IAMCP Launches New Directory for Partners Seeking P2P Opportunities

Looking to boost partners’ efforts to navigate the new Microsoft One Commercial program, the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP) believes partner-to-partner collaboration is critical. That’s why the IAMCP is rolling out a new online directory, available to all 700 U.S. member partners, that will help foster P2P partnerships.

The Index, as it is called, aims to allow partners to list their competencies with a basic entry, free of charge, and paid entries for those who want to extend their visibility. Partners can use The Index to find other partners that can help them seal a deal based on different competencies and geographic reach. While the IAMCP has long promoted the notion of P2P relationships by networking at meetings and other events, the independent organization of 700 U.S. and 2,300 Microsoft partners sees The Index as a critical tool to help members transition to the One Commercial program, where Microsoft’s field channel sales force now covers the bulk of the company’s portfolio of offerings.

“We can potentially be the largest consulting organization in the world when you look at all of our companies and all of the resources for all of the companies that belong to the IAMCP,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, who earlier this month was elected president of the IAMCP’s U.S. Chapter. “The Index will be a directory of every IAMCP member company organization and then we’ll have opportunities for people to sponsor themselves within this index tool, so their organizations can get higher visibility to all of their partners, enabling them do more business with them.”

Basic listings in The Index are available now to all U.S. partners free of charge. Sponsored tiers start at $100 per month for Silver, $250 for Gold and $500 for Diamond (see Figure 1 below). The Silver membership pushes a member above the free listings in up to two categories. The $500 Diamond membership can be featured on The Index homepage, where they get to display a banner ad and full landing.

“The Index is SEO-friendly and once their ad is entered, the partner has full control of the content within the constraints of their level,” said Eric Rabinowitz, CEO of Nurture Marketing, which the IAMCP tapped to build and manage The Index.

Figure 1: In addition to free listings, members can increase their visibility through these three sponsored tiers.

Figure 1: In addition to free listings, members can increase their visibility through these three sponsored tiers.

Tech Data, Robert Half, Crossmatch and Click Dimensions Solutions are among the first entries in The Index. The IAMCP hopes to have several hundred partners on board by the end of June, Goldstein said.

“The IAMCP has always been about P2P and partnering, so we are documenting those success stories and we’re really encouraging our partners to do business with each other,” he said.

Figure 2: The Index is a P2P directory enabling partners to search for other partners by category. It’s still in beta, though some of the members now in the directory include Tech Data, Robert Half, Crossmatch and Click Dimensions.

Figure 2: The Index is a P2P directory enabling partners to search for other partners by category. It’s still in beta, though some of the members now in the directory include Tech Data, Robert Half, Crossmatch and Click Dimensions.

Rabinowitz said while The Index is still in beta, the company is now in the process of loading each IAMCP member chapter by chapter. While several premium members are on board, all members can benefit, according to Rabinowitz.

“The free listings are an additional benefit of belonging to the IAMCP and are automatically included in the directory at the free level,” said Rabinowitz, who also took over as president of the New Jersey chapter from Goldstein.

Since the rollout began two weeks ago, Seattle is complete, along with some of New Jersey and Chicago. which is on tap for this week.

“In two weeks, we’ve made a lot of progress,” Rabinowitz said.