Blog

Co-Selling First Principles

September 2, 2024

TL/DR

To see faster growth from co-selling companies must embrace and enforce the first principles of common decency when selling with partners. Much like the golden rule we all learned in kindergarten, these co-selling first principles sound obvious, but can are hard to adopt and build-in to your organization’s DNA. 

There are some fundamental principles that must be embraced and enforced across sales teams for companies to see faster growth from co-selling.  It’s not enough to have co-selling friendly policies on paper, they must be enforced to be truly embraced and woven into the DNA of your sales organization. 

As you consider The Co-Selling Manifesto and build your business case for co-selling transformation, please consider what it will take to get your sales teams to adopt and enforce these co-selling first principles:

  1. Put the customer first. Align with partners that can help each customer, or each new buyer, be successful. 
  2. Respect relationships. If a partner brings you into an account where they have built a strong relationship, say thank you and ask: “how can I help?” 
  3. Don’t be an asshole. Never sabotage a partner’s deal by bringing in their competitor. 
  4. Build a coalition. Identify and engage with all the partners that have relationships with your buyer. 
  5. Don’t compete against your partners. Never compete with a partner that brought you into an opportunity or a relationship with a new potential buyer.
  6. Let the relationship owner take the lead. Embrace a supporting role to win the deal with less friction. 
  7. Activate the whisper network. Engage partners to endorse your solution at the moments that matter.  
  8. Be comp neutral and channel agnostic. Let your buyers choose how they want to purchase, and pay your reps the same whether they close the deal directly, through a partner, or on a cloud marketplace. 

To learn more about co-selling best practices we recommend you read:

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