Microsoft NZ empowers partners to drive device sales

“Today is a key step in the Devices and Services Strategy at Microsoft,” said Warwick Grey, Partner Sales Executive - Distribution, Microsoft.

Addressing a host of device sales partners in New Zealand, Grey was speaking at the launch of the Get Modern Tour, an invitation-only partner event focused on devices, Windows 8.1, Office 365 and Windows XP migrations.

"Our System Builder and Reseller partners all appreciate the investments we make in partner sales training and readiness," says Warwick Grey, Partner Sales Executive – Distribution, Microsoft New Zealand.

"We will be taking this workshop out to more resellers nationally with the Ingram Micro Showcase event coming up in August to ensure that all partners can be trained in how to sell Windows 8 Pro Touch devices."

In what has been a busy twelve months for the company, the Kiwi arm of Microsoft helped partners make sense of the many changes coming out of Redmond at the local event, designed to empower local partners to better educate the SMB customers on the new range of Windows devices available in the market.

Led by SMB Nation, an independent organisation advising Microsoft vendors, the workshop demonstrated Redmond’s speed at implementing its Devices and Service Strategy, officially announced on July 2013.

Handpicked to host a worldwide tour visiting over 30 cities across 25 countries, Microsoft New Zealand’s Auckland headquarters was the venue for an afternoon of high-level training, focused on preparing channel partners for a blockbuster year in the industry.

“I think very soon Windows 8.1 is going to be a lost easier to sell and that’s an exciting prospect,” said attendee Simon Scott, director, Acquire.

“The end user’s wall of fear in relation to Windows 8.1 is very close to disappearing.”

Designed to address any partner feedback and challenges within the market, the goal of the workshop was simple - to empower Mirosoft’s elite partners to hold customer-facing events that result in more sales and partner revenue.

And Scott, like many Microsoft partners in the industry, believes it is only a matter of time before Windows 8 devices start to roll in a big way.

“A lot of businesses have already purchased one or two machines already so there is no reason to buy backwards,” he added.

“What we’ve found is that customers continuously buy Windows 7 machines despite holding a Windows 8 licence and we have been trying to advise SMBs to launch Windows 8 from the start.

“But the nature of the SMB customer is to hold onto a machine until it literally drops dead so uptake has naturally been stalled by start ups not investing from the offset.”

Echoing the official Redmond party line, Grey adds that Microsoft’s focus going forward is to create a family of devices and services capable of fusing work with pleasure whether it be at home, in the office or on the go.