Course Description
Microsoft Solution & Product Training
Participants: pre-sales, sales, sales-management, marketing, general management
Time: 3 Days
Subject Overview
These 3 day workshops help Partners take the next step in understanding various Microsoft Technologies and their capabilities. Suitable for both experienced and new sales resources, the course focuses on identifying business opportunities – specifically aligned Microsoft Solutions. The training covers:
- Introduction to Realizing Platform Value
- Identifying the sweet spots for each solution it the Australian Market place and works through “how to approach”
- Business Audit – Opportunity Identification: how to undertake a “business audit” to identify opportunities, ROI calculation and demonstration, business value consulting
- Strategic and Solution Selling:
o value propositions,
o handling buyer concerns,
o typical “pain chain” elements”,
o opportunity qualification, opportunity conversion,
o checklist of technology based opportunities (ie “if they have Exchange 5.5……)
Over the 3 day session, Partners will be introduced to each of the Product’s specific features and benefits associated with new release product elements, roadmaps, product differentiation – competitive differentiation, key business needs met by product features etc.
Relevant Tools will be provided including GTM details, analyst research, case studies, business case – ROI examples, inclusions for proposals and presentations, sources for other materials etc.
Objectives
Course objectives include:
- understanding what opportunities exist in the Australian market based on new Technology capability
- knowledge of and ability to follow a sales engagement process – RPV – to uncover and convert opportunities within a prospect
- knowledge of and ability to use a number of templates and methodologies associated with mapping customer pains to product solutions, identifying prospects, pre-planning a call, holding a structured customer meeting, obtaining customer commitment, offering proof of capability and justifying value
- practicing and reinforcing key course concepts in through the use of role play situations and case studies
Target Audience
This session is designed primarily for business development resources – but is well suited to other roles within the Partner that are involved in the sales process, including pre-sales, sales management, marketing management, general management.
Prerequisites
There are no mandatory prerequisites for this session.
Useful but optional prerequisites include:
- some direct experience in the sales process..
Content Overview
Key topics covered during Day 1 include:
1) What is the Value of the Microsoft Platform?
a) Our customers’ IT environments and the overall MS platform architecture — how all the elements fit together to deliver a unique value proposition to our customers.
2) What’s in Your Customers’ IT Environment?
a) A Framework for Understanding an IT Environment
b) A Typical Environment with Point Solutions
c) A Seamless Computing Environment
3) When the Microsoft Platform Enables the Organization
a) Our Integrated Approach
b) The MS Platform and Business / People / Process / Management & Base Services
c) Envisioning the Potential
4) How to Sell the Value of the Microsoft Platform
a) A structured approach for talking a customer on a journey from their “as is” environment to their “to be” environment.
5) A Journey to Realizing Potential
a) What Is the Platform Value Journey?
b) What Potential Did You Envision?
c) Ways to Begin the Journey
6) Unlocking Unrealized Potential
a) What Is Unrealized Potential?
b) Unrealized Potential in Your (Case Study) Account
7) An Approach to Platform Value Discussions
a) Overview of the Approach
b) Preparing for the Call — Key Questions to Focus the Discussion
c) Using Diagrams to Frame the Discussion
Key topics covered during Day 2 and 3 include:
For each Microsoft Product and/or Solution – working through the Battlecard to understand:
1) Market Information:
a) Australian market size,
b) optimum Australian market segments,
c) sweet spots including "what?" "why?" and "how to approach"
2) Business Audit – Opportunity Identification:
a) how to undertake a “business audit” to identify opportunities,
b) ROI calculation and demonstration,
c) business value consulting
3) Strategic and Solution Selling:
a) value propositions,
b) handling buyer concerns,
c) typical “pain chain” elements”,
d) opportunity qualification,
e) opportunity conversion,
f) checklist of technology based opportunities (ie “if they have Exchange 5.5……)
4) Product Specific:
a) features and benefits associated with new release product elements,
b) roadmaps,
c) product differentiation – competitive differentiation,
d) key business needs met by product features
5) Relevant Tools:
a) GTM details,
b) analyst research,
c) case studies,
d) business case – ROI examples,
e) inclusions for proposals and presentations,
f) sources for other materials
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