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July 01 New Competency Added - VirtualizationWanted you all to be aware that the long awaited Virtualization competency is now live! You can access the portal page here. Big Easy Offer - Very Important - Please Readif you have tranacted Big Easy Offers, your customers have to redeem within 30 days. Gosh, won't you and your customers be upset if you miss out on something you've already quoted/promised! (Yes, this is different that last BEO which was 90 days to redeem.)
Look at this as another opportunity to reach out to your customers. Maybe they also have a last minute purchase...the many offers in market don't expire until July 3rd. Call your PCM, me (510) 703-4220, or Benny Madrid (720) 333-0220 if you need last minute sales assistance. Special Request - Download IE8 and Help Fight HungerFor every download of IE8 from this site, 8 meals will be donated through Feed America. If you have already downloaded, please pass to co-workers, partners, friends, and family.
Thank you
May be Old News - But Wanted to Make Sure you saw this Fake Microsoft Security AlertFake Microsoft Security Alert - KB910721Yesterday afternoon our spam traps caught a piece of malware disguised as a false security alert from Microsoft:
It does look plausible, the spelling and grammar are surprisingly correct, for malware authors, but, as ever, one should always be cautious concerning e-mail attachments. Even those that purport to come from Microsoft and especially those that contain executables. Sophos suggests that you go to the official Microsoft website to obtain your fixes since anyone who succumbed to this scam, far from enjoying ”the highest levels of stability and security“, will now be running a nasty little Trojan. June 30 Amazing Exchange/Smartphone OfferGet a free Palm Treo™ Pro smartphone with Windows Mobile® 6.1 when you acquire 25-Microsoft® Exchange Online Standard or Business Productivity Online Standard Suite licenses and 9 Treo Pro smartphones. Number of free smartphones increases wih additional licenses/phones purchased. Offer good through August 31, 2009.
June 29 Worth Reading - Article about Microsoft's Future Productsgreat insights into Office offering and BPOS
WPC Connect with the West!Come meet with the team representing the West Region at WPC. We're planning on being in the Yellow Lounge #214 on July 15th from 4:00 - 5:30 pm (Central).
Hope to see you there to meet with us and meet other West Region partners. June 26 Windows 7 - FREE??here are some recent articles about Windows 7 and how to get it Free
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10272703-56.html?tag=mncol
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/49086736.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUHPYDiaK7DUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
Announcing the HP/Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program No need for your customers to worry about when to purchase a new PC. Their investment is safe with the HP Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program. Small business customers who purchase qualifying PCs between June 26, 2009 and January 31, 2010 will be able to order the free Microsoft® Windows® 7 upgrade, after General Availability. Beginning June 26, you can visit www.hp.com/go/windows7upgrade for FAQ, Terms and Conditions, list of eligible systems, and a link for ordering the upgrade. Topic: How to Increase Profits by Providing Free Service to Existing ClientsHad to post this training info since just sounds like a great session! Suzl
This is one of the best State of the Industry Webinars we have had, with over 2/3 of the attendees staying on and asking questions for 20 minutes after our scheduled end time!
In case you missed it live, we've posted MSP University's latest State of the Industry Webinar and it and its companion slide deck are available for viewing now on MSP University's website. Browse to www.mspu.us and select "Courses" in the top navigation bar. The Webcast can be found under "This Month's FREE Training". This is truly a win-win all the way around for you and your existing clients - and will open the door to more opportunity! Our special guest for this unique presentation is Chad Gniffke, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Kaseya, who shares how Kaseya partners are leveraging this philosophy with their existing clients. June 24 The Microsoft Partner Program is evolving.At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in July we’re launching the Microsoft Partner Network, a community borne from our continued commitment to serve the needs of our partners and help them reach their full business potential. The Microsoft Partner Network will provide: · Opportunities to strengthen partner technical, sales and marketing capabilities. · Expertise to help partners capture business opportunity with customers during the biggest launch wave in Microsoft history. · Communities that spark innovation and connection. Working together, we continue to focus on creating innovative solutions that drive profitability and sustain competitive advantage.
Ø Note: We’ll share more details about the Microsoft Partner Network at WPC in New Orleans July 13-16 / http://www.digitalwpc.com/. Have I helped you in any way or increased your relationship or satisfaction with Microsoft?For any of you familiar with the Microsoft year, you know that our fiscal year ends on July 3rd. So at this time of year, we look back over the past year and assess how we did against our individual commitments for the year and submit our reviews showing what we have accomplished and if we have met or exceeded our goals for the year. As I reflect on this last year and start planning for our FY10, it would be really helpful to hear from you how you felt I served the Northwest Partner community and your organization in particular. If you have input or feedback you would like to share, and I would encourage you to please do so, you can SUBMIT IT HERE. Thank you and have a wonderful day, Suzanne Lavine Partner Community Manager - Northwest June 22 New Products Coming - Be Prepared!A lot of new products will be launching and announced at the 2009 Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, there is an opportunity to get up-close and personal with our new product lineup, including Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, Windows Mobile 6.5, and more, through Hands-On Labs (HOL). View the HOL schedule—they are available as both instructor-led and self-paced. June 19 Please Take 6 Minutes to Read This - Could really make a difference in your cold calling!thank you to Dan Peay for forwarding this great article. Having attended several Dale Carnegie and other sales training courses, I found this "new" perspective to be informative and can't wait to try it out.
6 Phone Prospecting Phrases That Could Be Costing You a FortuneBy Larry Prevost He was the vice president of an architectural firm that I called once a week for six months. I always managed to either get his voicemail or his administrative assistant. When I reached the assistant, she was cordial and polite when she took my information and told me that she would relay my message. But on this fateful day in August when I called, she let me in on a little secret. "Mr. Prevost, he really doesn't want to talk with you, ever." It's extremely disheartening to get this kind of response. What do you say to something like this? One of the challenges with prospecting on the phone is knowing what to say to a prospect when you get them on the phone, or what kind of message to leave when you get their voicemail. Knowing absolutely nothing about them or their business only exacerbates the challenge. If you find that you are light on details about your prospect and you are like most sales people, then you probably start talking about the things that you are very familiar with--like yourself, your company, and your products. Which is exactly what I did for six months and why it ended the way it did. What can you do to head off events like this? If you are getting responses like this from your prospects, or they are responding with statements like "We don't have any money" or "We aren't interested", then it's a sign that you're not focusing on their interests during the opening stages of the call. You need to take another look at your sales process and rethink your calling strategy. We've touched on some of this in the past. Your biggest asset in overcoming these initial challenges is gathering knowledge about your prospect and their problems. Once you know something about your prospect and what they are facing, you can use your language to redirect the conversation to address their wants and needs. However, once you've made the transition from focusing on yourself to focusing on their challenges, there's something else to keep in mind. Words do have power. We use words all of the time to help guide our audience's mental awareness. And when we are using the phone, words are all that we have. So if you have started focusing more on your client's needs, there are some words and phrases that can mean the difference between success and failure. And as sales people, we really need to make our words count towards the end goal. Here are several words and phrases to take notice of when you are conducting your lead generation calls over the phone. It's possible that they may be impeding your ability to move the sale forward. 1. Just. We looked at the effect of using the word "just" in our initial conversations and in our voicemails in a previous tip (Increase Your Ability To Capture Your Prospect's Attention By Removing This One Word). Whenever we use the word "just," we are lowering the value of our offer when compared to whatever is occupying their attention at that moment. When I call "Bob" and say, "Bob. It's just Larry Prevost." I have effectively said that I'm second to whatever he has going on at the moment. And in sales, you don't have to be "last" to be considered last. 2. I would like to. This is a phrase that essentially asks for permission. It's been drilled into us since we were children and we've been taught that it's essential to getting along with people and for good manners. The phrase becomes a challenge when we use it habitually in our business conversations. When you get your prospect on the phone and they happen to be a director, vice president, or chief officer, you want to keep the conversation on their level. Whenever I used a phrase like, "I would like to set an appointment with you to ask a few questions..." they would politely set the time, but something would always come up causing them to miss the meeting and the project would be put on indefinite hold. Instead of using the phrase "I would like to..." try something like, "We typically sit down with our clients for a brief consultation to verify that this is a good fit. I currently have 2:30 and 4:00 open next Wednesday. Which works for you?" In this instance, you've simply stated your process and revealed which time slots you have available. Stop asking for permission. Take out the "I would like to..." 3. I want to. This phrase essentially tells the prospect that you are focusing on you. And what you want is more important than what they want. Remember that you called them and you are discussing the benefits of your solution to them so that they will buy. When you call into your prospect and start making demands based around what you want, their mindset turns back to their problems and their needs. Your prospect really doesn't care what you want and they don't want to hear about your demands. So when you call them, don't talk about what you want, and refrain from saying anything with, "I want to..." in it. Here's the catch: When asking for their time, ask for a moment instead of a minute. A minute has a well-defined length so when you ask if they have a minute, you will get 60 seconds. A "moment," however, is an undefined span of time. So when you ask, "Do you have a moment?" you will typically get as much time as you need to build your case. As usual, keep your conversation to one subject and keep it brief. A moment of time is not a license to "move in. 5. Asking for an appointment. Research has shown that when sales people used the word "meeting," they were 30% more effective in securing time with their prospects. Doctors, lawyers and dentists set appointments with their clients, and that usually involves the client parting ways with a sizeable chunk of money and receiving some amount of pain in return. As sales people, we solve problems. We want to sit down with our clients and consult with them on solutions. When you call your prospect, don't ask for the appointment; go for the meeting. Instead, take a lesson from your face-to-face meetings. Think about the last time that you had an onsite meeting with a prospect. You walked up to the reception desk or the security desk and you said, "I'm here to see Victoria VITO. Could you let her know I'm here?" And the person at the desk said, "Who should I say is calling?" And you said, "Bob Solution Provider. I'll be over here by the window, thank you." Simply do the same over the phone. When you call in and you get a live person that is not the person you are trying to reach, simply say, "I'm calling for Victoria VITO. Could you let her know I'm on the line? Thank you." They will typically say, "Who's calling?" to which you will reply, "Bob Solution Provider from ABC Corp. Thank you." Remember that this is not a social call. You are calling to conduct business. Take out the "May I please speak with..." phrase from your opening line and speak from a position of power and knowledge. Times Have Changed Remember that many of the phrases and words that we use over the phone today were developed, tested and used by sales people at a time when homes had at most two phones from Ma Bell and companies had real live people at the switchboards. Times have changed considerably. Today, we have to deal with VoIP switchboards that can automatically route calls based on the phone number of the caller, business contacts with smart phones attached to both hips and voicemail systems that are used as the ultimate call screener. You'll have to change up your language to leverage the freedoms and capabilities that this new technology has provided our society. And it's only going to get more interesting. So in addressing these challenges of getting through to the decision-maker and making a good first impression, first make sure that you know something about the business that your prospect is in. Then, you can review the words that you are using in your business language and start updating them accordingly. By doing so, you will increase your effectiveness over the phone and get more prospects into your sales pipeline. About the Author: Larry Prevost is an instructor and an IT consultant for Dale Carnegie Training of Ohio and Indiana. WPC One Day Passescan't make it for the whole event, well Thursday would be the one day you really shouldn't miss
Day Pass: Registration Fee of $650.00
PTDPGQ7Y One Day passes are available for MS and Partners. The same registration code is used for both attendee types. The attendee will pick up their one day pass at the registration desk onsite. Registering attendees will have the option to select from the general attendee hotel block if a hotel room is needed.
June 18 BPOS Event Follow Upif you've attended a BPOS event in the West Region, here is link to slides Ed Omland presented
June 17 Pacific Northwest's Quarterly GP User Group!!Register Here: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=138827Event Code: 138827 6/19/2009 10:15 AM - 3:00 PM Welcome Time: 10:00 AM Time Zone: Pacific Microsoft Corporation 205 108th Ave. NE Suite 400 Bellevue, WA 98004 USA General Event InformationFeatured Product/Topic: Microsoft Dynamics GP Recommended Audiences: IT Managers, IT Professionals, Business Executives, Managers, Vice Presidents, Finance Directors, CEO, Customer Management, Accounting Professionals, Finance Professionals, Business/Reporting Analysts, Project Managers, CFO, Operations Managers, Office Managers, Administrative Professionals, IT Directors, Administrators, Business Managers, Microsoft Partners, Microsoft Business Solutions Partners, Product Managers, Business Owner, Business Professionals, Production Manager, Controller, Business Decision Maker, Consumers, Developers, Information Worker Premier Pacific Northwest Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains User Group!!
Our Mission: Our Vision:
Serving individuals and companies with the commonality of Microsoft Dynamics GP, GPUG: Microsoft CRM is HOT!Our CRM partners are doing great - sales are up! Consider installing for your own use first and then team with a CRM partner or resell yourself. See attached article written by a West Region partner why their sales are doing better by using Microsoft's CRM product.
Altigen/Synnex/Microsoft UC & Virtualization Eventthank you to those of you who could attend our event today in the SF office, here is link for attendees and any others interested in these topics
Virtualization - last 5 files
Altigen Unified Communications -
if you have any questions about these files or topics, please email suzl@microsoft.com |
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