Marketplace offer live? Now make it shine!đ
Microsoft gives you the tools, best practices, and guidance to boost visibility, drive traffic, and turn interest into real customers fast. And the quickest path? App Advisor. đ Start with App Advisor: Your Marketplace growth playbook App Advisor is your selfâserve hub packed with stepâbyâstep best practices, optimization guidance, and proven GTM strategies designed to your help app or agent rise above the noise and stand out to buyers. đ ď¸ Optimize your listing Sharpen your sales page with clearer, benefitsâforward messaging Strengthen SEO so your offer is easier to find Enable a trial - the strongest conversion accelerator Offer public plans with clear tiers (Basic / Standard / Premium) to support direct sales Add visuals, screenshots, and short videos to show value instantly đ Boost visibility Crossâlink your website, G2 profile, blogs, and social posts back to your listing Understand factors that influence Marketplace search rankings and views Review your category selections - they directly affect discoverability Encourage customer reviews - including from G2, which flows into your listing! đŁ Promote with confidence App Advisor provides guidance around: Readyâtoâuse templates Partnerâtested messaging Campaign ideas to drive awareness and demand Be sure to: Link all channels (website â Marketplace â G2 â social â email) Use OCIDs to see exactly which channels move the needle in Marketplace Insights Double down on what moves the needle đ Unlock Marketplace Rewards When you publish a transactable offer, Marketplace Rewards kick in automatically, giving your listing additional promotional lift. Rewards include: Personalized listing optimization recommendations Marketplace blog and newsletter promotion Extra visibility for your listing Editorial + press release templates GTM enablement that grows with performance Marketplace Rewards + App Advisor = compounding growth momentum. 𧲠Build a product-led growth motion Sales donât happen by accident - they happen with a smart GTM motion. App Advisor walks you through: Segmenting your target market Defining messaging that resonates with real buyers Building educational content (blogs, case studies, guides, emails) Nailing SEO & SEM basics Creating a conversionâready experience that shows quick wins Tracking performance with OCIDs + Marketplace Insights Strengthening your digital presence Encouraging reviews and customer storytelling Running targeted ads to your ideal audiences This motion turns Marketplace visibility into pipeline, and pipeline into wins. đ¤ Expand your reach through channel partners Once youâve optimized your offer and are promoting it consistently, itâs time to extend your reach even further. Forge relationships with channel partners - let them sell for you. By leveraging channel partners, you can make your solution available for system integrators, distributors and resellers to sell to their customers. You can sell through or with channel partners by leveraging resale enabled offers (REO), multi-party private offers (MPO), or Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) offers. That means: Your offer appears in their reseller catalogs They bring your solution into their customer conversations You tap into existing, trusted partnerâtoâcustomer relationships You gain scale without extra headcount or marketing spend A small switch. A massive multiplier. Enable resale so channel partners can open doors you couldnât reach alone. â Where to go next Start with App Advisor to sharpen your listing + GTM motion Add public plans + trial Strengthen SEO and performance signals Track success using OCIDs Publish a transactable offer to unlock Marketplace Rewards Enable REO to let channel partners help scale you globally â go deeper in this REO-focused post. Ready to make your offer shine? Head to App Advisor and get started.From listing to sale: Microsoft Marketplace made easy
Kyle Heisner is a veteran GTM and Cloud Marketplace leader at Suger with extensive experience helping software companies scale through strategic partnerships and co-sell programs. He is known for transforming complex cloud ecosystems into clear, repeatable revenue motions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Youâve built an amazing product and listed it on Microsoft Marketplace. Now what? For many software development companies, thatâs where progress stalls. Your listing is live, yet transactions arenât flowing. Youâre in the Marketplace, but not yet part of its commerce motion. Going from âlistedâ to âtransactableâ is the turning point. Itâs when your Marketplace presence becomes a measurable pipeline, eligible for co-sell, incentives, and enterprise purchasing. This guide walks through how top software companies go transactable, combining AI, automation, and integrations to make it simple and scalable. Why Microsoft cares about transactable software companies Microsoft is doubling down on transactable listings as the foundation of its marketplace strategy. Transactable offers enable customers to buy directly through their Azure commitments, simplifying procurement and making cloud adoption measurable. For Microsoft, this shift drives predictable consumption, cleaner billing, and stronger alignment with enterprise buyers. For partners, it opens access to co-sell programs, incentives, and higher placement in Marketplace search. Being transactable isnât optional anymore. Itâs the cost of entry for the next generation of cloud GTM. Why being transactable benefits software companies For software companies, transactable listings transform Marketplace visibility into a repeatable revenue channel. Microsoft handles billing, invoicing, and disbursements, so customers can purchase through existing Azure agreements without new vendor onboarding or security reviews. When your listing is transactable: Enterprise buyers purchase through committed Azure spend. You qualify for Marketplace Rewards and co-sell incentives. Microsoft sellers can align on deals that generate mutual pipeline. Your revenue data flows directly into payout and forecasting systems. Transactable listings reduce friction for buyers, streamline sales cycles, and create a scalable path to growth alongside Microsoft. Aligning your sales methodology Microsoft Marketplace isnât a side motion; itâs a core sales channel. The best software companies fold Marketplace into their qualification and closing process, turning it into a repeatable path that accelerates deals and reduces friction across teams. Role-based actions for Microsoft Marketplace success Partner & Alliances Identify customers with Azure consumption commitments that can fund your deals. Build joint account plans with Microsoft Partner Development Managers (PDMs). Share pipeline regularly and flag co-sell-eligible opportunities early. Sales Reps Ask early if buyers have Azure budgets or enterprise agreements. Present Marketplace as the fastest purchasing path. Tag Marketplace opportunities in CRM and trigger co-sell workflows. Sales Management Review Marketplace pipeline in forecasts and QBRs. Set targets for the percentage of deals closing through Azure. Align compensation to reward Marketplace adoption. RevOps Standardize CRM fields and automate referral submissions. Track cycle time and win rates versus direct deals. Measure Marketplace impact on deal velocity and CAC. Finance Reconcile payouts with Partner Center data. Sync invoices and taxes into your accounting system. Forecast Marketplace cash flow accurately. Embedding Marketplace into sales motions creates a repeatable, low-friction channel that scales across every team. Go from listed to selling fast Going transactable used to take months of coordination. With automation and AI, it now takes days. Suger helps Azure software companies: Connect Partner Center, CRM, and finance systems. Publish transactable offers. Automate MPOs, invoicing, and payout tracking. Visualize performance in unified dashboards. Whether youâre a startup or enterprise, the path to your first Azure sale is shorter than ever if your systems and workflows are connected. How it works step-by-step Publishing a listing is only the start. To generate revenue, connect your CRM, finance, and partner systems so deals flow cleanly from quote to cash. Many software companies get stuck on manual offers or disconnected data. The fix is automation. The fastest-growing software companies standardize the path from listing to sale. Step 1: Connect your systems You donât need to integrate everything at once. Connect core systems early to avoid rework. Sugerâs 30+ native integrations make it simple, no engineering required. CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot): Link Partner Center so listings, referrals, and private offers live inside Opportunities. Finance (NetSuite, QuickBooks, Stripe): Sync invoices, payouts, and true-ups automatically. Communications (Slack, Teams): Notify teams when offers are created, accepted, or near expiry. These integrations give every team a shared view from day one. Step 2: Build you listing with AI To transact, you need a listing that defines how your product is sold, including pricing, descriptions, and compliance details. Thatâs where many software companies slow down. Sugerâs AI Listing Assistant speeds publishing by auto-filling: Product info (e.g. title, descriptions, and categories) Support contacts Resource links In minutes, you can publish a compliant listing with minimal effort. Suger then syncs pricing, SKUs, and entitlement configurations through your connected systems, ensuring your listing is ready for transactions. Step 3: Validate and go live Once the listing is ready, make it transactable by linking it to offer plans that define pricing, fulfillment, and entitlements. Suger automates this process end-to-end: Imports listing data from Partner Center Prefills pricing and fulfillment details from CRM and finance Validates compliance with Azure transaction rules Publishes back to Partner Center as âtransactableâ In minutes, your offer is connected and live, ready for reps to create private offers directly in CRM. Step 4: Enable co-sell with Microsoft Going transactable unlocks the Azure Co-Sell program, the fastest way to grow joint pipeline with Microsoft. Suger automates co-sell operations by: Sharing eligible opportunities with Microsoft automatically Enriching missing required referral details (e.g. company, website, address, industry, size, and phone) Syncing updates back to CRM as deals progress That keeps both sides aligned in real time. Step 5: Generate private offers Most software companies start with a Microsoft Private Offer , a custom quote for a specific buyer. With Suger, reps create offers directly in their CRM: Offer details auto-populate from CRM or CPQ records Approvals route through Slack or Teams Accepted offers sync back for payout reconciliation When an offer is accepted, Suger automatically: Attaches EULAs and entitlement documents to the record Notifies Finance to mark the deal as Closed Won Syncs revenue data with accounting systems for payout reconciliation The entire processâfrom quote to closeâtakes minutes instead of hours, keeping teams focused on selling instead of administration. Step 6: Automate billing and payouts Once the deal closes, automation continues. Sugerâs enterprise-grade billing and metering turn raw usage into clean financial data: Converts consumption into billable records that match Microsoftâs billing format. Handles hybrid and usage-based pricing models automatically. Flags discrepancies before invoices hit Finance. Exports payouts directly into NetSuite or QuickBooks. Finance teams gain accurate, audit-ready data, and sellers gain visibility into when revenue actually lands. No spreadsheets, no missed payments, no confusion. Step 7: Measure and optimize After your first sale, visibility drives optimization. Suger unifies Marketplace, CRM, and finance data into dashboards for every team. Sales: Pipeline by region and offer type. Alliances: Co-sell progress and seller engagement. Finance: Payout timing and reconciliation. RevOps: Deal velocity and attribution. Dashboards simplify forecasting and export easily to Power BI or Tableau. Avoid common pitfalls Most teams hit the same snags. Automation turns bottlenecks into repeatable, scalable processes. Pitfall Impact Automation Fix Disconnected systems Manual entry across CRM & Partner Center Two-way CRM sync keeps data consistent Offer complexity Delays from unclear plans or pricing Guided templates with AI validation Approval bottlenecks Weeks lost in manual review Slack-based approval workflows Limited visibility Finance unsure of payout timing Unified dashboards and auto-reconciliation Scaling challenges Ops canât keep up with deal volume No-code workflows that clone across regions Check your readiness Before transacting, confirm: Offer readiness: Transactable offer configured, approved, and tested. System readiness: CRM, billing, and Partner Center fully synced. Workflow readiness: Private offer creation and approvals automated. Visibility readiness: Dashboards tracking pipeline, payouts, and cycle time. Team readiness: Roles trained on Marketplace quoting and fulfillment. This helps ensure smooth and scalable processes after kick-off. The Suger difference Suger combines automation, AI, and native integrations in one platform built for hyperscaler marketplaces. Area What Suger Does Why It Matters CRM-native co-sell & offer creation CRM-native co-sell and offer creation Keeps reps in workflow 30+ integrations Plugs into existing tech stacks End-to-end automation Workflow automation Automates listings, enrichment, and approvals Cuts manual effort and errors Unified reporting Real-time pipeline and revenue dashboards One source of truth for every team Enterprise billing & metering Handles hybrid and usage-based pricing Simplifies revenue operations Customer-first success Named CSM, Slack support, 24/7 availability Fast onboarding and resolution This combination helps software companies go live faster and scale sustainably without adding headcount or complexity. Reignite your Marketplace listings If your Azure listing is live but inactive, start here: Convert to transactable. Use guided templates to publish a compliant offer quickly. Connect core systems. Sync CRM, Partner Center, and finance for automatic deal flow. Automate private offers and co-sell. Let reps manage everything directly from CRM. These steps unlock visibility, accountability, and revenue: the foundation for long-term Marketplace success. Impact by team Every team benefits when Azure Marketplace operations are automated and connected. Sales: Faster deal creation and fewer errors by staying inside CRM. Partner/Alliances: Real-time visibility into co-sell pipeline and cloud alignment. RevOps: Unified analytics connecting listing, pipeline, and revenue. Finance: Reliable payout data, no spreadsheets, and automated reconciliation. Engineering: Less manual maintenance thanks to productized integrations. Shared data and workflows make Marketplace revenue predictable. Going transactable is the tipping point between simply being listed on Microsoft Marketplace and generating real, predictable revenue. By connecting core systems, automating private offers, and enabling co sell, software companies turn Marketplace into a repeatable sales channel. Automation removes the operational burden and lets offers generate in minutes while data flows cleanly from CRM to finance. When teams have visibility into pipeline, payouts, and performance, Marketplace becomes easier to forecast, manage, and scale. The companies that win are the ones that treat Marketplace as a core sales strategy, not a side experiment. Start your journey Ready? Publish a transactable offer, enroll in co-sell, and share a referral to get there faster. Need help? Contact Suger for a consultation and go from listed to selling fast. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Resources Microsoft Marketplace Trusted source for cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents Microsoft Marketplace - Marketplace publisher | Microsoft Learn How to guides for working in Microsoft Marketplace ISV Success Discover offers and benefits of ISV Success to help you take your apps and agents to the next level.Progress Software and Process.Science offer transactable partner solutions in Microsoft Marketplace
Microsoft partners like Progress Software and Process.Science deliver transact-capable offers, which allow you to purchase directly from Microsoft Marketplace. Learn about these offers in this blog post.Unlock bigger deals with flexible billing and five-year terms in Microsoft Marketplace
Many partners are already leveraging flexible billing and multi-year terms to close larger, more strategic deals in the Microsoft Marketplace. These features have been available for some time, but theyâre worth revisiting â especially as they enable more personalized, enterprise-grade transactions for both SaaS and Virtual Machine (VM) offers. Why it matters Flexible billing and extended terms arenât just enhancements â theyâre strategic tools that help partners: Align with customer budgeting cycles Support custom payment preferences Simplify complex procurement processes Enable predictable revenue streams If you havenât revisited your Marketplace offer recently, now is the time. Flexible billing: More control, more opportunity Traditionally, SaaS and VM offerings have been limited to monthly or annual upfront billing. Now, with flexible billing, you can set custom billing schedules with up to 70 installments over the duration of the contract. Key Capabilities Set specific charge dates and amounts Add notes for context (visible to both customer and partner) Support flat-rate SaaS and Professional Services plans Available globally in all Marketplace-supported currencies đĄ Note: Seat-based SaaS pricing is not supported. Metered billing dimensions are still charged monthly. Example Billing Schedule Charge Date Amount (USD) Notes Immediate $0.00 No upfront fee Jan 10, 2026 $5,000.00 First charge Jul 05, 2026 $2,500.00 Mid-year Mar 15, 2027 $8,000.00 Q1 Year 2 Sep 20, 2027 $4,000.00 Final charge Total $19,500.00 Longer terms: Up to five years Previously, term lengths were restrictive: SaaS: Max 3 years VM: 1- or 3-year terms, upfront only Now, both SaaS and VM offers support 1- to 5-year terms, combined with flexible billing. This opens the door to: Multi-year contracts with predictable revenue Enterprise-grade commitments Simplified renewals and fewer procurement cycles Real-world impact: Siemens âSiemens was recently able to transact a 5-year contract with a quarterly payment schedule on the Microsoft Marketplace thanks to the new multiyear contract durations. The process to enable this 5-year contract within one offer with a very large customer was extremely easy, and it simplifies the complex billing schedule. Siemens is excited and will continue to transact complex deals through the Microsoft Marketplace.â â Clare Dennis, Senior Manager, 3rd Party Marketplace Operations, Siemens Best practices to keep in mind Contract Duration: Must be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years Charge Dates: Must fall within the contract duration and are executed in UTC Immediate Charges: Can be set to $0 to delay the first payment Currency Support: Pricing can be defined in local currencies using export/import tools Multiparty Offers: Channel partners can apply a uniform customer adjustment percentage Modifications: Once accepted, flexible schedules are locked Renewals: SaaS plans renew at public pricing unless auto-renew is disabled Resources to Help You Get Started Flexible billing schedule documentation Video tutorials: Flexible billing for private offers - This video explains what flexible billing is, how the feature works, and covers details of capabilities and restrictions. Flexible billing for private offers - This demo video shows software development companies how to create a direct customer private offers with a flexible billing schedule. Flexible billing for private offers - This demo video shows how to create multi-party private offers with flexible billing. The flexible billing customer experience - This demo video shows the customer purchase experience for a Marketplace private offer which has a flexible billing setup. This video is valuable to software development companies and customers. Take action Review your current offers in Partner Center and consider updating them to include flexible billing and longer terms. These features can help you: Support custom billing schedules Create multi-year partnerships Compete with tailored deal structures Simplify procurement for enterprise customers Need help? Reach out to your Microsoft partner manager or consult the Marketplace documentation for more details.Lock in marketplace terms for up to five years with multiyear contract durations
Co-authored by Trevor_Yeats Weâre excited to announce that the Microsoft marketplace now supports multiyear contract durationsâenabling customers and partners to lock in terms and pricing for up to five years. New options include four and five-year terms for SaaS and Professional Services, and two, four, and five-year terms for Virtual Machine Software Reservations (VMSR). These contract durations are available globally across all marketplace-supported currencies. The value for your customers and for you With multiyear contract durations, customers can buy with confidence knowing they will have stability and continuity of service, making it easier to plan and forecast expenses and lock in substantial savings that often come with longer contracts. Partners benefit by supporting customersâ budget needs, strengthening customer relationships, reducing administrative burdens, and growing reliable revenue streams. âOur customers value five-year contracts for the stability and long-term value they provide. With multiyear contracts now available in Microsoft marketplace, we can better align with their operational timelines, reduce renewal cycles, and focus on building lasting relationshipsâwhile driving predictable revenue.â Sue Wilkinson, Global Director of Partners, IFS How it works To enable multiyear contract durations, software partners must take the following steps: Create a public offer with multiyear contract durations. Partners must ensure their public offers include extended contract terms before they can create private offers with those durations. Partners have two options: Update an existing public plan to support new options for extended durations (i.e., four and five-year options for SaaS offers and two, four, and five-year options for VMSR), or Create a new public plan that includes multiyear contract durations. Create private offers with multiyear contract durations. Once a public offer with multiyear contract durations is published, partners can configure private offers that leverage those durations. Notes: As of October 31, multiyear contract durations are available for CSP offers. Existing customer agreements cannot be modified mid-term to extend contract length. Customers must cancel their current plan and purchase a new one that includes the desired extended duration. Creating multiyear contracts with flexible billing schedules Partners can create private offers that combine multiyear contract durations with flexible billing optionsâlike quarterly, semiannual, or bimonthlyâmaking it easier to align with customer needs and streamline sales. âMicrosoftâs recent launch of multiyear contracts and flexible billing has been a game changer, simplifying the buying process and enhancing the customer experience. We can now build private offers in the Microsoft marketplace in a more natural way that mirrors our contracts in the platform.â Sue Wilkinson, Global Director of Partners, IFS Learn more about flexible billing schedules and capturing the marketplace opportunity. Eligibility for multiyear contracts and how to get started Any company who is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program can sell on the marketplace with multiyear contract durations. Details are provided in our documentation, but at a high-level: Be a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (itâs free to join) Sign the marketplace publisher agreement Publish your public offer with multiyear contract durations. Sell private offers with multiyear contract durations. In addition, we have many support resources for partners depending on where they are on their marketplace journey. For example, software development companies can join ISV Success, within the Partner Program, for tools and resources that help them publish their solution and maximize reach through the marketplace. Learn more by visiting: Microsoft commercial marketplace transact capabilities FAQs: https://aka.ms/multiyear-FAQs
FY26 Q1 update: Make the most of your certified software designation
Key reminders for partners with current top tier benefits Now: Partners can start the process of attaining a certified software designationâwhich is required to access benefits like partner-reported Azure consumed revenue (PRACR) reporting. Until December 31, 2025: Partners can retain access to current top tier benefits, including PRACR reporting and Azure partner-led incentives. Starting January 1, 2026: Partners will need to have a certified software designation to continue accessing these benefits. Updates for FY26 PRACR-reporting partners PRACR reporting has moved to Partner Center: PRACR reporting is now centralized in Partner Center and tied to active contractsâmeaning that partners will need to register legacy deals and renewals as net-new to maintain eligibility. Partners who missed the April 30 deadline for estimated Azure consumption (EAC) percentage (EAC%) will receive a default rate unless updated proactively. If partners are renewing expired deals as net new through the deal registration process in Partner Center, please ensure a co-sell motion has occurred as part of the renewal. Review the Partner Center requirements for PRACR and ensure your reported deals are registered accordingly. Make the most of PRACR with vNext documentation: To support your success with vNext PRACR, weâre launching a suite of clear, actionable documentation designed to guide you through onboarding, transitions, and ongoing participation. News and announcements From FAQs to playbooks, our resource collection has the tools you need to succeed as a Solutions Partner with a certified software designation. Explore resources Enhanced FY26 go-to-market benefits: Solutions Partners with certified software designations can access updated go-to-market (GTM) benefits, including solution play cards, solution briefs, and an animated solution videoâall designed to raise awareness of your solution and support your co-sell success. Learn more here or here. New Industry AI designations now available: We introduced six new designations for industry-specific AIâEnergy, Government, Telecom, Education, Defense, and Nonprofitâso software development companies can further differentiate and align their solutions to sector-specific needs. Learn more here. Incentives and offers Microsoftâs FY26 Partner Incentives empower software development companies to accelerate customer migrations and modernizations with substantial financial rewards. Partners with certified software designationsâincluding Azure, Security, and Industry AIâcan earn up to $175,000 USD for qualifying Customer Migrate & Modernize engagements. These incentives, a part of Marketplace Rewards Advanced Package, support a wide range of customer scenarios, from migrating on-premises environments to Azure-hosted solutions, moving from competitive platforms, expanding Azure solution footprints, and acquiring net new customers. Check out the âISV Engagementsâ tab in the incentives guide for more information. Partner success Hear how Symphony AI, Rockwell Automation, Rescale, Accenture, and Avanade are leveraging their certified software designations to expand global reach, increase brand visibility, and deliver cutting-edge AI-powered solutions. View here. Follow the tag certified software designations to stay updated on quarterly partner news for certified software designations. *âSolutions Partnerâ refers to a company that is a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and may offer software, services, and/or solutions to customers. Reference to âSolutions Partnerâ in any content, materials, resources, web properties, etc. and any associated designation should be not interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc., rests solely with your business. **A certification is (1) specific to the solutionâs interoperability with Microsoft products and (2) based on self-attestation by the solution owner.⯠Solutions are only certified as of the date the solution is reviewed. Solution functionality and capability are controlled by the solution owner and may be subject to change. The inclusion of a solution in the marketplace and any such designations should not be interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc. rest solely with your business.
