Dynamics Communities Biz Apps Partner Podcast

Biz Apps Partner Podcast: Microsoft's Erik Fink on Driving SMB Growth, Partner-Led Sales, Rising Trends

Episode Summary

In this episode, John Siefert welcomes Erik Fink, Channel Sales Manager - SMB Dynamics, Microsoft. The two discuss partner-led sales and support in the SMB segment, key trends, and resources to help partners navigate the evolving ecosystem.

Episode Notes

Key Takeaways

• Overview: Erik is a Channel Sales executive, which is now referred to as Partner Solution Sales (PSS) within Global Partner Solutions (GPS), covers business applications including Dynamics and low-code solutions like Power Apps and Copilot Studio for the SMB segment. He emphasizes the "unmanaged" nature of SMB, meaning no dedicated Microsoft account team, making it partner-led. His role is versatile, supporting partners in driving sales through various means such as pre-sales programs, deal strategy, and technical support.
• What to discuss: Covering both the U.S. and Canada as a PSS executive, Erik emphasizes the importance of driving deals forward. He seeks feedback from partners on how Microsoft can support this process and places customer and partner interests at the core of his role.
• Biggest customer trends: Erik defines the top three trends that partners are hearing from their customers. Microsoft is actively working to transition on-prem legacy customers to cloud solutions and the trend calls for creative partner collaboration to leverage existing programs and avoid losing customers to competition, while also addressing another challenge - the talent shortage in the partner ecosystem - by investing in talent production initiatives. Finally, he references the "AI revolution" as the third trend, being that AI opens doors for discussions about its integration into businesses. The current focus for partners is to prepare customers with data governance, security, and cloud platform readiness to facilitate future AI and Copilot-led innovations and achieve desired business outcomes.
• How partners can stay ahead of trends: Erik acknowledges the Dynamics ecosystem's complexity, where partners sometimes have more insights, and emphasizes Microsoft's commitment to sharing resources online for migrations, talent acquisition, and Copilot updates. He recommends joining communities and following blogs to stay informed, despite the challenge of information overload.
• Final tips: The partner ecosystem plays a significant role in the SMB space. Erik stresses the importance of early and frequent communication with Partner Solution Sales teams for pre-sales support and strategic discussions. Additionally, he defines the value of transparency and cooperative competition within the community.
• Connect with Erik: Register for the Biz Apps Partner Summit, happening July 24-25 in Bellevue, Washington to meet Erik Fink and learn how to dazzle customers, get insights into Microsoft’s FY 2025 priorities, and scale your Microsoft Business Applications practice.