Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Co-selling with AWS and the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program (PEX117)

Summary

The session is aimed at AWS partners interested in the ACE program to kickstart their sales cycle with AWS and grow revenue.
ACE allows partners to submit opportunities to AWS, gaining visibility with AWS sales teams and customers, and enriching customer relationships.
Partners using ACE can access benefits like discounts, training credits, and funding options.
Okta's case study shows the effectiveness of ACE in assembling the right team and innovating with AWS.
AWS has improved the ACE experience by allowing partners to choose their level of engagement with AWS sales teams and clarifying opportunity submission types (new, renewal, expansion).
Public sector partners can now indicate national security customer engagements and request proposal stage support.
The opportunity submission form has been digitized for ease of use and faster processing.
AWS encourages partners to focus on offerings and solutions that drive business outcomes for customers.
Partners can now add offerings directly in their opportunity submissions, improving sales acceleration, awareness, discoverability, and insights.
Integration with AWS Marketplace has been enhanced, allowing partners to connect ACE opportunities with Marketplace offers.
The session concludes with an emphasis on speed, agility, and a holistic view of partner engagements with AWS.

The ACE program is a critical tool for AWS partners to collaborate with AWS sales teams and leverage the AWS ecosystem to grow their business.
AWS is responsive to partner feedback, as evidenced by the improvements made to the ACE program, which aim to streamline processes and increase the effectiveness of co-selling.
The focus on offerings and solutions in the ACE program underscores AWS's strategy to drive customer-centric outcomes and align with partners' value propositions.
The integration with AWS Marketplace suggests a strategic move by AWS to create a more seamless experience for customers purchasing through the Marketplace and for partners managing their sales pipeline.
The session highlights the importance of agility and speed in the sales process, which is a common theme in the rapidly evolving cloud services industry.
AWS's commitment to providing a 360-degree view of partner activities and engagements indicates a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making and optimization of sales functions.