By Carolyn Lange

Image by Emily Zheng

At 2A, we can write a great story and create slick visuals. But you may not know we also make swag that people actually want to keep. Whether it’s a sticker sheet, socks with a tech-y twist, or a wine bottle and tumbler set that says, “I know how to party—and I know my cloud infrastructure,” we’ve done it all. 

Here’s a peek at some of the goodies we’ve made lately. 

Sticker sheets that turn services like Azure Cosmos DB into adorable astronauts 

Socks that match your shoes and your brand 

Jackets to keep your clients cozy at conferences 

Mint tins to freshen up your giveaways 

Team swag that brings your culture to life 

🎁 Curated gift boxes with laser-engraved wine tumblers if you’re feeling fancy 

Looking for ideas? Think of your audience, convention-goers, or internal team. Are they… 

• Thirsty? Water bottle. 
• Hungry? Branded snacks. 
• Cold? Sweatshirt and gloves. 
• Short-handed? A roomy tote bag.
• On-the-go? Travel mug or packing cubes.
• Tech savvy? Power bank or laptop sleeve.
• Zoom-fatigued? Blue-light glasses.
• In Seattle? Something plaid. It’s pretty much the uniform. 

Want to snag some swag for your team or event? Let’s talk. We’ll help you dream it up and turn your brand into something memorable. 

By Jane Dornemann

Image by Nicole Todd

More than two years following the debut of generative AI, companies that brought the technology to their workforces want a return on their investment. Wait—if so cool, why no ROI? Because employees aren’t adopting it effectively. 

A survey from Accenture found that 55% of employees said they’d gain the confidence to use generative AI tools if they had clear guidance and comprehensive training. Perhaps that would close the 20% gap between how C-suite leaders and their employees understand the potential value of AI “to a great extent.” 

So, we have an adoption problem. And as marketers shift their focus to agentic AI, this low adoption rate can make it challenging for prospects to continue on their AI journey. If organizations don’t generate an ROI, they’re less likely to consider the value of agentic AI—and might be skeptical about its ability to uncover invaluable sales leads or enter new markets. 

Fear not! 2A is here to help you grow your generative AI accounts by targeting the end user in a way that will drive ROI. Here are a few things you (and we) can do: 

Produce case studies for everyone. Case studies are middle-to-bottom-of-funnel assets, which are great for helping business and technology decision-makers see a clear path to employee use and ROI. Because we’re talking about technology, it’s easy to default to focusing on the IT and development, or “backend,” aspect of adoption. With agentic AI, we need to think differently. Using new technology to yield real change in a business depends as much on the front of house, so don’t be afraid to be less technical in an agentic AI case study. Spotlight Alex from accounting when he gets to his desk in the morning. It will show leadership how the technology is applied in day-to-day operations that affect the bottom line (versus the journey to a successful integration) and give potential buyers a sense of how it materializes in and improves workflows. Beyond the C-suite, these case studies are shareable with the end user so they can also understand the value and usability of agentic AI for as many use cases as possible. 

Customize end-user guides. Pair your pitch with end-user guides to help employees start using your agentic AI solution, which you can distribute once the customer is on board. These guides should keep it simple, avoid technical jargon, and focus on what users need to get started. For example, instead of explaining the science behind large language models, start with why the tool matters: “You can ask your agent a question or give it a command,” or “You’ll get better results if you provide your agent with a sample of what you’re looking for.” Use real examples to illustrate key points, and consider a tiered approach, such as basic guides for beginners and advanced ones for power users. Most importantly, customize these guides by industry with content marketers who understand sector-specific terms, pain points, and goals for different roles within an industry’s organization. 

At 2A, we love brainstorming, building, and designing end-user materials—and we’re ready to help you boost conversion with this oft-forgotten ingredient for marketing magic. Contact us to get started. 

By Jane Dornemann

Wheelin’ and dealin’ 

• Genetic medicine company ElevateBio is collaborating with AWS to accelerate drug development using CRISPR gene editing therapeutics. 
• A bunch of energy companies created the Open Power AI Consortium to develop AI tools that will improve grid reliability, with Microsoft and AWS as founding members. Part of what is driving this is concern over utility demands for powering AI. This is like when Brazil cut down eight miles of rainforest to build a highway to its climate summit.  
• Cloud-based vegetation management sounds like what a stoner does all weekend but it’s actually a real thing from Hitachi, and it will now get a boost from AWS. Because guess what—we need more reliable energy infrastructure. The lights keep going out on our tomatoes because we all need to ask ChatGPT to give us a picture of a cat wearing cowboy boots and stuff.
• Both Microsoft and AWS have entered deals with Siemens, the global technology conglomerate. Siemens will develop its Industrial Foundation Model on Azure and has been working on a digital building platform with AWS. 
• When I worked for a PR agency our top customer was Adobe, and I had to go to the Adobe Summit every year in Vegas, and one time the hotel messed up booking so I had to share a room with my boss and I thought she was asleep but she wasn’t, and in the dark she suddenly asked if I wanted to gamble and I said YES so we changed out of our PJs and went to play Blackjack. Except she just wanted ME to play, not her, so I did, and I was up like $200 and ready to walk away but she pressured me to keep going and I lost it all on the next hand and then we went back to bed. But anyway, this year at Adobe Summit the company announced it’s going to build new integrations with AWS generative AI services, Amazon Connect, and Amazon Ads. 
• Adobe didn’t only announce integrations with AWS generative AI tools at Adobe Summit. It will also extend its integrations with Microsoft by activating Adobe Marketing Agent in Teams, PowerPoint, Word, and Microsoft 365 Copilot. 

World domination 

• AWS signed an agreement with Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security, which will involve developing new standards for cloud environments and helping European businesses meet requirements via AWS European Sovereign Cloud.
• Denmark’s Danske Bank is migrating all its applications, data, and infrastructure to AWS. 

New stuff  

• Amazon Q in QuickSight has new scenario analysis capabilities that support non-technical people in building data models and asking exploratory “what if” questions, like “What if we CRISPRed a bunch of lizards to build a fleet of dinosaurs for a luxury dinosaur taxi service, do you think business would finally designate dinosaur parking spaces, yes or no?”
• Working with AWS and Anthropic, Deloitte launched AI Advantage. It provides intelligent analytics and insights, along with an agent that automates finance tasks, using Amazon Bedrock and Anthropic’s LLMs. 
• Microsoft showed the world what’s come out of its Azure AI Foundry thus far. It released agent framework, which simplifies the orchestration of multi-agent systems. And, there’s AI Red Teaming, an AI that systematically probes (ooooh, say more) other AI models to flag safety risks. 
• Oh, did you think we were done with agents for today? No. Microsoft’s Researcher agent addresses multi-step research at work while its Analyst agent “thinks like a skilled data scientist” to get insights in minutes.  
• Connected to work at the AI Foundry, NVIDIA has several things going with Microsoft, including the AgentIQ toolkit for real-time agent monitoring and optimization.  
• On a different day, Microsoft announced multiple new capabilities for its Security Copilot agents—they can provide threat intelligence briefings, optimize conditional access, and more. 
• AWS has made multi-agent collaboration in Amazon Bedrock generally available. This will make it easier for developers to churn out and manage AI agents that work together to carry out complex tasks…like training dinosaurs to drive. 
• At Google Cloud Next, Google announced new features to its Agentspace that will lower the barrier to adoption. No-code agent creation pulls in users of all technical levels and the new Tensor Processing Unit and AI Hypercomputer both boost the cloud provider’s presence in AI hardware and software. Several other announcements, including agent-to-agent communication protocol, show that Google’s AI investments are paying off. 

Ma’am, I’m going to have to call security 

• Google is set to acquire cybersecurity company Wiz in a $32B deal that the tech giant will use to make its cloud platform more secure. The company also announced new security agents. 

Professional pivots  

• The VP of AI/ML services for AWS, who oversaw solutions like Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, has left after a year. Personally, I am less baffled by his one-year tenure than I am by the fact that he spells out hashtag in his LinkedIn profile before using an actual hashtag.  
• The general manager of generative AI at AWS is leaving to launch his own company. PLEASE PLEASE let it be a dinosaur parking logistics company. 

Gossip (for nerds) 

• An ex-senior product manager is suing AWS for discrimination, claiming she was laid off because of her gender and age. When AWS laid off people in 2023, it reduced the percentage of women in leadership positions from 62.5% to 28.6%. In a 2024 re-org, 60% of those laid off were over 40. 
• Microsoft is backing out of many of its data center commitments on a global level. Indonesia, the UK, and Australia locations have been halted, and in the U.S. plans for Illinois, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ohio are paused. It’s unclear why, but this article suggests that Microsoft isn’t seeing enough demand to justify the new centers versus other reasons like rising construction costs. This article says, “Trump’s tariffs are likely to have a hugely negative impact on the US tech sector.” GREAT. 
• While the big three U.S. cloud platforms dominate, they don’t own it all. Europe has its own cloud providers, and they say they have two advantages: a friendlier interface and onboarding process, and less dubious privacy rules than their American counterparts. I feel like there’s a third advantage, but I just can’t think of anything that might drive the world away from U.S. cloud providers, can you? I mean, there’s not really anything going on, you know? 
• Voicing concern about anti-competitive tactics, two U.S. senators want to know more about Microsoft’s and Google’s partnerships with AI companies. 
• At a 50th anniversary celebration during which Microsoft unveiled new Copilot features around memory, some employees stood up to protest the cloud giant’s contract with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), interrupting the company CEO in front of thousands of people. Microsoft supplies IDF with AI-powered software used in selecting bomb targets in Gaza. (IDF also uses AWS to store surveillance information). A protesting employee was fired shortly after the event and another resigned.
• The Microsoft CTO says AI will generate 95% of code in the next five years, but that doesn’t mean a total replacement of human developers. Meanwhile, other outlets report that big tech firms ARE using AI to replace employees. Earlier in the year, Satya Nadella said AI agents would eventually replace all software-as-a-service and that in the future, people will be hired based on the agents they’ve created. I don’t like this game. 

Best Friends Forever 

• New to AWS Marketplace: Credential security platform Dashlane; Pipe17, an ecommerce software platform; Afiniti’s eXperienceAI, which provides customer experience technology. 
• New to Microsoft Azure Marketplace: Zenity, which secures AI agents; Happiest Minds’ generative AI investor solution; CTERA’s edge-to-cloud files services; CloudAtlas AI Guardian for ethical AI governance and security; SPIN Analytics’ RISKROBOT, which helps financial institutions model credit risk; ThetaRay’s Sonar, a SaaS transaction monitoring solution for fintechs and banks; accounts payable automation solution Dooap; and Apiboost’s Developer Portal. 

By Nora Bright, Jack Foraker

Image by Emily Zheng

Goodbye, Zoom webinars and kitchen-table conferences. B2B tech events are back in person, and expectations have never been higher. Attendees want more than swag bags and bad coffee: They’re seeking real connections, fresh insights, and a compelling reason to step away from their screens. 

To make the most of events, you need a professional who knows how to attract the right crowd, spark meaningful engagement, and turn a conference into a driver of business value—for you and your attendees. The key to finding that person? Asking the right questions during their interview. 

Here are six must-ask questions when hiring your next B2B tech events manager: 

1. How have you tailored events to meet the needs of different audiences like developers and executives? 

B2B tech isn’t a monolith. Developers might prefer events with technical deep dives, while executives may value curated conversations instead of shouting to be heard in chaotic expo halls. Ask for specific examples of how they’ve adapted event formats and strategies to create real value for attendees. Strong candidates will demonstrate a customer-first mindset, understanding not only who is attending but also what they need. 

2. What makes an event successful? 

Hint: The answer is not “a packed room.” While attendance is great, that alone doesn’t translate into business impact. Look for a candidate who can define clear, measurable goals—think engagement, pipeline growth, or ROI—and has a strategy to achieve them. 

3. How do you structure an event to generate leads? 

Events are about more than brand awareness. Find someone who values them as the key business drivers they are. Your next events manager should be able to explain how they’ve structured past events to encourage meaningful interactions, from well-placed networking opportunities to strategic follow-ups that turn interest into action. 

4. How do you collaborate with marketing and sales? 

No one plans corporate events for the thrill of it—they’re part of a larger business strategy. The best candidates know how to work with marketing teams to drive attendance and help sales teams ensure leads are captured and nurtured. Ask how they would align departments on priorities (no easy task). You want someone who approaches collaboration thoughtfully and has ideas that will keep your team focused on shared goals. 

5. What innovations in event technology are you excited about? 

B2B tech audiences want more than PowerPoint slides. A strong candidate should be eager to incorporate the latest technology, and ideally they’ll already have some hands-on experience. Whether it’s AI-powered networking, AR/VR demos, or event apps—your next events manager should be able to speak to how they’ve kept events current, relevant, and engaging. 

6. How do you design events that maximize engagement and networking? 

Attendees may come for the content, but they stay for the connections. A thoughtful event strategist will create seamless networking opportunities—whether through curated matchmaking or unique social gatherings that go beyond the standard cocktail hour. 

Skip the hiring hassle 

Successful events need a lot more than someone to manage logistics. At their best, events create new connections and drive business. But finding the right hire takes time (and hours of resume-sifting). 

That’s what our Embedded Consulting practice is for. We’ve already vetted top talent, so you can skip the search and start planning your next great event sooner. 

Let’s find your next events pro.

By Andrea Swangard, Kelly Schermer

Image by Julianne Medenblik

In B2B tech, a robust partner network is invaluable—a community of brand evangelists selling your product can significantly boost your ROI. But your partners’ success depends on their ability to build a strong pipeline and convert leads. That’s why co-marketing is an essential piece of partner onboarding. The trick is balancing high-touch support for potentially valuable partners with the need for efficiency as you scale. 

Here are some popular signs that your partner co-marketing strategies might be ready for a remodel: Partners are asking the same questions repeatedly; self-serve resources are underutilized and overlooked; internal onboarding teams overinvest in partners who don’t bring in leads; and scaling the existing onboarding process is unsustainable. Sound familiar? 

A recipe for successful co-marketing 

2A collaborated with a major cloud provider to create an excellent experience for ISV partners while removing the internal team’s manual lift. The client restructured their co-marketing onboarding program to empower new, smaller partners to build co-marketing plans at their own pace. The updated program provides context on the overall process and anchors the available resources within it. It also uses a journey format, with activities that help partners strategically organize messaging and co-marketing tactics. 

Using the cloud provider’s guidelines, 2A helped create the onboarding structure, as well as build all supporting assets. We transformed interviews with partner co-marketing experts into content and created a course syllabus and webinar decks with talk tracks. These assets helped partners self-serve and ramp up on co-marketing initiatives without the help of a dedicated partner marketing manager. Through our collaborative, inquisitive approach, we helped the client bring a scalable onboarding program to life.  

While building this content, we discovered key strategies that help make partner programs more effective: 

• Explain benefits and how to make the most of them: Develop clear criteria for partner tiers and incentives, and outline how to use benefits like MDF for co-marketing purposes. 

• Create self-serve resources and tools: Establish a centralized repository for quick, easy access to marketing and sales materials. Develop clear, easy-to-follow guides for product positioning and selling, and templates and frameworks for sales and marketing activities. 

• Provide training on co-marketing and co-selling strategies: Outline effective partnership techniques and provide best practices for joint marketing efforts. Showcase successful outcomes with examples! 

The impact of effective partner enablement 

The goal of this co-marketing program was to empower partners to act independently while maintaining alignment with the client’s brand and sales objectives. By implementing a program like this one, you can significantly enhance your partner relationships, boost sales effectiveness, and create a more scalable partner ecosystem. This can save you time and resources, and lead to more motivated and successful partners, ultimately driving growth for your business. For example, CrowdStrike recently made history as the first cloud-native cybersecurity ISV to earn more than $1B in annual sales from AWS Marketplace. (And yes, we did marketing work for CrowdStrike!) 

Have an idea for a partner co-marketing program, but aren’t sure what assets you need to make it a success? Let us talk you through options! 

By Andrea Swangard, Kelly Schermer

Image by Julianne Medenblik

Call scripts are a key component in the sales enablement toolkit, providing a strategic framework that enhances the performance of even the most experienced sales teams. While seasoned sellers may have extensive product knowledge, call scripts ensure consistent messaging and keep the focus on customers’ needs. They offer a structured approach to sales interactions so reps can confidently address objections, guide conversations effectively, and close deals. 

Scripts vary depending on where customers are in their buying journey, but a well-crafted script can enhance your sales team’s performance at every stage. 

Here’s how: 

Call scripts across the sales funnel 

Awareness: At the top of the funnel, call scripts focus on creating awareness about potential solutions to a customer’s problems. The goal of these calls is to find someone who is interested in the product and wants to continue the conversation. The result of the call might be a follow-up email with more info, an invitation to a webinar or event, or a hand-off to a sales rep. This script should help introduce your product or service at a high level and pique the customer’s interest and curiosity about what’s possible. 

Tip: Tailor the narrative to address your audience’s pain points. Ensure your scripts can identify and speak to the unique challenges of your customers. The rep using this script may not specialize in the product, so you’ll want to provide context about the solution and the strategy behind it. This background info can help them understand and be more empathetic to customer challenges.

Consideration: As customers move into the consideration stage, call scripts shift to ensuring they’re connected with the right person and qualifying leads. This script should focus on generating deeper interest in the solution and addressing specific needs and concerns. Help the customer identify and prioritize their most compelling and immediate use case. The sales rep can then assign technical resources to help build a plan and accurately scope the project. 

Tip: Balance structure with flexibility. Here’s where you might shift from a call center to an internal sales team that may or may not have expertise speaking to the customer’s specific use case or pain points. While scripts provide a framework, you should still allow room for personalization and natural conversation. This can be especially helpful for experienced sellers who know how to adapt to different situations.

Decision: In the final stage of the funnel, call scripts become more sophisticated, focusing on addressing concerns and handling objections. At this point, the customer likely has a pricing quote, proposal, or statement of work. You need a script to help knowledgeable sellers quickly surface and address concerns, objections, or reservations. This may involve comparisons with competitors, so sellers will need to know how to discuss competitive advantages and handle highly specific and technical questions. 

Tip: Incorporate third-party insights. Whenever possible—but especially in later funnel stages—include relevant statistics and analysis from reputable sources such as analyst reports. This can add credibility to your arguments and help address specific concerns. Make sure your scripts stay relevant by keeping them current with the latest market trends and competitive insights.

Script your way to success 

Using well-crafted call scripts across the sales funnel can help your team communicate more effectively, address prospects’ needs more precisely, and drive better sales outcomes. Need help putting together the right call scripts for your teams? We can help! 

By Ashley JoEtta

Image by Nicole Todd

Great messaging should be a unifier—a story everyone can tell with confidence. But too often, organizations end up with different versions of their story across departments. Leadership talks vision, sales fine-tunes the pitch, engineers dive into the details, and partners add their own spin. Without a shared foundation, the message morphs along the way, leaving customers with more confusion than clarity. 

That’s where 2A comes in. We’ve spent over a decade helping companies—from scrappy startups to global enterprises—cut through the noise and land on messaging that sticks. Our messaging and positioning frameworks (MPFs) aren’t solely documents; they’re blueprints for how teams talk about what they do across sales, marketing, and leadership. We’ve refined our approach through hundreds of engagements, striking the ideal balance between structure and adaptability. 

To break down what makes a great MPF, we sat down with Director of Consulting Sarah Silva, who has helped lead countless 2A messaging sessions. Here’s what she had to say. 

Why do companies trust 2A’s MPF process? 

Sarah: Because we make it collaborative. Messaging is hard. When you’re too close to your product, it’s tough to see what really resonates. Our process brings teams together in working sessions, where we challenge assumptions, debate word choices, and land on messaging that actually feels right. Clients trust us because we don’t just write—we listen, refine, and push for clarity. 

How does 2A prepare for MPF development? 

Sarah: Our storytellers are strong writers first. Tech expertise comes with research and curiosity. Before a session, we dig deep—reading client materials, analyzing competitors, and tapping into our own experiences. But the real magic happens in the room. We don’t just stick to a script; we follow the conversation, ask the right follow-ups, and help teams see their own messaging in a new way. 

What’s a common misconception about MPFs? 

Sarah: That they’re painful to build. A lot of teams think it’ll be a slow, frustrating process. But we make it engaging, fast, and productive. We get stakeholders talking, debating, and landing on messaging they actually believe in. 

How do MPFs set businesses up for success? 

Sarah: MPFs make everything easier. We provide short, medium, and long copy blocks, benefit statements, and use cases—so teams aren’t starting from scratch every time they need content. Most clients immediately use their MPF to build ebooks, infographics, and sales materials, which makes content creation faster and keeps everything consistent. 

What’s an unexpected way 2A approaches messaging? 

Sarah: Instead of starting with writing, we start with themes. Before defining pillars and benefits, we identify the big ideas driving the messaging. That sparks discussion and helps teams recognize their strengths from a new angle. It’s a step that surprises people but makes a big difference. 

How does 2A balance creativity with clarity? 

Sarah: We meet clients where they are. Some want playful, conversational messaging, while others need a more direct approach. Either way, we make sure the messaging is crisp, compelling, and ready to use. 

Need messaging that sticks? We’ve got you. Whether it’s a product, solution, or joint messaging framework, 2A helps teams land on messaging that works. Let’s chat.

By Carolyn Lange

Image by Julianne Medenblik

Selling is part charisma, part strategy, and a whole lot of confidence. But even the best sales reps can see their performance falter if they’re constantly scrambling for the right information. That’s where sales enablement resources make all the difference. 

Let’s break down three key moments where the right content can give your team an edge.

1. Engage them 1:1 

Your sales team’s first touchpoint sets the tone for the entire engagement. When your team knows exactly how to start the conversation, they can approach every interaction with confidence. 

• Invite and follow-up email—A strong first email inviting a prospect to talk sets expectations, and a timely follow-up message keeps the conversation moving. 
• Call script—This gives your reps a clear roadmap for conversations, so they’re never left searching for the right words. 

2. Make it personal 

Once you have a prospect’s attention, it’s time to tailor the conversation. When sales reps have the right proof points and visuals, they control the conversation instead of reacting to it. 

• Pitch deck—A well-structured, visually engaging presentation helps your team tell a compelling story. 
• Joint solution pitch deck—If you’re selling alongside a partner, a unified story strengthens your offering. 
• Click-through demos and UI-based videos—Show, don’t tell. A clear product walkthrough makes it easy for prospects to understand value. 

3. Leave ’em with answers 

Great sales teams don’t just pitch and disappear. They leave behind assets that keep the momentum going and give prospects what they need to move forward. When sales teams have the right follow-up materials, they can anticipate questions and keep deals moving forward. 

• Datasheet—A concise, easy-to-reference document with key specs and details makes it easy to substantiate value. 
• Customer story—Real-world success stories build credibility and trust. 
• Whitepaper—A deeper dive that decision makers can use to justify their choices. 

A strong sales enablement strategy keeps your team prepared. At 2A, we create content that helps teams close deals with confidence. If you’re ready to build a field-ready kit that sets up your team for success, let’s talk. 

By Jane Dornemann

Image by Suzanne Calkins

Gossip (for nerds) 

• Even though its cloud division underperformed, quarterly earnings for Amazon surpassed expectations. Profits were up 88% from a year ago! Everyone was on Amazon buying canned goods and oxygen canisters because soon we won’t be able to go outside without having to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the half-zombie half-human who used to be our neighbor while a nuclear bomb explodes in the background. 
• In Microsoft’s quarterly earnings report, AI revenue was $3B above forecast. However, its cloud earnings fell short (the exact words from UBS analysts were “far worse than expected”), which led stock to dip 5%. 
• While AWS ramps up data center spending, Microsoft canceled leases with at least two private data center operators. It currently leases data center capacity from various suppliers, but recent cancellations may signal an oversupply (an “AI bubble”) issue—slow customer payoffs and the arrival of DeepSeek are two reasons why demand may be cooling. 
• So, what does this all mean for next quarter? Microsoft’s CFO says it’ll probably fall short again, citing influences like foreign exchange rates and businesses not dedicating budgets to AI. Also, spitting truth: “Customers feel that ‘sorely needed features, enhancements, and fixes to core products’ have been put to the side ‘in favor of trying to build a Copilot into everything.’” 
• A Microsoft executive said AI will transform wealth management, making it easier for smaller entities like startups to compete with big banks. This is because of AI’s ability to condense data and reduce costs. Specifically, agentic AI can replace people in jobs like customer advisement and portfolio construction with AI. 
• Is AWS the technology version of Carrie Bradshaw, who spends all her rent on shoes? The cloud giant is doling out the equivalent of a year’s revenue (~$100B) on infrastructure to support AI. 
• Have you ever renovated a kitchen? Here’s the tech version of that. 
• Microsoft doesn’t want Donald Trump to advance limits on AI chip exports to Chinese companies, and says doing so would be a “strategic misstep.” Oh really, has that happened lately? 
• According to a report from AWS, European startups are adopting AI much faster than their large enterprise counterparts—creating a “two-tier AI economy.” 
• Leaked documents revealed that Microsoft is far more involved with the Israeli military and its operations than previously known. 
• Allegations that DOGE is feeding sensitive Department of Education data to AI using Microsoft Azure is alarming to cybersecurity experts (and everyday people, too). 
• There are no private memos, OK? Just write like it’s gonna be leaked, because the people need their corporate bread and circuses. In this month’s leaked memo, managers will need to manage more, but also less. 
• CrowdStrike has made history as the first cloud-native cybersecurity ISV to earn more than $1B in annual sales from AWS Marketplace. Why yes, we DID do marketing work for them. 

Wheelin’ and dealin’ 

• Mondelēz International, the snacks and confectionary company that produces Oreos and Sour Patch Kids—which are chock full of red dye 3 and make your kids lose their goddamn minds—is moving to AWS. 
• Investigative analytics software provider Cognyte is integrating its solution to be deployable with Microsoft Azure. This will bring Cognyte tools into Azure to process and analyze unstructured data. Am I ever going to read something about data and not think of The Goonies? Probs not. 
• Following an investment from Microsoft, Veeam will build AI products. Veeam’s core products focus on cybersecurity. 
• VC firm General Catalyst is partnering with AWS to co-develop and deploy integrated AI products for healthcare—predictive care insights, diagnostics, patient engagement, and platform interoperability. My favorite part of this article is that they included the misspelling in Matt Garma’s emailed quote. Someone get ahead of this man and send him a there-they’re-their primer. 
• AWS is going to help Honda transition from hardware-based vehicles to software-based ones using generative AI, IoT, and AWS compute. And, in partnership with AWS, automotive technology company Valeo is building new solutions for software-defined vehicles. 
• Wow, AWS really is putting the wheeling back into dealing because there is more vroom vroom news. AWS is expanding its presence as the global technology provider for SRO Motorsports Group to “digitally transform the science of racing.” 
• Educational publisher Pearson is expanding its use of AWS, including AI capabilities, to further personalize learning. 
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is collaborating with AWS to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer research by applying AI to multimodal data. The deal will also support AI-powered drug discovery efforts. Montefiore Health System is doing similar stuff with AWS. 
• Clinical AI company Aidoc has entered into a strategic collaboration with AWS, which will start with optimizing Aidoc’s CARE Foundation Model. The FM helps doctors with real-time identification of suspected critical conditions. 
• Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton is working with AWS to “enhance technology for federal agencies.” Great timing. 
• Snowflake is expanding its partnership with Microsoft to bring OpenAI’s advanced models straight to customers through Snowflake Cortex AI on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. 
• Faros AI is collaborating with Microsoft to bring its data platform for optimizing engineering to Azure. 

Ma’am, I’m going to have to call security 

• A hacker named Codefinger (ewww) is targeting Amazon S3 buckets, and the ransomware campaign is so effective, organizations are reporting that they can’t shut it down without issuing payment. This could potentially affect supply chains. Um…it’s Cadbury crème egg season, so there better not be supply chain problems. 
• Russian scammers are posing as Microsoft tech support on Microsoft Teams, even doing video calls in some cases and getting employee permission to take over screens! Can you imagine watching someone download malware on your computer screen in real time? Talk about a bad day. 

World domination 

• Microsoft went into full diva mode with its creation of a NEW FORM OF MATTER. That’s right—its “topological qubit” is not gas, liquid, or solid, and it can be used to drive quantum computing (which Microsoft researchers now believe is years away instead of decades). 
• The AWS cloud region in Thailand, which includes three Availability Zones, is now up and running. Microsoft is planning to build there but it hasn’t yet. In Singapore, AWS unveiled its Asia-Pacific hub office. 
• AWS announced a $5M investment in “mega data centers” for Central Mexico. 
• The UK has dropped its investigation into a potentially anti-competitive deal between Microsoft and OpenAI—for now, regulators say. 
• Years after Europe asked for more data sovereignty, Microsoft completed its EU Data Boundary project. This will allow EU countries to remain compliant with local regulations, such as storing data in European Free Trade Association regions. 
• AWS launched a CloudFront Edge region in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and hopes to have a fully operational cloud region by 2026. And Saudia Arabia’s STC Group will work with AWS to speed up AI-powered innovation. 
• I didn’t know there was any room left in New York City, but apparently there is, because AWS launched a new, upgraded Local Zone Edge location there. 
• Australia has entered a Whole-of-Government agreement with AWS. And Australian CommBank extended its agreement with AWS to include customer service optimization and AI innovation. 
• India will see $15B in data infrastructure investments from AWS. Also, India’s Tata Power will use AWS AI and IoT to improve things like predictive maintenance for grid resilience. 

New stuff 

• AWS previewed its Salesforce Contact Center with Amazon Connect, which helps service reps avoid platform switching and gives them a choice in the digital channels they use. So, now Karens can unload all their repressed existential angst and political fear on someone either through Salesforce or Connect. 
• It must be Christmas because Santa has visited us all, and in his sleigh is the best present of all: no more Chime. You’d think it would be hard to come up with a gift that every single person on Earth would be happy to receive, but NO, it wasn’t hard.
• And following suit, Microsoft is retiring Skype and moving users toward Teams. 
• AWS issued a new rule for third-party SaaS vendors on Marketplace that want a discount: They’ll need to be running 100% on AWS. 
• Microsoft’s new podcast, Leading the Shift, will feature interviews with experts, customers, and partners on what they’re doing with AI, data, and the cloud. 
• Are we all ready for Microsoft Build? This reporter expects several Copilot announcements.
• Welcome the o3-mini reasoning model to the world, now available in Microsoft Azure OpenAI.

By Liz Mangini

Image by Suzanne Calkins

Account-based marketing (ABM) is all about precision—focusing your efforts on the accounts that matter most. It’s about working smarter, not harder, by zeroing in on opportunities where you see the biggest potential. While it’s heavily focused on sales, marketing still has a big role to play. To make ABM work, your sales team must be armed with the right tools and marketing resources to convert leads into sales. Here’s how to ensure they’re set up for success—from the initial conversation to closing the deal. 

Deliver a persuasive pitch 

With ABM, your sellers will engage in a lot of personalized, one-on-one conversations with prospects. They’ll need to know your product(s) inside and out to be especially persuasive. Here’s what will help: 

• Invite and follow-up email templates help your team engage right away and continue to nurture leads. These emails keep your brand top of mind and move the prospect closer to a decision. Plus, sellers should personalize the message to detail how your solution can help their particular business. 
• Call scripts ensure sellers stay on track while keeping the conversation flexible. These scripts guide them through common questions by providing key talking points about your solution, allowing room for authentic dialogue. 
• Pitch decks should speak directly to the prospect’s needs, showing how your solution solves their specific challenges with clear visuals and compelling value. 
• Click-through demos let potential customers explore your product on their own. They provide an interactive experience that highlights value without pressure. 

Handle objections and compete effectively 

In any sales pitch, prospects will come up with reasons why it’s not the right time to buy. Sometimes they’re not sold on the investment; other times, they’re considering a competing product. Sellers should expect these objections and know how to handle them confidently. 

• Objection handling guides include common objections and answers that sellers can use to turn “no” into a chance to showcase your product’s benefits. 
• Compete battlecards equip sellers with an understanding of the market landscape and competing products. Battlecards highlight key differences at the organizational or product level, helping sellers position yours as the best option. 

Provide proof and build trust 

After initial conversations with prospects, sellers should maintain momentum by showcasing the results customers can expect. Whether it’s a standout success story or in-depth information that answers technical questions, sellers should reach out to build trust in your product. 

• Solution briefs outline how your product solves their specific problem, providing a deeper dive into its value. 
• Case studies showcase real-world examples that build credibility. Success stories that prospects can relate to are a quick way to highlight wins. 
• Whitepapers offer research-backed insights and are for prospects who need more detailed information. 

ABM is about pursuing valuable deals with laser focus. By equipping your sales team with these key resources, they can engage effectively, overcome objections, and close deals quickly, driving revenue growth. 

Reach out to get started!