Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) everywhere have already started to recognize the immense potential and benefits of migrating to cloud-based solutions. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has emerged as a dominant player in this domain, offering a vast array of services to help SMBs optimize their operations and drive innovation. For managed service providers (MSPs), partnering with AWS opens a world of opportunities to deliver cutting-edge cloud solutions to your clients while accessing a variety of partner programs that help increase profitability. However, for SMBs, AWS can feel complex and out-of-reach. In this blog, we will explore how MSPs can get started selling AWS to their SMBs through a streamlined approach.
Understanding the AWS Partner Network (APN)
Before diving into the specifics of selling AWS to SMBs, it’s crucial to understand the AWS Partner Network (APN) and the various partner programs it offers. The APN is a global community of AWS partners, including MSPs, system integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs), and others who resell AWS.
As an MSP, you can join the APN as a Services Path partner and unlock access to resources, training, and support via APN Partner Central. Here, you can personalize your path by building a profile with your product and service offerings, and then receiving tailored recommendations from AWS. With Partner Central, you can also access your Partner Scorecard to track your organization’s certifications and accreditations and discover discounts and credits.
Find your niche
Before you jump into the AWS ecosystem, it is crucial to identify your niche and expertise. While AWS offers a vast array of services and it may be tempting to go after every audience or multiple AWS competencies, trying to be a jack-of-all-trades might lead to lackluster results. Instead, focus on a specific area where you can excel and differentiate yourself. Whether it’s migration or a vertical market, like law firms or financial services, finding your niche is the foundation for building a strong AWS partnership and successfully selling a comprehensive solution to SMBs in those markets.
Once you have determined your niche, it’s time to build your expertise so you can deliver exceptional service. Options to investing in your AWS experience include taking free On-Demand courses, in-person, and virtual classroom trainings to reach those critical AWS accreditations and certifications.
Choose the competencies that align to your niche and business goals. For example, migration competency is highly sought after by companies looking to transition to the cloud. Other competencies cater to various verticals, such as healthcare, education, or financial services. Becoming proficient in one or more competencies establishes your credibility and increases your chances of attracting potential clients.
Growing your AWS business
Beyond certifications, AWS provides several ways to grow your business, such as engaging with AWS sales through the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program. The ACE Program is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with AWS sales teams, working on joint opportunities and leads.
By participating in ACE, you gain visibility, receive referrals, and access various partner benefits such as co-selling support and discounts for sales activities. As you submit opportunities through ACE, you’ll also receive such benefits as AWS marketing funds and financial incentives.
You can also amplify your reach and credibility by utilizing AWS Partner Marketing Central, a self-service tool that allows you to customize and launch partner-ready campaigns and is available to AWS Select tier partners and above. Generally, it’s wise to start with your installed customer base and find clients you’ve identified who are good candidates for AWS and would benefit from their services, then expand outward to new leads from there.
Partnering with Pax8
As a leading cloud marketplace, Pax8 offers MSPs a seamless platform to access AWS services and solutions. Partnering with Pax8 empowers MSPs to offload billing and operations, receive funding benefits, and gain technical expertise to support their cloud business.
Pax8 provides live educational sessions, workshops, and on-demand courses, many of which are dedicated to AWS. You can start with AWS Demystification, where you’ll learn the ins and outs of AWS. From there, you can join an AWS Bootcamp to begin putting what you’ve learned into practice and watch Pax8 Academy on-demand courses, such as “Getting Started with Amazon Web Services,” “AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials,” and “Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) pricing models.” Learn more about our AWS-specific training.
Selling AWS with Pax8 opens an exciting world of opportunities for MSPs to deliver market-leading cloud solutions to your SMB clients. You can establish yourself as a trusted AWS partner to your clients and reach new ones, thereby growing your business to new heights. Find out how you can work with Pax8, the only Marketplace designed for MSPs selling to SMBs, or schedule a call.
