I co-founded PartnerTap in 2016 to help sales reps co-sell and win more with partners. This wasn’t an easy problem to solve and there weren’t any co-selling solutions in the market. I know – because I was at SAP Concur at the time and I searched far and wide for a solution that would help me account map, collaborate and co-sell with partners. I searched first on the Salesforce AppExchange. I searched on Google. I asked my partners. There was nothing.
I started researching the market, formed a small team, and designed a product that would help every B2B sales rep sell more. I left my role as the #1 sales rep to build a new company and product. In doing so, I pioneered the new partner ecosystem platform and co-selling software category.
Fast forward eight years and PartnerTap is now the leading partner ecosystem orchestration platform and co-selling solution for enterprise partner and sales teams. I’m really proud to have created this important software category, and even more proud when our customers tell me we are their “most strategic vendor, period.”
Market timing wasn’t great in 2016
It turns out we were a little ahead of our time. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 most B2B sales leaders were still treating partners as optional and celebrating the Lone Ranger sales rep. In 2020 and 2021 enterprises knew they were sitting on a goldmine with their partner ecosystems, but didn’t understand how to unlock all that potential.
Co-selling urgency started in 2022 and 2023
In 2022 and 2023 revenue leaders finally had to face the fact that the old B2B sales playbook wasn’t working very well anymore. The modern B2B buying journey has changed, deals are more complex, and increasing competitive pressures mean sales reps need to work more closely with partners to get into new deals and win deals.
Companies like HPE and Lumen Technologies led their respective industries with innovative new co-selling programs. By the end of 2023 every major enterprise had tasked someone to “figure out our co-selling strategy” in 2024.
The Co-Selling Movement
The co-selling transformation movement really took off in 2024. Revenue leaders knew they had to modernize their B2B sales playbook to support the modern B2B buyer and keep their sales teams competitive.
We could feel the electricity around the co-selling movement at every industry and customer conference we attended this year. Co-selling was a buzz at Channel Partners Expo in March and the Women of the Channel West conference in May. It was a hot topic at the Gartner and Forrester B2B analyst conferences. Co-selling was a top executive conversation at HPE’s Discover Conference, and it’s the #1 pre-registered session at the upcoming Telarus Partner Summit.
We knew the co-selling movement was finally here when we saw our customers had made their own t-shirts to promote their co-selling programs at every conference they attend. Dawnell, we love your shirts!
Growing demand for co-selling expertise
We have been helping the largest companies in the world think through, plan, automate, and scale their modern co-selling programs for over 7 years. Leading a co-selling transformation initiative isn’t for the faint of heart. But it IS for ambitious leaders ready to step up and build a new go-to-market motion for faster sales and growth.
Our team here at PartnerTap are ecosystem and co-selling experts. I’m happy to connect you with our experts if you want to understand what the co-selling transformation process looks like and have a nuanced brainstorming conversation about your specific company, ecosystem, teams, and business case.
Latest research from Salesforce will accelerate co-selling movement
As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, the journey to co-found PartnerTap started with a search on the Salesforce AppExchange. So founders, and executives, will understand my excitement to see the urgency for co-selling validated by the latest State of Sales Report from Salesforce Research. Their brand new report captures the numbers and drivers behind the co-selling transformation movement. Page 9 of their report confirms that within 12 months 95% of companies plan to be selling more with and through partners. You can read more of our analysis of the State of Sales Report and the direct link from that research to the co-selling transformation movement.
There’s so much we’re excited about, and so much to look forward to:
- Helping the next wave of enterprises accelerate their co-selling transformations
- Helping the next generation of leaders step up into the new co-selling career opportunities
- Helping the new emerging “Co-Sell Quarterbacks” set the bar for high-performing pipeline-generating programs
Now is the time to get co-selling programs and technologies built into your 2025 plans and budgets. We’re happy to support you in this first step and in your long-term success.
Thank you to everyone accelerating the Co-Selling Movement.