I built a Claude skill to track MSFT funding program changes (free for this list)

Co-Sell Field Notes: Notes from a $70M Microsoft Services Seller

P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/

It's been about 2 months since my last email because, well, it's Summer, I've been closing deals and also building the personal business as well...but let's dive in!

Most MSFT partners have a rough idea that funding programs exist. ECIF, Azure co-sell incentives. They know the names. What almost nobody is tracking systematically is what's available right now -- and what changed last month.

That gap costs real opportunities. A rep who doesn't know the current funding state can't bring it to the table at the right moment. And Microsoft's programs shift constantly -- often without anyone on the partner side noticing until after the window closes.

I built a Claude skill to fix this. It reads Microsoft's funding documentation and gives you a current overview every time it runs -- what's active, what's changed since the last check, and how it applies to your org's specific situation. You can customize it so it's not a generic program dump -- it tells you what's relevant to your business and what you should actually do about it.

I'm giving it away free to everyone on this list. Just reply to this email and I'll send it over.

While I've got you -- a few things I've seen working recently.

One client, $50M annual revenue MSFT consulting firm, was getting almost no replies when reaching out to cold Microsoft reps about co-selling. We rebuilt their outreach system using CoSell Buddy. They're now hitting a 50% reply rate from net-new MSFT reps. Not warm contacts -- reps who'd never heard of them -- half are responding.

Same org: I helped them launch a weekly newsletter to their Microsoft network. First issue went out. Three people immediately responded wanting to set up account planning sessions for this year. Three. One email.

I'm also writing their CEO's LinkedIn posts. Averaging around 1,000 impressions per post and climbing. The right people in their Microsoft network are seeing them consistently for the first time. When their sellers reach out to MSFT reps cold, there's a name those reps increasingly recognize.

The common thread across all of it: inputs drive outputs. The right outreach system, the right content, the right timing -- things start moving. The funding skill is the same logic applied to a different problem.

Stop guessing what Microsoft has available. Start knowing.

Grab the skill if you want it. Just reply here.

Happy Co-Selling!

Matt Barron

P.S. All previous emails can be read here​