Navigate the Referrals Workspace UI in Partner Center
Close Referrals in Microsoft Partner Center
Adding a Referral Manually in Partner Center
Table of contents
Adding a referral manually in Partner Center is a key step in managing and tracking co-sell opportunities. This process allows you to enter new deals, provide essential customer details, and specify the type of assistance you need from Microsoft. By understanding how to create and manage referrals effectively, you can enhance your co-selling strategy and ensure better engagement with Microsoft's sales tem.
Create a New Referral
1.
To create a new referral, navigate to the Referrals workspace and then the Co-sell opportunities page.
2.
Select +New deal to start the UI referral creation process.
Select your Customer
1.
First, add company information. Enter the company location (city, state, country) and the company name, or the Microsoft Account ID, then hit Search.
2.
Search results will populate in 3 categories:
- Microsoft Managed: List of managed accounts. Select from this list if you required help from Microsoft.
- Microsoft Unmanaged: List of unmanaged accounts. If you select from this list, there is no guarantee that you will get engagement from Microsoft.
- Other: List of accounts using the DUNS lookup. If you select from this list, there is no guarantee that you will get engagement from Microsoft.
3.
Select the right customer account.
Note that Some customers may have linked accounts. All linked accounts roll up under the parent account; if the right customer is on this list, then selecting the parent account or the linked account will produce the same outcome.
4.
Select the Proceed button to advance to the next step.
Complete the Customer Information
1.
Enter customer contact information (first name, last name, phone number, email), which will be shared with the seller. This step is optional at this stage.
2.
Select Next to proceed to the next step.
Best Practice
Ensure you have entered the right customer information at this step, as you cannot edit this information after you have completed the referral creation process.
About Deal Details
Add Solutions
1.
Select deal type: As an ISV co-selling with Microsoft, select the co-sell deal type.
2.
Add details of the current deal:
- Enter Deal Name (Required): This is a free-form text field; usually partners enter the name in their CRM.
- Enter Estimated Value (Required): This is an estimate of the partner’s contract value, not binding.
- Enter Estimated Close Date (Required): Select a date in the future; not binding.
- Add CRM ID (Optional): Enter a unique identifier from your CRM to correlate to your CRM deals.
- Add Marketing Campaign ID (Optional): Enter the code you receive from your PMA if the deal is related to a marketing event or marketing funds assisted in it.
- Add Notes: These notes are visible by the sales teams, best practice to add context around the deal.
3.
Indicate the customer’s intent to purchase on the Marketplace. Not binding.
4.
Add team members that the Microsoft Sales team can contact for more info. At least one contact is required. Then, hit Next.
Tip!
You can always come back to update the Customer purchase intent if you get more clarity later. The more accurately you use this field, the better engagement you can expect.
Add Solutions
1.
Select + Add to open the solutions pane.
2.
Select which solutions you’d like to search for – your company’s, Microsoft, or Third Party solutions.
3.
Enter the solution name into the search, then select the appropriate solution from the dropdown.
4.
Select the solution(s) you’d like the add, then hit save.
Select the Solution
1.
Select the solution to add, then hit Next.
Identify Type of Help Needed from Microsoft
1.
Select the type of help you’d like from Microsoft. Based on type of help selected, your referral with be created as either Active Co-sell or Partner-led Co-sell, according to the chart below:
|
Co-sell Scenario |
Shared |
Requires active acceptance |
|
Active Cosell |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Partner-led Cosell |
Yes |
No |
|
Private pipeline sharing |
No |
No |
Best Practice
When sharing co-sell, you always want to select YES to “Would you like Microsoft sellers to view this deal.” Unless you select at CTA, this does not trigger a notification to sellers.
Option 1: Create a Partner-Led Referral
1.
If you do not wish to engage a seller at this stage, select No help required at this point of time.
2.
Make sure to select YES to provide Microsoft sellers with visibility into this deal. If you select No, it will be marked as a private deal, which is equivalent to not having shared pipeline at all. Then, select Next.
Option 2: Create an Active Co-sell Referral
1.
If you do wish to engage a seller at this stage, select the specific type of help required (aka Call to Action).
2.
Enter customer contact information (first name, last name, phone number, email).
3.
Add detailed notes to Microsoft providing context around the deal. Then, select Next.
Manually adding a referral in Partner Center is crucial for effectively managing co-sell opportunities and leveraging Microsoft's support. By following these steps, you can ensure that your referrals are accurately recorded, solutions are properly assigned, and the right type of assistance is requested from Microsoft. This streamlined process helps you optimize your co-selling efforts and enhances your partnership with Microsoft.
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