Who’s Who on a Microsoft Account Team

• Understanding the roles of the Microsoft account team can help with problems in contract negotiation, licensing, and support.
• Changes in Microsoft’s sales strategy will limit resources for account teams and may force customers to find outside guidance for sales.

While Microsoft is shifting to more programmatic sales, large, influential customers still have a Microsoft account team focused on selling to them and supporting their systems. The account team is the customer’s first point of contact for sales and contract negotiations, and the team can bring in technical expertise for specific sales. Customers can save time and get better results from sales if they understand the account team members and their incentives. However, changes in Microsoft’s sales strategy over the next 11 months could complicate transactions for both customers and their account teams.

For an overview of a typical account team and related sales and support roles at Microsoft, see the illustration “Field Roles Overview“.