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Our guest this week is Andrew King, CEO of WebSan Solutions, a Microsoft partner with offices in both Toronto and Indiana that provides Dynamics ERP and CRM solutions. Andrew last joined us a year ago, so this was a good opportunity catch up, following Microsoft Inspire 2017. Like everyone else at the partner channel event, Andrew was paying close attention to Microsoft’s guidance, as well as the program and product news that impacts the Dynamics channel.

Show notes:

• 3:00 – What Microsoft’s re-organization means for partner priorities around breadth of technology supported.
• 6:30 – Are Microsoft’s expectations and partner perceptions about market demand coming into line?
• 7:10 – On winning a Microsoft Canada Impact Award for marketing
• 10:00 –Partners have new ideas for Microsoft on Dynamics 365 pricing
• 15:00 – How are Dynamics 365 Business Edition sales going? WebSan may have the largest volume so far.
• 20:00 – What are existing Dynamics customers taking away from the latest news?
• 25:00 – Why Microsoft’s verticalization push has become more credible to partners.

Inspire 2017 was a week of “shock and awe,” says Steve Mordue of RapidStart CRM, who spoke to us on the final day of Microsoft’s conference.

It was a good week. Mordue believes that the One Commercial Partner model allows Microsoft CVP Ron Huddleston to pull the trigger on his sales vision. And it will be a boon for Dynamics partners – if they are willing to evolve. Microsoft’s vision has no place for the “general purpose” partner who just wants to implement. Aggressive partners will be all over AppSource, and make themselves known on the Partner Center.

Customers are evolving as well, and are no longer willing to let the head of IT make ERP and CRM purchase decisions. Decision makers are looking for rich capabilities, in apps versus suites, and want to find them on AppSource.

In this episode of the podcast, Mordue and MSDynamicsWorld Editor Jason Gumpert discuss:

• What partners can expect from One Commercial Partner and Ron Huddleston
• Microsoft’s demand for IP partners with deep vertical expertise
• The new sales model; say goodbye to the old-fashioned account rep
• Why SMB partners should be encouraged by the reorg
• Why partners must have an AppSource strategy
• The new Partner Center; partners must go there to be “surfaced”
• Dynamics 365 Business edition; much in demand, still fuzzy-edged
• How AppSource is the “stickiness engine” for Power BI, Dynamics and Office 365

This episode comes to you from Inspire 2017 in Washington DC. We caught up with Linda Rose, who recently sold her business, RoseASP, to private equity firm ESW Capital. It wasn’t her first business sale, but she says it was different from previous deals, and it sparked a different type of response from other business owners in the Microsoft channel.

Linda tells us about the questions she is fielding from Microsoft partners about selling a business, the economics of today’s channel opportunity, and the efforts of Microsoft and others in the channel to support the importance of women in executive leadership roles at technology companies.

For more on Linda’s approach to business valuations, the question she says she is asked about most, you can check out here blog post on the topic.