Who they are
- Integration partners whose product connects to yours.
- Vendors covering an adjacent part of the same workflow.
- Platforms whose customers need what you do next.
How they earn
Rarely commission. They earn from their own deal closing faster, and from the account being stickier with both products in it.
What they need from you
Reciprocity that is real
Co-sell dies when one side sends everything and receives nothing. It is the most common failure in the category.
Account mapping
Both sides need to know where the overlap is before a rep will spend a call on it.
Credit for influence
Their contribution rarely originates the deal. If only sourced revenue counts, the partnership will look worthless and be cancelled.
When to build this channel
Co-sell when your product genuinely needs another to deliver the outcome, and when you can commit sales time rather than just a logo on a page.
When to be this kind of partner
Co-sell when you sell to the same buyer and neither of you competes. The upside is pipeline, not commission.
The thing that kills it
Counting only sourced revenue
Co-sell partners accelerate deals rather than originate them. A programme that measures only origination will report that its co-sell partners produce nothing.