Mike Dickerson,the CEO of marketing technology vendor ClickDimensions, joins us to discuss his company and its evolution in the Microsoft channel over the last two years. Now owned by private equity firm Accel KKR, the company has adjusted its focus today to three main challenges for customers and partners in the future – simplifying the technology, reducing costs, and solving the skills and resources gap. He discusses some fascinating findings about Microsoft partners, how the company has adapted to Microsoft's other marketing technology moves, and some principles of leadership.

Show Notes

• 1:25 – The ClickDimensions origin story
• 3:15 – The company's position in today's market
• 5:15 – What a focus on the Microsoft channel and technology has meant in go-to-market and distribution
• 8:00 – How the company and martech field have changed in the last two years
• 14:00 – Addressing the marketing skills gap in B2B
• 17:00 – Bridging the skills gap – for partners and for customers
• 24:00 – A "Center of Excellence" strategy for digital agency needs, and why it is needed
• 34:00 – What is ClickDimensions is doing differently from Microsoft
• 40:00 – Serving the on-prem customer base
• 42:30 – Leading the company under private equity ownership
• 46:30 – Guidance on decision making in leadership and advisory roles at tech companies

On this episode, Dynamics NAV veteran and COO of Dynamics Southwest AJ Ansari joined us live at Summit 2018 to discuss the future of NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central. Recorded on the fly in the halls of the Phoenix Convention Center, we discuss customer perceptions of Microsoft's SMB ERP roadmap, how partners are adapting, including AJ's own firm, and our predictions of some of the most exciting new opportunities for innovative use of Microsoft business technology by both customers and partners.

Show Notes:

• 2:30 - What will the early Business Central customers look like, and what can history teach us about upgrade patterns?
• 4:30 – The real meaning (and future possibilities) of the Intelligent Cloud Insights tool.
• 8:00 – What Microsoft really wants to talk about today (hint: not GP or NAV)
• 10:00 – The PowerApps with Dynamics approach – moving from concept to reality, and the roll of customers vs partners
• 11:30 – Why Business Central's focus is good news for all SMB ERP Dynamics customers as a sign of Microsoft's commitment.
• 13:00 – What it takes to propose and sell Business Central vs NAV today, from the small business to the mid-market
• 17:00 – Making sense of the ISV readiness situation – preparing NAV add-ons, and will VARs industrialize their customizations?
• 22:00 – The promise of a more modular architecture for Business Central in the future
• 26:00 – Will we see the rise of a new type of Microsoft business apps partner profile?
• 29:00 – Customer conversations at NAVUG/BCUG Summit 2018 – some surprises and some interesting use cases.