Introduction



center-641268NZ Category Submission GuidelinesSelf-Nomination1 December 2015 – 4 February 2015Submissions to: nzawards@Questions to: nzawards@Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc404955338 \h 2How the Microsoft Partner Awards 2015 could benefit your business PAGEREF _Toc404955339 \h 2Start preparing your award nominations today PAGEREF _Toc404955340 \h 3Gold or Silver Level Competency Requirement PAGEREF _Toc404955341 \h 3Instructions for preparing award nominations PAGEREF _Toc404955342 \h 3Individual Awards PAGEREF _Toc404955343 \h 5Sales Specialist of the year PAGEREF _Toc404955344 \h 5Submission PAGEREF _Toc404955345 \h 6IntroductionWelcome to the Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards 2015. We are excited to offer Microsoft partners a variety of awards designed to showcase solutions built on Microsoft technologies that provide benefits to all customers. These awards have been designed to celebrate success related to partner competencies, cloud technology, entrepreneurial spirit, and industry excellence.How the Microsoft Partner Awards 2015 could benefit your businessAward recognition means visibility for your organisation. Awards help create new business and customer opportunities, generate press coverage, and lead to more market recognition.Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards 2015 benefits:Customised logos and web banners that help you showcase your company as an honoured Microsoft partnerCustom public relations templates to help promote your award-winning statusTrophies and nationwide recognition for winners to display their successTestimonial letters from Microsoft New Zealand’s General ManagerFinalists and winners are invited to an exclusive awards ceremony, the event is a unique opportunity to network with Microsoft executives in specific business areas and strengthen your relationship with Microsoft. Selected winners may also be given further preference and opportunity to showcase their solutions at Microsoft Partner events in 2015, e.g. at Microsoft roadshows or Partner breakfasts.All winners will receive consultation with the Microsoft Partner and Account teams for a joint-case study opportunity after the awards (PR & customer case study consultation will be Microsoft funded within the next 24 months- if selected)Start preparing your award nominations todayThis document contains specifications for one distinct category and details the eligibility requirements and case questions. These questions should be used as a template for your entry submission. Entries can be submitted via email to nzawards@ from Monday 1st December 2014 until Wednesday 4th February, 2015 at 5pm. Gold or Silver Level Competency RequirementThis will be the second year in the history of the Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards where eligibility for ALL award categories requires a minimum Gold or Silver level Microsoft competency. The competency must be locally earned and not inherited from overseas affiliation. Please be sure to check that you have a relevant competency and that this competency is active and current prior to submitting your award submission. Gold or Silver competency may be obtained after submission (on the assumption that competency is processing) but must be validated before the judging process begins February 5th 2015, 5:01pm. If competency is not yet obtained at the time of submission but will be confirmed before the submission period closes, this information must be disclosed within an entrant’s submission. Submissions will be checked against MPN competency status prior to judging, entrants without a Microsoft competency will be held back from judging. Instructions for preparing award nominationsPrepare your Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Award nominations by following these two steps. Step 1: Review the relevant guidelines to your category (or multiple categories) and the official Terms and Conditions. Step 2: Email the completed award submission(s) in Microsoft Word or PDF format to nzawards@. Please ensure the submission addresses all of the questions for any given category, there is no word count restriction. You may enter multiple awards categories, but each submission must be a separate document. All submissions must be received by Wednesday 4 February 2015, at 5pm to be eligible entries. Improperly submitted entries will not be judged.Your submission must include the following Partner and Customer contact information--please fill in the below tables.The following timeline applies to this year’s partner awards:Calendar ItemDateSubmissions open Submit to: nzawards@Monday, 1 December 2014Final submissions due dateWednesday, 4 February 2015Finalists AnnouncedWednesday, 25 February 2015Partner Awards NightThursday, 19 March 2015Official Press Release Announcing WinnersMonday, 23 March 2015Global Award Submissions CloseFriday, 25 March 2015Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (and Awards- in Orlando, Florida)Monday 12-16 July 2015Individual AwardsSales Specialist of the yearThe Sales Specialist of the Year Award recognizes an individual sales professional (e.g., Account Managers, Account Executives, Field Sales Reps, Telesales Reps, and Solution Sales Reps) who demonstrates exceptional Microsoft solution knowledge and sales expertise. A winning sales professional demonstrates proficiency in solution selling and a commitment to continuous improvements in customer satisfaction. Their sales prowess is evident in their ability to target and generate business and revenue growth with new and existing customers. Nominate sales professionals in your organization who consistently exceed sales expectations as the result of their solution-selling capabilities. Eligibility:Be active in the Microsoft Sales Specialist Program and have earned one or more of the following accreditations: Office 365 Application Integration Application Lifecycle ManagementBusiness Intelligence Collaboration, Content Management and Search Communications CRM SalesData Analytics Data PlatformDatacenter Desktop Devices and DeploymentDevice SellersDigital Advertising ERP SalesIdentity and SecurityIntelligent Systems Infrastructure and Database Learning Partners Messaging Midmarket Solution Provider MOSPA - Cloud Essentials Private Cloud/Virtualisation and Management Project and Portfolio Management Server Platform SMB InfrastructureWindows Server 2012 Licensing AssessmentBe associated with a partner who is either a Gold or Silver level partner in the Microsoft Partner NetworkHave a current Microsoft Pinpoint directory listingQuestions:What Microsoft Sales Specialist Accreditations have you earned? What competency does your company belong to in the Gold or Silver level? Please describe or provide links to at least two customer testimonials as a result of your selling effort.How do you gain access to the leadership and decision-makers on an account? How do you build that access into a relationship?How do you use the breadth and depth of Microsoft technologies (i.e., the Microsoft “stack”) to maximize the size of individual deals?How do you qualify your opportunities and prioritize and plan your sales activities? Describe how you balance short-term wins against long-term opportunitiesHow do you keep a sales cycle moving and proceeding efficiently to a close? How do you increase momentum toward a decision?How do you accurately and effectively position your solution against competition? How do you position and sell the added value you provide so the customer makes good decisions for their business?How do you make sure a proposed solution is well-aligned with customer needs and will have a high impact on the customer's business results?Note: There is no word count restriction on these responsesSubmissionPartner Contact Information Company Name?Company Address (Street, City, Postal Code)?Company Web Address?Company Profile: Please briefly describe in a paragraph or two- the company mission statement, company history, what your main solutions/products or services are (this may be used for press purposes- pre or post event).Contact Details?Contact Name and Position?Contact Email Address?Contact Phone Number?Business Focus: Please describe your business focus and the market areas in which you operate.? (Limit 500 characters)?????? ?Please attach a ‘print ready’ high resolution image of your company logo (this may be used for press purposes- pre or post event) Must be pdf, Photoshop or vector formats ( .ai, .eps, .psd, .pdf)Please attach a high resolution profile image of your nominated ‘Sales Specialist,’ this may be used for press purposes- pre or post event) Must be pdf, jpeg or png formats??Customer Contact Information (if applicable for your category)Company Name?Company Address (Street, City, Postal Code)?Company Web Address?Contact Details?Contact Name and Position?Contact Email Address?Contact Phone Number?Customer Size: in # of seats?Industry/Business Focus: Please describe the customer's business focus.? (Limit 500 characters)?????? ?Yes/No: I have received permission from the customer and give consent to use the customer story for publicity purposes.?Entry Option 1: You may answer question by question, or Option 2: You may use a free-form style as long as the key questions are addressed ................
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