We're off to Nice

Off to Nice next week for the 10th Microsoft EMEA Hosting Club Executive Roundtable. Looks like a good lineup and some interesting content. Just have to dodge my collegues' ire about being in the south of France. If I hear one more 'holiday' gag. They're hard work!

Events, dear boy, events (caidence)

Just come back from the last of our events with Qgate, held in Microsoft's Cardinal Place London offices. Another great presentation from Jason Nash (as usual) and some blinding ones from the Qgate boys. Very good indeed. A good audience, some bloody hard questions, and some excellent conversations. A day well spent.

Been very busy so some slack blogging I know. Will get my mojo back when I get my breath back. :-)

CRM Event

Have just done our CRM event with QGate at Thames Valley Park. A ood intimate conversation although I'm sure it could be polished a lot more, and sure it will be by the 15th. Always tough these events, but I think we got the message across. We'll see!

We're hiring!

7global is looking for new business sales people. Good package, good company to work for, good atmosphere and a great team. What's not to like!

If you'd like to know more just drop me a line (pdoherty@7global.com).

Worldwide Partner Awards

Just finished 7global's entry for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Awards. Strewth these are hard work. They are like writing a small thesis!

We were Finalists last year which was just brilliant. Not sure we're going to do as well this year though. The competition is just so tough. We do have a fantastic story to tell which gives me some hope. I'm entering our Hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM HMC Platform. I've managed to get some great testimonials (thanks everyone) and describe some of the things we've been doing with our partners who rock.

Still, there are a lot of guys out there doing fantastic stuff so I'm less confident than last year. Still, fingers crossed.

Events, dear boy, events.

Really looking forward to a couple of events we've got planned with Qgate. Keep your diaries free for:

23 April: Microsoft HQ, Thames Valley Park, Reading
15 May: Microsoft offices, Victoria, London

The theme is that in tough times hosted CRM enables market-leading business process management, customer retention and business growth.

Our partner QGate is a leading consultancy that time and again has helped businesses of all types discover prove that strategically adopted CRM practices yield meaningful, tangible results. At a time when most businesses need to stay profitable and hold onto customers on demand CRM is a great way of helping organisations to win and hold onto customers.

The agenda is going to be (subject to lightening bolts):

Agenda
09.30 - 10.00: Registration, coffee and networking
10.00 - 10.15: Introduction and welcome - Rowland Dexter, MD QGate
10.15 - 11.00: The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Proposition - Jason Nash, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft
11.00 - 11.20: Demo - Mike Shaw, Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultant, QGate
11.20 - 11.40: Coffee and Networking
11.40 - 12.00: Microsoft Dynamics CRM - A Hosted Solution; Paul Doherty, Sales & Marketing Manager 7global
12.00 - 12.45: QGate's Integrated Solution - Mike Shaw, Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultant, QGate
12.45 - 13.00: Summary, Q&A
13.00 - Close & Networking Lunch

Email me (pdoherty@7global.com) if you'd like to come)

Genesis acquires Increase...and then there were two.

Interesting to read about Genesis's acquisition of Increase CRM earlier this month. The acquisition creates a very large organisation actively promoting hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This has got me thinking and crystallising what I think of the state of play in the UK marketplace.

One trigger to my thought process was pulled when I was asked recently by a partner what I thought about the deal. Was I pleased that there was one less piranha in the tank? Or was a nervous that there was an even bigger shark in the tank that had just eaten the piranha and was now devouring everything in the tank with the ferocity of a starving megaladon? Ok, he didn't phrase it quite like that but briefly that's what it sounded like.

My feelings are that this is a Good Thing. There's no doubt that having a large telco (Genesis), which has acquired what was in all but name a Microsoft Dynamics CRM boutique with a 100% dedication to the hosted market (Increase) has created a powerful competitor.

However, I think 7global's partner network really offers a strong alternative. 7global's partners are large and small, cover the whole of the UK (and a lot of Europe), have specialisms in most verticals, with staff specially trained to deal with those industries.

By acquiring Increase Genesis has definitively moved from a 'wholesale' approach to a full service approach, which will certainly compete with other Dynamics Partners which should heat up the marketplace a little more. As a telco they had a telco approach to CRM, just as 7global has a hosting provider approach. Now they have a Dynamics Partner approach. Will be interesting to see how that pans out.

One advantage of our approach is we can marry our hosting expertise to partners Dynamics CRM expertise which I think creates the more compelling solution. However, if Genesis draws attention to the value of a hosted solution I will be there applauding.