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The Renewal Moment Most Business Central Partners Are Missing
Why the 90 Days Before Renewal Is the Strongest Upsell Window You’ll Ever Get
Every Business Central indirect reseller knows the renewal cycle well.
What fewer partners fully leverage is this simple truth:
Renewal is the only moment when customers are already thinking about value, cost, and future fit -all at once.
And that makes it the perfect time to introduce Dynamics 365 Sales Professional as an extension of Business Central, not an add-on.
Renewals Are No Longer “Tick-the-Box” Conversations
Business Central customers today are under pressure:
- Sales teams want better visibility
- Management wants forecasting
- Finance wants fewer sales mistakes
- Everyone wants fewer spreadsheets
Yet many renewals still focus on:
- Seat counts
- Pricing adjustments
- Contract terms
That’s a missed opportunity.
Because the real question customers are silently asking is:
“Are we getting enough value from this platform as we grow?”
Why Sales Pain Peaks Just Before Renewal
Here’s what typically happens 6–9 months before renewal:
- Sales teams are managing opportunities in Excel
- Quotes are manually recreated in BC
- Forecasts are based on gut feel
- Finance disputes pricing after deals are closed
- Leadership asks for pipeline reports no one trusts
None of this is a Business Central failure.
It’s simply a sign that the customer has outgrown BC’s native CRM capabilities.
That’s your signal.
Sales Professional Is the Cleanest, Least Risk Upsell
Dynamics 365 Sales Professional is not a replacement for Business Central -and that’s exactly why it works.
Clear system ownership:
- Sales Professional manages leads, opportunities, pipelines, and quotes
- Business Central remains the financial system of record
Standard Microsoft integration:
- Accounts and contacts sync via Dataverse
- Products, pricing, and customers are governed by BC
- Quotes flow from Sales into BC for order and invoice processing
No third-party tools.
No custom development.
No disruption to finance.
This is critical at renewal time -customers want certainty, not experimentation.
The Renewal Value Proposition Customers Can’t Refuse
Instead of leading with features, lead with risk reduction and efficiency:
“What if your sales team could…”
- Forecast accurately without Excel
- Quote using BC pricing without finance rework
- See invoice and payment status without logging into BC
- Hand over clean deals to finance every time
And finance:
- Keeps full pricing and tax control
- Eliminates duplicate customer records
- Reduces billing disputes
- Protects audit boundaries
This is not more software.
It’s less friction.
Why Timing Matters More Than Discounting
Pre-renewal is when:
- Budget conversations are already open
- Leadership is reviewing system ROI
- Users are vocal about pain points
- Procurement is engaged
Position Sales Professional as:
“A way to protect your Business Central investment -not replace it.”
That framing changes the conversation completely.
How Indirect Resellers Should Run This Motion
- 90–120 days before renewal, request a value review
- Ask one question:
“How are you currently managing sales pipeline and forecasting?” - Show how Microsoft designed Sales Professional specifically for BC customers
- Demonstrate the quote-to-invoice flow -end to end
- Anchor the conversation on process maturity, not licensing
You’re no longer selling seats.
You’re selling operational confidence.
Final Thought
Renewals are not administrative events anymore.
They’re strategic checkpoints.
Partners who use the renewal window to introduce Business Central + Sales Professional don’t just retain customers -they expand accounts, strengthen trust, and future-proof relationships.
The opportunity is already there.
You just need to show customers the next step.
