Next Level Microsoft Partner Sales & Marketing: Co-sell together

It is that time of the year that Microsoft Partners are finding time to breathe again after a busy time slammed with closing deals, working hard on requests for proposals and maybe if you are lucky being OOF for well-deserved vacation time. When you reflect on your partner business, how was your collaboration with Microsoft during the last year?

With this blog I hope to show you, with practical tips and references in preparation of the new year of business opportunities to partner up and co-sell with your unique Partner Microsoft proposition. Co-selling Microsoft Partner solutions is an absolute priority for Microsoft Sales, Marketing, and the Partner organization! In this blog you will find structured guidance and support on building your solutions, finding the right marketing opportunities, benefits and how to sell together with the right account team to be set up for success together!

Start Co-selling by sharing opportunities with Microsoft

How does it work? You need to have an MPN membership, access to Partner Center, a commercial-ready solution, an engaged sales team, and a strong go-to-market strategy in place as a pre-requisite to start collaborating with Microsoft on specified customer lead or deal.

Tip 1. Make sure that you have the required admin rights - see the partner Docs page. Getting stuck or lost? Review or create a support ticket in Partner Center.

Step 1: Make a plan to get Co-sell ready

Trough Partner Center you will be able to access Solution Workspace to start to create your Partner solution as an offer for the Microsoft Marketplace. Solution Workspace is a checklist containing links to the resources you’ll need as you build your solution, take it to market, and grow your sales. The resources are curated according to the selections you provide while entering your solution details. In other words, they’re personalized to your specific needs.

Different internal stakeholders at your Partner Business need to get involved to be set up for success. With this first step I am offering you insights on resources to help you understand were the requirements and other considerations can be found for your plan.

Tip 1. Feeling overwhelmed with all the extensive possibilities in Partner Center and the use rights attached, it can be easy to get lost or stuck. The Partner Center Docs often provide clarity and the partner referral management training offers helpful resources and guidance. A support request trough Partner Center or Cloud Enablement Desk guidance and engagement can help to keep your pace in getting Co-sell ready.

Watch a video about how to publish and manage co-sell offers in Partner Center.

Your solutions or consultancy value in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace (Azure only) or Appsource (all solutions) should be clear in the offer. While the published solutions should be repeatable and unique, I do suggest to start with a solution that you are actively selling. This way you can soon start sharing leads, become more visible with your proposition and start sharing quick wins to build experience and trust in the process!

To get started you can consider making an internal stakeholder map to start conversations and ask for the commitment to make co-selling a SMART priority. Depending on your organizational structure, you need to consider a buy in from the vendor manager, program manager, sales and marketing. The buy-ins of your stakeholders are an essential ingredient for the formula of success. Another practicality that can't be surpassed is the enrollment in the Commercial Marketplace within Partner Center, see below.

There is a lot of documentation to be found on building and publishing your consultancy service(s) or technical solution(s). For personalized one-on-one and step-by-step guidance, I suggest starting a Cloud Enablement Desk engagement by filling in the intake form.

Tip 2. When you start working on your plan and you would like to add an additional focus to contribute to your reputation as a Microsoft specialized partner, consider attaining an Advanced Specialization. An Advanced Specialization helps partners to differentiate and become more preferred for both, Microsoft and customers to work with, as you have proofed your expertise with for example an audit, review, customer cases, x Microsoft certifications. Use Partner Center to?apply for and check the status of advanced specializations. After you attain an Advanced Specialization your published Co-sell solutions could become prioritized to sell with for Microsoft.

The following links with guidance can help with a better understanding of the practicalities around Co-sell.

• Co-sell with Microsoft?
• Commercial Marketplace publishing documentation?
• Co-sell requirements | Microsoft Docs
• Co-sell Partner engagement guide
• Selling with Microsoft ?
• Co-sell how-to video gallery ?
• ?Create a commercial marketplace account in Partner Center - Azure Marketplace | Microsoft Docs
• Configure Co-sell for a commercial marketplace offer | Microsoft Docs
• Publishing guide by offer type - Microsoft commercial marketplace | Microsoft Docs & training How to publish and manage offers?in the Microsoft commercial marketplace
• Co-sell experience gallery?
• Co-sell referral management documentation
• Co-sell with Microsoft sales teams and partners overview | Microsoft Docs

Tip 3. With all the extensive possibilities in Partner Center and the use rights attached, it can be easy to get lost or stuck. The Partner Center Docs often provide clarity and this partner referral management training offers helpful resources and guidance. A support request trough Partner Center or Cloud Enablement Desk guidance and engagement can help to keep your pace in getting Co-sell ready.

Training: Partner Center referral management (microsoft.com)

Step 2. Manage your business profile

Create a business profile to get Microsoft sales leads and help customers find you. Learn more about how this can be done in Partner Center at Get sales leads - create a business profile - Partner Center | Microsoft Docs. When you have your business profile representing your business, Microsoft can then refer potential customers to your company. With this profile you will also become visible in the?Find a solution provider?customer search experience and start to receive referrals.

Step 3. Learn about and use Solution Workspace and your Partner GTM Benefits

To get your solution or consultancy service Co-sell ready, you need to get the right marketing assets in place. In this step I offer some insights on Solution Workspace and your Partner marketing benefits.

Solution Workspace is the portal that can be found within Partner Center to build, go-to-market and sell with and manage your Co-sell solutions.

As a partner you have access to partner marketing resources according to your partner status. At JW's Smartlinks you can find detailed information on the programs for FY22 that are included in the Partnership without any additional costs.

In regards of becoming Co-sell ready with marketing assets especially the last Go-To-Market offers as mentioned in the picture above can be useful. The Partner Go-to-Market Toolbox offers you the opportunity to show your alignment with Microsoft within your marketing material. Get started by signing into the Partner Go-To-Market Toolbox page.

Partners with a Microsoft competency, ISV partners with a Co-sell ready solution, ISV Connect partners, and partners with a published solution in the Microsoft commercial marketplace will have access to start working on Go-To-Market Offers and Marketplace Rewards.?When you sign into the?My Solutions landing page, you will find your options to go to market together.

When you are ready to excel with further marketing of your Co-sell solution, consider investing in one of the consultancy services mentioned in the Go-To-Market with Microsoft Marketing Services Catalogue.

Tip 4. Consider the utilization of your co-op funding on your Co-sell solutions to be integrated in your marketing year planning. Co-op can be spent on lead-generation, market development and partner readiness. Discuss with your Co-sell stakeholders how to spend it wisely to be set up for succes.

Step 4. Get your Sales involved - Register a new deal

Until you have your first solution published the button to share leads will be grayed out and will prevent you from starting to sell together. This is the part where it gets interesting and where you will start to reap the benefits of Co-selling. In this step I offer insights on the practical steps and the considerations and quality expected to attract the interest of my fellow colleagues. Sharing leads can help you to build a competitive advantage as you could be able to show your trusted relationship with Microsoft as a Partner.

Tip 4. To be successful, I have seen Partners, who have created ownership of their sales ambitions by setting targets and assigning a sales champ to be the Co-sell expert.

Share your leads with Microsoft

To register a new deals go to?Referrals > Deal registrations > Action required?and select?+ New deal. By sharing your opportunities with any other than the ''No help required at this point of time '' option brings your deal to the attention to our Microsoft sellers (only for managed customer accounts) and to our Channel Managers of the Small Midsize Business teams.

There are tips and considerations when registering your deal:

• Quality over quantity!
• Engagement name/ topic naam: FY22 – End customer – Solution name??
• Minimum contract?value/ opportunity size: 100K?or a minimum (25K for very strategic deals) / 5K Azure Consumed Revenue per month / >1500 users / >100 Surface devices
• At the contact field you can fill in (in agreement with the customer the customer contact info) or preferably: the name and email of your partner?sales?representative.
• The BANT-criteria are helpful to define your lead with clarity to the Microsoft sellers. Make sure that at least three out of four criteria are met.

B - Has the customer committed on the budget?

A - Is the authority at the customer on board?

N - Does the customer understand the value or need of your solution?

T - What is the expected timeline? Please don't share Marketing?Qualified?Leads. Share Sales?Qualified?Leads.

Tip 5. Learn from on-demand Inspire sessions on Co-sell engagement with the corporate segment on customers, the vision, account team, partner programs that complement you and your Co-sell solutions: How Microsoft’s Corporate Sales Investments help you build pipeline, drive growth, and standout to customers.

Step 5. Review your success

Registering the deal is only the first step. Follow?these steps to register your deal?in Partner Center and follow up together with the Microsoft account team to get the deal to progress. Keep your opportunity up to date and review how the collaboration is moving forward.

From July 28, partners Co-selling in Partner Center can now download the deal registration data through export feature in Referral insights. To see your Co-sell opportunities insights data, from the Partner Center menu, go to Referrals > Analytics > Co-sell Opportunities.

Partners can download the referral data through the export feature available in Referral insights. This export will also have deal registration data for the Co-sell and Partner-led deals which are eligible for deal registration. This will give a consistent view of referral details, solution details, contract details, deal registration status, deal approved value and other details to partners which are Co-selling in Partner Center.

Tip 6. To be build an understanding of the Microsoft sales plays and sales verticalization that serve your partner solution, check the Microsoft Partner Training Calender for session to attend

Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. With this blog I hope to have giving you insights and benefits. It is far for complete, but with the links I hope to have given you a (sort of) compact blog and offer you a further opportunity to research, build and sell.