Partnering with Microsoft: How to Make Money in Trusted Partnership with the Global Software Powerhouse

I've worked 4 different Microsoft partners 4 almost 10 years. I hoped this book would provide new, interesting, & perhaps secretive information that I could use in building relationships with the field level sales teams.

I did like how the author starts out by talking about how Microsoft views the partner ecosystem. The author compares the Microsoft partner ecosystem to other big software/hardware makers such as Oracle, Sun, Apple, & IBM. With a partner driven model, these chapters helped frame how good we have it in the Microsoft ecosystem.

The book contains sections on how different types of partners can be successful with Microsoft. The author compares working with the Microsoft corporate office versus the field sales teams. I found this very beneficial in how I prioritize my time investing with Microsoft personnel. I work 4 a services partner so the software partner, reseller partner, & hardware partner chapters were not very beneficial to me. However, those chapters may be a good reference 4 future use.

I found the book to be a slow read compared to the last dozen business books I've ready this year. Perhaps it was because I've been doing this type of work 4 years. I also became weary of how the author repeatedly told the reader he was going to answer a question in a future chapter. By the time I read the later chapter, I didn't go back & cross reference the question. Am I supposed to be doing that?

Despite some concerns with the book, this is a must read 4 any professional working 4 a Microsoft partner; especially in a sales role.

If you partner with Microsoft in sales, this is a must read. But it's also a maddening read becuase the same topics are reviewed over, & over, & over, & over again. It's like the author had to make a certain word count, so they just kept repeating themselves to make the magic number. I would recommend you digest the material over a period of weeks rather than a day or two. It's certainly not a page turner. . .

I had the privilege in attending a "Partnering with Microsoft" presentation & I am reading Ted Dinsmore's book now. Since the meeting with Ted Dinsmore, our organization is adopting many of the techniques revealed in his book & our corporation now has serious momentum with Microsoft. I highly recommend reading the book, & if the opportunity arises to meet Ted, don't miss it.

Within 21 years of becoming the most powerful company therein, Microsoft has ascended to the pinnacle of the IT industry. Authors by Ted Dinsmore & Edward O'Connor have done an outstanding job of telling the readership of this book, how by virtue of its own commitment of partnering with other firms, Microsoft has done so to an extent unparalleled by other large companies in the industry.

Dinsmore & O'Connor begin this book by telling you why you should partner with Microsoft. Next, the authors detail the core attributes of Microsoft's culture, organization & strategy, & explain the position of Microsoft's partners in its ecosystem. Then, they build on the responsible understanding of the ecosystem by elucidating the principles of partnering with Microsoft. The authors next focus on the partnering tactics that successful ISVs employ vis-a-vis Microsoft. Dinsmore & O'Connor continue by focusing on the partnering tactics that successful services firms employ vis-a-vis Microsoft. In addition, the authors focus on the partnering tactics that successful resellers employ vis-a-vis Microsoft. Finally, they advance the tactics implicit earlier in the book; that is: how to leverage other Microsoft partners not only to improve your relationship with the company, but to accentuate your firm's success by working productively with other partners in Microsoft's Partner Ecosystem.

With the preceding in mind, the authors have done an excellent job of helping your firm come to terms with Microsoft, to assess & mitigate the risks of partnering, & to pursue & realize the rewards of partnering with this globally successful company. At the end of the day, only by understanding what makes Microsoft tick & how the company thinks & behaves, can your firm be a successful Microsoft partner.

A great many companies want to use computers in their business to do something a little bit different than what the programmers originally thought. Many companies do not want to invest, perhaps they cannot invest in their own IT department to understand & develop exactly what they need.
Microsoft understands this very well. Consequently many of their products are designed so that someone else can take their products & make it function as the final customer needs.

A perfect example is a database. A company wants to keep track of something. A database is the ideal way to do this. But does anyone at that company understand enough about database design to implement the database, design the forms & reports to make it easy enough 4 the clerks in the company to use, & then train the clerks?

The result is Microsoft's partnering philosophy. If you will set up your company to take Microsofts basic software & make it work as the final customer wants, then Microsoft wants to work with you, will supply you with support & leads, give you all kinds of advantages.

The alternative in the IT industry is to do your own thing, perhaps in competition with Microsoft. History tends to say that this isn't all that wise.

The authors fo this book are experts in working with Microsoft. In this book they give you the whole scoop, including the bad points (Suppose the customer really should use Linux!).

Advance Praise 4 Partnering with Microsoft: 'Partnering with Microsoft is the first great book about the breathtaking culture, opportunity & roadmap 4 joining Microsoft's 850,000 partners cutting an impressive B swath in the marketpl

This inside guide to effective partnering with Microsoft reveals how to become a trusted partner in order to gain supportive co-marketing, assured referrals, & joint success in selling complementary products & services.