The End of “No” in Channel Partnerships
Solution providers who frequently tell clients they can’t help with specific needs might be leaving money on the table—or worse, opening the door to competitors. That’s the warning coming from channel executives who see partner-to-partner collaboration as the new revenue frontier.
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“You have to stop saying no,” Ole Gjerde, CEO of TruNorth Dynamics, told attendees at this week’s 2025 XChange NexGen conference. “It doesn’t actually matter what it is—your clients need these things. It does affect you.”
His message resonates particularly now as Microsoft’s ecosystem creates new incentives for collaboration. Rather than watching business walk away, Gjerde advises establishing simple processes to catch opportunities outside core capabilities and connect clients with trusted partners.
Real-World Partnership Success
The strategy isn’t just theoretical. Diana Giles, president of Skyline IT Management, landed one of her largest clients by agreeing to help with a custom application outside her usual wheelhouse. She partnered with another company to assist the customer’s migration to Microsoft‘s Azure cloud.
“My main takeaway was to have it ready,” Giles told CRN. “To already know so that when you are on the phone, you can go, ‘Oh, yeah, we do have something for that.'”
This approach transforms solution providers from limited specialists into comprehensive technology advisors. They maintain client relationships while orchestrating solutions through partner networks.
Microsoft’s Co-Sell Ecosystem Momentum
Partner-to-partner sales are gaining significant traction in the Microsoft ecosystem, according to industry reports. The model allows solution providers to build highly specific practices without competing against each other.
Consider the potential combinations: one partner focuses on productivity apps like Excel and Outlook, another specializes in security tools with Defender and Sentinel, while others concentrate on Dynamics, Power Platform, or hardware like Surface devices. None necessarily compete directly.
Microsoft’s Partner Center portal reportedly enables this collaboration by allowing partners to create deals, invite other ecosystem participants, and even bring in Microsoft sales representatives to help close business. The function works for both services engagements and intellectual property collaborations.
Dynamics Growth and Incentive Shifts
TruNorth positions itself as the go-to partner for solution providers expanding into Microsoft Dynamics, which is seeing increased adoption as clients outgrow basic accounting tools or seek more customization. Migration from legacy systems represents another significant opportunity.
Microsoft has introduced new incentives this fiscal year to drive Dynamics growth, according to analysis by IT distributor Crayon. The 7.5 percent Growth Accelerator applies to year-over-year monthly revenue increases in business applications licensing—and Dynamics growth gets rewarded even if M365 or Azure see declines.
Notably, Microsoft did drop a previous 20 percent incentive for activating Dynamics 365 with net-new customers. The shift suggests Microsoft is prioritizing sustained growth over one-time customer acquisitions.
Beyond Microsoft’s Walls
While Microsoft’s ecosystem provides clear structure, the partner-to-partner strategy extends much further. Industry observers note opportunities for Google partners to collaborate with Microsoft specialists, and for software-focused firms to team with hardware providers offering everything from copiers to security cameras.
The underlying principle remains consistent: becoming a holistic technology advisor means having answers—even when those answers come from trusted partners. As Gjerde puts it, “It’s about the relationship with the client, being their guiding force around technology.”
For solution providers navigating increasingly complex client demands, that guidance increasingly depends on knowing who to call rather than trying to do everything themselves.
