Ruben Bellaert

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Most B2B companies hit a ceiling because they rely solely on direct sales. But growth doesn’t have to be a solo mission. The fastest path to revenue? Co-selling.

A co-selling strategy brings together two or more companies to reach new markets, shorten the sales cycle, and close more deals — faster. It’s not just about splitting commissions; it’s about aligning with the right co-selling partners to deliver more comprehensive solutions to potential customers.

This guide breaks down what co-selling is, how to build a successful co-selling partnership, and why aligning your sales team with a partner team unlocks game-changing co-sell opportunities.

If your sales reps are tired of chasing cold leads alone, it’s time to think bigger. Build a co-selling program, empower your sales process with partner intelligence, and see what happens when your co-selling efforts are structured for scale — not luck.

What Is Co-Selling and Why It Works

Co-selling is a B2B sales approach where two or more companies work together to jointly position, promote, and sell complementary solutions to a shared target market.

Unlike traditional reseller models or B2B SaaS partnerships, co-selling partners collaborate actively throughout the entire sales process — from account mapping to opportunity engagement, to closing.

The goal? Shorten the sales cycle, expand reach, and deliver a joint solution that creates more value than either company could on its own.

A well-structured co-selling program isn't just about generating leads. It's about aligning sales teams, sharing deal intelligence, and creating a seamless experience for potential customers. When executed correctly, a co-selling partnership can unlock deeper customer relationships, improved win rates, and long-term revenue growth.

So how does it actually work in practice?

Inside the Co-Selling Process: How It Works

At its core, co-selling is all about alignment — across systems, teams, and incentives. Whether you’re running a formal co-selling program or experimenting with an ad hoc co-selling motion, success comes down to shared intent and execution.

Here’s what a typical co-selling process looks like:

• Identifying complementary solutions that solve adjacent pain points
• Mapping accounts to uncover overlap and co-sell opportunities
• Activating sales teams on both sides to co-engage prospects
• Tracking co-selling activities across CRM and partner tools
• Maintaining consistent communication to keep both teams aligned

This level of collaboration between two sales teams requires coordination, visibility, and trust. That’s why the most effective co-selling partnerships are built on clear agreements and repeatable workflows.

Co-Selling Agreements: Setting the Rules for Collaboration

To avoid confusion and misalignment, leading companies establish a co-selling agreement — a formal, legally binding contract that defines how the co-selling partnership will operate.

A co-selling agreement outlines critical components of your co-selling process, including:

• Roles and responsibilities across both sales teams
• Lead sharing and deal registration procedures
• Incentive structures and commission splits
• Rules for customer ownership and contract management
• Guidelines for co-marketing plans, communication, and escalation paths

In short, it clarifies who owns what, who does what, and how both parties benefit — paving the way for a successful co-selling relationship.

Now let’s take a look at real-world examples that show how co-selling partners put this into action.

Real-World Co-Selling Examples and Strategies

Now that we’ve covered what co-selling is and how it works, let’s look at real-world examples that show how co-selling partners create value through collaboration.

Each example highlights a key type of co-selling activity that helps expand reach, improve the sales process, and increase adoption through joint effort.

1. Identifying Complementary Co-Selling Solutions

Co-selling works best when the products or services naturally complement each other—creating a more compelling value proposition for sales teams and potential customers.

Take HubSpot and Introw, for example:

• HubSpot equips sales teams with robust tools for lead management, helping them track, organize, and nurture pipeline more effectively.
• Introw focuses on automated outreach, enabling reps to reach out to shared accounts via personalized emails, timely follow-ups, and Slack nudges — all synced with the CRM.

Since sales reps need both efficient lead tracking and high-volume outreach, these two companies form a strong co-selling partnership to jointly offer a more complete solution. It’s a classic example of combining capabilities to strengthen the entire sales process.

Another example? Dropbox and HelloSign:

These tools are bundled into a single workflow where users can store, access, and sign documents in one place. By solving multiple pain points in a single motion, co-selling partners reduce complexity, drive adoption, and improve retention.

2. Integrating the Products (Optional, But Powerful)

When co-selling partners go a step further and integrate their products, the value of the joint solution multiplies.

Consider Slack and Zoom. Their integration allows users to start video calls directly from Slack — removing friction and improving daily workflow for marketing teams, customer success, and sales teams alike.

This kind of product alignment boosts stickiness, enhances user engagement, and makes the co-selling relationship feel like a natural fit — not a bolt-on. Integrated experiences are key to delivering more comprehensive solutions and building deeper customer relationships.

3. Aligning Sales and Marketing Teams for Co-Marketing Success

A successful co-selling strategy depends not just on product synergy, but on team alignment.

For example, in the Slack + Zoom model, both companies' sales teams and marketing teams co-develop messaging, plan co-marketing campaigns, and execute coordinated outreach to potential customers. The result? Clearer communication, faster execution, and a stronger pipeline.

When both sales teams are on the same page, co-engagement feels seamless — and prospects experience a unified, high-value solution.

4. Leveraging Partner Ecosystems for Co-Sell Opportunities

Cloud marketplaces like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud offer built-in trust and exposure—making them perfect launchpads for co-selling programs.

For example, a security SaaS vendor participating in the AWS Marketplace can co-sell with AWS, positioning their product as “AWS-optimized” and immediately gaining access to larger enterprise deals.

By tapping into the marketplace’s partner ecosystem, vendors eliminate friction in the sales cycle, reduce procurement hurdles, and access co-sell opportunities that would be difficult to close via direct sales teams alone.

Each of these examples shows how a thoughtful co-selling program can deliver more than just pipeline — it creates leverage, trust, and sales enablement across every touchpoint.

Next, we’ll look at how co-selling compares to reselling, and why understanding the distinction matters for long-term partner strategy.

Co-Selling vs. Reselling: Understanding the Strategic Difference

As you build out your co-selling strategy, it’s important to understand how it differs from reselling—especially when aligning your sales team, setting expectations with co-selling partners, and structuring your co-selling program for scale.

While both approaches involve multiple companies working together to drive revenue, the key distinction lies in ownership of the deal and relationship with the customer.

• In a co-selling partnership, each company contributes to the sales process, but the original vendor retains ownership of the customer and contract. The value comes from mutual sales efforts, faster deal velocity, and the ability to reach new markets together.
• In a reseller model, one company purchases your product (often at a discount) and resells it independently. You may get the deal, but you lose visibility, control, and direct contact with the potential customers.

Understanding this distinction is critical as you build your co-selling program, prioritize co-sell opportunities, and design effective incentive models for your sales reps and partner team.

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown to make the difference crystal clear:

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Whether you choose co-selling, reselling, or a hybrid of both, understanding the mechanics of each model is key to avoiding misalignment—and unlocking the true benefits of co-selling.

Why Co-Selling Matters More Than Ever

As B2B sales cycles grow longer and buyers get harder to reach, co-selling has become more than a strategy — it’s a competitive advantage.

According to ZDNet, 84% of sales professionals say partner selling impacts revenue more today than it did just a year ago. And nearly 9 out of 10 sales teams are already engaging in some form of co-selling.

For SaaS companies looking to scale faster, break into new markets, and build deeper customer relationships, a structured co-selling program isn’t optional — it’s essential.

That’s why leading B2B teams are investing in the right systems — to make co-selling repeatable, visible, and scalable.

How to Run a Scalable Co-Selling Program with PRM Software

Running a co-selling program at scale isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter. That’s where PRM (Partner Relationship Management) software comes in.

A modern PRM platform helps co-selling partners align across teams, systems, and workflows — enabling faster execution, stronger sales enablement, and greater co-sell opportunities.

But not all PRMs are built for how today’s SaaS companies sell.

Enter Introw: CRM-First, Partner-Ready

Introw is purpose-built to streamline the entire co-selling process — from deal registration and account mapping to partner engagement and performance tracking — all inside the tools your sales team already uses (like Salesforce or HubSpot).

Here’s how you can run a successful co-selling program with Introw:

1. Define Clear Co-Selling Objectives

Before launching into activity, define what success looks like.

• Are you entering new markets?
• Targeting a shared target market?
• Trying to shorten the sales cycle?
• Aligning around partner sourced deals?

With Introw, you can build structured co-sell motions from the start — tracking success by CRM stage, partner type, and target account segment.

Pro tip: Start with account mapping using Crossbeam and Introw to surface mutual customers or warm intro paths.

2. Identify & Onboard the Right Partners

Not every company is a fit for co-selling — focus on those with a natural joint solution, adjacent ICP, and a motivated partner team.

Once identified, Introw makes onboarding painless:

• No logins required
• Partner-friendly deal forms
• Slack + email notifications
• Full sync with your CRM

This allows your co-selling partners to contribute without friction — and your sales reps stay focused on deals, not admin.

3. Streamline Deal Registration & Account Mapping

This is where most co-selling efforts fall apart: misalignment around who’s working what, and no central system to track it.

With Introw:

• Partners register deals via simple forms linked directly to your CRM
• All mapped accounts are visible and actionable by your sales team
• Auto-tagged, auto-synced — no more chasing down updates

Bonus: Get Slack nudges when a new deal is registered or a mapped account is touched, so your sales process stays proactive.

4. Track Performance & Automate Feedback Loops

A successful co-selling relationship thrives on visibility and iteration.

Introw gives you shared dashboards across both teams — tracking:

• Partner activity across deals, accounts, and emails
• Win rates and sales velocity
• Top-performing co-selling partners
• Campaign performance from co-marketing plans

This isn’t just helpful for RevOps — it empowers sales teams, partner managers, and leadership to see where the revenue is really coming from.

5. Enable Real-Time Communication & Collaboration

Speed matters. With Introw, your co-selling activities move fast and stay aligned:

• Chat with partners in Slack or via email (no login required)
• Share pitch decks, proposals, or videos via integrated doc-sharing
• Trigger Slack or email notifications when key actions are taken (e.g. deal registered, task assigned, doc opened)

Think of it as the connective tissue that keeps your two sales teams on the same page — even across orgs.

6. Incentivize and Optimize

Co-selling isn’t a one-and-done motion — it’s a growth engine.

Use Introw to:

• Set up custom incentives tied to partner performance
• Monitor partner-driven revenue by segment or region
• Run A/B tests on co-selling offers, outreach styles, or co-marketing campaigns

By turning every co-sell opportunity into structured data, Introw lets you double down on what works — and sunset what doesn’t.

Why Introw Makes Co-Selling Scalable

Co-selling requires precision, process, and trust. Introw delivers:

• CRM-first workflows (Salesforce & HubSpot)
• Slack and email-native partner comms
• Real-time dashboards and deal insights
• No login friction for partners
• Built-in co-sell motion templates
• Custom workflows by partner type (reseller, referral, MSP, etc.)

Whether you're working with 5 partners or 500, Introw helps you launch, run, and scale a co-selling program that drives real revenue — without burning out your sales team or partner ops.

Ready to Turn Co-Selling Into a Scalable Revenue Engine?

You’ve built a great product. Your sales team is putting in the work. But growth still feels slower than it should — because you’re doing it alone.

The companies scaling fastest right now aren’t just selling — they’re co-selling. They’re tapping into partner ecosystems, collaborating across two sales teams, and unlocking warm intros that never would’ve come from cold outreach.

The difference? They’re not running their co-selling efforts on spreadsheets and hope. They’re using Introw.

Introw gives you everything you need to turn your co-selling program into a repeatable revenue machine:

• Seamless Salesforce and HubSpot integration
• Slack and email-native workflows — no logins needed
• Real-time dashboards across partners, deals, and accounts
• Built-in guardrails for RevOps, CROs, and partner managers alike

No friction. No guesswork. Just faster, smarter revenue — driven by aligned teams and trusted partners.

Stop relying on luck. Start co-selling with intention.

Book your Introw demo and see how today’s top SaaS companies are building scalable, partner-powered pipelines.

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B2B SaaS, partnerships aren’t just a strategy — they’re a growth engine. Whether you’re launching a new go-to-market initiative, expanding into new customer segments, or co-developing innovative solutions, forming strategic SaaS partnerships with the right partner is essential.

But let’s be clear: successful partnerships don’t just happen. They require structure, consistency, and purpose-built tools. That’s where Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software like Introw becomes a game-changer.

In this guide, we’ll walk through:

• Why B2B SaaS partnerships are critical for modern SaaS companies
• The most common partner types — and how to work with them
• How to build and scale a partner program with the right infrastructure

Let’s dive in.

Why B2B SaaS Partnerships Matter

SaaS companies need more than just a strong product — they need a powerful partner ecosystem. Strategic partnerships enable two or more companies to align around a shared go-to-market strategy, extending reach and reducing customer acquisition costs.

Well-executed SaaS partner programs can:

• Help tap into new markets
• Create new revenue streams through revenue sharing
• Accelerate product development partnerships
• Improve customer satisfaction and customer retention

Whether you're managing channel partnerships, integration partnerships, or joint marketing efforts, strategic SaaS partnerships are a cornerstone of long-term, scalable growth.

What Are the Types of B2B Partnerships?

Before building or optimizing your partner program, it's critical to understand the types of B2B SaaS partnerships available. While affiliate marketing gets plenty of attention, the most valuable SaaS partnerships often involve deeper integration, stronger alignment, and shared success metrics.

Let’s explore the landscape:

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These partner types represent the most common paths SaaS companies take when scaling through partnerships. While each type comes with its own strengths and challenges, they all share one thing in common: they work best when supported by clear processes, aligned goals, and modern tooling.

Now that you’ve seen what types of B2B SaaS partnerships exist, how do you know which ones to pursue?

Choosing the Right Partner Program

Every SaaS business is unique — and so is its path to growth. That’s why choosing the right partner program isn’t about copying what others are doing — it’s about aligning your strategy with your goals, resources, and customers.

The ideal partner strategy will vary depending on your product maturity, market penetration, and internal capacity to support partners. For example:

• If your goal is demand generation, you may benefit most from referral partners, affiliate relationships, or integration partnerships that can drive top-of-funnel awareness.
• If you’re focused on market expansion, resellers, MSPs, or distributors with strong local presence can help you enter new geographies or verticals.
• If you need deeper product alignment, ISVs or system integrators may be the right fit for long-term co-selling and co-building.

To guide your decision, start by answering these questions:

• What new customer segments do we want to reach?
• Which potential partners already serve or influence those segments?
• What kind of co-marketing, sales support, or onboarding experience can we realistically provide?
• Are there opportunities for joint marketing efforts, or even a product development partnership?

You’re looking for alignment on not just reach, but capability and collaboration potential.

This is where a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platform like Introw becomes essential. It surfaces real-time insights into:

• Which partners are submitting deals
• How fast those deals move through the sales pipeline
• Who’s engaging (and who’s not)

With those insights, your partner strategy becomes proactive, not reactive — based on data, not guesswork.

Let’s now dig into how to evaluate your current ecosystem and decide where to focus next.

How to Decide on Expanding Your B2B Partnerships

Expanding your partner program isn’t about volume — it’s about strategic alignment. Start by analyzing your current ecosystem: who’s performing, who’s not, and where the untapped opportunities lie.

• Referral partnerships can drive top-funnel growth with minimal overhead.
• Joint venture SaaS partnerships with ISVs or tech partners can open up new product capabilities.
• Channel partnerships and distributors can accelerate go-to-market in new geos or verticals.

With the PRM market projected to grow from $1.3B in 2023 to $4.6B by 2033, now’s the time to invest in systems that scale. Manual tracking simply won’t cut it — especially when the right partner could be your next major revenue stream.

Essential Functions of Partner Relationship Management Software

To succeed at scale, you need structure. PRM software is built to manage the entire partner lifecycle — from onboarding to revenue attribution.

Why SaaS Companies Need PRM

Choosing the right PRM helps:

• Scale channel partners with consistent experiences
• Eliminate chaos from your sales process
• Automate lead registration and partner onboarding
• Enable seamless co-selling and co-marketing
• Optimize for revenue attribution and partner performance

PRM = Structure + Speed + Scale

Spreadsheets and email threads might work for 5 partners — not 50. Introw gives you the automation, real-time insights, and CRM-native experience needed to grow your program without adding headcount.

So how do you ensure that growth doesn’t come at the cost of quality? It starts with a repeatable, scalable process for managing partner relationships at every stage of the journey.

6 Stages of a Partner Relationship Journey

A successful SaaS partner program follows a repeatable, structured journey. Here's how you scale from one partner to hundreds, without losing quality, engagement, or results:

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1. Find the Right Partners

Identifying the right partner is foundational. Evaluate potential partners based on their customer base, market alignment, technical compatibility, and cultural fit. Use tools like account mapping to uncover overlap between your customers and theirs — and prioritize partners with proven influence in your target segments.

2. Onboard with Ease

Once a partner is selected, the onboarding process should feel smooth, professional, and repeatable. Share training modules, certifications, documentation, and sales playbooks. With Introw, onboarding is automated with workflows, due dates, and reminders — so partners hit the ground running without bottlenecks.

3. Enable for Growth

Partner enablement is more than a checklist — it’s an ongoing relationship. Provide co-branded marketing materials, demo scripts, objection handling guides, and access to shared assets. Support them with regular updates and resource drops that align with product launches and campaigns.

4. Co-Sell with Precision

In the execution stage, seamless collaboration is key. Enable real-time deal registration, pipeline visibility, and clear ownership. Introw connects partners directly to your CRM workflows — allowing for faster response times, cleaner data, and collaborative pipeline management without the need for additional tools.

5. Measure and Motivate

Track KPIs like sourced revenue, win rates, sales cycle length, and content engagement. Use this data to recognize high performers and identify who needs extra support. Publicly celebrate success — and gamify performance through tiers, contests, and quarterly business reviews.

6. Refine and Scale

As your partner program matures, revisit your strategy. Which partners deliver the most value? Where are the drop-offs in the journey? What tools are underutilized? Use this insight to refine onboarding, update your enablement materials, and launch advanced tiers, integrations, or co-marketing campaigns.

Most importantly, keep feedback loops open — your best partners will show you what success looks like if you ask, listen, and iterate.

What should you look out for when building B2B Partnerships?

As your partner program grows, it becomes more complex — and more impactful. To keep things running smoothly, your PRM must do more than check boxes. It should actively empower your team to scale without sacrificing clarity or control.

Here are the most important capabilities to look for when scaling a SaaS partner program:

 Partner Tiering & Certification

• Segment partners by performance, partner type (e.g., reseller, referral, MSP), or vertical.
• Automate training and certification workflows.
• Incentivize growth with exclusive rewards and visibility for top-tier partners.

2. Commission Automation

• Tailor commission rules by partner type or deal stage.
• Auto-calculate and distribute rewards to reduce admin overhead.
• Ensure transparency and accuracy to build partner trust.

3. Partner Portal

• Offer a white-labeled, easy-to-navigate portal with sales enablement, product content, and real-time updates.
• Give partners a self-service hub for everything from training to reporting.

4. Lead & Deal Registration

• Prevent channel conflict with transparent, time-stamped registration.
• Support off-portal registration to boost partner participation by up to 30%.
• Auto-map to the correct Salesforce or HubSpot fields.

5. Account Mapping & Co-Sell Planning

• Identify overlap with tech partners, resellers, or integration partners.
• Use Introw’s built-in mapping to discover shared customers and coordinate co-selling.

6. CRM-Embedded Insights

• All partner data stays native to Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Enable RevOps teams to monitor performance, improve data hygiene, and support accurate forecasting.

These features help RevOps, Partner Managers, and revenue leaders align around shared KPIs — without adding complexity or extra tools.

Why Introw Works for Modern SaaS Partner Teams

SaaS companies operating in competitive markets — especially in the US and UK — are turning to PRM tools that integrate directly into their CRM, reduce manual work, and support partner collaboration at scale.

Introw supports:

• Partner & Channel Managers who want better visibility and fewer bottlenecks
• RevOps teams who care about data cleanliness, automation, and attribution
• CROs who need forecasting clarity and aligned revenue motions

With support for Salesforce and HubSpot, and no-login-required experiences for partners, Introw is built for fast-growing SaaS teams with real partnership goals.

Conclusion: From Strategy to Execution

Strategic partnerships are no longer a “nice to have” — they are a growth mandate for any B2B SaaS company looking to meet market demands, accelerate revenue streams, and serve new customer segments. But executing on that strategy requires more than good intent — it demands systems that scale, clear partner relationships, and the ability to act on data.

Whether you’re managing channel partners, building integration partnerships with tech partners, or exploring product development SaaS partnerships, your ability to structure and scale the program determines success. That's where modern partner infrastructure plays a transformative role.

PRM software like Introw empowers SaaS teams to:

• Build high-performing, data-driven partner ecosystems
• Align sales teams, marketing efforts, and RevOps around a shared pipeline
• Reduce development costs by turning co-selling and co-marketing into repeatable motions
• Increase deal velocity and improve customer satisfaction by enabling the right partner experience

The result? Successful partnerships that feel effortless — for both you and your partners.

Ready to unlock the next phase of your SaaS partnership strategy? 👉 Book a demo with Introw and build the partner ecosystem that drives your next stage of growth.