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Ultimate Partner®

Ultimate Partner®

Di: Vince Menzione - Technology Industry Sales and Partner Executive
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Episodi
  • 314 – The Brutal Truth: Why Most MSPs Leave Microsoft Money on the Table

    314 – The Brutal Truth: Why Most MSPs Leave Microsoft Money on the Table
    Sep 28 2026
    Stop Begging Microsoft for Leads: The Proven Playbook Top MSPs Actually Use Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this insightful episode, Vince Menzione sits down with Chuck Kiessling of Partner Development Group (PDG), Tahmid Ahmed of Lenovo, and Paul Freeman of Pulse One to decode the complexities of the Microsoft partner ecosystem. The panel explores the transition of traditional MSPs into technology integration companies, the importance of operationalizing your Microsoft practice across all internal departments, and the critical need to adapt to generative AI. They also unpack the strategic collaboration between hardware giants, partner development experts, and integration companies to unlock co-sell referrals, optimize licensing, and leverage the Microsoft Marketplace for scalable mid-market growth. https://youtu.be/MHqENEk64S4 Key Takeaways MSPs should evolve into technology integration companies to stay relevant in the changing ecosystem.Success in the Microsoft channel relies on strategic behavior and engaging around the sale, not just asking for direct leads.A Microsoft practice should not be siloed but integrated across marketing, finance, and operations.Partners must focus on solving specific customer problems, such as providing automation and security, rather than just selling technology for its own sake.Optimizing enterprise licensing and moving customers to CSP can create stickiness and immediate ROI.Engaging with end users like HR and marketing provides better feedback on tools like Copilot than stopping at the IT manager level. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:50 Meet the panel: PDG, Lenovo, and Pulse One 03:12 From MSP to technology integration company 04:39 Stop asking Microsoft for leads 07:32 The old days of the Microsoft channel 09:05 How PDG, Lenovo, and Pulse One work together 12:32 The PDG playbook: structured, not scripted 15:46 Orchestrating the partnership 17:21 Partner Center is a beast: the value left on the table 19:27 Outcomes and Microsoft Marketplace strategy 21:49 Advice for MSPs 25:05 Customers buy from people they trust If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership, this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience, where transformation begins. Tags Microsoft partner, Microsoft channel, MSP, Microsoft CSP, co-sell referral, Microsoft Marketplace, Microsoft Partner Center, solution designations, generative AI, Copilot, Lenovo, Partner Development Group, Pulse One, technology integration company, EA to CSP, mid-market, hyperscalers, Ultimate Partner Podcast, Vince Menzione Transcript Chuck Kiessling, Tahmid Ahmed, and Paul Freeman on the Ultimate Partner Podcast [00:00:00] Paul Freeman: You know, when, uh, generative AI came out a couple years ago, we kind of saw the writing on the wall like, this is the direction we have to get ready for. [00:00:08] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:19] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzione, your host. And each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology, partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:42] Vince Menzione: It is the strategy, because being in the room changes everything. Let’s start. [00:00:50] Vince Menzione: So we actually have, I’m gonna invite them up here and have ’em introduce themselves. We went from two to three, so there’s gonna be four of us up on stage. Uh, this is gonna be a great conversation on how to get more practical about driving your success on partnership strategy. And so Chuck and team, come on up and then we’ll have you introduce yourselves. [00:01:10] Vince Menzione: Chuck, great to have you. [00:01:11] Chuck Kiessling: Thank you. [00:01:12] Vince Menzione: Partner Development Group. We have Lenovo, Pulse One. Thank you. Good to see you. Awesome. And we’re gonna, we’re gonna start and I’m gonna have everybody introduce yourself, your role and, and, uh, and your company. So, awesome. [00:01:24] Chuck Kiessling: Alright. I guess I’ll jump in. Uh, so I’m Chuck Kiessling, uh, CEO and Founder of Partner Development Group. [00:01:32] Chuck Kiessling: Uh, short version is, I’ve been in the Microsoft ecosystem in some way, shape, or form for the past 25 years. Uh, I am a former Microsoft employee. Like, like some of the other players that are around here today. Yeah. Couple of us. Right. And, and, uh, you know, what really ...
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    26 min
  • 315 – Stop Losing Deals: How to Make Your Software Visible to AI Agents

    315 – Stop Losing Deals: How to Make Your Software Visible to AI Agents
    Oct 6 2026
    Will AI buy your software next? Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this discussion, Vinod Nair and Michael Levy explore how product-led growth (PLG) and agentic AI are fundamentally reshaping the AWS Marketplace. They detail why relying on traditional sales-led motions is becoming obsolete as AI agents increasingly take over software discovery and procurement. The conversation provides actionable insights on auditing API strategies, adopting outcome-based commercial models, and removing setup friction to capture the growing wave of machine-driven B2B buying. https://youtu.be/enLOuppFYq0?si=A1uPSJ9ioXO7zbTS Key Takeaways Product-led growth (PLG) allows users to discover, try, and buy solutions without relying on direct sales interactions.A successful free trial must deliver immediate value rather than forcing customers to spend time on complex setup processes.AI agents prioritize technical availability, structured metadata, and API access over traditional brand identity during procurement.The Marketplace MCP server acts as an official connector for Claude, driving a significant increase in AI-based search and evaluation traffic.Sellers looking to monetize agentic AI should transition their commercial models toward usage and outcome-based billing.Over 90% of surveyed global sellers are expected to transition to product-led growth within the next three years. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags product-led growth, AWS marketplace, agentic AI, software procurement, Claude connector, API strategy, outcome-based billing, SaaS transformation, technical availability, structured metadata, AWS seller prime, agent core payments Transcript Vinod Nair and Michael Levy AUDIO Podcast [00:00:00] Michael Levy: Humans, for the most part, care about brand and brand identity and all of that. Agents don’t care about that, right? It’s about the technical availability. It’s about the structured metadata. It’s about evaluating whether it’s the right tool to accomplish that task. [00:00:15] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzi. Own your host. And each week I sit down with leaders at the [00:00:33] Vince Menzione: intersection of technology, partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:48] Vince Menzione: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. Let’s start. [00:00:57] Vince Menzione: All right. Thank you. All right, [00:01:01] Vince Menzione: so we talked about product led earlier today with that, um. Agent powered. And then marketplace growth is, uh, is part, part of your, your mandate. You’ve got a lot of mandates though, from what I remember. Um, why don’t we just go through like introductions and tell, take us through your mandate, your individual mandates and roles at AWS. [00:01:20] Vinod Nair: Okay, thank you. Uh, my name’s Vinod Nier. I’ve been with AWS marketplace close to eight years now. Uh, I started off as a category lead and worked with. Elastic, uh, MongoDB Databricks. Uh, and that’s where I kind of learned that one of the big missed opportunities in marketplace is helping ISVs grow through product led growth. [00:01:43] Vinod Nair: So, literally wrote a paper, got it approved, and this launched AWS marketplace Sell a Prime about three and a half years ago. [00:01:51] Vince Menzione: Nice. [00:01:52] Vinod Nair: Elastic was one of our founding partners. Grateful for their support and it’s. It’s grown, and that’s kind of my charter. How do I help ISVs activate product-led growth in marketplace? [00:02:03] Vince Menzione: I love it. I wanna dive in. [00:02:04] Vince Menzione: Vinod is the godfather of product led growth. I love it on marketplace. [00:02:08] Michael Levy: Um, I’m, uh, Mike Levy. Uh, I’m from our marketplace business development team. So my team focuses on feature launch and go to market. So for across the features, uh, in Matt Wise org. For partners and for customers. [00:02:21] Michael Levy: And I’m also, I’ve also been the BD lead for our AI agents and tools category within Marketplace. So we formally launched that as a category last year and we’ve seen tremendous growth. And along with the category, we’ve also launched like new deployment mechanisms that many of our ...
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    19 min
  • 316 – The Death of Traditional Advertising: Secrets to Winning Trust With AI

    316 – The Death of Traditional Advertising: Secrets to Winning Trust With AI
    Oct 12 2026
    The end of advertising is here. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this insightful discussion, Ashley Vogstad and Leigh Ann Campbell dive into the fundamental shift from an attention economy to a trust economy driven by artificial intelligence. They explore how the sunsetting of traditional advertising forces go-to-market leaders to pivot towards product creation, humanized storytelling, and outcome-based hyperscaler partnerships. https://youtu.be/qeV3wgnnr7Q YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/qeV3wgnnr7Q Key Takeaways The go-to-market industry is transitioning from an attention-based model to a trust-based economy where machines and AI agents act as buyers.With content and product creation becoming commoditized, marketers must deeply integrate with product development to drive business impact.Small, niche in-person community events and executive roundtables are emerging as the most effective marketing tactics over massive conferences.Direct-to-fan platforms and individual thought leadership are thriving because algorithms now prioritize deep engagement and dwell time over vanity metrics.For hyperscaler partnerships, delivering 100% of the specific outcomes a customer needs is the ultimate currency of trust for field sellers.AI is changing the co-sell process by requiring partners to optimize their materials into a searchable, FAQ format for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags: attention economy, trust economy, artificial intelligence marketing, agentic intelligence, product marketing disruption, in-person community events, direct-to-fan platforms, humanized storytelling, answer engine optimization, AEO, hyperscaler alliances, ISV co-sell pipeline, Microsoft Azure specialist, partner center optimization, outcome-based selling Transcript: Ashley Vogstad and Leigh Ann Campbell AUDIO Podcast [00:00:00] Leigh Ann Campbell: I still think it’s early days. Mm. Right. To say that a salesperson is gonna rely a hundred percent on AI to pop up who they’re gonna work with, I think we’re not quite there yet. [00:00:11] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us. The way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:23] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host. And each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology, partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:45] Vince Menzione: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. Let’s start. [00:00:53] Announcer: Please welcome to the stage transcends Ashley vda. [00:01:03] Ashley Vogstad: Hello, ultimate partner. Come in, take a seat. [00:01:14] Ashley Vogstad: It’s so nice to be back here in Seattle on such a gorgeous day. I think we all got pretty lucky. [00:01:27] Ashley Vogstad: All right. It’s a privilege to be back here in front of you all today, a joy and a privilege. And for roughly the next 15 minutes, I’m gonna share insights about my studies of artificial intelligence from the University of Oxford. And one of my professors, Eric Zou, he talks about this fundamental shift. [00:01:48] Ashley Vogstad: We’re at this. Key moment in time where we’re moving from an attention economy into a trust economy. Now we’re gonna start with laying a foundation. And unfortunately from my business, uh, I’m here to share that we’re nearing the end of advertising. We’re experiencing the sun setting of a key go to market industry of advertising. [00:02:13] Ashley Vogstad: And really advertising came to prominence in the 18 hundreds during the Industrial Revolution. And since that time and more recently, we have gotten to experience iconic marketing campaigns, you know, from Apple’s, things different to Microsoft’s clippy, uh, also the Intel Inside campaign. Do, do, do, do, uh, entire empires. [00:02:40] Ashley Vogstad: Have been built on this one idea, capture attention and monetize it. Now here are a couple examples for you that are super recent. And so these are the things that I don’t know when I heard them really kind of lit me up. Um, and maybe some of them you’re familiar with as well. But we now have chart topping number one songs. [00:03:06] Ashley Vogstad: Celebrate is one of these songs that were produced by ai. And even have an AI artist associated to them. So AI generated music, AI generated ...
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    36 min
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