Microsoft re-balancing its Dynamics AX, CRM enterprise sales plans

Microsoft is taking steps to rebalance its enterprise sales efforts for Dynamics ERP and CRM opportunities, says Doug Kennedy, VP of the Dynamics partner organization. Updated plans coordinated between the Dynamics team, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), global system integrators (GSIs) and, to some extent, regional services firms should put a larger portion of enterprise opportunities in the hands of GSIs.

The goal, Kennedy explained in a recent interview, is to better define the rules of engagement on key enterprise opportunities. In particular, Microsoft wants to separate the efforts of its own sales and pre-sales teams from the efforts of VARs selling AX and CRM, and then keep all those efforts separated from the SMB channel.

"We also want to lead the customer or prospect as best we can down the path where we've got the most experience," says Kennedy. "So we've made a change where the Dynamics lead makes that call at the 20% stage in any big enterprise opportunity. This will also balance out where MCS works and where GSIs work."

Over time, the new distribution of enterprise deals will reportedly see MCS handling 20 to 30 percent, GSIs handling about 50 percent, and the balance going to regional partners. The new approach stems from an updated understanding between MBS executive vice president Kirill Tatarinov and Kathleen Hogan, corporate vice president for Microsoft Services. 

"We're nowhere close to that balance now," Kennedy says. Regional partners, who Kennedy feels are best positioned to handle customers below the enterprise level, still pursue too many enterprise Dynamics deals, which Kennedy says could be costing Microsoft business today.

Better forecasting by geography and industry, including where and when Microsoft wants to take the lead, will also give GSIs guidance on their staffing needs over the next ...