Pipeline pays off!

As we approach Microsoft's FY23 and we gear up for another year of working with Microsoft  

I wanted to share a concept that I learned early in my sales career  

It was shared by one of my earliest sales mentors.  

She had a saying.  

"Pipeline saves lives."   

(Metaphorically, of course.) 

it's a concept that stuck with me  

It was extremely relevant as I began selling with Microsoft.  

As a salesperson, I had become accustomed to the concept of building pipeline.  

Reviewing that pipeline with sales management.  

Working that pipeline to a successful close.  

What I was not so familiar with was exposing that pipeline to a 3rd party.  

That was until I started to understand working with Microsoft.  

Once I realized the power of transparency with my Microsoft counterparts,   

I doubled down on my sharing my pipeline.

At first, it seemed like a waste.  

I felt like I was doubling my work and getting nothing in return.  

I would enter every Microsoft deal I was working on into Partner Center.  

I would hope someone would reach out.  

I would hope someone would "accept" the lead I shared.  

This brings me to the second piece of sales wisdom. 

"Hope is not a strategy."  

I realized I would have to take a much more proactive approach to share my pipeline.  

Even as an unmanaged partner when I first started.  

I realized that it was up to me to get my deals noticed.  

To get my deals on someone's radar at Microsoft.  

I had to do everything I could to find and get in front of the right Microsoft people.  

Those people who could help me move the yardsticks on my deals.  

Once I did get in front of that "right person,"   

I had to have two key messages ready to go.   

These two messages were:  

Quickly share with them what I was doing and how it helped all of us.  

Have a plan on how I would close the deal and what I needed from them.  

Once I had these two critical messages dialed in  

I started seeing more success when engaging my Microsoft counterparts.  

That's when putting all those opportunities in Partner Center  

Plus all that energy into our joint pipeline finally paid off!