Soon after I accepted a position with , I attended a Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club reception. When we arrived, Microsoft had 16x24 inch whiteboards on easels arranged according to the number of years that a partner had achieved President’s Club. There were many boards for one year achievement of Presidents Club and as you proceeded down the aisle there were less and less boards and fewer names for each year. Finally, our President Judy Thomas and I came to year thirteen and there was only one name in the middle of a 16x24 inch whiteboard – The TM Group. It was then it I really realized what a unique and special partner I had joined. I still have that poster, although now we have been a .
So what, you might say. Should I really care if a company I’m talking to has been awarded President’s Club? Of course, being the only partner to achieve this 20 times, I’d say you should care; but let me try to explain why it matters. As in past years, to achieve the Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club 2010 a partner had to achieve a certain number of customer additions, revenue level, and year over year growth. President’s Club “honors high-performing Microsoft Dynamics partners whose commitment to customers is reflected in their business success and growth. This prestigious group represents the top 5 percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide. Membership is granted based on their continual, committed efforts aimed at offering solutions that meet the needs of their customers.”
If a partner achieves President’s Club, it is an indication that that partner has a healthy business and will be there to support you when you need them. The longer they have been a member of the President’s Club, the better the indication of the stability and viability of their business. Also, if a company is, they would typically have a very good understanding of Microsoft Dynamics GP and the other Microsoft Dynamics solutions and they probably maintain great customer satisfaction ratings because otherwise, they would not be able to grow their customer base each year because that requires referenceable clients and has a snowball effect on future sales efforts. There are some very large and/or multinational partners that make President’s Club based on sheer volume, but even they still have to maintain growth year over year to qualify for this award.
So yes, you should care if a partner has been awarded President’s Club. And, you should care how many times. I wouldn’t make your whole decision based on this, but it is definitely decision criteria that should be included in making a choice in what partner you should purchase Microsoft Dynamics GP from and what partner should be utilized to support your Microsoft Dynamics GP solution.
By Ken Jacobsen of , Microsoft Dynamics SL, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server
