Soon, SBSC Partners will be recognized at a location basis, plus other enhancements on the way. Be sure your locations have their requirements in order.

Are you one of the SBSC Partners with more than one location? If so, how many times have you submitted a request or suggestion that each location be listed separately in the SBSC Partner locator instead of just your headquarters location? Well, this and several other improvements are coming soon based on your input and feedback. Just be sure your locations have met the SBSC criteria to ensure they show up as an SBSC location by June so there is no delay for them. Here is the announcement you will probably see soon:

Microsoft is committed to continuously improving the Small Business Specialist Community program. As a result, we are proud to introduce new program enhancements to help you better manage your Small Business Specialist partner profile and your membership in this exclusive and important community.

To better serve you, here are the changes we are making in June 2007:

  • Location-based recognition: Requirements for becoming part of the Small Business Specialist Community will now be checked by your location instead of the organization. This means you will be recognized for each location that meets the stated Small Business Specialist program requirements.
  • Automatic enrollment: Upon meeting the requirements, each location will be automatically considered enrolled in the Small Business Specialist Community. You will no longer need to manually complete the enrollment process. Those indicated as administrators of your partner profile will receive notification when locations become active in this community.
  • Profile enhancements: You will now be able to view which of your locations have met the requirements and those of which still need to complete the requirements in the Partner Membership Center. Such status definitions are displayed in your profile in the “Competency Summary”.
  • Re-enrollment synchronization: When you renew your partnership into the Microsoft Partner Program, you will also be updating your profile for maintaining your membership in the Small Business Specialist Community.

If you have any questions about the changes or would like more detail, please contact your local Regional Service Center or access the global enhancements page on the Microsoft Partner Portal for more information.

We hope you find these enhancements beneficial and look forward to our continued partnership serving small businesses all around the world.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft US Senior Manager
Small Business Community Engagement
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights