Co-selling with Microsoft Webinar Recap Part 1
We kicked off the first session of our Mastering Co-sell with Microsoft webinar with an important truth: ISVs can’t afford to treat co-selling as an afterthought.
With enterprise cloud commitments growing 25% YoY (McKinsey) and Microsoft’s ecosystem representing a $400B opportunity, having a strong partnership with your cloud provider isn’t optional anymore—it’s imperative.
For proof, look no further than Rubrik, a 3x Microsoft Co-sell Partner of the Year and Global Healthcare Partner of the Year, whose results speak volumes. With their consistent co-sell strategy in place, the Rubrik team has seen:
- 30% faster deal cycles on co-sell opportunities
- 90%+ renewal rates on co-sell accounts
- 2.5x higher ACV when Microsoft engages early
The proof is in the pudding: co-sell accelerates growth.
But as Jasmine Kronk, Head of Global Alliances at Rubrik, explained, these results didn’t come from one-off introductions. They stemmed from what she calls their “co-sell first” mentality—a strategic approach any ISV can replicate.
Shift your co-sell mindset from tactical to strategic
Many ISVs make the mistake of treating co-selling as:
- A checkbox activity (Just get us the intro!)
- A one-way street (What can Microsoft do for us?)
- An approach reserved only for large deals
Rubrik flipped the script on this with their ‘co-sell first’ strategy.
“Co-sell is our default mentality,” Jasmine explained. “I come from a sales background, and I’ve never had a CRO tell me we have too many champions in a deal. Working with Microsoft creates more champions for our solution—why wouldn’t we make it our default?”
Why this ‘co-sell first’ approach works
Jasmine is really onto something here. Putting co-sell first works for several reasons:
- 💸 Zero impact on deal margin: As Jasmine described, “Co-sell doesn’t cost our organization anything in terms of deal margin.”
- 🤝 Strategic alignment: Co-selling positions your solution as part of the customer’s cloud transformation, which aligns you with their long-term goals and success.
- 📈 Scale through your partnerships: When you co-sell, Microsoft’s field team becomes an extension of your sales team.
Sounds pretty great, right? Let’s break down exactly how Rubrik approaches co-sell to achieve this.
Tackling co-sell together
A huge part of Rubrik’s success comes from how much operational heavy lifting happens behind the scenes, taken care of by Tackle.
As Jasmine put it, “Tackle handles the invisible work that makes co-selling scalable—the MSX updates, pipeline hygiene, and win notifications. This frees us up to focus on what we do best: building strategic relationships.”
How Tackle powers enterprise-grade co-sell
- Automated relationship orchestration
• CRM entries transform into structured MSX opportunities
• Tailored email introductions to set the right tone - Real-time pipeline management
• Visibility across hundreds of global deals, updated in real-time
• Automated win alerts to maintain momentum - Credibility at scale
• The cloud providers know who you are. “Microsoft now knows when we ask to talk, we have a reason—it’s not just junk mail,” Jasmine said.
This system allowed Rubrik to shift from ad-hoc co-selling to what Jasmine calls “programmatic partnership growth.”
Three core pillars of Rubrik’s ‘co-sell first’ playbook
1. Operationalize the co-sell motion 🌐
Rubrik’s co-sell process embodies scalability:
- Rubrik reps initiate co-sell in their CRM when they identify Azure-active accounts
- Tackle auto-populates Microsoft’s co-sell platform, MSX
- The automated email introductions with tailored context
This is a crucial last step. As Jasmine explains, “That initial email is critical. We explain what we want to discuss, why it matters to Microsoft, and the customer outcome that we’re driving. There needs to be value in every conversation—Microsoft sellers don’t have time for networking without purpose.”
Jasmine also emphasized the importance of pipeline hygiene throughout this process. “We’re a high-volume organization. Tackle helps manage our global pipeline upkeep. When deals close, automated win notifications maintain momentum.”
2. Speak Microsoft’s language 💬
Rubrik quickly learned to adapt their messaging after early missteps. “We had to learn terms like ACR vs. Prac—is this a hosted solution or customer-tenant? Now we train our teams to translate our value prop into Microsoft’s priorities.”
Their playbook for training teams involves:
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- Pre-written email templates for common co-sell situations
- Battle cards that map solutions to Azure consumption drivers
- Quarterly alignment meetings with the Microsoft field teams
3. Allocate resources strategically 💡
Jasmine’s team focuses on high-value activities, while, “automation lets us punch above our weight.”
Rubrik thoughtfully divides key resources:
- In-house: strategic messaging and executive relationships
- Automated using Tackle: MSX hygiene, reporting, and alerting
Four common mistakes that derail co-sell
Look out for these common pitfalls that ISVs make when co-selling.
Mistake #1. Leading with an ask instead of value
You’ll see more success with co-selling if you initially offer to give versus ask to take. “We don’t start with, ‘Introduce us to your CIO.’ Instead, we lead with ‘Here’s how we can help your customer accelerate their Azure migration.’” Build the relationship and make it clear how you can provide value before making too many asks.
Mistake #2. Treating Microsoft as a lead generation engine
Make sure you understand what Microsoft’s role is here. Jasmine’s reality check: “It’s not Microsoft’s job to sell our solution. Their job is helping customers grow Azure infrastructure. If our objectives align with that, we earn their attention.”
Mistake #3. Inconsistent engagement
Sporadic communication won’t get the job done. Rubrik’s typical cadence involves weekly MSX updates, bi-weekly opportunity reviews, and quarterly business planning. This consistent engagement makes sure Rubrik stays top of mind and aligned with Microsoft’s objectives.
Mistake #4. Ignoring the ‘why’ behind an incentive
It’s not enough to know what is happening–it’s critical to know why so you can understand motivations and build better relationships. As Patrick Riley noted, “Microsoft’s compensation plans change annually. ISVs must understand what motivates sellers each fiscal year.”
Your co-sell action plan
- Start small: Pick 2-3 strategic accounts.
- Equip sellers: Train on Microsoft priorities and incentives.
- Leverage automation: Use Tackle to streamline MSX management.
- Measure what matters: Track influenced pipeline, not just introductions.
Missed the session? Watch the recording here.
Ready to operationalize co-sell? See how Tackle can help.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll explore how to scale your co-sell efforts.
