Redmond Channel Partner Magazine and RoseBud

How One Partner Found Event Success at the Microsoft Store

While there are currently only 14 Microsoft stores open around the country, the company plans to open 75 over the next couple of years. If you are lucky enough to have one in your backyard, it's the perfect place to hold a client event with style.

Cloudy with a Chance of Sales in Atlanta
Located in Woodstock, Ga., just north of Atlanta, RoseBud Technologies has held five events since the Atlanta Microsoft retail store opened in May 2011. While all the events were successful, according to Greg Wartes, director of marketing for RoseBud, the Nov. 9 event was over the top. Co-hosted by Microsoft, November's cloud services-focused event attracted over 200 registrations with approximately 150 attending.

"If I had to put a check mark by the most successful marketing tactics, it would have to be the LinkedIn groups," Wartes said. "From the tracking we could do with such a large crowd, it appears that over half of the attendees found out about the event through LinkedIn." Wartes and other RoseBud team members spent the weeks before the event finding and announcing the event to LinkedIn groups that were local to Atlanta with potential interest in cloud computing.

The strong relationship that RoseBud has built with the regional Microsoft team also helped the event gain attention and drive attendance. Greg Treanor, vice president at RoseBud, cited the relationship with Microsoft reps as critical to the success of the event.

Event Content
The November event was billed as a continuation of the Office 365 launch, and also included Windows Intune and CRM online. Treanor presented O365 and Intune, while Atlanta-based Zero2Ten presented the CRM online content. Using real-world examples, the partners were able to demonstrate their knowledge and experience to the crowd.

The 9 a.m. pre-opening schedule was helpful in accommodating the crowd before the store opening. Even though the event was held early, the audience was interactive, asking plenty of practical questions that helped build interest. The topic of cloud clearly resonated with the audience.

Results
Treanor said, "The event was very positive. We got the chance to meet about 150 people who we hadn't met before. Our cost for the involvement was low and we developed more than a dozen really good leads with immediate needs. We have closed most of those opportunities.

"I am really in awe of the reach we were able to achieve through this event, even though we are a small partner. This was beyond anything we could have done on our own. The fact that partners can use these regional stores -- which are a 'destination' for a lot of people -- gives them the chance to meet people they would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet."

Lessons Learned
While most partners may not hit registration numbers like 200, the RoseBud team shared some lessons that partners can use to prepare for a better experience:

• Staff up and be ready for questions. Have as many staff on hand as possible to talk one-on-one with prospects at the end of the event.
• Take plenty of business cards.
• Plan ahead so you can manage the details that make an event flow smoothly.
• Go to the store in advance to meet with the Microsoft store management team. Map out the logistics with the Microsoft team and take advantage of their experience.

If have a Microsoft retail store in your town, contact them right away to get your event on the calendar. Schedules fill up quickly. Across the country, the store management teams have proven themselves to be very supportive of partners and their events.

Did you have a great event at a Microsoft store? Comment below or tell me about it so we can share the knowledge.

http://rcpmag.com/blogs/marketing-matters/2012/01/partner-event-success-at-microsoft-store.aspx

RoseBud Technologies January 2012 Newsletter:

View the online version here:  http://app.e2ma.net/app2/campaigns/archived/1702664/ed3a689e54d3e9fd0ca14c07e0a43e21/

Office 365 Customers – Use Lync on your phone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=FY0acvmsVAY

Microsoft Lync for Mobile Devices
The new Microsoft Lync 2010 mobile app is available for Lync 2010, Lync Online, and Microsoft Office 365, including support for Windows Phone and other device platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android, and Nokia Symbian. Watch our YouTube video for an overview.

Microsoft Exec: Analysts Will Be 'Shocked' When Office 365 Sales Figures Come Out

Nearly six months after the official release of Office 365, Microsoft Senior Director for Online Services Tom Rizzo says the cloud-based messaging and collaboration service is shaping up to be one of the company's fastest-growing businesses. Just don't ask Rizzo to prove it. Microsoft refuses to give any figures -- revenues or number of subscribers -- that would quantify just how well Office 365 is doing.

The on-premises versions of Office are selling quite well. Microsoft has sold more than 100 million copies of Office 2010 and 61 million SharePoint 2010 licenses. While no such picture is available for Office 365 or its predecessor, Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS), Microsoft has acknowledged that 90 percent of customers are small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

In Part 2 of the interview (Part 1 is here), Rizzo explained why Microsoft is bullish about Office 365.

RCP: Absent any user stats or revenue reports, some analysts have voiced skepticism as to how well Office 365 is selling. Are there any measures you can share?

Rizzo: I can't share any details. The only thing I will say is I think those analysts will be shocked when we talk about Office 365 and the momentum that is actually happening with our concrete numbers. I've worked on some really great growth business at Microsoft -- Exchange, SQL and SharePoint -- and I'm amazed at the momentum of Office 365. We've only been in market since June 28 but we've been selling extremely well.

How are BPOS-to-Office-365 migrations coming along?

It is going well. It's driven by the customer pace, not by our pace, but the migrations have been going extremely well. We've tried to make sure that we continue to learn from every migration, whether it's new tools that we need or new documentation or new procedures, training, support -- those sorts of things. But the vast majority have gone pretty seamlessly, both from a customer standpoint and from a Microsoft technology standpoint.

There were some initial complaints by existing BPOS customers [and partners] who couldn't migrate right away. Is everyone able to migrate now?

A whole bunch of transitions are in progress as we speak.

"I've worked on some really great growth business at Microsoft -- Exchange, SQL and SharePoint -- and I'm amazed at the momentum of Office 365."
Tom Rizzo, Microsoft Senior Director for Online Services

You said that 90 percent of Office 365 customers are small businesses. Do you see that percentage holding?

I see that percentage holding for the short term because enterprises take longer for any sort of move. We are seeing some enterprises move, but I would expect we would see over the next year or two years. The majority will be smaller or medium-sized customers. But we will see quickly that enterprises will start to move more wholesale. Enterprises are moving -- it's more of a smaller subset of their users. They're segmenting their users, and moving a subset at first to test it out, and then moving wholesale to Office 365.

I don't expect it to stick, but SMBs make up more of the worldwide ecosystem than enterprises from a sheer number of them. [Still,] I would expect enterprises to quickly encroach on the SMB numbers in the next year to two years.

Next Page: On Advisor and Syndication Partners >>

It's Time to Consider the Cloud

There are many reasons that cloud computing is perfect for small business. The biggest is that it can save you money on equipment and software. You're probably already using the cloud without even knowing it. Take it a step further and find out everything you can about cloud storage and software as a service. You may be surprised by what it can do for you.

Have you heard about Cloud Computing? Not quite the buzz term as "Social Media", but it's popular. What is it and why should you care? Every business needs technology - you have a computer, a phone, maybe a fax machine and likely a website. But when you are starting a business on a shoe string, you want to be as resource efficient as possible.

The "cloud" is a term used to refer to a network, and in many cases, the internet. Today a small business can take advantage of many of the services available in "the cloud". Online you may find ways of taking advantage of hardware and software that another company hosts, and you just pay for the service, much like you pay for your telephone or internet connection.

A small business can take care of shared hardware, web hosting, website hosting, marketing services, computer programmers, writers, and other experts in accounting, marketing, proof reading, accounting, you name it. It allows the SMB owner to pay for a little piece of the technology infrastructure in a very affordable manner. You can get a lot done by finding virtual staff online, and even manage your projects in the cloud. You'll want to use reputable companies to protect your assets, and be very careful with your intellectual capital.

Read the full article here:  http://www.manta.com/tech/cloud_computing_0112?referid=11003

Is Cloud Computing Safe/Secure? This question comes up all the time and came up at our last event:

Recently RoseBud Technologies was asked to present on “What is the Cloud,” at a local Constant Contact event held in Atlanta, GA (Buckhead.)  The venue was the AMC Fork and Screen, where two movie theaters were filled.  The venue was fantastic. The attendance was fantastic.  Connecting your laptop to a full size movie screen to go through  power point slides was simply cool.  Constant Contact introduced their new social media marketing efforts, and RoseBud presented on “What is the Cloud?”  RoseBud (Presenter: Greg Treanor) covered Office 365 (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online), Windows Intune, CRM Online, and the new Windows phones and the integration with Office 365.  There was a LOT of information covered in a short amount of time, but there was obviously interest around the topic as the attendees were filled with great questions.  One question that I hear come up time and time again when discussing cloud computing is “Is it safe and secure?”  (From a Microsoft perspective) In short – Yes.  Greg Treanor answered this question beautifully: The security that Microsoft provides is certainly better that anything an SMB customer is going to be able to provide for themselves. Microsoft has their own people protecting their own products, and back their products with a financial guarantee.  You may not be able to walk down the hall and see that your server is safe behind a locked door – but I know that Microsoft has firewalls, multiple layers, latest updates, crazy strong/encrypted passwords, and every other security measure in place – and most of which my business could not afford to put in place – it is safe.  If you have not figured it out by now…..the cloud is not going away, and the major players in this market know that.  They have taken all the steps necessary to ensure that when you decide to take your business to the cloud – security is not even a question – it’s understood. 

If you have questions about taking your business to the cloud:

Can I cut my capital expenses? – YES

Can my small business afford these enterprise features?  YES

IS IT SAFE and SECURE - YES

call RoseBud – we can help you get your business to a predictable, affordable, and SAFE place….the cloud.

770-926-5030

Considering a Windows Phone for Christmas?

Send an e-mail to gwartes@rosebudtech.com and I will send you a $25 off coupon for the new Windows Mobile phone when purchased at a Microsoft Store.  (coupon pictured below)

Learn all about the phones here:  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/features/default.aspx?qstr=WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=Search&cmpid=CFF6DA3B-810B-40FB-AE95-058FBFB2D853

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