The deal looks perfect. Enterprise prospect, strong fit, active buying cycle. Your partner brought the opportunity, your product solves the problem, both sales teams are engaged.
Then confusion sets in. Who owns the relationship? Who runs discovery? Who presents the demo? Who negotiates pricing? Your rep and their rep start duplicating effort, sending conflicting messages, stepping on each other's toes.
The prospect gets frustrated. The deal stalls. Eventually, it goes to a competitor with simpler sales coordination.
This is the co-selling coordination problem. Partner-sourced deals have 30-40% higher potential deal sizes than direct deals, but they close at lower rates because sales teams don't know how to work together.
After running co-selling motions that generated $100M+ in partner-influenced revenue, I've learned: co-selling success requires explicit playbooks that define who does what, when. Here's how to build them.
Why Co-Selling Falls Apart
Most companies treat co-selling as an improvised collaboration: "Figure it out together." This fails predictably.
The breakdown patterns:
Unclear deal ownership. Both reps think they own the relationship. Or both think the other owns it. Nobody takes responsibility for advancing the deal.
Duplicated outreach. Prospect gets emails from your rep and partner rep on the same day, saying similar things. It looks uncoordinated and unprofessional.
Conflicting information. Partner quotes one price, you quote another. Partner emphasizes certain features, you emphasize different ones. Prospect loses confidence.
Compensation confusion. If the deal closes, who gets credit? How are commissions split? Reps won't collaborate if comp is unclear.
No escalation path. Deal hits a blocker. Neither rep knows who should handle it or what resources to bring in. Momentum dies.
The root cause: companies don't document co-selling processes. They expect reps to "figure it out" in the middle of live deals.
The Co-Selling Role Definition
Before any deal starts, define exactly who does what.
Model 1: Partner-Led, Vendor-Supported
Partner brought the opportunity. They own the relationship and run the sale. You support.
Partner responsibilities:
- Own prospect relationship and communication
- Run discovery and qualification
- Schedule and lead meetings
- Negotiate commercial terms
- Own contract and close process
Your responsibilities:
- Provide product expertise and technical validation
- Deliver product demos (partner introduces, you present)
- Supply competitive positioning and objection handling
- Offer deal desk support for complex pricing
- Join key meetings as subject matter expert
When to use: Partner has existing relationship with prospect, prospect trusts partner, your product is add-on to broader partner solution.
Model 2: Vendor-Led, Partner-Supported
You brought the opportunity or it's in your existing account base. You own the sale. Partner supports.
Your responsibilities:
- Own prospect relationship and communication
- Run discovery and qualification
- Lead demos and presentations
- Negotiate pricing
- Own close process
Partner responsibilities:
- Provide implementation services expertise
- Validate technical requirements
- Offer integration knowledge
- Support post-sale deployment
- Join meetings as needed for specific topics
When to use: Prospect is your existing customer, you found the opportunity, or your product is primary purchase decision.
Model 3: True Co-Selling
Joint opportunity. Neither has stronger claim to ownership. Both companies share deal leadership.
Shared responsibilities:
- Co-own relationship (single coordinated outreach plan)
- Alternate meeting leadership based on topic
- Joint discovery (partner covers business process, you cover technical requirements)
- Collaborative proposal (single joint proposal, not separate proposals)
- Coordinated negotiation
When to use: True strategic partnership where both products are equally important, neither has prior relationship, and deal requires both teams fully engaged.
Define the model before the first prospect interaction. Don't let reps improvise.
The Co-Selling Process Playbook
For each co-selling model, create specific process playbooks.
Stage 1: Opportunity Identification (Days 1-7)
Partner-led model:
- Partner identifies opportunity and registers deal
- Partner confirms prospect fit and qualifies interest
- Partner briefs your team on situation
- Your team confirms you can support (capacity, fit, timing)
- Partner schedules kickoff call with prospect
Stage 2: Discovery (Days 8-21)
Partner-led model:
- Partner runs discovery call, you join to listen and learn
- Partner maps stakeholders and buying process
- You ask product-specific technical questions
- Partner documents requirements
- Joint debrief: is this a qualified opportunity?
Stage 3: Solution Presentation (Days 22-35)
Partner-led model:
- Partner creates meeting agenda and presents business case
- You deliver product demo focused on prospect's requirements
- Partner handles objections related to implementation and services
- You handle objections related to product capabilities
- Partner outlines next steps and timeline
Stage 4: Evaluation (Days 36-60)
Partner-led model:
- Partner manages evaluation process and timeline
- You provide technical resources (trial access, technical validation)
- Partner coordinates with prospect stakeholders
- You supply competitive intelligence and battle cards
- Weekly sync between your rep and partner rep on progress
Stage 5: Proposal and Negotiation (Days 61-75)
Partner-led model:
- Partner creates commercial proposal (you supply product pricing)
- Single proposal that includes both partner services and your product
- Partner leads negotiation with your pricing approval
- You provide deal desk support for non-standard requests
- Partner owns contract execution
Stage 6: Close (Days 76-90)
Partner-led model:
- Partner executes contracts
- You process order through your systems
- Partner leads customer handoff to implementation team
- You coordinate onboarding and customer success transition
- Both teams update CRM and close deal
Document every step. Who does what, by when. No ambiguity.
The Communication Protocol
Co-selling fails when communication isn't coordinated. Set explicit rules.
Rule 1: Single prospect communication thread
All emails to prospect cc both reps (yours and partner's). No separate communication streams. Prospect sees unified front.
Rule 2: Internal sync cadence
During active deals:
- Weekly sync calls between reps (15 minutes max)
- Shared deal notes in CRM (both systems updated)
- Immediate notification of prospect interactions
- 24-hour response time on internal questions
Rule 3: Pre-meeting preparation
Before every prospect meeting:
- 30-minute prep call between reps
- Agree on meeting agenda and objectives
- Define who leads each section
- Align on key messages and positioning
- Confirm follow-up actions
Rule 4: Post-meeting debrief
After every prospect meeting:
- 15-minute debrief between reps
- Document what was learned
- Agree on next steps and owners
- Update shared deal plan
- Flag any issues or concerns
Structure prevents miscommunication.
The Compensation Model
Reps won't co-sell if compensation isn't clear and fair.
Model 1: Origination credit
Whoever brought the deal gets full quota credit. Supporting rep gets influenced deal credit (usually 25-50% of quota value).
Pros: Clear ownership, rewards deal sourcing Cons: Supporting rep may not be fully motivated
Model 2: Split credit
Both reps get full quota credit for closed deal.
Pros: Maximum motivation for both reps Cons: Inflates overall quota attainment
Model 3: Role-based credit
Primary rep gets 100% credit. Supporting rep gets fixed percentage based on role (e.g., 30% for technical validation, 50% for true co-selling).
Pros: Reflects actual contribution level Cons: Requires defining contribution levels upfront
Pick one model and apply it consistently. Changing comp rules mid-quarter destroys trust.
The Escalation Process
Deals hit blockers. Define escalation paths before you need them.
Level 1: Rep-to-Rep
Normal course blockers (scheduling, technical questions, standard objections). Reps resolve together without management involvement.
Level 2: Manager Escalation
Deal stalled, prospect went dark, or internal coordination issues. Sales managers from both companies sync and problem-solve.
Level 3: Executive Engagement
Large deal, executive buyer wants exec-level conversation, or strategic opportunity. Your exec and partner exec join prospect calls.
Level 4: Deal Desk and Legal
Pricing negotiations, non-standard terms, or contract issues. Bring in specialized resources from both companies.
Document when to escalate and who to involve. Don't let reps guess.
The Common Co-Selling Mistakes
Mistake 1: No deal registration process
Partners and direct reps both work same account without knowing it. Create deal registration system where first to register gets primary ownership.
Mistake 2: Waiting until late stage to engage
You bring in partners at proposal stage. Too late. Engage partners at discovery stage to build joint value prop.
Mistake 3: Separate proposals
You send one proposal, partner sends another. Prospect gets confused. Create single joint proposal.
Mistake 4: No joint account planning
You and partner both target same accounts but don't coordinate. Build joint account plans for strategic targets.
Mistake 5: Over-complicating small deals
$10K deal doesn't need full co-selling process. Create simplified playbook for deals under certain threshold.
The Reality
Co-selling generates higher deal sizes and win rates when it's coordinated. It creates chaos and lost deals when it's improvised.
Build explicit playbooks. Define roles. Create communication protocols. Clarify compensation. Document escalation paths.
Your reps will actually know how to work together. That's when co-selling starts working.