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Solutions Partner with certified software designation benefits

Appropriate roles: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner admin | Referrals admin | Co-sell Solutions admin

Overview of benefits

Attaining a certified software designation for your solution unlocks go-to-market, sales, and marketing benefits designed to help propel your growth and fuel greater demand for your solutions. Microsoft Marketplace is the essential platform for co-sell opportunities. It maximizes the full benefits of becoming a Solutions Partner with certified software. It helps Microsoft sellers quickly and confidently identify your solution for co-sell opportunities.

Some of the go-to-market, sales, and marketing benefits are as follows:

Gain access to tailored benefits

Tap into go-to-market, sales, and marketing benefits, including: 

  • Dedicated engagement manager: Work with a subject matter expert who will help you make the most of your Marketplace Rewards benefits and guide you through the fulfillment process, helping you get the most from your designation.
  • Badging: Create a partner badge, award logo, or certified letter with Logo Builder for your sales & marketing materials. When you become a Solutions Partner with certified software, a digital badge appears by your solution on the Microsoft Marketplace. You can also download the badge for use in your own marketing materials. This badge matters—68 percent of customers evaluate vendor certifications and badging when searching for software solutions.
  • Solution play cards: Help Microsoft sellers discover your solution with these solution play cards, designed to highlight the use cases and scenarios your software solution addresses.
  • Choice of customer-facing solution briefs or seller-facing solution battle card:
    • Customer-facing solution briefs: A two-page solution brief focused on a high-level summary of the certified solution and its features and benefits for customers.
    • Seller-facing solution battlecard: Designed to complement the solution play cards, this two-page battlecard provides sellers with a focused sales guide on how to talk about the certified solution with customers.
  • Solution video: A 30-second animated video used to generate interest and educate audiences on the value proposition of the solution. Ideal for use on Marketplace and for social media or other promotions.
  • Tailored support: Gain access to a Marketing Concierge who provides you with guidance and tailored marketing support.
  • Expanded benefits: Access expanded benefits including incentives through the ISV Success Advanced Package.

Note

*Starting July 1, 2024, partners can qualify for top tier benefits and Azure Migrate & Modernize and Innovate incentives by attaining one of seven Solutions Partner with certified software designations: Azure, Security, or any of the 11 Industry AI designations.

How to redeem benefits

Update - Removal of Professional Services from CSD Metrics

As part of the certified software designations (CSD) benefits in Partner Center Referrals, an update has been made to the performance criteria calculation:

  • Professional Services offers (listed as ConsultingServices in the backend) will no longer contribute toward Marketplace Billed Sales (MBS) metrics used for CSD qualification.
  • This ensures that only transactable solution offers are considered, aligning with the program’s policy.
  • All downstream motions relying on certified software designation metrics reflect this exclusion.
  • The change helps prevent partner confusion and keeps the designation focused on solution-oriented offers.

  1. Upon successful audit completion and attainment of a Solutions Partner with certified software designations, you can see the list of benefits available for you to redeem under the Benefits workspace.

  2. In the Benefits workspace, see the Redeem benefits section to get instructions and actions on how to redeem or activate those benefits.

  3. Similarly, you can go to the Logo Builder workspace to activate and download a badge for use in your marketing collateral. Learn how to create a partner logo, award logo, or certified letter with Logo Builder.

  4. For several benefits (solution play cards, and solution videos), when you activate the benefit, you're introduced to your marketing concierge and a contracted agency to build the assets you selected. Here's what you need to prepare:

    1. Timeline: These benefits can be completed in 3-4 weeks with three virtual meetings. These meetings include a one-hour combined kick-off and discovery, and two half-hour review syncs.

    2. Requirements: You are asked to provide the following materials before or within two days of kick-off through an intake form that asks for the following info:

      • Brand guidelines (logos, fonts, colors, and icon sets)

      • Digital certification badge (downloaded from Logo Builder or your Marketplace listing)

      • Deal data information, for example:

        • Avg Sales Cycle
        • Avg Deal Size
        • Sell With (the products included in deals)
        • Professional Services (the professional services offered or required)

      • Contact Information for any Microsoft contacts, if applicable

      • Your company’s sales contact name and email

        • Optional materials:

          • Public-facing case study (can be anonymized)
          • Solution brief design template
          • Partner solution messaging and positioning framework
          • Third party referenceable assets (analyst reports, articles)

    3. Questionnaire: In the initial kick-off call, be prepared to answer questions to assist with the asset build. Provide details about the asset build's target audience, value proposition, opportunities, messaging and positioning, use cases, and calls-to-action.

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