How to partner with Microsoft

Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference was held last week in Houston. If you didn't attend you can see videos of sessions here.

I get questions every day from startups wanting to know how to partner with Microsoft and how to get access to people and programs. This post is an attempt to answer a lot of those questions.

 How to start partnering with Microsoft

Become a partner. The first step is to sign up on-line as a partner. Microsoft partners are eligible for lots of free on-line training that covers technology, support and business.

Marketing help. Visit the Partner Marketing Center to learn about how you can participate in Microsoft marketing campaigns and resources to help you build your own campaign.

Build your sales channel. Microsoft has a Partner Community program that helps you find appropriate channel partners and build alliances.

Get free software and support. The Empower Program for ISVs helps new software companies get software, consulting, and MSDN subscriptions for the low price of just $375. The software alone is worth over $10,000.

Join the ISV community. Microsoft has a special ISV Zone for software companies. Find partners, get leads, get beta software, and get involved in the community.

Microsoft Startup Zone. If you are a startup you should visit the Microsoft StartupZone. The StartupZone is managed by the Emerging Business Team which is focused on helping startups build a relationship with Microsoft. There is a special Partner Section of the StartupZone with lots more information about specialized programs that might be right for you.

Emerging Business Team. How can the Emerging Business Team help you? It depends on the stage of your company and what type of help you need.

If you are in the development stage we can sometimes help you get access to beta software or get you access to our performance labs and testing labs. If you are launching your product we can sometimes hook you up with a relevant Microsoft marketing campaign. If you have a product that complements a Microsoft product or adds functionality we can introduce you to the product team for a possible closer partnership. If you are already actively selling to customers we can sometimes introduce you to the Microsoft Account Manager for those customers. We can also refer you to Systems Integrators who might be interested in picking up your product.

Who can help my startup? The Emerging Business Team is organized by product area. Visit Microsoft StartupZone to see who covers each area, and how you can contact them.

Microsoft is serious about partners. There are thousands of people at Microsoft dedicated to helping partners succeed. Take the first step and join the partner program.

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