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Skill 29 · Knowledge Base For Startups
Subchapter 29.41
references/learn/business-growth/maximizing-your-b2b-success-on-aws-marketplace.mdMarkdown7 KBView on GitHub
For startups experiencing rapid growth, creating a go-to-market (GTM) strategy often competes with core business priorities. Many startups turn to to accelerate their sales and procurement processes while focusing on product development.
By listing your products on AWS Marketplace, you can streamline the sales process, reach new customers, and grow your business. A Forrester Consulting study (opens in a new tab) shows that businesses using AWS Marketplace as part of their GTM strategy achieve 81 percent greater returns, 40 percent faster sales cycles, and 80 percent larger deal sizes.
However, the AWS Marketplace journey doesn’t end once you’ve decided to co-sell and have built your product listing. To maximize AWS Marketplace’s capabilities and reach more customers, you need to design and execute a strategic plan that delivers results.
After listing your product on AWS Marketplace and completed seller registration (opens in a new tab), start using the APN to connect with AWS customers and account teams. Through APN, you can develop co-marketing and co-selling strategies, validate solutions through AWS Foundational Technical Review (opens in a new tab), and share leads via AWS Customer Engagements (ACE) (opens in a new tab). AWS provides additional incentives for closing deals through the AWS ISV Accelerate Program (opens in a new tab). The APN’s resources help differentiate your startup and demonstrate value.
Your AWS Marketplace listings should match products you sell through other channels. This consistency lets customers easily purchase while benefiting from AWS consolidated billing. Consider adding features that enhance the buying experience, such as SaaS Free Trials, Request Demo, and Request Private Offer buttons.
Deploy the right tools and resources to manage your business effectively. Spread AWS Marketplace operations across teams rather than concentrating them with one person. Train finance and sales teams to understand AWS Marketplace’s impact and give them access to agreements and renewals dashboards (opens in a new tab). Use AWS educational resources to address common questions and resolve operational issues.
Embrace all AWS Marketplace transactions—from renewals to new business—and align your strategies with AWS goals. Set clear financial targets and develop key performance indicators to measure success. Compare sales cycles and win rates between AWS Marketplace deals and other channels to optimize performance.
Equip your sales teams with suitable tools and compensation to prioritize AWS Marketplace. Remove friction points to strengthen alignment between field teams and AWS Marketplace. Consider offering sales performance incentive funds to drive adoption, and work with Channel Partners to expand reach. For channel-heavy businesses, identify top AWS Marketplace-authorized partners and develop Channel Partner Private Offers (opens in a new tab).
Maintain an ongoing optimization mindset. Integrate AWS resources into your content, provide specific AWS Marketplace training, and deliver information through various formats. Regular review and updates ensure your operations align with all COSS framework pillars (opens in a new tab).
After implementing the COSS framework, focus on identifying your ideal AWS Marketplace customers. Start with immediate opportunities such as customers due for renewal or existing AWS accounts. To enable effective co-selling with AWS, enter all opportunities into ACE.
Create a clear customer profile that defines:
AWS Marketplace provides key tools to identify opportunities, qualify buyers, and drive successful sales through:
Your application’s architecture determines which AWS Marketplace product delivery methods (opens in a new tab) best fits your needs. These include:
Select the delivery method that matches your solution and target customers’ needs. You can implement multiple delivery methods if your solution requires it.
Align your pricing strategy with AWS Marketplace features by considering:
For low-touch, self-service sales, consider:
For high-touch sales using AWS Marketplace as a procurement channel, consider:
You can then select from AWS Marketplace’s supported pricing models. These include:
Finally, review the complete pricing models for each product type that AWS Marketplace supports here (opens in a new tab).
After establishing your co-selling foundation, commit to continuous improvement. Use AWS Partner Central (opens in a new tab) resources to:
Working with AWS stakeholders will help build and strengthen relationships between key members of your team and those at AWS. This can help:
By following the COSS framework, targeting the right customers, and implementing optimal pricing and deployment strategies, you will build a strong co-selling foundation. Learn how to accelerate your growth further and strengthen your GTM relationship with AWS in our next article on the AWS Global Startup Program.