A guide to renewing your MPN competency

by Joe Chason, US Microsoft Partner Network lead

If your company is due to renew its Microsoft Partner Network membership and competency in the next 90 days, it’s time to get your renewal started. Renewing your Microsoft Partner Network membership and competency on time ensures that you keep your valuable MPN benefits, including:

• Partner advisory hours that can be applied to technical presales assistance, Practice Accelerators, and other Microsoft Services offerings
• Access to Visual Studio and developer tools, communities, and software
• Marketplace exposure through the Microsoft Pinpoint Partner Directory
• Savings on Windows Phone plans devices through the Windows Phone Discount Program
• Internal-use software licenses for Microsoft cloud services and on-premises products
• Customized competency logo that differentiates your business

Your Microsoft Partner Network silver or gold competency comes with the distinction of your company being among the top 5 percent of Microsoft partners. Your MPN competencies show customers you have proven skills and experience that set your company apart from the competition.

The information and resources below can help your renewal process go more smoothly.

How do I know it’s time for my company to renew its Microsoft Partner Network membership and competency?

Sign in to the View your membership status page on the MPN portal. Your company’s membership date is listed in Step 3. If the membership date is within 90 days, it’s time to get your renewal started.

Yes, my company is due to renew in the next 90 days! Am I authorized to update my company’s Organizational profile and renew its membership?

Your company’s Primary Program Contact is typically the person authorized to update your organization’s membership profile and manage the renewal in the Partner Membership Center. The name of your company’s Primary Program Contact is in the Organizations tab on your Individual Account home page in the Partner Membership Center.

• If you are the Primary Program Contact and authorized to renew your company’s membership, use our competency renewal guide and our recommendations below to get started.
• If you are not the Primary Program Contact, share this post with him or her.
• For assistance, you can request one-to-one communications with an MPN Support agent in the Partner Membership forum of the Partner Support Community.

What does the Primary Program Contact do next?

• On your Home page in the Partner Membership Center, check Messages for items that may need attention for completing your renewal.
• Review and update your company’s Organization Profile in the Partner Membership Center. An accurate representation of your company’s business model, commercial and public sector customer focus, industry focus, etc. can help us deliver relevant, timely information about new products, programs, training, and opportunities.
• Download the competency renewal guide for step-by-step Partner Membership Center guidance.
• For assistance, you can request one-to-one communications with an MPN Support agent in the Partner Membership forum of the Partner Support Community.

Membership renewal and benefits resources every competency partner needs

Even if you are not yet in your 90-day renewal window, planning ahead for your renewal is a good idea. Here are resources that can help:

• Review the requirements for the competency or competencies your company currently has. Many of the exam requirements were changed in February 2014, and several competencies now also require passing sales assessments and presales technical assessments.
• Use the MPN Competency learning paths to prepare for and take required exams or assessments. You can use these paths to create team learning plans, too.
• Purchase a Microsoft Competency Exam pack and save up to 40% on qualifying exams, plus get a second shot to pass if it’s needed. Qualifying exams that are passed by April 27 are eligible for our certification sweepstakes, too.
• Gather your customer references and ask your customers to rate their satisfaction with you through the Customer Satisfaction Index. CSAT is required for gold competency attainment and renewal, and available for use by silver competency partners as well.

Maximize your membership by taking advantage of your benefits. According to IDC*, partners receive approximately $320,000 in value from the benefits of the Microsoft Partner Network.

• Review the core benefits that apply to your company’s MPN membership and that can help you plan your business, enable your team, create customer demand, sell, get services and support, and retain customers.
• Sign in to the MPN portal to view your company’s benefits summary.
• Deploy your internal-use software. Your license grants now include not only the latest Microsoft on-premises software, they also include Microsoft cloud services like Microsoft Office 365, Windows Intune, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and a monthly credit toward Windows Azure. The Program Administrator Guide to Software and Online Services Benefits explains how to administer your software benefit.

• If you are a Cloud Essentials or Cloud Accelerate subscriber, get guidance for transitioning your cloud services benefits to your competency benefits in this video or the downloadable Cloud IUR transition guide

• Sign in to Logo Builder to download your customized competency logo, and incorporate it into your sales and marketing assets and materials to highlight your competency achievement. Get more information about aligning your company’s positioning and branding with Microsoft.
• Use your allotment of partner advisory hours to expand your practice, close more sales, and get expert guidance from Microsoft Services. For example, a Practice Accelerator uses just 5 hours, but provides you with reusable tools and best practices you can apply immediately and consistently.
• Create and manage your Microsoft Pinpoint profile to connect with new customers.

How to contact support

Sign in to the Support page on the MPN portal to see your options for obtaining support. We recommend using the Partner Membership forum in the Partner Support Community to request assistance. You can ask for one-to-one communication with an MPN Support agent.

If you have trouble signing in to the MPN website, follow these troubleshooting suggestions.

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*IDC, “The Business Value of the Microsoft Partner Network Core Benefits.” Mira Perry, Steven White, July 2012