There’s a huge misconception that Dynamics ISVs have when it comes to working with partners. Many ISVs believe that all they need to do is simply market their solutions to partners, and partners will be so amazed, that they’ll immediately turn around and promote those solutions to their own customer base. This…doesn’t…happen.
The main reason this strategy doesn’t work, is because partners have more urgent priorities on their minds:
- Sell and implement the Dynamics portfolio;
- Promote their own consulting and upgrade services;
- Develop and promote their own ISV solutions to their existing customers;
- If all else fails, bring in an ISV to help close a Dynamics deal, or fill the needs of an existing customer.
ISVs that want to gain access to a partner’s customer base need to find a way to move higher up on this priority list—otherwise they’ll never keep key partners actively engaged, and lots of effort and marketing dollars will be wasted.
For ISVs who want partners to resell their solutions, the best approach is to do all the heavy lifting yourself–generate sales leads for your own solutions, and then pass those leads to the partners you want to work with. This means you need to market consistently to Dynamics customer organizations, even if you don’t have a direct selling strategy.
But wait a minute, so in order to get partners interested in reselling your solutions to their own customers, you need to go out and do your own direct marketing to Dynamics customers? Absolutely! It might sound roundabout, but if you refer back to a partner’s priority list, the only way to move higher up is for you to create strong demand among Dynamics customers for your solutions.
Here’s why it makes sense to do this:
- Dynamics customers pay the bills, even if they aren’t buying directly from you. Marketing direct to Dynamics customers will pay off, because they’ll be more comfortable with your company. Consider the following scenario:
- A partner recommends your company, along with three of your competitors, to one of their customers who has an immediate need.
- Unlike your three competitors, you’ve been consistently marketing through MSDynamicsWorld to Dynamics customers, and that partner’s customer has read one of your white papers and attended one of your webcasts.
- Because of your direct marketing efforts, that customer is now much more familiar and comfortable with your company. Therefore, they’ve decided to go with you, instead of your competitors. Deal closed.
- If partners see all the leads you’re generating, this documents strong demand in the marketplace for your solutions. Therefore, partners will be more inclined to recommend your solutions to their own customers, over your competitors.
- They’re your leads, and the fact that you are willing to share them with partners helps you strengthen relationships with existing partners and gets you in the door with prospective partners. The more of your leads you can pass to partners you want to work with, the more likely those partners will be inclined to recommend your solutions to their own customers if the need arises. A good give-and-take relationship will be established.
So, marketing your solutions consistently to Dynamics customers will result in lots of leads, which you can then pass to partners. Partners will close those leads, and you’ll make money. It’s a numbers game, and the more leads you can pass to partners, the more likely they’ll work with you over your competitors.
