Stage 2 — Sell

AWS Co-Sell & ACE Support

Co-sell sounds simple: work with AWS sellers to close more deals together. In practice, it requires the right motion, the right relationships, and the right opportunity management to make AWS field teams act.

The Problem

Most Co-Sell Motions Don't Actually Work

AWS Co-Sell through the ACE (AWS Customer Engagements) program is one of the most powerful pipeline levers available to an ISV — in theory. In practice, most companies submit opportunities into ACE and hear nothing back. AWS account executives receive hundreds of co-sell requests. Without the right context, positioning, and relationship foundation, your submissions get deprioritized or ignored entirely.

The companies that get consistent co-sell engagement from AWS aren't the ones with the biggest marketing budgets — they're the ones who understand what AWS sellers actually need to bring a partner product into a customer conversation, and who deliver exactly that.

Why It Matters

Co-Sell Done Right Is a Force Multiplier

AWS-Sourced Pipeline

Active co-sell relationships generate AWS-sourced pipeline — opportunities that wouldn't have found you through your own outbound or inbound channels.

Higher Win Rates

Deals where AWS is actively engaged close at significantly higher rates. AWS seller endorsement reduces buyer risk perception and accelerates decisions.

ISV Accelerate Benefits

Active ACE usage and co-sell metrics directly affect your ISV Accelerate tier — unlocking co-sell funding, dedicated PDMs, and deal registration benefits.

Common Mistakes

What Goes Wrong Without Expert Help

Submitting opportunities without proper context for AWS sellers

ACE submissions that lack AWS-relevant context — customer AWS usage, workload fit, why this matters to the AWS account team — get skipped. AWS sellers need to understand what's in it for them before they engage.

Expecting AWS to do the co-sell work

Co-sell is a two-way motion. Companies that submit opportunities and wait for AWS to drive them will be disappointed. You need a defined engagement model that makes it easy for AWS sellers to participate.

No relationship with the AWS account team before co-sell

Cold co-sell submissions to AWS account executives you've never engaged with have very low response rates. Relationship-building precedes opportunity sharing — not the other way around.

Treating all ACE opportunities the same

Not all co-sell opportunities have equal appeal to AWS. Opportunities involving significant AWS consumption, strategic workloads, or existing AWS relationships get priority. Understanding how to frame opportunities for maximum AWS attention is a skill most ISVs underestimate.

Our Methodology

How We Build Your Co-Sell Motion

1

Co-Sell Readiness Assessment

We evaluate your current ACE setup, existing AWS relationships, opportunity pipeline, and co-sell history — identifying specific gaps that are preventing AWS engagement.

2

ACE Program Configuration

We ensure your ACE account is properly configured with the right product associations, territory alignments, and co-sell preferences — the setup details that most companies get wrong.

3

Co-Sell Messaging & Positioning

We develop AWS-seller-facing messaging: why your product matters to AWS customers, how it drives AWS consumption, and why an AWS account executive should bring you into a deal.

4

Opportunity Submission Playbook

We build a playbook for how to submit opportunities in ACE — including the specific fields, context, and AWS-relevant detail that gets submissions noticed and acted on.

5

AWS Field Engagement Strategy

We identify the right AWS account teams for your target accounts and develop an engagement strategy for introducing your product and establishing co-sell relationships.

6

Co-Sell Metrics & Reporting

We establish tracking for co-sell KPIs — ACE pipeline, AWS-sourced opportunities, win rates, and ISV Accelerate program metrics — so you can demonstrate co-sell ROI internally.

Deliverables

What You Receive

Co-sell readiness assessment report
ACE configuration review and optimization
AWS-seller-facing product messaging and positioning
ACE opportunity submission playbook
AWS field engagement strategy and outreach templates
Co-sell metrics framework and dashboard
Team training on co-sell best practices
Outcomes

What Success Looks Like

Active AWS Engagement

AWS account teams are responding to your ACE submissions and participating in joint opportunities — not ignoring them.

Measurable Co-Sell Pipeline

A growing ACE pipeline with AWS-sourced and AWS-influenced deals that your sales team can track and report on.

ISV Accelerate Tier Progression

Improved co-sell metrics that demonstrate active program participation and support progression to higher ISV Accelerate tiers.

FAQ

Common Questions

ACE (AWS Customer Engagements) is the AWS platform for managing co-sell opportunities between ISVs and AWS account teams. You submit deal opportunities into ACE, and AWS sellers can accept them to co-sell alongside you. ACE activity is also how AWS tracks your co-sell participation for ISV Accelerate program metrics.
No — you can use ACE and co-sell with AWS without ISV Accelerate enrollment. However, ISV Accelerate provides structured co-sell support, dedicated PDM resources, and co-sell funding that significantly improve co-sell outcomes. FTR completion is required for ISV Accelerate enrollment.
Building genuine co-sell momentum takes 3–6 months of consistent effort. Early wins — an AWS seller responding to an ACE submission, a joint customer meeting — can come within weeks with the right approach. We set realistic expectations: co-sell is a relationship-based motion, and relationship-building takes time. The companies that see the fastest results are the ones who commit to consistent engagement rather than episodic bursts.
AWS consumption is one factor but not the only one. AWS sellers also value products that solve problems their customers are actively asking about, that integrate well with AWS services customers are already using, and that help sellers meet quota in their specific verticals. Part of our messaging work is identifying the right co-sell angles for your specific product — even if direct AWS consumption impact isn't the primary story.

Ready to Build a Co-Sell Motion That Actually Works?

Start with a co-sell readiness assessment to understand what's blocking AWS engagement and how to fix it.