Small and medium businesses (SMBs) make up the largest commercial business segment. There are between 350 and 400 million¹ businesses globally classified as SMB. They account for 90 percent of all businesses² and approximately 44 percent of global GDP³. SMBs are the cornerstone of every community and the lifeblood of the global economy.

Now, as pressures from the evolving global economy are requiring organizations to reduce costs through vendor consolidation and optimize operations as they continue to shift to a world of hybrid work, SMBs are looking to do more with less. With nearly 65 percent of SMBs preferring to purchase software solutions as a package, in a “suite of solutions” that meets all their business needs⁴, Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners have a real opportunity to help customers navigate this environment with Microsoft 365.

Do More with Less campaign and promo

With 73 percent of workers saying they want flexible remote work options⁶ and one in four SMBs having stated they experienced a cyberattack in the past year⁷, SMBs are looking to get more out of their tools and technology for hybrid work in today’s economic environment.

The opportunity for partners is twofold. Partners can help customers realize cost savings by consolidating their needs for secure hybrid work from multiple vendors onto Microsoft 365 Business Premium. And, with nearly half of the SMBs in a Forrester study stating that the ability to show a return on investment as a significant factor in their software solution purchase decisions⁵, partners have an opportunity to further help SMBs more effectively and efficiently realize the value of Business Premium by offering managed services on top of the solution.

Grow your customer base and generate more revenue by pitching Microsoft 365 with managed services – providing best-value suites and best-in-class products to help every small business achieve more. CSP partners should leverage the newly created Do More With Less campaign for SMBs, including the SMB New Customer and Upsell promo, to start conversations around “do more with less” to acquire new customers and upsell existing customers.

Partner opportunity

• Do More with Less partner opportunity deck
• Modern Work SMB Partner Readiness email series
• SMB New Customer and Upsell promo and FAQ
• Windows 365 partner FAQ
• Meeting the Changing Software Technology Needs of SMBs, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting

To use with customers

• Updated SMB solution plays
• Updated SMB Workshops
• Social media templates

SMB at Inspire: Accelerate your Modern Work practice

• Microsoft Teams Essentials partner resources
• Windows 365 partner resources
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft Defender for Business, Microsoft 365 Lighthouse partner resources
• SMB sessions from the Modern Work GTM Pre-Day event
• Partner FAQ about promos and channel investments
• Maximize customer lifecycle management (CLM) with Project “Orland”
• Microsoft SMB Workshops (Microsoft-funded partner-led events to help drive customer interest)
• Social media templates

Microsoft Inspire kicks off exciting opportunities to build your partner practice, drive customer engagement, and acquire net-new customers in FY23 with Modern Work solution plays focused on our hero SMB products. Leverage refreshed product value, partner channel investments, and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) incentives to help partners capitalize on the new year. You can get all the details through the following resources:

FY23 SMB Modern Work solution plays

Developed specifically for the SMB customer audience, each of the following Modern Work solution plays provides the opportunity to build your partner practice, drive customer engagement, and acquire net-new customers. Each solution play focuses on hero Microsoft products where you can learn more, and provides a set of assets to start conversations with your customers today.

Maximize customer lifecycle management with Project Orland

Project Orland puts Microsoft’s understanding of the health of millions of customers to work for CSP partners, guiding you to valuable lifecycle opportunities within your customer base. With help from artificial intelligence (AI), you can deliver value to your customers at every stage of their journey. Leverage the same data models and insights Microsoft sellers use for account management and tap into insights, recommendations and best practices we see across the market to help you grow your business.

Sign up for the public preview now:

• Complete your partner interest form
• Read the public preview announcement
• Questions? Review the FAQ for partners