Vendor Partnership Mining — Oracle · Microsoft · AWS
Jonathan Prabudass · FY27 Q1 · PMF Conversion Framework Execution Playbook
Historical Snapshot — FY26
What worked · What didn't · Stats
What worked?
Existing client support maintained. Oracle renewal base stable.
What did not work?
No proactive partner outreach. No activation campaigns. No structured VPM cadence.
EXECUTION TRUTH: If Jonathan sends 10 activation emails per week to Oracle, Microsoft, and AWS partner contacts — 600 per quarter — R8.5m is not a stretch target. It is the outcome of consistent weekly execution.
Vendor Revenue Split
Annual target allocation across Oracle · MS · AWS
Q1 Target vs Actual
Per vendor (ZAR thousands)
- Target
- Actual
Team Structure
VPM Partnerships — Jonathan Prabudass
| Role | Owner | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|
| VPM Lead | Jonathan Prabudass | Oracle · Microsoft · AWS partner activation, discovery, close |
| VPM Support | John Karageorgiou | PeopleCert · CompTIA (separate portfolio — not in scope here) |
| Marketing | Function | Vendor-specific content, LinkedIn posts, webinar campaigns |
| Stage | Conversion Rate | Basis Per Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Activation Emails Sent | — | 600 emails / quarter |
| Activation → Response | 10% | 60 responses |
| Response → Discovery | 25% | 15 meetings |
| Discovery → Proposal | 40% | 6 proposals |
| Proposal → Closed Deal | — | 2 deals / quarter |
Example: To close 2 VPM deals per quarter, Jonathan needs ~600 activation touches per quarter. To hit 8 deals in FY27 (R8.5m ÷ avg R160k), the team needs ~2,400 total activation emails across the year.
Outbound Conversion Funnel
Activation → Closed = 2 deals per quarter
ACTIVATION → CLOSED = 2 DEALS PER QUARTER
Q1 Progress
Actual vs Q1 target — Jonathan
Activity Targets Per Role
Jonathan Prabudass — Oracle · Microsoft · AWS
| Activity | Per Person / Week | Total Team / Month | Per Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outbound Activation Emails (Vendor Partners) | 10 | 40 | 120 |
| LinkedIn Connection Requests (Partner Contacts) | 5 | 20 | 60 |
| Cold Call / Voice Outreach | 3 | 12 | 36 |
| Vendor Partner Meetings (Discovery) | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Proposals Sent | — | — | 6 |
| Follow-Ups on Prior Activations | 8 | 32 | 96 |
| Closed VPM Deals | — | — | 2 |
Pipeline Math: How We Hit R8.5m Annual Target
Backward-engineered from revenue target and conversion rates
| Revenue Stream | Target | Deals / Uplift Required | Key Activity Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Renewals (F5) | R 1 700 000 | 90% GRR on existing Oracle base | Jonathan: 1 check-in/week per account |
| Oracle New Logos (F1–F4) | R 1 700 000 | ~3 deals @ avg R180k ACV/quarter | Jonathan: 10 activation emails/week |
| Microsoft Renewals (F5) | R 1 487 500 | 90% GRR on existing MS base | Jonathan: 1 check-in/week per account |
| Microsoft New Logos (F1–F4) | R 1 487 500 | ~2–3 deals @ avg R165k ACV/quarter | Jonathan: partner portal + LinkedIn |
| AWS New Logos (F1–F4) | R 1 062 500 | ~2 deals @ avg R145k ACV/quarter | Jonathan: AWS Partner Network activation |
| AWS Uplift / Expansion (F6) | R 1 062 500 | ~2 expansions @ avg R130k ACV | Jonathan: quarterly business reviews |
| TOTAL | R 8 500 000 | ~17 deals across 3 vendors | Consistent weekly execution |
The Activation Funnel: Left to Right
6-step execution process — Week 1 through close
- Jonathan sends 10 outbound emails to Oracle/MS/AWS partner contacts per week
- LinkedIn: 5 connection requests to L&D leads at target partner organisations
- Target: ~46 total activation touches per week (email + LinkedIn + cold call)
- ~10% of activation emails generate a response (~4–6 responses per week)
- Jonathan qualifies: budget authority, timeline, training need confirmed
- Qualified responses booked as discovery meetings (F3)
- Jonathan targets 1 discovery meeting per vendor per week = 3 meetings/week
- Goal: understand skills gap, confirm vendor certification pathway, map stakeholders
- Oracle focus: OCI, Database, Java | MS focus: Azure, AI | AWS focus: Cloud Practitioner, SAA
- 40% of discovery meetings convert to proposals = ~6 proposals per quarter
- Jonathan completes Decision Equation for each vendor deal
- Proposals include: course schedule, cohort size, certification pathway, pricing
- Jonathan: 8 follow-up emails per week = 32/month = 96/quarter
- Follow-up must be value-led: share vendor certification updates, pass rates, case studies
- Vendor-specific content: Oracle roadmap updates, MS AI certification news, AWS re:Invent highlights
- Target: 2 VPM deals closed per quarter = 8 per year (R8.5m ÷ avg R160k = ~53 deals/year)
- Renewal accounts: quarterly business review + upsell to next certification tier
- New logos: first cohort close → expand to full certification pathway in Q2+
Weekly Rhythm — Team Calendar
Jonathan's daily execution cadence
| Day | Who | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Jonathan | Review prior week VPM pipeline. Update CRM. Flag stale deals (>14 days no movement). |
| Tuesday | Jonathan | Activation emails sent. LinkedIn posts published. Best day for partner outreach. |
| Wednesday | Jonathan + All | BAR Review (45 min). VPM funnel health: F3 discovery + F4 proposal pipeline reviewed. |
| Thursday | Jonathan | Discovery meetings, proposals, vendor QBRs, value sessions with existing accounts. |
| Friday | Jonathan | Recap of week. Blockers flagged. MN Report drafted. Follow-ups queued for Tuesday. |
Monthly Snapshot Targets
Fixed monthly metrics Jonathan is accountable to
| Metric | Monthly Target | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Activation Touches (total) | ~200+ | Jonathan |
| Discovery Meetings | 4–5 | Jonathan (1–2 per vendor) |
| Proposals Sent | 2 | Jonathan |
| Vendor QBRs / Check-ins | 3 | Jonathan (1 per vendor) |
| New Logo Closes | (1 per quarter) | Jonathan |
| LinkedIn Posts (vendor content) | 2 organic | Jonathan / Marketing |
| Webinar (vendor-specific) | 1 per quarter | Jonathan + Marketing |
| CRM Updated | 100% of active deals | Jonathan |
EXECUTION TRUTH: If Jonathan sends 10 activation emails per week across Oracle, Microsoft, and AWS contacts — 120/month, 360/quarter — R8.5m is not a stretch target. It is the outcome of consistent weekly execution.
Backward-Math Throughput
What must happen each week to hit Q1 — engineered from R8.5m target
| Parameter | Jonathan (Oracle · MS · AWS) |
|---|---|
| Annual Target | R 8,500,000 |
| Q1 Target | R 2,125,000 |
| Avg Deal Size | R 160,000 |
| Deals Required (Q1) | ~13 |
| Proposals (F4) Required (Q1) | ~6 |
| Weekly Discovery Meetings | 3 / week (1 per vendor) |
| Weekly Activation Emails | 10 / week |
| Weekly Follow-Up Emails | 8 / week |
| Weekly LinkedIn Touches | 5 / week |
| Total Weekly Touches | ~46 / week |
Weekly MN Report Template
VPM Partnerships · Live Tracking Document · Updated every Friday
This is the live weekly MN Report template for the VPM Partnerships stream. It is updated every Friday and shared with leadership on Monday. The format is fixed — content is updated weekly.
Initial engagement. OCI certification pathway scoped.
Azure AI-900 + AZ-104 cohort proposal in progress.
Cloud Practitioner cohort discussion initiated.
Oracle renewal base · Microsoft M365 existing accounts
Renewal check-in completed. Upsell to OCI pathway discussed.
M365 renewal confirmed. Azure upgrade conversation initiated.
Multi-vendor pathway proposal in development.
AI-900 → AI-102 pathway upsell in progress.
Impactful BAR Dashboard · VPM Partnerships · Oracle · Microsoft · AWS · FY27 Q1 · Data as at 07 April 2026
Jonathan Prabudass · Impactful: Confidential