We have been reading and watching a fair amount recently in the market regarding partner differentiators in the world of SharePoint, and it is interesting to read what partners think are differentiators. Usually they aren't. We often see partner companies stressing how many technical staff they have, or how big they are, or how many solutions they have created but they aren't differentiators because every single partner has a similar story to tell. Every SharePoint partner has some good clients, some successful solutions, some creative thinking and some technical staff. From our observations, the vast majority of partners within their tier groups, are very similar.
Any new thinking in terms of a new approach to SharePoint whether it be an 'accelerator', a new technical delivery model or a new adoption strategy is very valuable and is very welcome. Similarly, anything specific for enhancing adoption within particular business verticals is powerful. However often we see accelerators as simply packaged services that are not offering anything particularly new.
Let us consider first of all size of the team. The resource pool globally is still limited for excellent SharePoint skills and therefore there are only a limited number of people available to be recruited (or headhunted) at any one time. People will move primarily because the new partner has more to offer in terms of career progression and client base. Sometimes it is a lifestyle chopice or for better financial rewards of course. Typically, partners appear to have SharePoint teams from 5 to 40 people, though there are a few with larger teams (usually developers). It is often not how many technical staff one has, but how they are used across multiple clients that matters.
With regards to certification of staff, it should be expected that all technical partner staff have SharePoint exams under their belts and this in turn is refllected in their partnership status. But does a larger certified team mean a big differentiator - in practice, its questionable to an extent. We know a range of great boutique partners who have fantastic results with a small team of highly skilled staff. Quantity does not always indicate quality.
So what are the key differentiators for a SharePoint partner in our view ?
1. First is the general longevity not just in terms of existing as a company but in terms of evidence of a wide range of published case studies, preferably by Microsoft.
2. A substantial amount of client evidence in terms of partner-driven client case studies published to market (typically found on the internet)
3. Key technical staff blogging consistently with high quality materials and disseminating thought-leadership to the technical and consulting communities
4. Book publication - there is no better way than a partner contribuiting to the increasingly high quality library of published SharePoint literature that is then available to all
5. Presence - the SharePoint partners who are found at as many key industry events as possible indicates true engagement with the market and the sharePoint community. Here we are looking for consistent engagement at events, not just occasional presence. At each event it would also be nice to see some new thought leadership, products and offerings.
6. Guest speakers from partners at industry events on a regular basis demonstrates that a partner is offering insight and SharePoint intelligence.
7. A good partner website that offers a wide range of useful and free materials and explains the partner key offerings without the fluffy sales speak
8. A consulting approach to SharePoint that has business focus rather than the absolutely typical approach of offering only technical thinking.
9. Great partners say no. They say that is the wrong approach and they explain why. They ensure the right approach is taken. Too many partners say yes in any tender without offering thought leadership to the client as they are frightened of saying anything that jeapordises winning the bid.
10. A partner who also includes training and user adoption as part of their standard lifecycle is truly rare and a key differentiator. The vast majority of partners appear to leave user adoption to the client themselves.
Salem Partners are different in that they take a lifecycle approach rather than a point-solution approach using The Salem Process. They hand hold the client with thought-leadership throughout the design, delivery, training and adoption stages. They will be forthright when they know something will not work, and advise the client accordingly. But none of this occurs until a SharePoint business services roadmap is delivered after thorough consultation and alignment with business strategy. Unless a partner is taking this approach - there is little to distinguish them from many others.
