Enterprise Ireland – Best Connected -

Published March 8th, 2010 by Andrew Peet

If you’re a software company, cracking the US Market is hard. One option is to work with a partner, but finding a partner is the easy part. Understanding the partner, and making it successful for both parties takes a lot of time and effort. Microsoft is the partner of choice for many software companies, which is why Enterprise Ireland has been running joint events with Microsoft to enhance the partnering experience.

The latest, and one of the most important joint Microsoft – EI events, is Paul Solski’s visit to Ireland. It will be useful for existing Microsoft Partners and companies partnering with other vendors both in the US and other key export markets. There will be a public event ‘Succeeding in the US Market – Best Practices for Software Companies’, 23rd March 2010 at Enterprise Ireland, Eastpoint , Dublin.

Paul Solski is the Managing Director of The OpenBorders Group in North America. Together with The OpenBorders Group executive partners in Germany and the UK, he build Microsoft’s Open Borders Program which helps Microsoft ISVs expand internationally, four years ago. Paul worked at Microsoft in the roles of ISV Strategy Director and Dynamics ISV Sales Director from 2004 to 2008. Paul has over 25 year experience in international business development having worked in prior roles at HP, Intel, Compaq, Digital and SCO distribution in Australia, Asia and USA. He holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia.

If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Irene[dot]Sadleir[at]Enterprise-Ireland[dot]com .

Full Agenda

Succeeding in the US Market-  Best Practices for Software Companies

23^rd March 2010 1pm- 5pm

Venue: Enterprise Ireland, Eastpoint  Conf Room 1&2

1.00	Coffee and Networking
1.25	Kickstart and Housekeeping – Andrew Peet Enterprise Ireland
1.30	Jennifer Condon, Software Division , Enterprise Ireland
1.40	Clare Dillon -  Microsoft Ireland
1.50	Paul Solski Session 1 : US Market and Partnering Pitfalls Expanding your software sales into the US market Direct or indirect – choosing the right business model Opportunities and pitfalls Recruiting and activating the right partners Managing partners for sustainable growth
3.20	Break
3.35	Paul Solski Session 2 : Successful Partnering with Microsoft Becoming a Microsoft Partner Maximising your existing Microsoft Partnership Understanding Microsoft organizations Aligning to Microsoft’s priorities
5.00-5.05	Wrapup and Next Steps – Andrew Peet

Topics Covered

About OpenBorders Group

• International Expansion for Irish Innovators
• Our Value
• Our Experience
• Our Services
• Proven Methodologies
• Guidance
• Our US Clients
• Assisting ISVs to Realize Their Potential

About the US Market

• Doing business in the US
• Size of market
• Geographical considerations
• Competition

About Microsoft

• Divisions & their priorities
• Key ISV initiatives
• Performance measurement at Microsoft
• Becoming locally managed
• What is reasonable to ask for

About Partnering

• Establishing differentiation for partners
• Partner Value Propositions
• Partner ROI model
• Partner commitments

Case Studies

• Case studies of ISVs expanding US market penetration

Next Steps

• Offer from Open Borders Group: Free Partnering Readiness Assessment – review your current go-to-market strategy and readiness to build partner channels

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 12:25 am and is filed under Tags: event, microsoft, Public, US . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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