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They Shoot Directories, Don’t They?

Way to go, Microsoft. You have just served your active Partners a nice big fecal sandwich. And just a few short weeks before you expect them to shell $3–4K to subsidize the conference which you insist exists to thank them.

You might as well have a taken a sledgehammer to the feet of your average SBSC, because that’s the effective outcome with your “new & improved” Solution Finder solution.

Why don’t you just rename your Partner program for what it really is half the time? The Tony Soprano Fantasy Camp has a nice ring to it.

For those who don’t know, as of June 15, the Resource Directory and the Partner Finder have been Frankensteined together into the Solution Finder.

The headline in the e-mail I received this morning screamed…

Generating Leads Just Got Simpler

First, searching for Partners directly is buried under Advanced search. So there’s no absolutely no room for doubt that the Solution Finder is solution-centric. Even a 5th grader can see that.

But the troubling thing is that this new search-o-matic nightmare totally ignores validated expertise if the search criteria includes anything about location.

Here’s an example:

In the old directory, my company, Black Warrior Technology, was roughly the 8th or 9th choice on a default search for 35401, which is the most well-known zip code in my chosen service area of a 40–50 mile radius.

As an SBSC in that chosen service area, I was moved ahead of all the Jimmy Joe Bobs and their Cousin Neds that infest our area. Folks who are either hobbyists posing as companies for cheap software from the Action Pack they can pirate, or companies posing as IT providers for cheap software from the Action Pack they can use illegally.

I’m now buried alive. In just a 20 mile radius search, we show up 7 screens in, at roughly the 32nd spot.

Put another way: Rather than minimizing the already maddening pollution in the Partner program here in my little local area…

This little change just dumped all that garbage in my lap.

Here are just a few of the so-called “Registered Partner” operations that are now listed ahead of my company.

• A stated OEM Hardware Solution company whose description reads Not sure yet just trying to get it off the ground. We dont offically open until March 15, 2007.
• An office supply company
• A construction company whose description reads General Contractor
• An accounting professional or 3 (no way to know if they are MPAN or not)
• The University of Alabama Athletic Department
• The University of Alabama SLIS Program

To be honest, it’s not just the SBSC community who have been kicked in the ass by this.

No matter what size partner you are, the emphasis on location over the validated expertise you have means you are hamstrung unless someone searches on your exact zip code. Or you have ponied to open a branch office in that zip code.

I don’t care if you are a Gold Certified Partner with a chest full of badges. Someone who searches against 35476 will get me at the top of their list, even if you are only 1 mile away from that zip code.

The annoying thing is, on a search against 35401 which is then subsequently sorted by “Level” (which is how the old directory operated) my company shows up as #15.

Even worse, is this little tidbit:

We understand that distance is important for you - thus we are only showing the partners in your area.
If distance is not important in your search - please clear partner distance search.

Earth to Redmond: Most people actually give a crap about expertise. Or at least they should. And I’d assume you do as well. You’ve sure pimped your Certification and Competency initiatives enough.

In a nutshell…we’re talking a search tool that presents your business in a certain light that is utterly and completely FUBAR.

Wow, if I were Google I’d be quaking in my boots about MS’ search prowess right about now.

The only shining light here is the fact that us SBSCs rarely, if ever got customers or business from the directory. I used to use it for Partner to Partner contact.

But all this got me wondering how the SBSC Finder tool on the Small Business Center website works today. So I just checked. It continues to rank results on expertise, just like before.

But with all the directories being deathmarched together into a single entity this month…I’m sure that little problem will be taken care of soon enough.

|| posted by chris under clueless, kma, mothership, thumbs down || || ||