Partner Business Planning Streamlined

Certified and Gold Certified Microsoft partners will benefit from a revised joint business-planning process that is likely to reduce paperwork and better align partner and Microsoft marketing efforts. Based on an approach used in Europe and several other regions, the revised process will be rolled out in the United States in 2006.

Business Planning Concerns

Joint business planning has been an important part of Microsoft’s partner relationships for many years. Such plans typically outline the partner’s Microsoft-related marketing activities, specific goals for both the partner and Microsoft, investments (such as training or marketing expenses) that both the partner and Microsoft will make, and how the partner will fit into Microsoft go-to-market (GTM) campaigns, among other things.

However, many partners believe that the effectiveness of the planning process has decreased in recent years. Common complaints include the following:

• Burdensome paperwork required to submit two separate plans,