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As mentioned in my previous post, I have posted the FAQ for the Influence Program.  This was written by Michael Haines, the General Manager for US Partner Channel Strategy.  He was the principal author of the program.

Microsoft’s US Partner Influence Program

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the program intended to do?

For years, our partners have played a key role in influencing customer decisions around Microsoft products in the mid-market and enterprise. However, customers in these markets are required to buy their volume licenses (EA & Select) from a small group of Large Account Resellers (LARs). The Microsoft Partner Influence Program has been developed to provide a mechanism to document the influence role played by our myriad partners in these EA and Select sales opportunities.

Do I have to sign up to participate?

One of the design considerations while developing the Influence Program was simplicity. Therefore, there are no requirements for complicated program applications or tedious paperwork. The only requirement to participate is that you are a Microsoft Partner (Gold, Certified, or Registered) with a valid Microsoft Partner Program Org. ID # and that you connect to one of the participating LARs to be reported as the influencer in a sale. Instructions for connecting to LARs will be detailed later in this FAQ document.

Can I have relationships with multiple LARs?

There is no requirement that you be aligned with one specific LAR to participate. Many partners prefer to have a primary alignment to one of the LARs, but maintain relationships with others. Often, the customer will dictate which LAR you will need to work with on a specific sales opportunity.

What is the influencer information you collect used for?

The program was originally designed with one overriding objective in mind … to identify the influence contribution of our partners and report that to our partner account managers (PAM) in the field. Armed with this information, the PAMs can have an accurate view of the value that you, our partner, drive in the market. With that information, the PAM can conduct better, more focused business planning with you. In addition, the information can be used by product and field marketing groups to better identify those partners that are driving customer decisions for specific products and market segments. With this information, Microsoft can make better decisions around which partners to work with on specific marketing campaigns.

Do I get paid for my influence?

The Microsoft Influence Program was not developed to be a compensation program. However, it should be noted that many of the participating LARs do offer different forms of compensation to partners in return for the new sales opportunities that you bring to the LAR. Please discuss specific details about these programs with the LARs. In addition, some indirect compensation may come from Microsoft in the way of local investment in joint marketing efforts that your influence results may impact.

How can I see the influence that’s been reported for me?

It is important that partners be able to see the influence that has been reported by the LARs on their behalf. This information is valuable for purposes of reconciliation and for conducting planning sessions with Microsoft PAMs. Thus, Microsoft has created a secure, on-line tool called Influence Bank that you can access to see your influence. To access the tool, see the instructions on the partner portal Influence Program landing page (instructions at the end of this FAQ document).

Can there be more than one influencing partner on a single deal?

At this time, the program is restricted by its technical construct to one influencing partner per customer purchase order. Efforts are being made to expand the field used to capture the identity of the influencing partner to enable multiple partners that are working in collaboration to be identified as influencers for a specific order and share the influence credit.

What about Open License and Open Value?

Open License and Open Value are Microsoft volume licensing offerings that are tailored for small businesses and the lower mid-market segment. These licenses have been designed to be purchased by partners from our distributors and resold by our partners to their customers. As a result, Microsoft has visibility into the sales and transaction contribution our partners make in these markets. At this time, there are no plans to programmatically encourage partners to follow any other model in regards to Open License and Open Value. If you want to be recognized for your efforts in these market segments, we recommend that you continue to resell these Open Volume License offerings.

What benefits are there for participating in the program?

The primary benefit to participating in the program is that we will finally have documented evidence of your contribution to the mutual success we have in the mid-market and enterprise. This evidence will finally provide us with the insight we need to properly plan our business with you and focus our resources where they can best leverage the areas that you are making the biggest impact in the market. Another benefit that is planned for fiscal year 08 (starts July 1, 2007) will be a partner recognition program, wherein we will recognize top influencing partners with press releases and other forms of recognition.

I’m an MBS/Dynamics partner and don’t play in the EA & Select VL world. What about me?

This program was specifically designed to capture the partners that influence EA and Select Agreements. In those sales opportunities that a Dynamics/MBS partner is advising a customer to execute an EA or Select license, they can certainly connect to a participating LAR and be recognized as the influencing partner. For other types of customer and market influence, this program is not applicable.

What other types of customer influence are being captured?

There are many ways that partners of different types influence customers and markets on behalf of Microsoft besides for EA and Select Volume License Agreements. In response, Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Program team will be building a strategy around the larger topic of influence. As a part of that effort, they will be identifying various types of relevant partner influence in the Microsoft world, and determining investments in specific programs related to the various types of partner influence. There are no details available at this time regarding those efforts. Finally, some of the specific partner teams, such as those that support ISVs, are piloting programs for capturing partner influence in specific areas of market and partner focus. Talk to your PAM to determine if there is a program available that is applicable to your organization.

Will my influence be captured for all the countries I do business in?

At this point, this program is operating as a U.S. program. Though influence on sales made in the US by a US LAR for customers in other countries may be captured, there is no capability to insure the capture of influence made to customers outside the US. As part of the larger influence strategy discussed above, the US Partner Influence Program is being evaluated for expansion to other Microsoft subsidiaries and locations. No formal decision has been made at this time.

Where do I go to find out more about the program?

An on-line Influence Program site has been established on the Microsoft Partner Program Portal. The URL is https://partner.microsoft.com/us/influence . At this site, you can find out about the program, download a program guidebook, and research and connect with the LARs that are participating in the program. Visit the site often for program updates and announcements.