I get asked this question a lot: "How is The ISV Society different from Dynamics Connections?"

For a while, I would explain the differences. Different audiences. Different programs. Different ways of helping ISVs.

But recently, Carol Livingston from Dynamics Connections and I started talking about that question, and it led to something I think is much more interesting.

Why does it have to be one or the other?

Carol and I aren't trying to build the same thing, and that's a good thing.

There's Room for More Than One Idea

I've been in the ERP channel for a long time, and I've learned that no single company, community, event, or organization can be everything to everyone.

Nor should it try to be.

Dynamics Connections does something really well. Carol and her team help ISVs build relationships with Microsoft Dynamics and Acumatica VARs. They know the partners. They know the solutions. And they work to make the right introductions based on where there is a real fit.

The ISV Society was built around a different need.

I wanted to help ISVs become more visible and stay visible—not only with partners, but with customers too. And because so many ISVs work across multiple ERP platforms, I wanted to create opportunities that weren't tied to one ERP community.

Different needs. Different approaches.

But we're both working with many of the same companies.

So why wouldn't we work together?

We Don't All Need to Do the Same Thing

I think sometimes we get caught up in the idea that if someone else serves the same audience, they're automatically a competitor.

I've never really looked at the ERP community that way.

In fact, some of the best things I've been part of have happened because different companies brought different things to the table.

One had the audience.

Someone else had the expertise.

Another had the idea.

Someone made the introduction.

And suddenly there was something none of us would have created on our own.

That's collaboration and I think we need more of it.

An ISV Doesn't Have Just One Goal

This is another reason choosing one organization over another doesn't make any sense to me.

An ISV might want to build relationships with more VARs.

They may also want more customers to know who they are.

They might want to enter a new ERP market.

They may need help creating content.

They may want more opportunities for their subject matter experts to educate the community.

And they probably want to stay visible year-round instead of disappearing between conferences.

Those aren't competing goals. So why should the resources they use to accomplish them have to compete?

An ISV could work with Dynamics Connections to build stronger VAR relationships in the Microsoft Dynamics and Acumatica communities, and also participate in The ISV Society to stay visible with partners and customers year-round across multiple ERP communities.

One doesn't cancel out the other. They can actually make each other more valuable.

The Introduction Is Only the Beginning

I think about this a lot because making the right connection absolutely matters. But what happens after that introduction?

Maybe a VAR is introduced to your company because they have a customer who needs exactly what you offer. They have a conversation, learn about your solution and think, "This could be a good fit." That's great, but then they go back to their day. They have customers to take care of, projects to manage and probably 20 other companies trying to get their attention.

That's where visibility starts to matter.

Over the next several months, that same person might:

• See someone from your company speaking at an event

• Come across an article you wrote about something one of their customers has been asking about

• Watch one of your demos

• See you collaborating with another ISV they already know

• Hear your company mentioned by another partner

• Run into someone from your team at a conference

• See a customer talking about how they're using your solution

None of those things necessarily creates an opportunity that day. That's not really the point.

The point is that your name starts to become familiar.

The next time that partner has a customer with the problem you solve, they're not trying to remember the name of that company they met six months ago. They know who you are. They've seen you around. They've heard what you have to say. They understand a little more about what you do.

The same thing happens with customers. They may first see you at an event and have absolutely no need for your solution at the time. Six months later, something changes in their business, and that problem suddenly becomes a priority. If they've continued to see and hear from you along the way, you're already familiar when they're ready to start looking.

That's why I've always believed visibility isn't about showing up once. It's what happens when all those little touchpoints add up over time.

And I don't think all of those touchpoints should come from the same place.

One organization might introduce you to a VAR. Another might give you an opportunity to educate customers. An industry event could put you in front of a completely different audience. A podcast might introduce someone to the person behind your company. A collaboration with another ISV could put you in front of people who have never heard of you before.

That's how the ERP ecosystem actually works. People move between communities, events, conversations, and relationships all the time.

You don't need to be everywhere. You need to show up in enough of the right places that when someone finally needs what you do, they don't have to discover you for the first time.

They already know your name.

We Can Build Our Own Things and Still Support Each Other

This may be my favorite part of all of this.

Carol and I both have businesses to run. We both have programs we're building. We both want those programs to succeed. That doesn't mean we can't support what the other person is doing.

When Carol and I started comparing Dynamics Connections and The ISV Society, we could have approached it as: Here's why we're different. Pick one.

Instead, the conversation quickly became: Here's what each of us does well. How can these things work together?

That's a much better conversation, and I'd love to see more of it throughout the ERP community.

Maybe "Competition" Isn't the First Question We Should Ask

Of course there will always be competition. That's business.

But I don't think it needs to be our first reaction every time someone serves a similar audience.

Maybe the first questions should be:

1. What do they do really well?

2. What do we do differently?

3. Where could those things work together?

Because two organizations don't have to do the same thing to serve the same community.

In fact, I think the ERP ecosystem is stronger when they don't. Dynamics Connections can help ISVs build the right VAR relationships. The ISV Society can help ISVs stay visible with partners and customers year-round. Other organizations can bring something completely different.

There's room for all of it, and sometimes, instead of asking "How are we competing?"

Maybe we should be asking: "What could we create together that neither of us would create alone?"

I have a feeling there are a lot more opportunities hiding inside that question.