AWS Co-Sell Program Best Practices

A successful AWS Co-Sell program is more than submitting opportunities to AWS. It requires clear business objectives, strong alignment with AWS stakeholders, effective sales enablement, and a repeatable process that helps both your organization and AWS achieve customer outcomes. AWS recommends developing a formal co-sell program with defined goals, ongoing education, and continuous measurement to maximize co-sell success.

🎯 1. Define Clear Co-Sell Business Objectives

Begin by establishing measurable business objectives that align with your AWS go-to-market strategy. AWS recommends using SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

Typical objectives include:

• Increase Closed Won opportunities
• Increase AWS-influenced revenue
• Increase AWS Marketplace Gross Software Sales (GSS)
• Increase the number of co-sell opportunities shared annually

Work closely with your AWS Partner Development Manager (PDM) or Partner Development Representative (PDR) when defining these objectives.

🧭 2. Align Program Goals with Business Objectives

Every project within your co-sell program should contribute toward a measurable business objective.

Examples include:

• Increase AWS field engagement
• Conduct regular account mapping sessions
• Present your solution during AWS seller meetings
• Schedule recurring opportunity reviews with AWS

AWS recommends formal enablement sessions and account mapping activities to strengthen collaboration between your sales team and AWS sellers.

🛒 3. Make AWS Marketplace Your Primary Procurement Channel

AWS Marketplace should be positioned as a strategic sales channel.

Benefits include:

• Customers can purchase using existing AWS spend commitments.
• Faster procurement cycles.
• Consolidated AWS billing.
• Higher deal close rates.
• Shorter sales cycles.
• Larger average deal sizes.

Fig. 1

Partners should develop an AWS Marketplace strategy in collaboration with their AWS PDM/PDR.

📚 4. Invest in Sales Enablement

Successful co-selling depends on educating your sales organization.

Sales teams should understand:

• AWS organizational structure
• AWS seller roles
• AWS Marketplace value proposition
• ISV Accelerate Program benefits
• Co-sell process
• Customer qualification
• Available sales assets and playbooks

AWS emphasizes that education and enablement are among the most critical investments in a successful co-sell program.

🚀 5. Follow the Educate → Enable → Engage Framework

AWS recommends a structured enablement model consisting of three stages:

 🎓  Educate

• Train sales teams on AWS co-selling.
• Integrate AWS education into onboarding.
• Measure training completion.

🚀  Enable

• Provide sales playbooks.
• Create pitch decks.
• Develop call scripts.
• Share customer success stories.
• Ensure sellers understand AWS engagement best practices.

🤝  Engage

• Track AWS engagements.
• Collect feedback.
• Incorporate AWS KPIs into sales performance reviews.

Fig. 2

The framework is illustrated in the AWS Co-Sell Enablement Framework (Figure 2).

✅ 6. Submit Only Qualified Opportunities

AWS expects co-sell requests to be based on qualified customer opportunities.

Before creating an outgoing referral, ensure:

• Discovery is complete.
• Technical fit is confirmed.
• Customer budget is identified.
• Decision makers are engaged.
• AWS infrastructure is part of the solution.
• AWS Marketplace procurement is viable.
• Customer intent has been established.

AWS notes that its sales teams rarely engage on unqualified prospect opportunities.

🤝 7. Build Relationships with AWS Stakeholders

Develop relationships with key AWS personnel involved in co-selling, including:

• Account Managers (AM)
• Solutions Architects (SA)
• Cloud Sales Center Representatives (CSC)
• Demand Generation Representatives (DGR)
• ISV Sales Managers (ISM)
• Partner Sales Managers (PSM)
• Marketplace Customer Advisors (CA)

Fig. 3

These stakeholders influence partner engagement and customer opportunities. The key stakeholder roles are illustrated in Figure 3.

📊 8. Establish Internal Co-Sell KPIs

Examples of measurable KPIs include:

• AWS seller meetings completed
• Account mapping sessions conducted
• AWS enablement sessions delivered
• Outgoing referrals submitted
• Referral acceptance rate
• Marketplace transactions
• AWS Marketplace revenue
• AWS-influenced pipeline
• AWS-originated opportunities
• Win rate
• Sales cycle duration
• Expansion revenue

AWS recommends aligning internal KPIs with co-sell objectives and encouraging active engagement with AWS stakeholders.

🛠️ 9. Leverage AWS Resources

Take advantage of AWS tools and resources to streamline co-selling.

Recommended resources include:

• APN Customer Engagement (ACE)
• AWS Partner CRM Connector
• AWS ISV Co-Sell Checklist
• AWS PDM/PDR guidance
• AWS Marketplace Customer Advisors

Using these resources can reduce manual effort and improve the efficiency of managing co-sell opportunities.

🔄 10. Continuously Review and Improve

Regularly review your co-sell program with both internal teams and AWS stakeholders.

Focus on:

• Progress toward annual goals
• Co-sell process improvements
• Education and enablement effectiveness
• Must-win opportunities
• Feedback from AWS stakeholders

AWS recommends continuously iterating your program as AWS processes and customer needs evolve.

📋 Co-Sell Success Checklist

Before creating an outgoing referral:

✅  Customer has completed discovery.

✅  Decision makers are engaged.

✅  Budget has been identified.

✅  AWS services are part of the solution.

✅  AWS Marketplace procurement is planned.

✅  Customer has confirmed buying intent.

✅  Referral description clearly explains:

• Customer challenge
• Proposed solution
• Business outcome
• Expected close date
• Opportunity stage
• Assistance requested from AWS

✅  Sales team has engaged the appropriate AWS stakeholders.

✅  Referral details are accurate and complete.

✅  Opportunity updates are maintained throughout the sales cycle.

🧹 Improve opportunity hygiene

Keep your opportunity complete and current so AWS can accelerate the co-sell engagement. Enrich these fields manually or with the agent:

💡 Key Takeaways

A successful AWS Co-Sell program is built on clear objectives, sales enablement, qualified opportunities, strong AWS relationships, and continuous improvement. Organizations that treat AWS Marketplace as a strategic sales channel, invest in educating their teams, and establish repeatable co-sell processes are better positioned to increase Marketplace transactions, improve collaboration with AWS sellers, and achieve stronger business outcomes.