AWS Marketplace Professional Services Overview | Amazon Web Services

Summary

This video script offers insights on how businesses can effectively leverage AWS Marketplace to expand their offerings. Key strategies include promoting marketplace services to customers, aligning invoicing methods with AWS capabilities, and utilizing existing software vendor agreements. It highlights the importance of co-marketing with AWS, attaching professional services to software sales, and engaging with identified sales plays. Additionally, the script discusses marketplace features like limited vs. public listings, listing fees, and new opportunities such as reselling services, all aimed at helping businesses grow and optimize their AWS Marketplace presence.

Takeaways

• 😀 Promote AWS Marketplace awareness with your customers through newsletters, meetings, and your website.
• 😀 Align your invoicing practices with AWS Marketplace’s capabilities, especially for services like proof of concepts and time-and-materials billing.
• 😀 Leverage existing software agreements and solutions for MSP businesses to integrate with AWS Marketplace.
• 😀 Collaborate with AWS for joint press releases to promote your Marketplace presence and services.
• 😀 Look for opportunities to attach professional services (e.g., implementation and support) to software sales on AWS Marketplace to increase deal sizes.
• 😀 Understand the sales plays that AWS is promoting to address common customer challenges, and align your offerings accordingly.
• 😀 AWS Marketplace allows for both limited and public listings for services, providing flexibility in how services are displayed and transacted.
• 😀 Partners can embed their own service contract terms and agreements within private offers on AWS Marketplace.
• 😀 AWS Marketplace charges a predictable flat rate listing fee based on the total contract value, simplifying financial planning.
• 😀 The reselling of services on AWS Marketplace is a new opportunity for partners, which can provide additional revenue streams.
• 😀 Ensure alignment with AWS Marketplace’s evolving invoicing capabilities to accommodate diverse business models and transaction types.

Q & A

What is the importance of AWS Marketplace awareness for customers?

Promoting AWS Marketplace to customers is crucial for businesses to ensure that their customers are aware of the platform and its capabilities. Businesses should actively mention their Marketplace offerings in newsletters, meetings, and customer portals to increase visibility and usage.

How should businesses align their invoicing practices with AWS Marketplace?

Businesses must ensure that their invoicing models align with AWS Marketplace's capabilities. This includes adapting to different billing structures like time and materials, milestone payments, and upfront billing. AWS continuously updates its invoicing options, so businesses should stay informed about these changes.

What role do existing software relationships play in building an MSP business on AWS Marketplace?

Businesses that already have volume licenses and established relationships with software vendors can leverage these to build their Managed Service Provider (MSP) offerings on AWS Marketplace. This allows them to offer managed solutions based on existing agreements.

Why is it recommended to do a joint press release with AWS for Marketplace listings?

Joint press releases with AWS help promote Marketplace listings and increase customer awareness. They serve as an effective way to publicize new offerings and enhance visibility in the Marketplace. Working with your AWS account manager or Marketplace team can facilitate this process.

What is the significance of offering professional services alongside software listings on AWS Marketplace?

Offering professional services such as implementations and support alongside software listings can significantly increase deal size. Statistically, around 80-90% of software transactions on AWS Marketplace involve associated service offerings, which can drive higher revenue.

What are 'sales plays' in the context of AWS Marketplace?

Sales plays refer to common customer challenges identified by AWS that require solutions from partners. These are areas where AWS seeks to collaborate with partners to address customer needs, providing an opportunity for businesses to align their solutions with AWS's customer demand.

What is the difference between limited and publicly available service listings on AWS Marketplace?

Limited listings are not publicly searchable but still allow transactions through AWS Marketplace. Publicly available listings, however, go through an approval process and become searchable by customers, making them more visible.

How can businesses include their own terms and service agreements in AWS Marketplace?

When creating private offers on AWS Marketplace, businesses can include their own service contracts, which the customer accepts alongside AWS Marketplace’s terms. This allows for customized agreements that align with the business's specific terms.

What is the listing fee structure for services on AWS Marketplace?

AWS charges a flat listing fee based on the total contract value for services listed on the Marketplace. This flat-rate fee provides clarity for businesses, ensuring they can accurately plan and account for their costs.

What new opportunity is available for reselling services on AWS Marketplace?

AWS Marketplace has introduced a new opportunity for partners to resell services. This feature is expected to open up additional revenue streams for businesses, although further details are provided by AWS representatives like Archen.