The M4 Model: Crafting meaningful, memorable, metrics-based, and Microsoft-aligned messaging

In today’s competitive landscape, effective messaging is about more than just words—it’s about creating meaningful connections that inspire action. And for Microsoft partners that are trying to engage in co-sell, the challenge is to not only capture customers’ attention, but that of the Microsoft field as well—opening doors to deeper collaboration, increased visibility, and accelerated deal cycles.

That’s why Cadence Preferred and Microsoft partnered to develop the M4 Messaging Model: a proven framework that helps partners craft messaging that resonates deeply, inspires purchase consideration, and drives joint co-sell opportunities with Microsoft.

What is the M4 Messaging Model?

Based on cognitive research and insights gleaned from hundreds of successful Microsoft partner engagements, the M4 Messaging Model is comprised of four foundational concepts:

• Meaningful

• Memorable

• Metrics-based

• Microsoft-aligned

Essentially, the goal is to incorporate these four “M”s into your messaging to ensure that it is meaningful to the target audience, memorable among all the noise, metrics-based to prove value, and Microsoft-aligned to resonate with your Microsoft counterparts. It’s important to note that for the M4 approach to be effective, it should be leveraged on a segment-by-segment basis—meaning you should first carefully identify targeted customer segments and then repeat this methodology to create curated messaging for each.

1. Meaningful

Meaningful messaging puts the customer at the center. It’s about not just conveying the differentiated value of your solution, but how you can address the customer’s individual needs in ways that are distinctly resonate. What you offer must be unique, and what you say must matter to the prospect.

Crafting meaningful messaging starts with thinking about who exactly your target audience is—factors like industry, company size, department or role of the decision-makers—and considering how these things influence what they care about. Then consider what these factors tell you about what their key business objectives might be, as well as challenges or pain points. You want to ensure your messaging hits on how you can help the customer address these particular areas, with the benefits of your solution framed in relation to their needs and goals.

Next, you want to think about how you can tailor your messaging to the specific context and language of the customer segment. This means thoughtfully incorporating terminology that is specific to your audience’s role, industry, or other aspects to show that you understand them. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

For an ISV partner targeting HR leaders, you may pivot certain generic words with more industry-specific terms. For instance:

• “Recruiting” becomes talent acquisition

• “Training” becomes talent development

  
  

Similarly, for a CSP partner targeting private equity firms, you may consider working in (where it makes sense of course) industry-specific words or phrases that these individuals identify with. For example, terms like:

• Exit velocity

• Cash-on-cash return

  
  

Also critical to meaningful messaging is demonstrating the unique, differentiated value of your solution. In other words, why should customers care about your solution over others? Consider the following prompts to help you identify your key differentiators:

• What is the most important outcome you enable?

• Why do you win new business?

• What do your customers consistently say they love about working with you?

• What do you bring to the table that none of your competitors do?

  
  

Try to think outside the box a little here. If you and all your competitors are making the same generic claims—24/7 support, experienced technicians, etc.—it’s going to all sound like noise to your customers. To stand apart, you want to focus your messaging on how you are different, more qualified, or offer customers something that no one else in your arena can.

2. Memorable

Memorable messaging uses unique words or phrases that stand out and grab the customer’s attention, evoking an emotional response and resonating with their priorities. While talking in the customer’s language and terminology (as discussed in the previous section) plays a part here too, we want to go a few steps further to make the message really stick with them.

One way is to reference relevant issues, trends, and current events going on within the customer’s industry or product area, which are often drivers of significant business initiatives—for instance, how recently imposed tariffs are creating pricing and potential supply chain issues for retailers. By doing this you’re not just showing the customer that you understand them and their unique needs, but setting up an opportunity to demonstrate how you can help address those challenges or priorities.

Another way to stand out is incorporating an attention-grabbing tagline or phrase that talks to your differentiation or unique benefit. Think of popular brand catch-phrases that have stuck with you—like Nike’s “Just do it”, or Staples’ “That was easy”. Phrases like these are not only memorable and have likely lived in your head rent-free for years, but they also evoke a feeling—Nike’s slogan alludes to overcoming obstacles or fears and going for your goals, while Staples’ slogan nods to making a mundane task simple and fast. So, consider how you could make a memorable phrase out of things that you do really well, what your customers love most about working with you, or even incorporating a metric that can make an impact—think Geico’s "15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance."

Tip: Try asking Copilot to help inspire some creative and catchy taglines or phrases based on your key benefits and differentiators!

3. Metrics-based

In today’s crowded market, claims alone aren’t enough—you need to back up your value with evidence. That’s where metrics-based messaging comes in—transforming abstract promises into concrete outcomes. The idea here is ground your claims in credible proof points and data to build trust and credibility. Metric-based proof can take many forms, including:

• Quantitative results: ROI figures, cost savings, performance improvements, time-to-value reductions

• Customer success stories: Real-world examples and stats from successful customer engagements

• Quotes and testimonials: Statements from satisfied customers or Microsoft sellers that reinforce your value

• Third-party validation: Certifications, industry recognitions, or industry benchmarks

• Research and analysis: Proprietary studies, analyst reports, or adoption rates

When engaging in co-sell with Microsoft, metrics-based messaging is especially powerful. Microsoft sellers are more likely to champion solutions that have proven results and can be easily positioned to customers. Metrics help your Microsoft counterparts understand the business impact of your offering and gives them confidence in bringing it into conversations with their accounts.

4. Microsoft-Aligned

By ensuring your messaging is aligned with Microsoft priorities and methodologies you’re showing that you can “talk the talk and walk the walk” with the things Microsoft cares about and the way they go to market. It’s not just about mentioning Microsoft products that are part of or integrate with your solution; it’s about demonstrating how your solution fits into Microsoft’s broader vision, priorities, and ecosystem. This alignment helps Microsoft sellers immediately see the joint value of your offering, making them more likely to engage, support, and co-sell with you. Some things to consider and familiarize yourself with:

• Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) priorities for the current year and which area your solution aligns with

• The Microsoft Customer Engagement Methodology (MCEM) and Microsoft’s strategy for moving customers through the sales cycle

Think about how you can position your solution as an enabler of Microsoft’s strategic goals—whether that’s migration and modernization, AI solutions and copilots, Microsoft 365, or security. It signals to Microsoft that you’re not just a vendor, but a strategic partner ready to drive joint success.

Get started

The M4 Messaging Model provides a clear, actionable framework for partners to create powerful messaging that is customer-focused, credible, and strategically positioned for Microsoft co-sell success—but it takes some work! Our M4 Messaging Workshop is built on experience from delivering hundreds of partner messaging engagements, designed to help walk you through this framework and develop co-sell ready messaging without the guesswork. Connect with us today to learn more!