So you want to get started selling your software or services in a cloud marketplace?
For this post, I will focus on the ‘Hyperscale Marketplaces’ namely Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) marketplaces.
I often see folks taking one of two broad approaches to using the hyperscale marketplaces:
- Those who try to do too much, think about going in to all 3 at once and get stuck letting ‘perfect be the enemy of participation.’
- Those who jump in, feet first, listing their products with minimal thought to pricing, demand gen, channel impacts, etc.
Neither is a good approach, and as in most of life, the right answer lies in between these two extremes.
Developing your strategic execution plan
Consider the following questions as you develop your strategic plan:
- Which of the 3 marketplaces are my customers most likely to buy from and why?
- Am I trying to reach new or existing customers, or both?
- Which products are ‘marketplace-ready’ based on my solution and target customer skill level?
- What is the best way I am going to drive demand and awareness for this new route to market?
- How do I best align with the go-to-market motion of the marketplace I have picked?
The answer to these questions is unique for every seller on Marketplace, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
4 recommendations
Start with one Marketplace – for example, if your service adds value to serverless computing start with the one your customers use the most. As you learn expand to other marketplaces as needed.
Start with the right number and type of listings – starting small is better than large. Make sure your first price balances being compelling to customers while providing margin for partners and others if needed. There are horror stories of early entrants to Marketplaces who didn’t do this and then had to put their prices up, losing customers in the process.
Decide if you will build or buy an API integration – if you have a SaaS listing, this is required. Determine if you will have the skills and resources to build this yourself or purchase a 3rd party service, such as tackle.io or CloudBlue. I If you are building this inhouse, assume 2 to 4 people for ~30 to 90 days, depending on the business systems integration complexity.
Plan for demand generation – getting your ‘can of tomatoes’ on the supermarket shelf doesn’t mean people will notice and choose it over what they already have.
Treat this as a series of experiments. The goal is to learn, revise, and repeat as you build toward success.
Contact me
If you are interested in a deeper discussion or more insight, please book a 1-hour virtual coffee and chat.
