Microsoft Reveals New Customer Engagement Methodology
At Microsoft Inspire, the company's chief commercial officer said consultative engagements are a key priority for the new fiscal year.
July 21, 2022
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Microsoft
Microsoft has promoted the notion of solutions that produce customer outcomes. Now, Judson Althoff, Microsoft EVP and chief commercial officer, is taking it a step further with the rollout of a new sales academy, which he says will “teach the mastering of the craft of modern selling, applying technology in a consultative way to deliver outcomes that matter.”
Microsoft is adding thousands of resources to different regions throughout the world to work with its partner ecosystem, with the goal delivering more for customers, according to Althoff.
“We’re at our best only when we surround our customers with people that can help, knowledgeable experts across our technology solution areas, knowledgeable experts by industry, and people that can work with partners to help deliver integrated value. We’re adding thousands of folks into the regions to support our customers like never before.”
After launching several vertical industry clouds last fall, Microsoft is emphasizing specialization in key growth sectors including financial services, health care, retail, manufacturing and the public sector. Microsoft is also going to invest in serving startups and cloud-only customers.
“We’re going to invest in digital natives like never before in fiscal year 2023,” Althoff said. “We’re counting on all of you to help really ignite the future of innovation with those startups. That entire ecosystem will be rewarded together by increased share. [That’s] because the Microsoft cloud is the cloud that helps customers do more with less. And so frankly, even in a challenged economy, we stand to have more opportunity than ever before.”
Microsoft will continue to focus on making Partner Center and the rest of its go-to-market and infrastructure an all-digital experience.
“It’s going to bring enormous scale to our channel ecosystem,” Althoff said. “We’re literally wiring together how we drive digital marketing, digital sales and digital nurture, and feeding it into the channel ecosystem so we drive more pipeline and more opportunity by solution area around the world for all of you to help engage with customers more.”
Althoff was vague about this fifth principal but he indicated it has to do with evolving how Microsoft goes to market.
“We just want to make it easier to do that amazing work and be easier to do business at Microsoft,” he said. “This is going to be a journey for us; we’re going to focus on it this year, we’re going to focus on it next year. And probably the year after that.”
Althoff was vague about this fifth principal but he indicated it has to do with evolving how Microsoft goes to market.
“We just want to make it easier to do that amazing work and be easier to do business at Microsoft,” he said. “This is going to be a journey for us; we’re going to focus on it this year, we’re going to focus on it next year. And probably the year after that.”
MICROSOFT INSPIRE — Microsoft chief commercial officer Judson Althoff revealed a new customer engagement methodology that the company has begun operating by. Althoff (pictured above) outlined the imperative on Wednesday when he led the second day keynote during Microsoft Inspire, the company’s partner event.
Judson Althoff presenting at Microsoft Inspire 2022.
Althoff introduced the customer engagement methodology during Microsoft’s annual sales event to kick off the company’s new fiscal year 2023. The new approach calls for Microsoft’s direct sales force and partners to focus on consultative engagements with customers. Microsoft is putting the new methodology into practice immediately, according to Althoff.
“It’s a consultative methodology because we’re at our best when we make technology serve business outcomes,” Althoff said. “We start by listening and can try to understand the situational fluency and what a customer is trying to navigate in their industry, their line of work and what matters most to them.”
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The next step, he said, is to design solutions that tap the Microsoft cloud across its key solution areas. Similarly, the solutions should include “all of your assets across the partner ecosystem to really bring the best of what technology can deliver,” Althoff said. “This is a moment where we will sign a strategic agreement together with a customer, and really lay out the framework for multi horizon engagement.”
Microsoft is rolling out content and training that goes deeper on how to transition to this approach, Althoff emphasized.
“We’re going to remain customer obsessed,” he said, noting that Microsoft is rolling out a new sales academy designed to apply technology in a consultative manor.
Focus on Industries
Microsoft is also investing in its new industry clouds, which company officials emphasized throughout Inspire as a key focus. Besides the six solution areas designated for the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program, the company will launch industry specializations.
Microsoft’s Julie Sanford
Julie Sanford is Microsoft’s new VP of partner go-to-market programs and experiences. She said partners will earn industry designations based on revenue performance, technical assessment of tier solutions and validated customer success. Microsoft is starting with retail, financial services and healthcare, Sanford said.
Microsoft will offer technical and sales skills training associated with its industry verticals.
“In addition to launching rule based technical and sales skilling against the industry clouds, we’re also launching curated learning paths against the cloud services that are requirements for each of these industry clouds to be successful,” Sanford said.
Sanford noted that Microsoft’s go-to-market investments in its industry specializations will focus on the entire customer life cycle.
“We’re going to create demand-generation to drive more marketplace transactions and co-sell opportunities,” she said. “And we’re also launching pre-sales workshops to ensure that we’re turning those leads into real opportunities.”
Meantime, the five principles outlined by Althoff appear in the slideshow above.
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