Authored by Leona Locke, Director, GTM Benefits and Partner Engagement, with contributions from Regina Johnson, Senior Manager and Community Lead.
Our partner community is enriched by its diversity, and we are committed to strengthening our collective capacity. In this blog, we will share a few opportunities for partners to access information, resources, and capital that are designed not only to empower you to achieve your goals, but also connect you to collaborators with shared visions and aspirations.
Partner-led associations at Microsoft
Partner-led associations are nonprofit organizations led by Microsoft partners and technology company business owners. They boast strong membership bases and provide a direct pipeline to channels driving partner engagement, professional skilling, P2P opportunities, and enablement to increase partner knowledge, growth, and sales.
Drive growth for your organization by engaging individually and collectively with partner-led associations such as the Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA), the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP), the Women in Tech Network (WIT), and Women in Cloud (WIC).
"Working with WIC has provided multiple benefits. Recently, I had the opportunity to engage in a corporate coaching program and participate in setting a Guinness World Record, where over 500 of us came together to write our visions. This vision, now prominently displayed in my workspace, serves as a daily inspiration. The coaching program was particularly impactful, culminating in a successful pilot with a coach who represents our target ideal customer profile and leading to valuable feedback on our solution. WIC is a community of opportunities and connections, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
-Tina Williams-Koroma, CyDeploy.com
"I looked into the IAMCP after seeing them widely represented at a Microsoft Inspire conference years ago. I joined and quickly learned more about optimizing our partnership to become more appealing to Microsoft sellers than I ever have in all my years managing our alliance. As an SMB unmanaged partner, it's the next best thing to having a partner account manager. Access to Microsoft leadership and other partners is well worth the time invested into the group!"
-Brooke Browne, Smartbridge
Joint-association opportunity: GTM (go-to-market strategy) Momentum Accelerator
This month we are launching the GTM Momentum, an exclusive Accelerator sponsored by Microsoft and developed in collaboration with the Black Channel Partner Alliance, International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners, and Women in Cloud partner-led associations. The accelerator is designed to help small-to-medium sized businesses develop their Microsoft-focused marketing and sales approach by leveraging priority sales plays, programs, offers, and resources, including building a plan to leverage the Microsoft Marketplace for growth and expansion.
By completing this accelerator, partners will have a ready-to-execute plan that prepares them for engagements with Microsoft stakeholders. Each completed sales and marketing plan will be reviewed by Microsoft, who will use it to learn how they can better help partners capture customer opportunities.
Graduation from the accelerator will provide partners with a focused Microsoft GTM plan, a blueprint to access funding and resources, a plan for including the Microsoft Marketplace within a partners’ growth strategy, and sales resources and coaching to optimize a sales approach.
Does this sound like a need for you as a partner? If so, start the application process today by completing a GTM assessment. The deadline to complete your assessment for the GTM Momentum Accelerator is Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Acceptance is based on your organizational readiness determined by the assessment results and availability.
Please visit the GTM Momentum Accelerator site to start your GTM assessment, learn more about the accelerator, and find a list of FAQs.
Association spotlight: Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA)
Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to accelerating the growth of Black innovators and Black-owned technology businesses through mentorship, coaching, and community.
“I am an ISV with a SaaS solution built in Azure, that I sell to enterprise clients like Harley-Davidson, Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc. Thanks to the BPCA team for making me aware of opportunities that are exceptionally relevant to my ISV growth strategy with my enterprise clients…they have exceeded my expectations and helped me finally get it. Microsoft delivers highly impactful and relevant presentations; glad I have been there to learn. Thank you Nyasha and Frank for BCPA and the continued communications!”
–Lenzy Petty, Data Analytics Technology Advantage
BCPA offers a range of services and resources to its members, including:
- Access to accelerator programs: expand and take advantage of growth opportunities with support created specifically with African American IT companies in mind.
- Partner directory and community: a directory to help showcase your business competencies and strengths to the BCPA community, with the goal of supporting diversified supply chains and other minority or Black-owned businesses nationwide.
- Unlock shared business opportunities: expand your community and partner with other complimentary Black-owned technology businesses to help support and acquire both enterprise and federal contracts.
- Mentoring, training, and joint marketing sponsorships: acquire new skills and competencies through BCPA workshops and joint partnership seminars to expand the growth and opportunities of your business.
In a world where technology shapes our everyday lives, Black and African American entrepreneurs in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program exemplify innovation, leveraging Microsoft technology to deliver outstanding solutions and services. This February, and every month, we celebrate the extraordinary solutions and services of a few of these partners, who are driving technological advancement and making a significant impact in their communities and for their customers. Their ingenuity, resilience, and passion serve as catalysts for change, driving us towards a future defined by limitless possibilities and boundless opportunity.
BCPA is helping Black innovators and Black-owned technology businesses grow and thrive.
As we continue to honor the legacy of Black History Month, let us embrace diversity, foster inclusion, and champion equality and opportunity in all its forms. Together, we have the power to shape a brighter, more equitable future for generations to come. Find out more.
Next steps for engaging further