Barbara Treviño (BT) is Director of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances at Labra. She is a seasoned partnership leader with more than a decade of experience across sales, partner operations, alliances, enablement, programs, and cloud marketplace go-to-market.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Solution Development Companies (SDCs) building on Azure, Marketplace listing and IP Co-Sell eligibility are foundational milestones. But the SDCs who accelerate fastest—and generate meaningful traction with Microsoft—are the ones who understand that eligibility is only the beginning.
Drawing from a decade working across the Microsoft ecosystem and leading Marketplace and Co-Sell readiness across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, I’ve seen a consistent pattern: high-performing SDCs prepare differently. They approach readiness as a strategic, architectural, and operational effort—not just a form submission.
This article highlights what those SDCs do differently, why it matters, and the signals Microsoft looks for when evaluating partners beyond the checklist.
Eligibility is the starting line—not the win
SDCs often assume that once their offer is live and their IP Co-Sell submission is approved, Microsoft sellers will engage and pipeline will follow. In practice, Microsoft evaluates far more than the required fields. Seller confidence depends on deeper indicators of readiness, including:
- Technical alignment with Azure
- Architectural clarity in how the solution runs
- Customer outcomes that map to Azure value themes
- Consistent messaging across Marketplace assets
- SDC maturity in supporting joint customer conversations
These factors influence whether a Partner Development Manager (PDM) or account executive sees a path to meaningful co-sell engagement.
What high-performing SDCs do differently
Across clouds and across maturity levels, top-performing SDCs consistently demonstrate five distinct behaviors:
- They lead with architectural clarity
Azure‑aligned architecture is one of the strongest signals of technical readiness. High‑performing SDCs provide clear diagrams and narrative context that show exactly how their solution complements Azure services. - They align their narrative to Microsoft’s sales motions
Microsoft sellers need a replicable story. The strongest SDCs use language, outcomes, and framing that match how Microsoft positions value internally and externally. - They present relevant customer evidence
The best SDCs focus on customer outcomes that reinforce Azure consumption, modernization, or workload migration—not generic case studies. - They sequence their readiness intentionally
Rather than uploading every asset at once, high performers focus on what’s required now, save optional materials for later phases, and minimize rework cycles. - They prepare for what happens after approval
Eligibility is a threshold. Momentum requires internal readiness for co‑sell motions, customer engagement, and Marketplace operations.
Why readiness staging accelerated IP Co-Sell approval
Most delays during IP Co-Sell review come from misalignment—not missing assets. Common issues include:
- Architecture that contradicts the listing
- Evidence that doesn’t reinforce the solution’s value
- Positioning that isn’t Azure-aligned
- Assets uploaded “just in case” instead of intentionally
- Internal teams unprepared for post-listing motions
High-performing SDCs move faster not because they rush, but because they prepare strategically.
How Labra supports SDCs through SCAP-M
Labra’s SCAP-M (SaaS Co-Sell Accelerator for Microsoft) program focuses on the deeper readiness drivers that influence Microsoft engagement, including:
- Azure-aligned reference architecture development
- Marketplace and solution-story coherence
- Customer evidence refinement
- Readiness sequencing to reduce review cycles
- Internal preparation for post-approval co-sell motions
This is where structured support has the greatest impact—accelerating both eligibility and long-term field engagement.
How can you learn more?
Join me on February 25th for a live session where we will take a deeper look at:
- What Microsoft evaluates beyond the form
- How readiness staging reduces delays
- Where SDCs unintentionally create friction
- Why architecture, evidence, and narrative matter for seller adoption
- Practical insights drawn from Labra’s multi-cloud experience
A live Q&A will follow for SDCs interested in accelerating their Marketplace and Co-Sell motion on Azure. Follow this link to add the session to your calendar: Inside Azure IP co-sell: What high-performing software developers do differently - Microsoft Marketplace Community
If you miss the live session- don't worry, you can use the same link to view a recording of the session.
High performing SDCs succeed in Azure’s IP Co-sell program because they treat readiness as a strategic initiative – not an administrative task. By aligning architecture, narrative, and customer evidence with Microsoft’s expectations, SDCs accelerate approvals and increase field engagement.
