New SBSC Advisory Board Announced

The FY2010 SBSC advisory board has been announced, and I am proud to say the 5 of the 10 members are leaders of HTG member companies. I also am privileged to serve as part of that esteemed group as one of the 10 representing the North Central district.. SBSC is now being led by Francois Daumard, who has a passion to drive the community to a new level. He is looking at every aspect of the program and is working hard to find ways to increase member value and provide more tools to help us be successful.


Part of the role of this advisory board is to gather ideas and suggestions that can be incorporated into the program that will help Microsoft partners succeed. If you have ideas, feel free to reach out to your SBSC advisory board member. I will gladly take feedback from anyone, but there is a specific person in each of the Microsoft districts that are assigned the task of representing you and your thoughts, suggestions and concerns. Take advantage of this council. Use us to carry your message. Remember that just complaining won't go very far. It is creative, positive suggestions that will get a response. Too often we focus on the things that are wrong with no suggestions around how to make it better. That is not very valuable. We need to provide guidance on what works and what would add value to the program, Microsoft and ultimately us. To see the list of fellow partners who represent you - check the web at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40110269.


Here is the official announcement: The SBSC Program Team has selected new SBSC Advisory Board members for the new Microsoft fiscal year starting July 1, 2009. The role of the SBSC Advisory Board is to provide Microsoft with real-life feedback and ground-level intelligence about what is important for SBSCs. This year there is one SBSC Advisory Board member in each of the 10 Microsoft U.S. Sales Areas. SBSC Advisory Board members are committed and eager to be the local partner liaison between you and Microsoft. If you want to find the SBSC Advisory Board member in your region, and share the good and the not-so-good about being an SBSC member, speak to your SBSC advisory board member.

Advisory Councils - Do They Matter?

I am in Orange County to meet as part of the HP SMB advisory council for a couple days. This is my first meeting with this group of great partners and HP execs. I do serve on a number of these groups in our industry, and have learned there is great value in participating in the process.

Companies like HP spend a ton of money to make this event happen. Not by paying for our travel - we do that ourselves - but by the people they make available and the time they invest. Not only do they lock into a room with us for a day - they have to deal with the outcomes that are discussed and go back and evaluate the feedback and put it into action where it fits. That is the difficult part - the execution. My experience with vendors are they really do want to know how to engage the channel more effectively. They all spend a lot of money building programs for our benefit, and it is in everyone's best interest to have those fine tuned as much as possible. It is no easy task and there are so many different variables that have to be considered.

My role is to serve as a representative for partners in the SMB space. So don't hesitate to send me things that you believe should be addressed. Obviously I am looking for positive ideas and suggestions that can improve things - not the complaining and negativity that we sometimes allow ourselves to fall into. No vendor is perfect - nor will they ever be - but I do know that many are listening like never before and we need to take advantage of the opportunity to shape the programs of tomorrow. So rather than talk about what should be - drop me a mail and let me take that to those who can make it reality. That is the kind of partnership that we all need to work toward. It is the good insight and suggestions that can really make life better for all of us in the channel. Let's make it happen!