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

~ (Author), Edward O'Connor (Author) "The question of why software, services or reseller firm would partner with Microsoft is relevant because every firm in the information-technology (IT) industry must come..." (more)
Key Phrases: new partner program, many services partners, large account resellers, Great Plains, Microsoft Partner Ecosystem, Windows Mobile (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Advance Praise for Partnering with Microsoft: 'Partnering with Microsoft is the first great book about the breathtaking culture, opportunity and roadmap for 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, and joint success in selling complementary products and services.

About the Author

Ted Dinsmore has worked in the IT services industry for 20 years, first with USA Today and then with a division of the French government. In the mid-nineties, Ted joined a systems integration firm in the UK known as OS Integration, which was focus

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: CMP (July 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578203171
• ISBN-13: 978-1578203178
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #772,469 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DANCING WITH MICROSOFT, August 28, 2005

By	John R. Vacca "Tech Write Independent Reviewer" (Pomeroy, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Within 21 years of becoming the most powerful company therein, Microsoft has ascended to the pinnacle of the IT industry. Authors by Ted Dinsmore and 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 and 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 and strategy, and 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 and 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 and mitigate the risks of partnering, and to pursue and realize the rewards of partnering with this globally successful company. At the end of the day, only by understanding what makes Microsoft tick and how the company thinks and behaves, can your firm be a successful Microsoft partner.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Inside Scoop on Working with Microsoft, August 9, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 and 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 and 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 and reports to make it easy enough for the clerks in the company to use, and then train the clerks?

The result is Microsoft's partnering philosophy. If you will set up your company to take Microsofts basic software and make it work as the final customer wants, then Microsoft wants to work with you, will supply you with support and 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!).

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but a little tedious, December 29, 2007

By	W. D. Robinson (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've worked for different Microsoft partners for almost 10 years. I hoped this book would provide new, interesting, and 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, and 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 for a services partner so the software partner, reseller partner, and hardware partner chapters were not very beneficial to me. However, those chapters may be a good reference for 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 for 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 and cross reference the question. Am I supposed to be doing that?

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