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xxi

fall • 2011 • www.thepartnerchannel.com

Contents

In EvEry IssuEContributors 9 Like a Fountain of Knowledge

On the Home Front 11 Skidding into Fall

News 12 Again – You’re a Busy Group

Events 15 The Big Ones Through Next Spring

ISV Profile 36 Junction Solutions

Members Only Corner 42 Compass Technologies

The List 43 Your One Stop Shop for Solutions

Advertiser Index 66 All Our Advertisers, All in One Spot dEpartmEnts

Leadership 16 The Entrepreneurs’ Corner 26 The Best Practice is Practice 38 Do More Than Just Do No Harm!

Sales 18 Partners on the Phone 28 The Top Hit from Your Playlist

Marketing 20 Quick-Hitting Social Media Marketing Tips 32 LinkedIn to Your Future

FEaturEs 23 Word-A-Ganza

24 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Partner Recognition 34 TPC Caption Contest and Results

41 Logo Contest

A publication dedicated to building a community for Partners

Fall 2011 5

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On the Cover…

Greatest hits albums are typically produced after an artist has had enough successful songs to fill out an album release. Some artists, such as The Beatles, Kenny Rogers, Aerosmith, KISS, U2, Los Tigres del Norte, Queen and Billy Joel, have released multiple greatest hits albums throughout their careers. Others are released only at the end of the artist or group’s career, such as the album Creed released after they disbanded. There are also a few decidedly questionable greatest hits albums out there, most nota-bly from artists such as Vanilla Ice, Nelson, Hillary Duff, and Shaquille O’Neal. (Source: Wikipedia and Cracked.com)

Illustration by Matt Mastrud for The Partner Channel®.

notes

The Partner Channel Magazine is published by TPC Publishing, a business unit of The Partner Channel®, Inc., with principal offices at 1045 Broadway, Fargo, N.D. 58102. All postage is paid from Fargo, N.D. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, send your request, including name, business name, and mailing address to the above address, or to: [email protected]. If you wish to add names, the same directions apply.

The Partner Channel®, Inc. is an independent company and is not affiliated with Microsoft Dynamics® or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries.

This is a copyrighted publication ©2011, and all articles herein are covered by this copyright. All rights are reserved. Any use of the content for commercial reasons or any other form of reproduction of material herein is strictly prohibited without prior, written approval of The Partner Channel, Inc.

Most articles are submitted by independent industry professionals, therefore their views and opinions may not be those of the publishers. Inasmuch, TPC Publishing cannot be held responsible for any or all comments or information held within those articles.

This publication is printed in the U.S.A. by Forum Communications Printing.

The Partner Channel® MagazineFall 2011

PublisherTPC Publishing

Editor-in-ChiefJenny Davis

Copy EditorKate Mund

WritersJenny Davis

Jasmine McNellis

Contributing WritersAdrianne MachinaBonnie Robertson

Charles GreenJennifer Culbertson

Joe MechlinskiMichelle Glennie

Pam McGeeTracy Faleide

Art DirectorShawn Olson

Contributing ArtistsDave SwangJohn Holland

Mark ArmstrongMatt Mastrud

Ryan FritzScott ThuenSeth RexiliusTrygve Olson

Advertisement SalesJane Olson

Membership Program ManagerJasmine McNellis

This label only applies to the text stock.

Fall 2011 7

E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: partnerchannelFacebook: The Partner Channel LinkedIn: The Partner Channel

Greatest Hits

Everybody needs a “go to” business practice. As we planned this quarter’s content,

we asked our contributors to write about their “go to” tips. Here you have it,

their greatest hits for your sales, marketing, and leadership practices.

Our hope is that you’ll be implement something you read here or receive

peace of mind that you’re on the right track with what you’re already doing. If

something in this issue resonates with you, would you drop me a line and let me know? I’d love

to hear from you, and my contact information is below.

Returning this fall is the congratulatory spread for the 2011 Microsoft Dynamics® Inner

Circle, President’s Club, and Partner award recipients. Congratulations to all of these organi-

zations on a job well done over the last year.

Please join me in thanking our contributors, advertisers, and participants in The List for

helping us produce another magazine. This is our 30th magazine, and we’re still having fun.

What more could you ask for?

Sincerely,

Jenny

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Contributors

Michael Brown

Michael A. Brown is known internationally as the Business To Business By Phone® expert. Since 1986, his consulting and training clients include a “who’s who” of successful business marketers, from startups to the Fortune 100. He is a top-rated speaker at The Partner Event and other conferences, and at corporate marketing and sales meetings. Michael is one of BtoB magazine’s Who’s Who Top 100. Learn more about Michael at www.michaelabrown.net.

Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: michael-a-brown

Pam McGeePam McGee is the principal of pMcGee Consulting and specializes in helping businesses get to the future instead of having their future get to them. Specialty areas that you can count on Pam for are building a culture, defining shared values, coaching, leadership, and basic HR practices. Pam has more than 20 years business experience, 10 years consulting experience, and strong leadership and management skills.

Email: [email protected]

Joe MechlinskiJoe Mechlinski has specialized in working with high-growth companies and their sales teams throughout the country for more than 10 years. With a proven track record, Joe teaches teams how to use emotional intelligence (EQ) versus intellectual intelligence (IQ) to grow their sales. In addition, he helps companies create successful sales structures and develop winning environments to attract and retain top talent.

Email: [email protected] Facebook: joe.mechlinskiTwitter: joemechlinski LinkedIn: revolutionizeyoursales

Jennifer CulbertsonJennifer Culbertson is owner of Looking Glass Marketing and specializes in working with Microsoft VARs and ISVs to build and execute marketing strategies that drive results. With her 18 years of marketing experience within the channel, coupled with her understanding of Microsoft Partner needs, she can help take your marketing to the next level.

Email: [email protected] Twitter: jennculbertson LinkedIn: jenniferculbertson1

Tracy FaleideTracy Faleide gained 20 years of experience in communications, project and team management, planning, and results-based execution by holding several team and strategy leadership roles at Great Plains Software and Microsoft. She is a writer and coach, helping clients tell their stories, establish confidence of purpose, and see things differently.

Email: [email protected] Facebook: tfaleideTwitter: tracyfaleide LinkedIn: tracyfaleide

Bonnie RobertsonBonnie Robertson understands big and small business. She’s worked for one of the biggest – Microsoft – and now runs her own consulting company. Bonnie’s been helping business owners and managers improve their businesses for more than 20 years.

Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Bonnie Robertson

Michelle GlennieWith more than 10 years in the channel, Michelle Glennie has experience in business development, operations, marketing, and human resource management. As a consultant with The Partner Marketing Group, she has developed a broad knowledge of Partners, ISVs, and Microsoft. Michelle earned the 2007 Microsoft Distinction in Marketing Award while at Maximum Data, the first ISV to win this award.

E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: PartnerMktGrp LinkedIn: michelleglennie YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/PartnerMarketingGrp Blog: https://community.dynamics.com/blogs/thepartnermarketinggroup

Fall 2011 9

On the Homefront

Jenny Davis

Skidding

into FallT

he title of this article completely describes how I feel about the start of fall. I’m glad it’s here, but how did it arrive so quickly?

I think it has something to do with a special project that The Partner Channel® took on this summer. You may re-

member that our spring magazine took a different spin as we col-laborated with Dynamic Communities®, the folks behind AXUG®, CRMUG®, GPUG®, and NAVUG™, to create a magazine that fea-tured content for both Partners and users.

That magazine was well received by the user audience, and Dy-namic Communities asked us to collaborate with them again for a fall issue, this time with a special edition for each User Group. The magazines will hit User Group Members’ doorsteps about a week after Partners receive their fall issue of The Partner Channel Maga-zine.

Whereas The Partner Channel Magazine focuses on sales, mar-keting, and leadership practices, the User Group magazines focus on member stories, tips and tricks, and product updates. It was a fantastic experience to visit with so many users and pull their stories together for the magazines. I was especially glad to hear from those who have strong relationships with their Partner organizations, working together to create solutions that suit their needs and help their businesses flourish.

A commonality between the magazines is The List. Dynamic Communities wanted its User Group members to benefit from the same type of information that Partners have readily available each quarter, so we’re proud to share that The List is featured in The Part-ner Channel Magazine and all four User Group magazines. This is a huge win for us as our participants in The List will be seen by Part-ners and users alike on a regular basis.

The Partner Channel Magazine will continue on its regular, sea-sonal publication schedule; the User Group magazines will develop a schedule as well.

If you or your customers are interested in learning more about the User Groups and/or in receiving future issues of the User Group magazines, I invite you to visit the appropriate User Group from the list below:

» Microsoft Dynamics® AX – AXUG – www.axug.com » Microsoft Dynamics® CRM – CRMUG – www.crmug.com » Microsoft Dynamics® GP – GPUG – www.gpug.com » Microsoft Dynamics® NAV – NAVUG – www.navug.com

Go to www.ethotech.com/hero

or call Stephanie at 678-384-7525 to get all the details.

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Brand New Product Pricing

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industries. Partners around the globe have recommended EthoTech products to

their customers for over a decade.

But even Super Heroes evolve. So discover how EthoTech’s new partner programs

and pricing plans make the world safe for your Microsoft Dynamics® GP customers.

Winter

2009

1045 Broadway

Fargo, ND 58102

Fall

2011

The Partner Channel “I don’t set trends. I just fi nd out what they are and exploit them

.” – Dick Clark Fall 2011

Fall

20092011200920112009

Greatest

to the2011 Microsoft Dynamics

Partner Recognition Recipients

QUICK-HITTING SOCIAL MEDIA

to theCONGRATULATIONS

YOUR To-Do LIST

FOR FALL AND BEYONDHITS

Marketing Tips

1045 BroadwayFargo, ND 58102

Magazine

Fall 2011 • www.axug.com

®®

In this Edition:» User Member

Showcases with New Sunshine LLC and Lazydays RV Center

» Summit 2011 Preview See you There!

» A Member in Action

BLACKHAWK!

» Welcome to our New Members

1045 Broadway

Fargo, ND 58102

Fall 2011 • www.crmug.com

In this Edition:

» User Member

Showcase:

Jones Lang LaSalle

» Should I Upgrade

and When?

» A Member

in Action

Arbor Day

Foundation

» Tips & Tricks

Give Custom

Entities a Little

Visual Love

1045 Broadway

Fargo, ND 58102

Magazine

®®

1045 BroadwayFargo, ND 58102 Fall 2011 • www.gpug.com

In this Edition:» Tips & Tricks

» User Member Showcases with Sta-Home Health & Hospice, Luby’s Fuddruckers Restaurants, LLC, and Interactive Solutions

» A Yeti’s Guide to Summit 2011

» A Member in Action

UNICEF

Magazine

®®

1045 Broadway

Fargo, ND 58102

Fall 2011 • www.navug.com

In this Edition:

» Tips & Tricks

» User Member

Showcase:

Nissin Foods

» Forum 2011

Preview

» A Member

in Action

Kevin Fons

Magazine

It’s been a busy summer, but completely worth the effort as the four additional magazines come off the presses and into users’ hands.

Thank you to Dynamic Communities for the opportunity; the ad-vertisers and participants in The List who made it possible; the users, Partners, and Microsoft team members who shared their stories; our contributors and vendor team for making it look like a magazine; and, especially, to Jane and Jasmine for making this happen.

Summer 2011 11

Got news? Share it with us at www.thepartnerchannel.com/magazine under “News,” and we’ll print it in the Winter 2012 edition of the magazine.

News

5280 Solutions, an expert in invoice processing and a premier provider of SharePoint®-based business automation products, announces its new PO matching module for Microsoft Dynamics® GP. With the addition of the PO-matching module for Microsoft Dynamics GP to Dynamic Payables™ GP Edition, users can streamline their AP process with fully integrated, visually assisted matching of invoices and POs for received items. Visit www.5280sharepoint.com for more info.

In addition to achieving 2011 Microsoft Dynamics® President’s Club, ABC Computers has also been recognized by Microsoft as “Renewal/Annuity Partner of the Year” for the Central Region. “Our team is honored by these distinctions because it highlights our commitment to helping customers transform technology into an asset that increases their profitability, productivity, and competitive edge,” said Donavan Lane, ABC’s CEO. “It is a privilege to be among the group that is considered Microsoft’s top Partners.”

Affiliated, a leading Ohio technology and professional services company, announces that it has achieved the Gold competency for Midmarket Solutions in the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) program. The Gold Midmarket Solution provider competency reflects Affiliated’s expertise in building critical infrastructure solutions based on Microsoft desktop, business management, and server technologies that can expand on midmarket customers’ current system foundations. “Midmarket business customers want to work with Partners like us who deeply understand their business processes, infrastructure needs, and future growth costs,” said Mike Moran, president of Affiliated.

BDO Solutions Group (BDO) won the 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Reseller of the Year for Canada award for the second year in a row. Additionally, BDO achieved 2011 Inner Circle and President’s Club recognition for Microsoft Dynamics. Chris Johnsen, national solutions Partner at BDO, said, “Being named Canadian Reseller Partner of the Year in conjunction with Inner Circle is very exciting for BDO. By winning these awards in successive years, we

have accomplished a milestone few Canadian Microsoft Partners have been able to attain. This demonstrates our relentless pursuit for excellence and total client satisfaction, and our focus on understanding our clients’ needs at the forefront of every project. I am extremely proud of our team’s accomplishments.”

Binary Stream Software announced that their enterprise solution, Multi-Entity Management, has been named a finalist for the CDN Channel Elite Award’s “Best Mid-Market Solution” for the second year running. The award honors Partners that have created the most innovative and problem-solving hardware, networking, online, or software-based solution for a mid-size organization or department with 101 to 250 seats. Contact [email protected] or visit www.binarystream.com or www.binarystream.com/multi-entity_management.asp to learn about this solution. Manage your employee travel and expense reimbursement process utilizing DynamicPoint’s SharePoint Expense Management product for Microsoft Dynamics® GP and Microsoft Dynamics® NAV. This latest product release allows you to manage expenses with its mobile phone capability, which captures and uploads expense receipts on the run. Plus, you get an extensible workflow platform integrated with Microsoft® Outlook for review and approval and a robust document management tool at no additional charge. As our products are licensed as a one-time flat fee with no additional user costs, you will earn back your investment quickly by eliminating paper trails, automating the approval process, and seamlessly creating either payable or payroll transactions in Microsoft Dynamics® ERP. Watch an online demo at www.dynamicpoint.com or call 562-726-4396 for more information.

DynamicsTMS’s latest release v5.1.4 shares the new Office user interface of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and was developed utilizing the new Microsoft technologies of .NET 4.0 and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). DynamicsTMS is a total transportation management solution for

Microsoft Dynamics ERP users that require robust logistics functionality to manage and optimize parcel, ltl, and truckload freight. Encore Business Solutions recently added a new high-profile Microsoft Dynamics® AX client, The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Canada’s newest national institution. Additionally, Encore was recently named to the 2010 Manitoba Business Magazine’s Top 100 Companies list for the eighth consecutive year. “We are honored to be among this list of leading organizations in the province and are proud that we have been for the last eight years,” said Ken Chartrand, COO of Encore. “Our success is derived from the truly exceptional team we have here at Encore. We continue to successfully grow in our innovation and leadership while staying focused and dedicated to our clients and Partners day in and day out.” The top 100 companies were ranked based on gross revenue and performance over the past year. Since the onset of 2011, Encore has seen record numbers of unit sales in both its Project Tracking and Recurring Billing product lines. For more info, visit www.encorebusiness.com.

MIG & Co., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Microsoft Dynamics reseller, is excited to announce that it has made the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. In addition to this prestigious accomplishment, MIG has also been included on Bob Scott’s Top 100 VARs list for 2011. Learn more at www.mig.com.

Open Door Technology is excited to announce the addition of the TaskMaster mobility solution to their product offerings! TaskMaster provides a seamless mobile gateway to virtually any enterprise or legacy system, including the Microsoft Dynamics® ERP products, and enables businesses to exchange real-time information with their mobile workforce. In addition, our state of the art Rental Management software will soon be available for Microsoft Dynamics® NAV 2009 R2 RTC. Contact Open Door Technology to learn more about how these products can help your business or clients, visit www.opendoor.ca, call 403-777-2410, or email [email protected].

12 The Partner Channel Magazine

Professional Advantage announces that it has joined the Microsoft Dynamics GP User Group (GPUG®) as a Premier Partner Member. Craig Erickstad, customer account manager with Professional Advantage, said, “We are excited to join GPUG to take advantage of Microsoft Dynamics GP knowledge-sharing, networking, and best practice discussions while building relationships with other Microsoft Dynamics GP users, Partners, and key Microsoft Dynamics team members.” Professional Advantage provides staffing software solutions built in Microsoft Dynamics that leverage Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office to meet the unique needs of the staffing industry. For more info, visit www.profad.com or call 701-235-2363.

For the sixth year in a row, Sandler*Kahne Software is honored to be awarded Microsoft President’s Club status. The company’s eBanking Suite for Microsoft Dynamics AX recently became Certified for Microsoft Dynamics AX and joined its sister CfMD product, the eBanking Suite for Microsoft Dynamics® SL.

Additionally, Sandler*Kahne Software recently introduced its reseller Partners and active customers to a new knowledgebase on its website enabling FIDO (The Data Retriever) users to share their FIDO views with the entire Microsoft Dynamics SL community. FIDO, the popular Microsoft Dynamics SL web-based data query tool, has new developments on the way, following the release of view sharing and updated security features.

SBS Group, a leading technology consulting firm, has joined the prestigious 2011 Inner Circle for Microsoft Dynamics, an elite group of the most strategic Microsoft Dynamics Partners from across the globe with sales achievements that rank them in the top 1% of the Microsoft Dynamics global network of Partners. Members of the Inner Circle for Microsoft Dynamics have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organizations achieve increased success.

The Createch Group, a Canadian leader in

consulting and IT integration solutions, is pleased to announce that it has been named to the 2011 Inner Circle and Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club. This is the third consecutive year for The Createch Group to receive the Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club honor and the second time to earn Inner Circle recognition. “This achievement belongs to all of our employees who are dedicated and focused on delivering real solutions to our customers,” said Patrick Remy, general manager, Microsoft Business Unit, The Createch Group.

TrinSoft is excited to announce its nomination for Republic Bank’s We CARE Award for Central Kentucky businesses. The award gives recognition and appreciation to local companies whose employees are doing great things in their communities. TrinSoft team members are very active in serving the community through organizations such as The Alzheimer’s Association, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and many more. Visit www.trinsoft.com for more information.

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Fall 2011 13

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