Mike Austin explains how Microsoft pressures customers into expensive E5 bundles they don't need, using complex licensing to drive up costs. He's reviewed over 2 million Office 365 subscriptions and says his team cuts spending by 20% or more. Austin offers a half-day symposium on negotiating better deals.
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General admission $97; VIP $297.
Over 2 million Office365 subscriptions.
Over 20% reduction in Office365 spend before any discounts.
Chapters
We can only give you a deal if you purchase E5s. I couldn't believe what I heard that Microsoft account team saying to their client. For about four months now, this client was telling them that they only had about 10% of their users deployed to Exchange Online and they needed Microsoft's help to actually get exchange, SharePoint and teams deployed. But Microsoft was focused on selling them bundles of technology that they couldn't even adopt if they didn't get the basics in place. The proposal Microsoft put forth was what shocked me the most. They basically told the client that they weren't going to give them a deal on what they currently have. In fact, they were welcome to pay list price. The only way they were going to get a deal is if they purchased E5s and started to deploy the security suite. The client was dumbfounded. How could they deploy security suites if they hadn't even deployed into Exchange Online yet? The client felt like they were backed into a corner and that they were just going to have to accept yet another Microsoft price increase because there was nothing they could do about it. The story is not unique. Many of you have been in the exact same position with Microsoft. I believe that Microsoft is using the complexity and confusion of their licensing to force people to buy more software than they need to be. I believe that companies are spending way too much on software. But most importantly, I believe that it does not need to be this way. Over the past couple of years, I've reviewed over 2 million Office365 subscriptions and help companies like yours actually use their data to beat Microsoft at their own game. We are helping Companies reduce their office365 spend by over 20% before any discounts. I'm tired of Microsoft hassling their customers and getting away with it. Which is why my team and I have developed a half day office 365 savings symposium to help you beat Microsoft at their own licensing game. Don't worry, this isn't some $8,000 course. You only need to pay $97 for a general admission ticket or $297 for the VIP tickets. Picture a day where you feel like you for once got a good deal on Microsoft licensing, that you weren't backed into a corner, that you didn't overpay, and that you didn't have to purchase unneeded bundles. You bought only what you needed at a price that was fair to you. And let me leave you with this final thought. One time when I was in Hawaii, I was looking for something to do and for whatever reason, we Decided let's go on a deep sea fishing expedition. And I'm really not sure why I did because I got sick to my stomach just literally thinking about being on the ocean and how seasick I would get because I get seasick when I'm in a boat. But we decided to go anyways and true to form, about 45 minutes in as literally lying on a bench in the cabin passed out seasick and that's when I heard the skip yell fish on and it's a big one. And I literally jumped up and went out on deck and I saw it jump and it was big and it went down and that's all I remember. And then the skip said look, it's going to take all four guys because there are four men on the boat. So it's going to take all four of you probably about four hours to pull that one in because it's the biggest one I've ever seen. And so I jumped into the chair and I started to fight the fight, the battle. And really what happened was with the expert guidance of the captain who knew when to back the boat up because the line was getting, you know, tight, he would back up to loosen it off. So I had some to reel in and my wife pouring water on my head because I was sweating and it was so hot out there and keeping me cool and the skips encouragement, I pulled in that 500 pound blue marlin in just over 45 minutes. You may feel sick to your stomach thinking about negotiating with that 500 pound blue marlin beast that is Microsoft. But with the right skip encouraging captain that knows how to guide the ship and a supportive spouse like I had, you can beat that 500 pound mart monster of a marlin that is Microsoft and come away with the right deal. You can get a better deal on Office365. When you use your data and you know exactly what you need, you can get a better deal on Office365. When you understand the motivation of your Microsoft account team, you can get a better deal on Office365. I hope to see you at our Office365 symposium. Please click the button below to grab your ticket. Ra.
