Ninety-six percent of SaaS companies believe their reseller partners can help them grow their revenue.

Unfortunately, not all reselling programs succeed. 

Most of the time, a lack of partner fit due to differences in market and culture, profitability, commitment to the execution plan, or tools, is what is keeping reselling programs from being successful. 

Done right, reseller programs have a bunch of benefits — just look at tech giants like Microsoft, which earns $32 billion in annual revenue from their SaaS partnerships. 

Actually, the ISVs who have joined the Microsoft marketplace have experienced overall results like: 

• 50% reduction in procurement effort

• $173K saved in proof-of concept fees

• 75% reduction employee time to onboard new vendors

Do you want a piece of that cake?

We asked Juan Jose Castiblanques, a former Microsoft employee and now WeTransact's CRO, for advice on scaling your reseller program and leveraging the Microsoft Cloud Marketplace for it.

If you’re still building your reseller program, be sure to read our previous post Everything you need to know to build a reseller program.

If you’re ready to scale your program, read on.

Scaling your reselling network

In a reseller program, scaling means profiling partners easily, automating opportunity matching, targeting connections with business in mind, and enabling super fast resellers to generate revenue in no time.

Building a reselling program is a crawl-walk strategy. 

Maybe at the beginning, you can handle your reseller partners in a spreadsheet, but as you connect and work with more partners, spreadsheets can’t be your first option anymore. 

To start scaling your reselling network, follow these steps:

1. Register for an Ecosystem-Led Growth platform

Ecosystem-Led Growth platforms like Crossbeam or Reveal will allow you to identify and leverage partner opportunities much more easily and efficiently. 

Using your CRM, a Gsheet, or even a CSV file, connect with your resellers via your account mapping platform. 

2. Identify opportunities

Within your account mapping platform, you will identify your reseller partner’s existing customers who are your prospects, open opportunities, or not even in your CRM. These are the accounts your reseller should prioritize. 

Top tip: Create a new offer that incentivizes intros and yearly renewals — this way, you can reach more customers and your resellers can earn more money. 

3. Execute your enablement program 

Activate your enablement program.

Once you have identified the accounts you want your reseller to prioritize, it’s time for you to do the following:

• Ensure that you onboard your resellers in the same way as you would onboard your sales team. Get them involved in the agreed workshops, share materials, and bring everyone together for a meeting.

• If your sales organization works with partners, introduce your sales team to your reseller partners whenever possible.

• Make sure to come prepared with the target accounts you found in Crossbeam/Reveal. Assign accounts and conduct a pipeline review so everyone is aware of the accounts that your resellers will be addressing and how your sales team can assist them.

• Follow up with the sales managers and maintain accountability within the team.

“My sales organization collaborates closely with resellers and their sales teams, with Crossbeam/Reveal at the center. Each team manages their joint portfolio, and I love seeing two 'sales minds' targeting the same territory, strategizing together. The reseller’s seller learns from my team and eventually becomes independent. This is what co-selling with resellers looks like, and it's key to building successful reseller partnerships.”—Juan Jose Castiblanques, CRO WeTransact.

4. Next steps after the first quick wins

Your resellers' very first deals might need a bit of guidance, but once they get the gist, narrative, and joint value proposition of your products, you can move forward to a recurring meeting to follow up and make your reseller more independent step by step. Check-in calls and follow-up will be fundamental because they will help bring accountability on both sides.

Once first revenue lands in the pocket of your reseller, your credibility will be built and you can start running more campaigns and co-marketing initiatives, and start introducing goals.

Some examples below:

• Create bundles that let your reseller sell your product alongside their own offerings, boosting their revenue. You can also collaborate on webinars or help them reach new customers in different regions or segments.

• Now's the time to delegate services like customer success, support, onboarding, and implementation. Align your plan with the reseller partnership team to make the transition smoother.

• Support your resellers in hitting their quotas with incentive programs like bonuses or gift cards for their sales teams. Also, keep the back-margin achievable to keep leadership engaged and drive sales accountability.

“Set up biweekly, monthly, or quarterly meetings with your resellers to follow up on deliverables and quotas. Use these meetings to iterate on how to help them sell your product faster and easier. Based on that, adjust your offers and rewards to help them hit their goals. When you care about your reseller’s business, they’ll care about yours.” —Jose Juan Castiblanques, CRO WeTransact. 

Reselling is as easy as 1,2,3

Scaling your reselling program can really boost your revenue and expand your reach, especially with platforms like the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace and their Partner Ecosystem.

To do this right, get yourself listed on the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace first. Craft a solid offer that includes clear margins and services, and start connecting with potential Microsoft partners using Cloud GTM tools like WeTransact. Make sure your resellers get all the training and support they need, and move into action using tools like Reveal or Crossbeam to find and manage opportunities right from the start.

Keep the lines of communication open and collaborate with your resellers regularly. Doing this well will already get you far and you can build a successful network of partners and see some serious growth for your company.

Learn more about leveraging your ecosystem to drive more revenue here.