CHALLENGE
Dicker Data is ANZ’s largest local Microsoft distributor with a dedicated team of 28 specialists across strategy, technical, sales, marketing, licensing and operations.
They have a proven track record supporting Microsoft partners to build their practices and drive profitable growth across three clouds – Microsoft Azure, M365 and Dynamics 365, underpinned by Security, AI and Copilot.
Dicker Data operates within a highly complex and competitive market, with a number of internationally-owned Microsoft distributors claiming, at face value, to offer the same set of services, solutions and benefits. This makes it hard for partners to differentiate between Microsoft distributors and for Dicker Data to stand out amongst the pack.
Dicker Data engaged Rocket Science to help capture and articulate their unique value proposition and package up their exclusive value into a go-to-market program to grow awareness and engagement amongst both prospective and existing Microsoft partners, and more clearly differentiate from competitors.
STRATEGIC SOLUTION
In early 2024, we kicked off the project by facilitating a workshop with the Dicker Data Microsoft executive team and solution leaders to capture valuable inputs with regard to the competitive landscape, contextual factors influencing partners and SMB customers, and exclusive capabilities and experiences that make up the Dicker Data Microsoft offering. Rocket Science also interviewed two Dicker Data Microsoft partners to understand, from their perspectives, what differentiates Dicker Data from other distributors in-market, and the success they had achieved working together.
From these inputs, Rocket Science built the strategic narrative that articulated the context, audience need and the Dicker Data difference, which led to the unique value proposition and strategic go-to-market messaging platform of ‘Let’s Make Microsoft Work for You.’
This proposition then became the springboard for the richer narrative that covered the team’s extensive expertise and deep strategic alignment and partnership with Microsoft and the immense exclusive value they deliver through more than 40 programs, many with funding support, spanning key stages of the Dicker Data Microsoft partner journey from onboarding to capability building and enablement through to go-to-market success.
Working closely with Dicker Data and their in-house design team and extended supplier network, Rocket Science helped to create an extensive portfolio of content to bring their unique value proposition and story to life. Our contribution included strategic direction, copywriting and project management for the following Dicker Data for Microsoft assets:
- Style Guide
- Partner Playbook
- Pitch Deck
- Value proposition video featuring the executive team and their Microsoft Partner Manager
- 7 x partner success story videos
- 4 x written partner success stories
- Full website copy
- A comprehensive partner-facing program reference guide (featuring over 40 programs)
- A comprehensive program blueprint (for internal use)
- Event pull-up banner
From there, Rocket Science and Dicker Data worked together to create a compelling go-to-market campaign to launch the new messaging in-market and to grow awareness and engagement amongst existing Microsoft partners and more broadly through a brand blitz across media channels, ARN and CRN publications. Assets included a series of emails, social posts, display banners and editorial articles.
OUTCOME
‘Let’s Make Microsoft Work for You‘ is resonating with new and existing partners, the dedicated Dicker Data for Microsoft team and Microsoft directly.
This value proposition, together with the narrative and portfolio of content assets, has supported the Dicker Data Microsoft team to have a consistent message across all partner touchpoints, whether 1:1 or 1:many and across all solutions.
The depth of this authentic narrative differentiates Dicker Data from competitors by proving they have rich and compelling evidence to substantiate their value proposition – it’s not just a surface statement.
This has enabled Dicker Data to showcase the exclusive and unrivalled value across their Microsoft offering, while providing greater clarity for Microsoft partners around tangible benefits and outcomes.
The media assets consistently generated high open and click-through rates.
The messaging is also highly versatile, being effectively applied to other initiatives including the Microsoft 365 security bundles, Azure and Copilot to and through partner kits.