Summary
We're often asked why we don't sell Microsoft licences. From time to time, we also get enquiries from clients seeking to purchase licences or Azure services from us. But we don't sell them. Deliberately.
We chose independence to serve your interests, not Microsoft's.
The Problem with Selling and Advising
Most Microsoft advisory firms face a challenging conflict. They give you licensing advice whilst making money from the licences you buy. Many Microsoft partner salespeople genuinely try to help their clients and offer good advice within the constraints they face.
The problem stems from their business model. Your interests and your advisor's interests don't always align. You want the best deal possible. They need Microsoft sales revenue to keep their business running.
Microsoft partners’ advice often aligns with Microsoft’s revenue goals, not with your cost optimisation.
Microsoft LSPs with consumption-based incentives tend to recommend aggressive Azure migration timelines that accelerate cloud spending. During licensing reviews, they may interpret ambiguous rules conservatively, leading to "compliance purchases" for problems that may not actually exist. Strategic technology decisions often favour Microsoft-only solutions over alternatives that might cost less.
This bias often goes unrecognised because the advice appears reasonable. Microsoft partners present solid technical arguments and cite legitimate business benefits. The recommendations aren't wrong. They're just consistently tilted toward outcomes that benefit Microsoft's business model rather than optimising your costs.
Free Advice Costs More
Resellers offer "free" licensing consultations because they recover costs through the deals they structure. That advice isn't free. You pay through inflated licence prices, suboptimal deal structures, and missed opportunities to challenge Microsoft's positions.
Free reseller advice is paid for through inflated licence costs.
When you work with Microsoft partner firms, their understanding of "efficiency" comes from Microsoft's perspective, not yours. They package products quite efficiently, but they don't comprehend that there are opportunities beyond Microsoft's standard templates.
These firms employ skilled individuals who genuinely strive to help. But their business model creates structural conflicts that shape the advice you receive.
Our Revenue Comes from Results
SAMexpert generates revenue from consulting fees, not licence sales. We charge for our time, expertise, and results. Not for steering you toward particular Microsoft products or higher spending.
During Enterprise Agreement renewals, we structure deals around your actual usage patterns rather than Microsoft's growth assumptions and "scorecard" products like Copilot that vendors push for sales targets. We achieve cost reductions of 20-40% through aggressive negotiation combined with deal structures that serve your interests.
🖐 Achieve better outcomes in renewal cycles. Explore: Microsoft Enterprise Agreement Negotiation.
For audit defence, we challenge Microsoft's positions rather than accepting them as inevitable costs. Over 25 years, our lead consultants have helped clients avoid and mitigate over £500 million in Microsoft audit penalties by challenging interpretations that Microsoft-aligned partners might accept without question (and we wish they wouldn't accept them so readily).
We recommend non-Microsoft solutions when they make sense. We help you delay purchases when that serves your interests. We negotiate aggressively even when it reduces Microsoft's revenue. Microsoft's revenue isn't our revenue. You get the peace of mind that comes from knowing your advisor's success depends entirely on your outcomes, not Microsoft's quarterly results.
What Not Selling Licences Costs Us
We forgo millions in potential revenue. Microsoft's partner programme offers attractive margins, rebates, and incentives that we deliberately avoid.
But selling licences would compromise every piece of advice we give. How could we recommend reducing your Microsoft spend when our revenue depends on increasing it? How could we suggest alternatives when we profit from Microsoft sales? How could we challenge Microsoft's audit positions when we need good relationships for our sales business?
The moment we start selling licences, we stop being your advisor and become Microsoft's sales channel.
What Becomes Possible
When your advisor doesn't sell Microsoft licences, you get options that otherwise wouldn't exist.
You'll hear honest criticism of Microsoft policies that don't serve your interests. Instead of diplomatic Microsoft partner-speak, you get direct challenges to Microsoft's licensing rule changes, audit practices, and commercial strategies when they work against you.
Independent advisors put client value above Microsoft revenue. Every time.
You benefit from recommendations that include competing solutions. Your advisor evaluates alternatives based purely on what serves your objectives, not what generates revenue for them.
You can reduce your Microsoft spending without worrying about advisor conflicts. Their success comes from delivering value to you, not from maximising your Microsoft spend.
During audits, you get aggressive defence without the advisor worrying about maintaining good Microsoft partner relationships. Your costs get minimised rather than relationships preserved.
🖐 Defend your organisation against costly vendor claims. Learn more: Microsoft Audit Defense.
Why We Made This Choice
Not selling Microsoft licences costs us millions in potential revenue. Microsoft's partner programme offers attractive margins and rebates that we deliberately forgo. We could easily expand our business by selling the licences our clients need.
But we've seen what happens when advisors try to serve two masters. The conflicts become inescapable. How do you recommend reducing Microsoft spend when your revenue depends on increasing it? How do you suggest alternatives when you profit from Microsoft sales?
We chose to work for you, not Microsoft. It's that simple.
Experience genuinely independent Microsoft advice. Contact us to learn how our business model delivers uncompromised results for your licensing, audit, and negotiation challenges.