Forecastable Blog

Forecastable's Education Center -- The best advice on building partner programs that produce forecastable revenue.

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Two partnerships leaders at a whiteboard mapping an AWS Marketplace co-sell motion, ACE opportunity card and private offer sheet pinned beside them, deep navy and amber palette

AWS Marketplace Co-Sell: The Motion Most ISVs Skip

What is AWS Marketplace co-sell? Short answer: AWS Marketplace co-sell is the sales motion where an ISV transacts a deal through AWS Marketplace while simultaneously working the opportunity with an AWS field seller through the ACE (AWS Customer Engagements) system. It pairs a private offer with a registered, accepted opportunity, so the AWS rep gets […]

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Editor's Picks

Nearbound Marketing: What It Is and How It Works

Demand generation that runs through partners by borrowing their trust, measured as pipeline.

MDF Programs That Generate Real Pipeline (Not Just Activity)

Short answer: most MDF (Market Development Funds) programs in B2B SaaS waste 50 to 70 percent of their budget. The cause is structural, not size. MDF gets framed too narrowly as marketing money. It then goes to partners who will not run the activity that drives pipeline. The fix is a defensible MDF program that […]

Joint Demand Generation: How to Run Co-Marketing That Converts

Short answer: joint demand generation campaigns with partners produce 2x to 4x the ROI of solo demand-gen when designed correctly. They produce 0.5x or worse when designed wrong. The difference comes down to four design decisions. You need a shared ICP, a single accountable owner, lead-level attribution, and a structured handoff motion. Get those four […]

WorkSpan Alternatives 2026: editorial illustration of angular co-sell network in navy with amber convergence points

WorkSpan Alternatives: 6 Co-Sell Platform Options 2026

WorkSpan is an enterprise co-sell management platform best known for its hyperscaler integrations (AWS ACE, Microsoft Partner Center, Google Cloud Marketplace) and for managing complex multi-party co-sell motions inside large alliances organizations. Buyers shop alternatives when they want a lighter co-sell layer, account-mapping-first ecosystem data, or a modern PRM that handles partner enablement alongside co-sell. […]

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Two professionals reviewing a co-sell plan together at a modern conference table.

Why Your Co-Sell Plan Fails (and the Fix)

A Co-Sell Plan is a three-party joint action plan between a vendor, a partner, and a shared prospect. Unlike a Mutual Action Plan, it adds the partner as a named participant with their own commitments and economic outcomes. It’s the operating discipline that turns partner relationships into forecastable pipeline.

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A co-sell alignment specialist coordinating a partner motion across two monitors.

The Hidden Co-Sell Alignment Specialist Most Orgs Skip

A Co-Sell Alignment Specialist is the operational role between a vendor’s sales team, a partner’s team, and a shared prospect. It runs the cadence of a Co-Sell Plan, captures attribution, and escalates when deals stall. It’s the role most partnerships orgs are missing, and the reason cycles plateau at one overworked partner manager.

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Overhead view of two people analyzing printed charts and graphs at a round table with coffee cups and a smartphone nearby.

*Sourcing Revenue from Large SaaS Partners:* A Strategic Guide

Forging strong partnerships has emerged as a core to how B2B revenue actually compounds, but the market demands not just innovation in products and services, but also strategic alliances that can extend reach, enhance offerings, and ultimately drive revenue. Letโ€™s dive into the system for sourcing revenue from large SaaS partners, with the practical playbook […]

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A diverse group of coworkers collaborating around a table, reviewing documents and a laptop with smiles and engagement.

*Sales Managers:* Winning Partner-Involved Deals Through Situational Tag Teaming

Knowing how to leverage partners to win deals opens the door to endless opportunities. As a sales manager, fine-tuning the tag-teaming approach โ€“ strategically choosing which partners to bring in and why โ€“ can significantly impact your sales cycle. Being on the front lines lets you see how wins happen across the organization, build relationships […]

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Group of diverse professionals in a boardroom, discussing with laptops and documents on the table.

*Tactics* for Turning Fluffy Partner Meetings Into Revenue-Focused Conversations

Fluffy conversations, or as our CEO at Forecastable calls them, โ€œsquishyโ€ discussions, lack whatโ€™s needed to push the needle forward and drive results in partner relationships. These conversations often hover around general inquiries about progress, with responses like “things are going well.” The partner managers then make broad assumptions about what โ€˜going wellโ€™ means. However, […]

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*Partner-Sourced Revenue Tactic:* The Account-Development Play

In the world of SaaS and services partnerships, one of the most-effective strategies for sourcing revenue and extending your salesforce, without additional internal costs, is by running account-development plays. Whether you’re a services partner looking to attract sourced revenue from SaaS partners or a SaaS company aiming to leverage partners for more-comprehensive account-development, this approach […]

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Two professionals shake hands over a table with printed charts and a tablet nearby.

*Frontline Sales Managers:* How to Know Which Partners Can Help or Hurt Your Team’s Deals

As a frontline sales manager, your team’s success can hinge on your ability to identify partners who can make or break your deals. The best way to gain this insight is through the experiences and observations of your sales reps. They know which partners stand out as valuable assets and which pose barriers to closing […]

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Four professionals in business attire shake hands and smile in a modern office lobby. 2 men and 2 women present, one holds a tablet.

*B2B Sales Reps:* A Guide to Keeping Partners from Wrecking Your Deals

The fear of a partner “screwing up your deal” is a common one for sales reps. While partners can bring expertise, resources, and reach to your efforts, a mistake can quickly unravel all your hard work. This concern is valid. Bringing any new human – partner or not – into a deal adds risk. For […]

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Napkin with a handwritten quote: 'A goal without a plan is just a wish,' beside a pen and a green coffee mug on a wooden table.

*How and When to Leverage a Mutual Action Plan,* Close Plan, or Evaluation Plan

One of the biggest problems sales reps have to consistently face is forecasting an accurate close date and making sure that the deal actually closes on or around that exact date. Itโ€™s not easy and requires in-depth planning and project management skills to consistently deliver closed/won opportunities on time. When you break it down into […]

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