Microsoft UK

The brief: Position Surface as a genuine alternative for Apple-loyal resellers, partners who had built their entire business around the Apple ecosystem and had, until then, showed zero interest in a Microsoft conversation.

These weren't just lukewarm partners. These were closed doors. The channel sales team had tried conventional outreach which hadn't worked. My job was to find a different way in.

The approach: Cold calls and standard partner communications weren't going to cut through. To get attention from partners who weren't looking for us, we needed something they couldn't ignore.

The timing of the campaign - approaching Christmas - gave me an idea.

I identified the right target partners, then sent each of them something unexpected: a gift-wrapped empty Surface Pro 4 box. Inside, a card explained they could claim the device - by booking a meeting with me.

The creative logic was simple: if we were asking them to consider Surface, the least we could do was put one in their hands. The gift-wrapping made it feel like an occasion rather than a sales approach. And the empty box created just enough curiosity to make them pick up the phone.

The campaign was supported by a series of teaser email communications in the weeks before the direct mail landed, warming partners to the idea before the physical piece arrived.

The results:  - 40% positive response rate from the direct mail campaign - 8 x 1:1 meetings secured with historically closed-door resellers (Apple’s Top 20 Partners) - One reseller said the marketing was so good he simply couldn't turn the meeting down - 2 partners went on to actively market Surface as a genuine Apple alternative, including joint end-user events and London Underground advertising (one of them is now a Microsoft Gold Partner) - More than $1 million in incremental revenue generated in the following quarter.

What this means for you: If you're a technology vendor trying to engage partners who've historically said no - whether that's MSPs who don't yet know your solution, or channel partners committed to a competitor - this is the kind of thinking I bring. Not louder messaging but a different approach entirely. Diagnosis first. Creative strategy second. And results that actually show up in the numbers.