Microsoft Certified Partners Group Launches Community Portal

It's no secret among small and midsize ISVs that sales and marketing savvy often takes a back seat to superior technical and engineering skills. In other words, folks develop great software but then struggle to sell it.

Stepping up to help out is the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP), which this week launched an online community portal called SoftwareBizExchange.com that's aimed at providing sales, marketing and general business resources and live advice for Windows-based software vendors.

"This is all about partners helping partners be successful," said John Payes, IAMCP president. "We were seeing great innovation from our software partners and ISVs, but in some cases this is building some great software in a garage and then not knowing what to do with it."

Payes has assembled a team of moderators for the portal from across the globe, with most hailing from the United States. Moderators will be available to communicate and answer questions live, disseminating information, sharing experiences and business expertise, and directing visitors to the proper resources -- including Microsoft's partner program tools and benefits.

Among the main topics expected to come up are questions about human resources, sales and marketing, pricing, licensing and distribution channels, Payes said. The portal also contains links, white papers and other business resources, as well as a daily news feed to registered users.

It's the latest example of peer-to-peer partnering among solution providers, ISVs and other players in the channel, a trend that's resulting in ecosystems whose whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

Along those lines, one of the main goals of SoftwareBizExchange.com is to encourage collaboration and networking among partners, particularly among those with complementary solutions, Payes said.

The trend has not been lost on Microsoft, either. Encouraging partner P2P has been a major initiative in the halls of Redmond, Wash., for well over a year now. From Allison Watson, corporate vice president of the worldwide partner group, on down, the message has been that hooking up is the way to drive new customer demand, so expand your skills set and break out into new geographies.

Payes believes the new exchange will complement and fill gaps in what Microsoft is already doing in the space.

"When you look at the size of the channel, Microsoft can only make so many connections for partners," he said. "We are taking the initiative to help make these interactions happen."

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