Being an honest IT company seems to be as believable as an honest Arthur Daly, no one else is (competitors) and no one believes we’re any different (potential customers) so why bother? Well our clients know we’re different and our employees know it; that’s why people like to maintain their relationship with TVision. I joined TVision around the same time that Enotria went live. We’re both still here nearly 10 years later! We’ve grown and changed and TVision has helped us. So yes, once you know us chances are you’ll be extremely impressed.
But how do we differentiate from our competitors for those companies who don’t yet know us and are searching for a Microsoft Dynamics NAV partner?
Microsoft offers less help than you would think. Yes, we have the partner accreditation program where Microsoft awards different status to reflect the commitment of the partners. The old Gold partner scheme had many flaws (we’ve commented on these in the past so I won’t go into it now suffice to say quantity rather than quality was the main bench mark), the new scheme is better but with all these things not perfect. Under the new scheme we have had to prove we know NAV, can sell NAV, implement NAV using Microsoft’s SureStep methodology and maintain customer support levels. Although we invested time and money into passing the examinations, it was more of a logistic challenge (consultants busy on projects) than exam cramming as it is all stuff we do every day.
As the new logo becomes more widely used, it was only a matter of time before it was abused. I have asked Microsoft how a company who has never sold the product, does not claim to have any expertise in the product and boast that it does not adopt SureStep (the implementation methodology developed over ten years for Dynamics projects) still show the Gold Partner badge on their website. I am still waiting for an answer.
Away from Microsoft’s endorsement, we can claim our own expertise and background. However, there are facts and there are marketing spins. It is fact that we have worked with Navision as a company for over 10 years. Many “new starts” claim the collective experience of directors; naturally they don’t bother to mention that many of the years’ experience are littered with bad implementations and loss-making companies. Does Microsoft mind that people who consistently fail to manage turn up again and again to have another go?
And then there’s marketing. Microsoft has strict guidelines about the use of logos, quotes etc, anything that links a company back to Microsoft has to be approved by Microsoft legal (we can follow the rules set out on Partner Network for branding, logo use etc as this is pre-approved). Microsoft does not provide individual quotes so if you see such a statement it is a fantasy. Why do companies make up Microsoft quotes or mislead on their websites? Because they know that Microsoft won’t do anything about it. The blind eye is especially turned if the company in question continues to bring in revenue for Microsoft. However, Microsoft sees only licence sales. One of our competitors has had a terrible year, making an enormous loss; yet according to Microsoft they’re doing really well! Conversely, we’re seen to have had a bad year despite it being one of our best to date; why? Because Microsoft does not see the service revenue, only licence. Microsoft counts number of customers, not number of happy customers.
I’ve said before and will say again, if you want proof that we earned our own badges, come to the office, I will show you the people and the client references. I’ll even make you a coffee, real coffee.
