s s G t u t a at i W u K u J N t a s D Y i u N r P e H N P r t li t a G l G H l e r c V r D G s i o G t e B e N rc l D H H e i r t G a P s G s o l t r o r e P e ea u V D F c W a D G r t u D V s l r e e s N r V BD s e P r s P r i u H e e D s t t o V K e s e e MV N r a s e t N s G s a V G s P a u N D r e N r ee o M r D F s V e r t i c N Y r t N o H D a u e tr c a t F s i t a t a r i N o V a G c e c e M N PY o r N c i l e a D e r t H e c r l i P u s a t eo F F e N s e t e a M P D F t D i t s a s e r r sF c o r D u H K i r i r s D s s N t u r t s c a eF N r s s c t B e N F u u i u c o G l t o i i P Ve Y e c a s t u s r e s i t r e V D a i M r l e aN D B e a t s a V e s e P t t e a M s N e P t H ss r u P t e a M B e a N s t r a t e G t r r e t ui e N t l e a D e r s s H i P a r t N e s u a e rV t M a r c i l t e c H N o l o G i e s o s D M Pe N s a l l e N N a H c r e N t r a P e H t V o re i N t e r D Y N c F o G t e l D N a P u K o o l

Spring 2009 43

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Richard Mattson

When you’re under siege – a place many Partners find themselves in this off-the-cliff economy – you’ll find advice at every turn about

what you should and should not do with your marketing dollars, what works and doesn’t work in recessionary times, and more. Much of it is very good and useful, to be sure (for example, check out the “Additional Resourc-es” at the end of this article). An ardent and persistent plea is to not cut your marketing budget, a plea that sounds to some like func-tional myopia from those who know nothing about other business expense realities. The fact is, under revenue pressure, the market-ing budget often must take a hit along with

everything else. How do you make the most out of what you can retain?

In this article, we’ll take a different tack from the usual, focusing more on a process you can use to smartly adapt your market-ing plan to current conditions by using a combination of approaches you might not often encounter. We’ll examine some of the key psychological factors at work in your or-ganization to help make you more aware of the traps inherent in panic and to assist you in influencing rational marketing decision-making during this tough period. The eco-nomic crisis might have many of you tempo-rarily on your backs, feeling and fighting like underdogs, but there are ways to rise from that position that make a lot of sense.

Managing Panic, Gaining ControlTo begin, recognize that you will not be

able to panic your way out of current mar-ket conditions. So, it is very important not to be controlled by anxious circumstances, and a key factor involves our emotional control. One psychological theory that speaks to this issue describes a “dual mode” approach to problem-solving. The first and oldest mode we use is based on intuition. In this mode (we’ll call it “quick mode”),we look for patterns in a situation we recog-nize from our past, sort through them rap-idly, come to a quick and dirty conclusion, and jump into action. This is our oldest mode of solving problems, one that served our ancestors well and often still serves us

Spring 2009 45

today when we face a critical problem that requires action now. However, if this is our preferred and habitual mode of problem-solving, we might find that while it quickly gets us out of range of today’s saber-toothed tiger, it launches us into the jaws of an even deadlier beast. This “quick mode” is fueled by emotions, so if a situation is panic-rid-den, we’re more likely to try to problem-solve this way.

The second mode of problem-solving is of more recent origin and engages more of the cerebral cortex, our modern brain. This is the “thinking mode.” In this mode, we take a more thoughtful, rational, and analytical approach to problem-solving.

It’s important to understand that both these modes are natural and active parts of each of us, and both are always in op-eration, even if one is dominant at a given time. But when the economic sky is fall-ing, for example, how do we take more thoughtful control of the panic we might

be experiencing? One psychology study suggested a simple answer. Researchers learned that how you frame questions can drive one mode or the other into domi-nance. In the study, subjects were pre-sented with a hypothetical situation. One group was asked how they would respond if the situation happened to them. This phrasing put them into “quick mode” be-cause it made them visualize and person-alize the threat. Another group was asked to logically step through how to deal with the same situation. This group went into “thinking mode” because rational think-ing was evoked. Now, while this dual-mode approach to problem-solving may appear obvious to some, what hasn’t been so obvious is how to construct-ively man-age which mode is in charge. It’s usually as straightforward as described above, and often something we’ve done automatically, if not very consciously. Now, let’s consider how to proceed with your marketing plan in an anxious organization.

When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It

There are two parallel paths to take to adapt your marketing strategy and sell it to your leadership. The first is essential to updating and streamlining your marketing plan using “thinking mode”—such that an organization under duress can embrace the plan while retaining the impact needed to advance your company’s business and posi-tion it for a powerful leap forward once the economy rebounds.

A great marketing plan unrealized isn’t worth the bits and bytes used to write it. So, the second path helps you clarify the tem-perament and will of your organization’s leadership, enabling you to be more effective in selling your revised plan.

Updating Your Marketing PlanThere are a number of key steps (many of

which you may have used in the past) to take as you begin to update your plan:

Understand what has really changed »for your organization under the pres-ent economic situation.

Is it simply weak demand, with all other factors largely unchanged? Or have the mar-ket dynamics changed in many ways: com-petitors slashing prices, particular weakness in industries where you were strong or pre-paring to enter, delayed product updates/launches, reduced support?

A good “thinking mode” practice is to build 1) a SWOT diagram (strengths, weak-nesses, opportunities, and threats) that re-flects your company before the downturn and 2) a second SWOT diagram that reflects your company’s current situation. Make these SWOTs as detailed as possible to get at the specific challenges you’re facing. (See the “Additional Resources” at the end for a Web site with great SWOT tools.) As you’re building them, try your SWOTs out on at least a couple of colleagues in your firm, not only to bulletproof them, but to begin to socialize your marketing plan evolution.

Better yet, to accelerate the process, build the SWOTs in collaboration with a couple of key colleagues.

Make a list » in descending order of business impact of which strategies and tactics have delivered the great-est marketing benefit to your organi-zation in the past.

Here is where detailed program and market analytics are invaluable. If you have them, you will know what has worked and what hasn’t worked as well. If you don’t have them, 1) estimate impact based on the best available information you have, and 2) vow to create a plan to regularly gather and analyze program and market performance in the future. Again, socialize this best-to-least listing with key colleagues to deepen support for it and gain their insight.

Finally, assess your current market- »ing plan against your business im-pact analysis above, using a triage approach.

Label the one, or at most two, strategies and tactics that present the highest possibil-ity of delivering near-term business success and offer the least business risk with a “1.” Identify the strategies with the greatest risk of success with a “3.” Everything else gets a “2.” As a final step, it is important to stack-rank your “2s” and “3s” to help with budget allocation, addressed below.

Let’s look at what is an often obvious “1” and a typical “3” for this economic environ-ment. Many companies’ number “1” will cite some form of existing customer mar-keting since current, successful business relationships tend to yield the most reliable business going forward. (I recognize that customers are pulling in spending as well, but if your relationship is strong, they are more likely to spend with you than with an untested competitor). Many companies today would label a brand new market or segment as a “3,” since it will reflect a major investment with unknown prospects to de-velop any business whatsoever.

As a starting budget exercise, allocate your budget with 70 percent against your “1s,” 25 percent against your top “2,” and 5 percent against your highest rated “3.”

This allocation accomplishes several things. It urges you to be powerful, ener-getic, and aggressive against the most im-portant business opportunities you have. Do otherwise, and you will be market-ing like a whipped dog, not an underdog. Even with reduced budgets, this forces us to comply with the modern adage, “Go big or go home.” Further, it preserves some re-

The second mode of problem solving is...The

“thinking mode.” in This mode,

we Take a more thoughtful, rational, and

analytical approach To problem-solving.


sources to apply to important secondary or emerging strategies – but remember, you won’t get a lot accomplished here, so you will need to apply high creativity to drive impact. For example, you may want to ex-plore lower cost public relations opportu-nities to begin driving a presence in a new market or developing a couple of key ap-plication articles and promoting them via search engines.

Accessing What Motivates Your Leadership

Let’s get back to psychology for a moment. Just as you’ve done some work on yourself – and perhaps others – to assess panic and are striving to manage it using your “think-ing mode,” it’s time to understand how the leadership in your organization that must support this plan is motivated.

You see, while many people in business are directly motivated by success, some motivate themselves more based on fear of loss or failure. It may seem surprising, but it’s a fact – that’s how different people are wired. There are psychological tests that can help determine this, but that’s an impracti-cal activity to pursue in order to build your internal selling approach. You are going to need to be able to address both types of mo-tivation styles.

Here’s how. For those primarily moti-vated by success, it is essential to create a vision of how effectively your updated mar-keting strategy will support the organiza-tion’s success through these rough times and beyond, and you need to present tan-gible benefits. For those more driven by a fear of loss or failure, you need to create a vision of what may befall the organization if an effective, appropriate marketing strategy is not supported and mounted, once again, in highly tangible ways. Visions of suc-cess and images of failure will allow you to speak to both types of people. Chances are that most of your leadership is motivated by success, so emphasize this vision. But don’t leave out a credible scenario of de-feat, perhaps drawing on the fears already expressed in the company. Your leadership must get these things in their guts if they are to be able to overwhelm the anxiety cre-ated by the current business situation. How do you create those key messages? They derive principally from your SWOTs, your business impact assessments and prioriti-zation analysis, and your revised marketing recommendation and budget.

In times such as these, it is important to take stock of your organization’s assets, to

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create a vision, to support that vision with courage, and to drive your marketing with unheard of precision, efficiency, and energy. As the adage says, “It isn’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Don’t spread reduced resources across too many programs; put all that fight into fo-cused, high-energy, courageous marketing.

Additional ResourcesHere’s a site with helpful SWOT advice »and free tools to use: http://www.busi-nessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetem-plate.htm. Also, consider trying a PEST

(political, economic, social, and techno-logical factors) analysis to help you fur-ther understand today’s market issues.For a surfeit of very useful advice on »how to market during tough economic times, see Jennifer Culbertson’s article and presentation here: http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com/con-sultants-corner-downloads.php

If you’d like to learn more about Richard’s “Underdog Marketing” strategies, contact him at 425-348-1867 or at [email protected].

Spring 2009 47

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It’s been a year full of surprises. The global financial crisis is the first one that comes to mind; your bill at the end of a quick trip through the gro-cery store is another. With a few

exceptions – like finding a wadded up 20-dollar bill in your pants pocket or getting an unexpected tax rebate – we’ve become accustomed to surprises that are mostly bad in nature. Not only does this sap our energy, but it also eats away at one of our best characteristics as a nation: optimism. I say it’s time to fight back by once again turning seemingly insurmountable odds to our favor. As I see it, the easiest way to do

this is to take charge by getting out of reactive mode and mov-ing to proactive mode.

These days, it’s easy to see the negative results of living in reac-

tive mode in our personal lives. Those who neglected to plan ahead

may be scrambling to pay mortgages or whittle down credit card debt. In our

business lives, however, working in reac-tive mode yields results that we sometimes don’t see because “crazy busy” has become our norm. While our logical selves tell us we should be prepared for unexpected turns in the market or unforeseen problems with our products, our emotional selves urge us farther out on the ledge so that we can get another adrenaline fix to fuel us through the day. Sound familiar? I know how pow-erful adrenaline addiction can be. If sheer exhaustion isn’t enough reason to get out of reactive mode, would risking the loss of your most valuable customers or employees be convincing enough? I thought so. Everyone understands that there will be occasional bumps in the road. But if your business is in perpetual reactive mode, you’re essentially taking your customers and employees for a ride on an endless road riddled with kidney-busting potholes. Eventually, they’ll get wea-ry and slip off the back of your cart – often when you least expect it.

SurpriSeS? Mode

Reactive to ProactiveSwitch from

Tracy Faleide

Spring 2009 49

Your adrenaline habit might not be the only thing keeping you, your team, or your business in reactive mode. Rushing deci-sions before you’ve thought through the “what-ifs” is one possible culprit. Another may be cultural factors that make truth-telling unpopular in your organization. Whatever your particular demons are, there are steps you can take.

Come Clean Take some time out from the madness

and think about a handful of the bad sur-prises that have cropped up recently. May-be a specialty consulting firm you partner with pulled resources you were counting on just before a big engagement. Or your top salesperson gave notice out of the blue. Or a recent product release inadvertently made a key piece of your product inoperable, and your phones are ringing off the hook. Start listing possible contributing factors for each situation. Think about warning signs you might have overlooked. Consider ways you could have gotten ahead of the situa-tion. Could it have been prevented? Could you have reacted more nimbly? The more honest and objective you are, the more healing your remedy will be.

Boil it DownIf you’re continually surprised by unex-

pected events and forced to scramble to re-gain ground, it’s likely some of these com-mon root causes are at play:

Rushing » – not taking time for scenario planning because of an overcrowded priority list Assuming » – not testing the data, trends, or other factors on which deci-sions are basedWishing » – not being realistic enough about the possible negative results of decisions; wishing for “upside only”Neglecting » – not knowing key stake-holders’ mindsets; not asking essential questions that could uncover potential concerns early on

Notice anything? All of these root causes can be boiled down to culture. As with any-thing, the positive aspects of your culture such as entre-preneurship, risk-taking, and innovation can inadvertently breed negative aspects like those listed above. Don’t worry. By making a few strategic tweaks, you can steer your cart safely onto proactive-mode road.

Inject ExcitementAfter miles and miles on the bumpy

road, your team members will be excited to see signs of positive, proactive change. Get them involved by asking them to refine or validate the list of contributing factors and root causes you developed. Ask them to be part of the recovery plan. Describe what will be different, for example, realis-tic goals, thoughtful planning, and honest relationships.

Make Planning Part of “Real Work” When times are hard, we tend to think

sheer force will push us through. We set aside activities that we think will distract us from our “real work.” All too often, the activities we set aside – such as planning – are the ones we should be doing more of. We all know how important planning is for large-scale efforts. Of course you follow re-

quirements-gathering and design processes in your methodologies. But do you follow these steps in other areas? As a team leader, do you plan for what might happen if one of your top employees suddenly decides to leave? Do you regularly ask questions (and really listen to answers) that might reveal signs that he/she is seeking more responsi-bility? Do you know how strong and reliable your strategic relationships are? Are you aware of/prepared for big changes in their business models that may impact you? If you think injecting formal planning phases into all your activities is overkill, call it what

it really is: asking good questions, starting with “what if,” and quickly fol-lowed by “why?”

Reward What You Want

Even after you’ve made a commitment and taken

steps to move to proactive mode, you may see evidence

that you’re slipping. Check your re-ward systems. Is fire-fighting deemed he-roic in your organization? Who is more likely to get special recognition: the team member who works diligently behind the scenes to keep abreast of market conditions or the one who works all weekend to fix a mistake? If it’s usually the latter, your team members are getting the signal that reactive mode is what’s really valued in your organi-zation, regardless of the stated philosophy.

Stay LimberBy moving to proactive mode, you’re

ushering in a new norm in your organiza-tion. The energy previously drained by cha-otic catch-up activities can now be chan-neled more positively. Consider investing time and energy in “staying limber.” Hone your skills in assessing the landscape and responding thoughtfully and effectively. Make continual course corrections that are based on customer and market insight

a part of standard business operations in-stead of reactive fire drills that wear every-one out.

As with any behavior change, switching from reactive to proactive mode requires commitment and persistence. The great news is that by simply stating it’s a goal in your company, you’ll inject the enthusiasm you need to put up with the occasional pot-hole.

For help steering your company’s cart on to less bumpy, more proactive roads, contact Tracy Faleide at [email protected].

All too often, the activities we set aside – such

As plAnning – Are the ones we should be doing more of.


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Interview

Kirill Tatarinov joined Microsoft Dynamics® in July 2007 as corporate vice president of Microsoft

Business Solutions (MBS) where he is in charge of the Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource

planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) products. His first week in

the position coincided with Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), giving him the

opportunity to meet members of the Microsoft Dynamics Partner community from the start. Before

leading MBS, Tatarinov led the Management and Solutions Division at Microsoft. The Partner Channel

sat down with Tatarinov to visit about his first 18 months on the job, his commitment to the Microsoft

Dynamics Partner community, and his goals for the year.

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The Partner Channel (TPC): What is one thing that Partners might not already know about you? Kirill Tatarinov (KT): That’s an interesting question. I actually think that Partners know quite a bit about me. Over the last year and a half, I’ve worked hard to ensure that I have a deep connection with the Partner commu-nity.

One thing I’m incredibly passionate about is helping our business customers embrace technology. Throughout my career I have found that people across the board struggle with the enormous complexity that still ex-ists in IT infrastructure and business appli-cations. I’ve been focused on helping them reduce that complexity.

Everything I’ve done has been aimed to-ward simplifying work for technical decision makers and business users of software. I’ve spent most of my time on the infrastructure side, effectively building and delivering soft-ware for infrastructure management and administration, and business applications management. It’s really through that experi-ence that I found out firsthand how impor-tant it is to help businesses break through the complexity of software, the core pillar of information technology. That’s what at-tracted me to the (Microsoft) Dynamics business and Microsoft Business Solutions. To me, it completes the picture and really gives businesses an opportunity to embrace all the innovation that comes to the market for them.

TPC: When did you first become aware of Microsoft Dynamics? KT: In the early 2000s, Windows Server® and SQL Server® were very established business-es at Microsoft. In 2001, the acquisition of Great Plains added important functionality that in my mind completed Microsoft’s abil-ity to offer a comprehensive solution offer-ing to customers in mid-size organizations. To me this was a big step forward in Micro-soft establishing a significant commitment to business customers. TPC: You made the move from Microsoft’s server business to the business/financial management business. What has been the biggest learning curve for you in that transition?KT: The most significant has been learning about (Microsoft) Dynamics’ customer base. We mainly target mid-sized businesses with some focus on larger customers in our CRM business. My previous experience had been more focused on large enterprise customers,

so it has been incredible learning for me to understand what mid-sized businesses re-quire for success. They generally don’t have dedicated IT staff and IT professionals, so extreme simplicity – whether it’s the tech-nology we deliver or the business process itself – is a requirement so that people get a very quick return on what they invest.

The second thing I would highlight is the (Microsoft) Dynamics Partner channel. I worked with Partners in the past, but recog-nizing that our ERP line of products works exclusively through Partners, that was enor-mous learning and connected me with what I believe is the best and the most advanced Partner channel on the planet. It’s been a very rewarding experience.

TPC: What opportunities do you have to meet with Microsoft Dynamics customers and Partners in your role?KT: I’m trying to take many different ap-proaches to meeting with Partners in group and one-on-one settings. When I was asked to take over MBS in 2007, it happened the week before WPC in Denver. My first week on this job was spent with Partners getting feedback in small groups, one-on-ones, re-ceptions, and break-outs. That week with Partners formed my agenda for the 18 months that followed, and that agenda is still something that sets my priorities. That experience also taught me how important it is to stay connected to Partners.

When I travel to see customers or Micro-soft team members, I try to schedule meet-ings with the Partners that serve that area. That practice has served me extremely well, providing me with front line, first-hand knowledge of what’s happening with cus-tomers, the economy, and what Microsoft can do to support them.

TPC: You talked about your priorities. What are your top three goals for the year? KT: The first is our product portfolio strat-egy and positioning. It’s incredibly impor-tant for us to be crisp and clear as to how we play in segments, industries, and across geographies. We have made huge progress in this particular space, most notably on the evolution of our portfolio. Most impor-tantly, the strategy and positioning will give Partners predictability on how the product will evolve in the future. That packet of work we’ve done and continue to do has been – and remains – to be number one.

Another very important aspect of my work is to draw much closer connections between

(Microsoft) Dynamics and the rest of Micro-soft’s portfolio of products. (Microsoft) Dy-namics products have always been integrat-ed with other Microsoft technologies like Microsoft Office and Microsoft SQL Server, but on the go-to-market side there is more work to be done. Examples of strong inte-gration include the way (Microsoft) Dynam-ics was embedded into the Windows® and SQL Server® 2008 launches. This has greatly helped Partners. There is also a very deep integration between Microsoft Dynamics® AX – with Microsoft Dynamics® NAV to fol-low – and the Windows Essentials Business Server – a new Microsoft server solution for mid-size organizations. This integration is a great cross solution for customers.

TPC: What are your goals for the second half of the fiscal year?KT: We are in a period of economic slow-down. There is a lot of uncertainty in the market, and in reality it is difficult to esti-mate how long we will remain in this period. However, we remain optimistic, and our level of investment in ERP and CRM contin-ues to be strong. We believe that Microsoft Dynamics offers organizations the quickest return on investment, and we are commit-ted to helping our customers and Partners endure and prevail in the current economic climate.

A few things we’ve already done include the creation of attractive financing arrange-ments – which have been very positively received - for customer purchases. Another thing we’ve done is to make new resources and materials for Partners easily available online that address the current climate and offer prescriptive guidance for Partners on how to help customers through tough times. These materials include Unleash Your Po-tential, an initiative that helps Partners more effectively evaluate a customers’ ERP envi-ronment and help them improve efficiency. TPC: What’s been the greatest reward in working with Microsoft Dynamics Part-ners during the last couple of years? KT: From a Partner perspective, it has been hugely rewarding to work with people who are committed to their customers, com-mitted to Microsoft, and are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of business. Many Partners have worked with us for many years, and we are deeply committed to our joint success. It’s also been rewarding to work with a group of such passionate indi-viduals that are always willing to provide us with valuable feedback that we use to move the business forward together.

Spring 2009 53

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TPC: Many Partners will be reading this article during Convergence. What is the one thing they should take back from the event?KT: To me, it’s important that our Partners walk away with confidence in our unwaver-ing commitment to them and the Partner channel. Helping our Partners endure and prevail through these economic conditions is of critical importance.

It’s also important that we have the op-portunity to connect with customers to-gether as we really are a triangle of success. Some of the most insightful meetings I’ve had are conversations with both customers and Partners. We are all part of the same team.

TPC: That has been a very consistent message from our interviews with other Microsoft executives, including Doug Kennedy (vice president, Microsoft Dy-namics Partners), as well as from what we hear at events such as Convergence. KT: Yes, it has been and will continue to be very important for Microsoft to stay con-sistent and give our Partners the ability to execute and drive the business.

TPC: Are there any other key messages you’d like to share with the Microsoft Dy-namics Partner community?KT: Obviously, we’re going through a time of inevitable and constant change. It can be hard to face times of uncertainty, but I firmly believe in the philosophy that change creates opportunity. To embrace and realize the opportunities, Partners and customers must view their business as an evolving en-tity – A Dynamic Business – this is our vi-sion for helping businesses navigate a world of complexity and change.

Fundamentally, Dynamic Business is about three areas where businesses need to invest in order to effectively manage change. First and foremost, it’s about people – the lifeblood of an organization and a busi-ness’ ability to ensure that they invest in the productivity of their people. It’s also about process – thinking about business process holistically as what really connects strategy and execution. Here the message revolves around adaptability – ensuring that as busi-ness needs evolve, processes support and encourage this evolution naturally. Finally, it’s about ecosystem – the community of external entities that every business needs to engage with – customers, Partners, ven-dors, suppliers, and so on. The message here revolves around connectedness and

how improving the level of connectedness in a business ecosystem really drives orga-nizational success. But to me, what’s really interesting about these three capabilities is when they impact and intersect. It’s when productivity improves process, when adapt-ability improves connectedness. Our vision is to help customers and Partners reach this sweet spot and truly become dynamic – a quality that is inherently built into the fab-

ric of their business. I believe that the right investment in ERP and CRM software can help businesses evolve to a state where they are able to continuously embrace change and transform it into opportunity. This is a commitment from Microsoft; this is what we are going to do for our customers and Partners.


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Spring 2009 48

Partner Event 2009 ad_full pg.indd 48 2/6/09 9:59:45 AM

It’s no secret: the economy is tight all across the country. People buying software are more cautious than ever be-fore. As I visit with Partners around the nation, I hear a lot of prospect responses: “Not sure; still looking around; in a holding pattern;” and so on and so on. Well,

as salespeople, we need to get our heads screwed on right and face what may be our toughest competition ever.

Recently I had a lengthy conversation with a Partner who was “singing the blues.” I could tell he’d been beaten up a lot lately. He told me that he had 30 solid prospects in his fun-nel, but moving them forward was the challenge of his sales lifetime. He simply didn’t know what to do and was asking for advice. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because it’s a similar story I hear from others. So get ready for a “cheerlead-ing” session. It’s time to recognize that you have a lot to offer the business community.

I would suggest that one of the issues many of you are fac-ing is that of being put in a defensive position during your sales presentations. The prospect, who we realize is con-cerned about money, needs to be convinced that what you have to offer will far outweigh the “cost” to the business.

It’s time to go on the offense (and I don’t mean to make this sound like a game, because it’s not) and develop a sales plan that starts strong and continues to build with benefit after benefit after benefit... so that your prospect can recog-nize the tremendous value your software solution will bring to his/her company. Obviously part of that sales presenta-tion must address how, through efficiency and other means, the company can save money. It’s the classic ROI conversa-tion. I recognize it’s usually not possible to map out for a prospect at what point the software has paid for itself (like the power company does when trying to convince you to buy a new furnace), but that’s something you need to at least plant as a seed.

For those of you who’ve read my articles in the past, you know I’m big on group “fire up” meetings. I think it’s time to get your sales and marketing staff together for a sales sum-

mit. Don’t let the word “summit” scare you. It just means your session will need to have a very specific agenda and focused objectives. In this case, I might even suggest the theme of the meeting be “Building a Stronger Offense.” I’m not much of a sports fan, but I do watch football occasionally with my daughter. She just about jumps out of her skin when her team does well. But back to the point: I understand the importance of a strong offense.

Here are some things you should consider. First, take a hard look at your software product. Pull out your collateral material and write down (on the whiteboard or on big tab-lets) the key benefits and values it offers a business. Then, and this needs to be a group effort, try to translate those benefits and value points into statements that can be seen/heard as money-saving points. Of course the efficiency and effective-ness brought to a company by a new solution is important as well… but don’t forget to clearly identify how your solution can translate into cost savings. That is going to be the number one “help” in overcoming the “we’re not sure we can afford it right now” objection.

Now take a look at your service offerings. Examine how well your installations go. Think back on some recent instal-lations where the client was extremely pleased with the pro-cess and the end result. If you have some of those stories in mind, make sure you get testimonials…and hopefully you can get the contact person to address how he/she feels the new software solution has saved not only time, but also money.

Back to the service issue. At your summit (and you’ve heard me say this before), it’s time to brag up what you bring to an installation and the initial and ongoing training sessions, plus the all-important customer service component. Again, write it down. Let everyone see what you can bring to your custom-ers. It’s a value, and the value transmits the money-savings every single time. The key is for your sales team to be able to discuss and present how dollar savings are part of the overall picture. The prospect must understand the direct AND indi-rect savings opportunities.

Norm Robinson

EnvironmentTough BuyingSelling Your WaY into a


So we’ve talked about some key things to building your value proposition and how it equates to dollars and cents savings. This needs to be documented, prioritized, and presented to yourselves and then practiced, practiced, and believed. A little warning: if your salespeople don’t believe in this mes-sage, they won’t be successful, so don’t make up a bunch of baloney just to make your-selves feel good. It must be true.

Now is the time where you may want to visit with your marketing person. He or she could help you by developing a simple piece that is more focused on our issue of the day (which is justifying a large expense). This could, and probably should, be a relatively simple, straightforward marketing piece. It’s

something that should be printed on paper (to handout and use as a leave behind), put on your Web site, and used as a PDF when mar-keting via e-mail. It needs to address the value points and how businesses could save money.

This may sound quite simplistic, but let’s get real. Too many of you are dragging your tails, singing the “woe is me” song. I hear it all the time these days: “it’s tough out there… people just aren’t buying right now.” I can tell you there are many companies across the country that know a new software so-lution will help them tremendously. They are simply being a little cautious right now. They need “help” to make that next step, and if ever there was a time that you have to step up your offense, it’s now.

I happen to be a “glass half full” kind of guy. I believe there is opportunity all over the place. The smart Partner group is the one that recognizes how important it is to present what a prospect needs to hear and needs to feel. Stop looking at yourself in the mirror, and start looking out at your suspect base. Review your regular sales 101 systems and integrate this new “cost justification” approach. If you believe the word YES is more powerful than the word NO, you’ll be able to take some of this advice and turn it into a strong offense, a solid sales offense—an offense that will bring a value message to your prospects and deposit checks to your CFO. Now get on it!

Environment

Spring 2009 57

Adrianne Machina

In the last couple of years, a monumental shift has occurred online with the advent of Web 2.0 and so-cial media marketing. Many companies are waking up to find themselves in a whole new world where they don’t know the language, the customs, or how

to make friends. If that describes you, then today I’d like to be your Web 2.0 tour guide.

I, too, was once a lonely, lost soul, with just one friend on Facebook, a severely underused LinkedIn account, no blog, no Twitter, and really no understanding of why I needed to change. I had a beautiful, compelling, persua-sive, optimized Web site – wasn’t that enough? No. It was a great start, but it was only the beginning.

By joining the social media revolution, I’ve gained clients, friends, and referral Partners. I’ve booked speaking engage-ments and interviews. I’ve aligned myself with a group of marketing professionals that I can ping when I need help. Online friends continually feed me information, Web site resources, and tools that make me better at my job – they even sent me ideas for this article! I’ve found job leads for friends and business leads for clients. In the past year, I’ve come to realize that social media marketing is one of the best, most affordable ways for small businesses to become known and trusted in their marketplace.

Before we go too far, first I want to tell you what I mean by social media marketing and Web 2.0.

Social Media Marketing » works off the “six degrees of separation” principle. Everyone knows that the best leads and business Partners come through refer-rals, but in the off-line world, your friends’ friends are often hidden to you – and even your friends might not REALLY know what you do. Social media mar-keting turns citizens into marketers by allowing real people to share their favorite products, services, and friends with the people they know.

Web 2.0 » is a larger concept. Super simply, just think of Web 2.0 as the start of a two-way conversation. The conversation can be with one person or with many. When people talk about making their Web site more “Web 2.0,” they usually mean they’re going to start adding blogs, forums, wikis, Twitter feeds, Facebook links, and so on that will turn Web site visitors into Web site participants.(Note: Search “Common Craft” on www.YouTube.com for plain English explanations of these concepts.)

Before you jump right in to social media marketing, let me give you some tips on the RIGHT WAY to start getting involved. The first thing I recommend you do is start reading blogs. I prefer to feed my favorite blogs into Microsoft Outlook 2007 for easy reading at my convenience, but some people prefer Google Reader or other feed readers. Once you’ve become a regular blog reader, then you can start commenting on other people’s blogs, then writing your own blog, and then publishing your blog out into the social media market-ing world.

Why do I recommend you start with blogs? Because blogs create the strong foundation for the rest of your on-line social media marketing efforts. You are showing up to the party with something interesting to say! John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing put together an online marketing hierarchal pyramid, with the premise that it’s difficult to move up the pyramid without satisfying the foundational needs first. Go to http://tinyurl.com/dtm-pyramid for the full article.

Now that you understand why you should get involved with social media marketing, and what your first steps might be to get involved, let me give you a little advice on HOW to get involved and the social etiquette that you must observe in order to be successful.

MArketinGSocial Media

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Spring 2009 59

Adrianne’s Social Media Marketing Etiquette Tips

Etiquette Tip #1: » Don’t barge in with guns blazing. When you are new to Web 2.0 and social media marketing, it is best to move slowly and cautiously. Everything you write will go down on your permanent record, and you don’t want to start off on the wrong foot, making a serious gaffe that requires recovery. Read before you post. Don’t ask obvious questions. Look for the fre-quently asked questions (FAQ) page. Etiquette Tip #2: » Don’t SPAM! Everyone has a different definition of what spam is, but any time you pitch your product or service immediately after making a friend, you look guilty of spamming. If you wouldn’t do it face-to-face, don’t do it on the Web. When you start your blog, DO NOT make all your blog posts about your products and services. That’s what your Web site pages are for. On your blog, you need to be more conver-sational and informal. Talk about your prospect’s pain. Relate to current news stories. Only five to 10 percent of your posts should be self-promotional.Etiquette Tip #3: » Remember that “so-cial” comes before “marketing” in social

media marketing. Switch your mindset to a GIVING mentality. People will re-member your helpfulness with their problem. They will like you and want to get to know you better. Everyone on the Web has some product or service to sell, but you have to build the relation-ship before you start pitching your so-lution. You need to have conversations, reply to people, ask interesting ques-tions, and engage with people.Etiquette Tip #4: » Don’t just “find friends.” Build your list for quality. Facebook sets limits on how many friends you can add per day, but Twit-ter lets you dig your own grave – and believe me, if you start following too many people, and you have no “friends,” people will distrust your motives. Some people choose to link to anyone on LinkedIn or Facebook, but I’d rather pick my friends more carefully. I don’t want a phone book; I want a little black book. Am I concerned about putting my list out there for all to see? No. I’m ecstatic when I can make connections for people! If I’m treating my clients well, no one can pry them away. Etiquette Tip #5: » Be careful about the personal/professional balance. Baby

boomers have a tendency to want to keep everything private, and the Gener-ation Y group thinks nothing of sharing their beer-binging party pictures on the Web. There’s a fine line that you want to maintain. You want to be personal enough to be authentic, and discrete enough not to embarrass your employ-er, your mother, or your children.

Whether you are on board or not, Web 2.0 has arrived, and the early adopters will reap the greatest rewards. Just like you probably get your best leads from referrals today, you will get your best leads from referrals tomor-row. The only difference is that social media marketing will allow you to extend your net-work of referral sources exponentially – and you won’t even have to pay for lunch.

Adrianne Machina is the Chief Velocity Officer of Tornado Marketing, Inc. and an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach. A huge Web 2.0 advocate, Adrianne’s marketing strategies and copywriting service help clients leverage the Web to bring in more leads and most impor-tantly – more sales! Having worked in the Mi-crosoft Dynamics channel since 2000, Adrianne provides valuable insight into how to market complex solutions. For more information, visit www.TornadoMktg.com.


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