Partner Area Lead Nominations now open!

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The SBSC UK Partner Area Lead (PAL) role for July 2009 - June 2010 is now open for nominations. This role runs for one year from July 2009 to June 2010. PALs are expected to be active participants in UK SBSC partner community activity.

Here are the PAL "gives" and "gets":

PAL “Gets”:

  1. Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2009 Fees paid ($1,395 USD value).
  2. Lodging expenses paid to WPC (5 nights hotel or $1,000 USD maximum). This does not include airfare and meals.
  3. Dinner/Event with MVPs, MS execs and Speakers at WPC (Wednesday, June 15)
  4. Q1 In-Person Meeting at WPC (Thursday, June 16)
  5. Deeper MS access – quarterly virtual meetings + direct email alias and Groove site for questions/feedback/discussion
  6. PAL Spotlight on the global MSPP Portal and WW/local communication vehicles

PAL “Gives”:

  • Active participation in SMB/SBSC activities at WPC (example: participate in a breakout session; attend Q1 PAL Meeting in-person)
  • Participate regularly in the local SMB partner community and encourage others to engage (example: lead a peer group or user group; local event presentations). Specifically for the UK we will look to the PAL to:
    • Host and coordinate a quarterly Live Meeting with SBSC partners (lasting 1 hour)
    • Contribute to the SBSC Group on the Microsoft Partner Network (www.microsoftpartnernetwork.com)
    • Engage in a monthly 1:1 conference call with the Microsoft UK SBSC lead
    • Proactively engage in the SBSC User Group lead Groove site
    • Lead the UK representation on the SBSC PAL global web site (content ownership etc)
    • Share updates from the quarterly PAL conference calls with Corporate to the wider SBSC community
    • Contribute, as requested, to SBSC awareness driving activity. E.g. provide quotes or interviews with publishers appropriate.
    • Possibly visit SBSC User Groups, as and when appropriate, to update the members on key SBSC programme and community information
  • Participate in quarterly conference calls with Microsoft Corporate lasting 1-2 hrs.
  • Participate in quarterly face-to-face meetings with local UK Microsoft team, lasting 1-2 hrs.
  • Agree to the above for 1 year term.

Setting Expectations:

To be very open up front, the role of a PAL is an unpaid position. As such, Microsoft will not be able to fund any independent PAL small business specialist community activity and neither will Microsoft be in a position to fund any travel and expenses incurred by a PAL for PAL related activities / duties.

UK PAL Selection Criteria

We will select the UK PAL based on the following considerations:

  • The partner is an active SBSC partner
  • The partner is seen as a "leader" or "key contributor" within the local SMB partner community
  • The partner is currently active in a local community effort, such as a user group or blog
  • The partner is willing to commit to the role responsibilities - WPC attendance,quarterly telephone meeting attendance and monthly in-person reviews etc...
  • Consideration of Microsoft products and services sold by the partner which focus on SMB attach such as Windows Server including Virtualization, Exchange Server, SQL Server BI, SharePoint Server, Windows Mobile Solutions and Microsoft CRM etc.
  • Consideration of the Microsoft revenue generated by the partner's company

The Nomination Process

SBSC partners are free to nominate themselves by emailing sbscuk@microsoft.com. In this email please clearly state:

    • Your name
    • Your company's name
    • Why you think you will make a good PAL for the next Microsoft Financial Year.

Microsoft will review all the nominations and make an appropriate selection based on criteria provided by the Corporate SBSC programme lead.

Nominations will close on Monday 20th April 2009.