276 – Microsoft Co-Sell & AI: Erwin Visser on the $600B Growth Model

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Ultimate Guide to Partnering®

Vince Menzione - Technology Industry Sales and Partner Executive

100 episodes

3 days ago

Vince Menzione, a former Microsoft Executive and Channel Chief, brings his unique voice to this top-rated partnership and ecosystem podcast. Ultimate Guide to Partnering® is where technology leaders learn from the top technology business and partnership thought leaders to unlock the leadership lessons, best practices, and learnings to help you thrive and survive in the age of rapid digital transformation. Vince applies deep B2B and partnership experience driving multi-billion dollar businesses to achieve optimal results with technology giants like Microsoft, Google, AWS, and Salesforce. Each episode is packed with learnings to help grow the business and your career as a technology partnership leader in the decade of the ecosystem.

All content for Ultimate Guide to Partnering® is the property of Vince Menzione - Technology Industry Sales and Partner Executive and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

276 – Microsoft Co-Sell & AI: Erwin Visser on the $600B Growth Model

Ultimate Guide to Partnering®

38 minutes 42 seconds

3 days ago

276 – Microsoft Co-Sell & AI: Erwin Visser on the $600B Growth Model

AI is changing everything: Are you ready?

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Is your business ready for 2026?

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast.

What a thrilling week hosting partner leaders at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Reston, VA at the Carahsoft Training Center. Even if you couldn't be with us in person at the groundbreaking event, you can listen to the most profound sessions.

In this exclusive interview, Erwin Visser, a key leader at Microsoft, discusses the company's major organizational restructuring into Enterprise and SMEC (Small, Medium, and Corporate) divisions, and their massive, channel-led $600 billion bet on partner-led growth, with a core focus on AI and security.

Visser outlines the "Frontier Firm" mindset—a commitment to being AI-first across customer experience, employee productivity (with Copilot saving users an estimated 34% of their time on boring tasks), business processes, and product innovation.

He details Microsoft's enormous investment in partner enablement, a new dedicated partner sales organization, and the urgent challenges of data compliance and software sprawl in the new age of AI agents. He concludes by sharing the three non-negotiable traits of a great partner, providing crucial guidance for anyone looking to navigate the tectonic shifts of the current business world.

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If you haven't already, please consider joining our Ultimate Partner Community, where the most compelling leaders in the technology partnership.

Thanks for being on this journey with us.

Key Takeaways

The three non-negotiable traits of a great partner are integrity in business, leveraging Microsoft's investments, and possessing proven technical/sales ability to deliver solutions for customers..

Microsoft has restructured into two core divisions: Enterprise and SMEC (Small, Medium, and Corporate), with SMEC representing an estimated $600 billion market opportunity.

The company has made its largest ever investment in partner training, financial incentives, and programs for the SMEC segment, viewing it as a major channel-led bet.

A "Frontier Firm" must adopt an AI-first mindset, focusing on transforming customer experience, employee experience, business processes, and innovation.

Early adoption of Copilot for employee experience is the fastest win, with one belief suggesting it saves employees 34% of their time on boring tasks.

Microsoft has created a new Partner Sales Organization and an "outbound share" metric to ensure its sellers actively share opportunities and co-sell with partners in the SMEC space.

https://youtu.be/xmUFSbk_IyQ

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Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering.