Ignore Ignite at your peril dealers.

Having spent a few hours yesterday evening watching David ably assisted by his assistant Robbie, I feel disposed to enter a comment or two.

Microsoft are responding to loud dealer requests over the years to get out and communicate with them.

This they are now doing and it is up to you to invest an evening in bringing yourself up to date. They aren't even asking you to go to Reading - they are more or less coming to you!

Some of the material you will already know (if you have been paying attention to Microsoft and know the product), maybe lots of it, maybe none of it, but I would be surprised if you don't go away feeling that it was time well spent. It should also have you asking questions of the Microsoft guys who have turned up to impart this knowledge.

SBS2003 is multi facited and as we know ideal for the SB customer, but from what I can tell, a lot of dealers don't know how to sell it properly. The Ignite presentation puts all of the ducks in a row including some useful facts about the current MS ad campaigns and their effectiveness/success. There are even plans to give you ready made presentations to take in to show new customers.

If you decide not to go, then please don't whinge at Microsoft for being "too distant" and "not interested" as this is far from the case these days, they actively look for your input, it is what their current business model in our "space" is about - BUT if you don't attend these events, then don't be surprised if Microsoft decide that the dealers aren't interested and change their tack again.

Invest and evening at one of these get togethers!

...puts soapbox back into the centre for somebody else to use...

I couldn't agree more (she says as she gets on the soapbox)

For the first time in a long time, Microsoft are getting closer to us and offering us a platform to find out more about the things we sell.

If you ask for it and they deliver, and if you don't turn up a) it's bad manners, b) it costs money, and c) they won't turn up again.

At our Kent Ignite Evening we had 19 attend. At other events only 5 or 6 people are bothering to book in. What is going on? I don't say that the programme is 100% spot on but Dave, Robbie and the entire Small Business Team (especially Aileen who is managing the programme) are working their backsides off to defend our market and get us representation in a place where they could easily focus on the few, but more prominent partners.

On paper we don't shift the numbers but they recognise we are critical in helping build new opportunities for those who fit in the bottom end of that triangle diagram vendors keep showing us.

There are over 600 voluntary members of the community, over 400 accredited Microsoft Small Business Specialists, and thousands of registered partners. So why are the numbers so small? How would I know? Every single one of you has a reason and if you aren't getting what you are looking for then pull your finger out and tell them.

Microsoft needs to hear from you because feedback, be it negative or positive, is more productive than silence.

Imagine if your customers drifted away without telling you why they didn't want to work with you anymore. How could you make it better if you didn't know where to start?

These guys even include their mobile numbers on their emails - they want to talk. Even David has put this site together so that he can reach out to you more.

I don't want to lose the outreach Kent is getting because some of you don't turn up to the events that you've asked for.

If you want to improve your life in the SMB market then do something about it. If Microsoft are giving you FREE training and FREE access to those 'in the know' then don't miss the opportunity. If you turn up and you don't like it then you have the right to pass comment on how to change it.

Don't forget, it's okay to be a waterlogged horse...

Hang on, lets remember why Microsoft is doing this! It is to enable channel partners to sell more Microsoft products and services. It has done its homework and realised the growth sectors lie in the SME sector, just as IBM has realised this! So, I don't think it's a question of Microsoft just pulling away from this just because it has not managed to pull enough people to a few events. Building a viable long term community is a difficult thing and there are ups and downs along the way. However, beating the channel partners around the head is not the way to engage them.

The Small Business Ignite events were not a part of the original Ignite Tour, so there was less time for people to book. Also, many in the Small Business Specialist Community are sole consultants, therefore it can be difficult to attend.

We all know how difficult it is to get potential customers to attend our own events. That is just reality, a fact of life that we have to live with. We don't then say to our potential customers, sorry but none of you are interested so we're just not going to hold any events for you again!

Microsoft is doing all the right things to engage constructively with the community, everything else will come in due course. If there is value in the offerings (as there definitely is) then people will attend.

Hi Vijay,

I have re-read my comments and I don't think that they disagree with anything you are saying. My post was aimed at all of those who have asked, have been delivered to, and now aren't responding with the same enthusiasm they showed when they asked for it. I don't want to lose something that we use because no one knows why the programme isn't working.

You are probably right about Microsoft's motivations, but I know many partners in the community are also looking to grow their sales and/or increase their billable hours by doing just what is demonstrated at the SB events.

Even with such short notice (a week and a bit), 19 still turned up at the Kent event. I know some events where those who confirmed their attendance still failed to turn up. I understand that there are work commitments but when is a good time to learn? If you sign up then you should try your best to commit and give notice if you can't - my Kent SBS Group members do so it should be no different to any other event.

Some of the event drop out rates have been too high to pin it just on customer commitments. Microsoft simply cannot justify the time and resources to 'suck it and see' for too long and whilst I agree with you that success will come in 'due course', the Ignite programme has been built on months of feedback given by partners. What we are seeing now was asked for last year and here it is.

There is never a right time to break from work to learn but the community has identified that this is something they would like Microsoft to help them with; hence Ignite! :)

Whilst for whatever reason I chose not to attend all the Ignite tours, I always feedback why not. I think Microsoft needs to find a way to ask everyone why they aren't turning up (how they do it is another matter) but my gripe is really about poor attendance to events that we have asked for.

Many Ignite events are being cancelled because of low attendance rates. Microsoft don't know why people aren't signing up (hence David's post) and the only way they will be able to deliver something that suits the majority is by acting on feedback. No feedback means no improvements and no improvements means people still won't attend.

I just want us to use our voices to get what we want from the programme! :)

I agree with Susanne and Dave.

I think we all want the same things. I don't doubt the dedication of the Microsoft Small Business Team.  I went to the Business Efficiency event in Nottingham and about 5/6 people turned up but they were all Small Business Consultants. Is that enough for Microsoft to keep holding these events? May be not? What I can say, the people there really appreciated it and found it very useful, I know I did.

Don't do less, do more! Okay, if after 12 months the regional events are just not working, then drop them. Who would argue against that? If this is the first time Microsoft is engaging in this way, then it will take time to build momentum.

Dave, you mean you wouldn't travel all the way to Leicester to speak to me, even for the great curries? Bring the wife and kids too, Leicester is a very friendly place!

I travel all the way to Reading to see you? I didn't actually get to talk to you, you were rather busy with a few hundred people!

Yes, passion is good, we all need that!

Vijay