B2B Aquisition - How does the big guys do it?

During the last lecture, we talked about customer aquisition in the context of B2B firms with an example of MUZE and NCR. In software industry, the role of VAR is a extraordinary important as brands rare go direct to customer - so they rely on "partners" to do the work - and probably nobody does it better than Microsoft in the B2B arena.


What Microsoft do in its VAR program is to sign up software consulting companies, so they help to promote Microsoft's Enterprise software product, and in return they offer them some goodies such as:

1. Promoting customers using Microsoft Enterprise Products to go to the Partners for services (such as this example)

2. Offered access to Microsoft's software FOR FREE - which include all kinds of Windows, Office and tons more.

In return these consulting companies (or the "Microsoft Certified Partners") will recommend Microsoft Enterprise Software products to their clients.

While other big software firms does similar thing, but Microsoft is probably the best one who gain the most popularity.