Our guest contributors for this blog are Jill Schulze, Solution Area Enablement Lead, Power Platform, Global Partner Enablement, and Tyne Dutzer, Sales Enablement Lead, Business Applications, Global Partner Enablement.

Update March 7, 2022: Sign up for additional Microsoft Cloud Week for Partner events –The first several cloud weeks we’ve hosted so far this year have trained thousands of our partners and their employees, and we hope to pass along knowledge to many more in the coming months. Learn more about and register for the other upcoming Microsoft Cloud Week for Partners events, which include Azure, Security, and Business Applications.

Demand for technical and sales skills continues to grow, and it is critical for professionals to stay current on product and platform capabilities. By 2050, more than 150 million new jobs requiring technical skills will be created, as both LinkedIn and the World Economic Forum recently noted.

Differentiate and stay ahead of the competition through Microsoft partner training, which boosts technical and sales capabilities through upskilling and cross-skilling participants. Join us for the upcoming Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners from February 28 to March 4. This event is exclusively available to Microsoft partners and offers a week of skills-enhancing experiences benefiting a range of IT, business, and sales professionals. Cloud Week is designed to teach product fundamentals, as well as more advanced topics for learners pursuing Dynamics 365 and Power Platform certifications.

This is the first Cloud Week to offer a Business Applications pre-sales and sales track, aimed at addressing customers’ business needs. Cloud Week will help sales professionals differentiate their approach and secure wins with enterprise customers for Business Applications.

Training for a range of tech professional roles

With Microsoft’s intelligent and integrated Business Applications, partner organizations can build apps that enable their customers to manage specific business functions, including sales, customer services, field service, finance and operations, and talent. These tools can be used seamlessly with each other to allow for more visibility and interaction between formerly siloed functions.

The cloud-based Dynamics 365 platform provides businesses with customer relationship management and resource planning apps, as well as AI and productivity tools. For example, Dynamics 365 Sales supports building stronger relationships with customers by keeping track of your accounts and contacts, nurturing sales from lead to order, and creating sales collateral, marketing lists, and campaigns. You can even follow service cases associated with specific accounts or opportunities. Dynamics 365 Finance, meanwhile, is able to automate global financial operations, monitor real-time performance, and predict future outcomes. In addition to these apps designed for large organizations, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central handles this type of business management for small-size and mid-size enterprises.

Power Platform is a low-code tool to help partners and customers analyze data, automate processes, and build customized solutions and apps. The platform integrates Power BI, which makes data-driven insights more accessible, with Power Apps, which simplifies the process of building custom apps; Power Automate, which helps to automate organizational processes to boost productivity; and Power Virtual Agents, which allows for the no-code creation of chatbots to engage in natural language with your customers and employees.

Learning about these platforms, and related applications, can add to the practical skills and experience of people in many roles beyond IT. In addition to pre-sales and sales professionals, those who may benefit by attending are those who are new to Dynamics 365 and Power Platform and want fundamental training with hands-on experience, learners in roles such as business analyst or functional and technical consultants who are beyond the basics and want to prepare for the dozens of certifications related to both Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, and tech professionals who are pursuing solution architect roles.

Accelerate and grow your Business Applications opportunities

Product knowledge has always been a fundamental part of sales training, but selling effectively and consistently to today’s buyers means you must be able to convert it into measurable business value. To support this critical capability, our Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners includes a dedicated learning track for sales and pre-sales professionals looking to drive a business-first sales strategy.

The content and approach, which are based on our Partner Sales Acceleration Program (PSAP) and solution area specific sales plays, were designed to drive a differentiating Business Applications sales cycle that leads to consistently high win rates. You will learn how to use emotionally engaging discussion and presentation frameworks, as well as techniques, tactics, and templates designed to control five critical buying cycle “Moments that Matter.” The training sessions also will explore neuro-engagement communication techniques, persuasion science, and behavioral science insights that influence critical prospect meetings.

Our Business Applications sales training program is supported by a comprehensive library of meeting facilitation videos, discovery and objection handling role plays, pre-populated presentation decks, and whiteboard templates you can immediately apply to active opportunities.

While these sessions are designed for pre-sales and sales professionals, they are open to all attendees looking to build on their Microsoft Business Applications technical knowledge. LinkedIn found that technology-focused professionals can improve their career growth opportunities by developing their understanding of sales, customer service, and marketing. Conversely, sales professionals are invited to cross-train in the technical fundamentals in order to better position the broader Microsoft solution set and how it solves critical customers challenges.

Register now for this partner training opportunity

During Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners, Microsoft executives will deliver keynote addresses in addition to the instructor-led technical sessions, specific challenges, and hands-on lessons. Courses are offered both live, at multiple times, and on-demand, with closed captioning offered in seven different languages. Additionally, learners will be able to ask questions anytime during the week and receive answers from certified trainers. The training offered can help you prepare for the following certification exams:

Register today for this five-day event and advance your career growth and self-growth—or prepare for certification or certification renewal—by attending this virtual, no-cost partner skilling event. We hope all of our partners take advantage of this valuable training week.