The Billion-Dollar Marketplace Playbook: Operations Secrets of Top ISVs
Hi, it's Roman from Partner Insight. Welcome to my newsletter on winning Cloud GTM and partnership strategies.
Today, I'll break down the operational tactics behind marketplace scale - why treating cloud marketplaces as a "parallel universe" limits your growth, and how top ISVs are accelerating revenue by integrating marketplace into their core business. Plus, I'll share why Cloud Desk is "the most important investment an ISV can make” when taking cloud marketplaces seriously, according to AWS's WW Marketplace Leader.
💡 Before we dive in:
Join me this Thursday, March 27th, for an online workshop where I'll break down the 5 strategic shifts driving $1M+ marketplace deals - insights distilled from helping 200+ alliance leaders scale their revenue.
Plus, our 10th Cloud GTM Leader course cohort kicks off next Tuesday, April 1st - only a few spots remain.
Now, let's talk about how to operations and scaling with marketplaces.
Hidden Operations Secrets Behind Marketplace Scale
Cloud marketplaces drive billions in transactions, yet not all companies have mastered using them for global expansion.
The secret? Stop creating a set of new Revops processes and treating marketplace as a parallel universe to your regular business.
This insight comes from Phil Soane, Principal AWS Marketplace Development Manager International Expansion, speaking to our Cloud GTM Leader course.
With 5+ years helping ISVs scale across EMEA and globally via AWS Marketplace, Phil and the international expansion team leverage their experience to transform complex international requirements into clear pathways for success.
The most successful ISVs are now treating cloud marketplaces (MP) as a core and recognized route to market — and, critically, mirroring their core business operations within MP.
These mirroring characteristics are becoming a consistent discussion with partners and are enabled by ongoing product engineering focus by the AWS teams.
They include:
AWS MP seller account(s) matching their business entity presence
Leveraging the AWS MP global operator model
Localizing AWS MP transactions (supporting local currencies and disbursement to local bank accounts)
Tax principles are understood and aligned across regions
Adhering to regional compliance requirements (i.e. KYC)
Why does this matter for growth?
Global Companies that try to run MP operations in isolation through a single (e.g. US) marketplace account despite selling globally, can often hit a growth ceiling.
The disconnect creates friction in sales, finance, and operations as the approach is likely out of sync with their existing business operations.
“In terms of global scale, it can be a challenge when alliances teams try to execute a MP strategy within a corner of their business, in isolation, without integrating all the mainstream business functions ," Phil explains.
The growth accelerator?
Normalizing the MP within your business by ‘mirroring’ your traditional business operations
When you do that:
Sales teams trust it because back-end processes are familiar – especially in sales centric tasks such as ‘booking a deal’.
Finance teams are at the table early and often recommend local entity alignment
Operations can scale predictably across regions by leveraging existing processes/teams
Tax teams have clarity on jurisdiction-specific requirements
ISV see their MP deals grow much faster after integrating their MP into their existing business structure.
Why? Their sales teams see it as a natural positive extension of their GTM, not a separate “marketplace thing."
"We continue to listen, learn and then build for our partners. It certainly seems that by making these right decisions early about entities, bank accounts, currencies, tax handling, etc. - sellers are laying foundations and a legacy for decades to come.
It therefore might be better to do that from the get-go as opposed to try and reverse engineer it later." Phil stresses.
Online Workshop on March 27: 5 Strategic Shifts Driving $1M+ Cloud Marketplace Deals
Unpopular opinion: Many ISVs are approaching cloud marketplaces completely backwards…
After helping 200+ alliance leaders scale their marketplace revenue, I've seen the same pattern repeatedly. Companies struggling with cloud GTM are making these 5 fundamental mistakes:
Waiting for cloud sellers to bring them deals
(Instead of actively tapping into $419Bn of enterprise cloud commits)
Listing everything without a strategy
(Instead of validating their best products and creating compelling better-together stories)
Wondering why sales teams won't use marketplace more
(Instead of identifying and nurturing internal marketplace champions)
Craving visibility from cloud sellers
(Instead of making their product essential to cloud-customer conversations)
Focusing only on new deals
(Instead of leveraging renewals to get larger upsells, close faster & create momentum)
If you're struggling with even ONE of these approaches, join our free workshop on March 27th where I'll show you exactly how to flip these mindsets to accelerate marketplace growth.
I'll share the framework that helped alliance leaders generate millions in actual revenue, and grow triple digits YoY.
This isn't theory—these are battle-tested frameworks from our Cloud GTM Leader course that have helped 200+ alliance leaders unlock their share of the $419Bn marketplace opportunity.
📅 Join us on on Thursday, March 27 at 9-10am PT
This workshop leads directly into Cohort 10 of our comprehensive Cloud GTM Leader course starting April 1st - the program alliance leaders from companies like Citrix, Wiz, and Darktrace trust to accelerate their cloud marketplace revenue.
Cloud Desk: The #1 driver to Scale Marketplace Revenue?
Cloud Desk is “probably the most important investment an ISV in EMEA can make when taking cloud marketplaces seriously," emphasized Lewis Howarth, AWS’s WW Marketplace Leader in his comments.
But what exactly is Cloud Desk, and why could it be the key to scaling from early wins to tens of millions in ARR?
Daniel Roppert (Channel & Alliances Leader at Wiz, formerly at Okta) has shared how to set up Cloud Desk and why it was critical to Okta's Cloud GTM success (Okta recently hit $1Bn in revenue on AWS marketplace).
What Is Cloud Desk & How Does It Work?
Cloud Desk is an inside sales or contact center team tailored for managing hyperscaler interactions and cloud marketplace transactions.
Key Functions:
Cloud marketplace transaction support – Ensuring smooth deal processing
Hyperscaler referral management – Tracking and leveraging leads with hyperscalers
Account mapping & intelligence – Identifying co-sell opportunities
Sales enablement – Supporting sales teams with cloud marketplace strategies
Liaison role – Acting as a bridge between internal teams, hyperscalers, channel partners
Typically 1-3 full-time employees (FTEs), depending on company size and marketplace operations
Why Cloud Desk Accelerates Marketplace Growth
Frees up partner managers for high-value activities like sourcing new deals
Standardizes processes, reducing the need for constant sales enablement
Centralizes hyperscaler communications, improving response times & efficiency
Case Study: Cloud Desk in Action
A Cloud Desk team identified an opportunity to collaborate with a hyperscaler on a major deal. Their access to data and account history revealed the hyperscaler’s involvement with the same client.
What Happened?
The Cloud Desk team connected the alliance leader & account manager with the hyperscaler early in the process.
This leveraged hyperscaler influence, funding, and resources to accelerate the deal.
The result? A streamlined, high-value win that maximized the partnership.
This example underscores why having a dedicated Cloud Desk team can be a game-changer in early collaboration, relationship management, and strategic deal acceleration.
How to Set Up Cloud Desk for Your Team
Structure Your Cloud Desk
Start with one Cloud Desk person per major region (EMEA, APAC, Americas)
Align staffing with business seasonality (e.g., ramp up for quarter-ends)
Position Cloud Desk between partner managers & marketplace operations
Define Clear KPIs
Marketplace deals processed
Enablement sessions conducted (for internal teams)
Contribution to cloud revenue targets
Customer satisfaction metrics for transaction support
Cloud Desk isn't just an operational function—it’s a strategic investment in scaling cloud marketplace success.
Unlock Your Growth on Cloud Marketplaces: Cohort 10 stats April 1st
After guiding 200+ cloud alliance leaders to marketplace success, our landmark 10th cohort of the Cloud GTM Leader course opens April 1st. With software sales on cloud marketplaces projected to reach $85 billion in just 3 years (Canalys), mastering this channel has become essential for companies looking to scale.
The Marketplace Opportunity Is Massive
Hyperscalers have accumulated $419 billion in committed customer spend – pre-allocated budgets you can tap into by selling your software through marketplaces.
Cloud marketplaces also give you instant access to hundreds of thousands of enterprise customers actively spending on cloud platforms. Positioning your solution effectively in this ecosystem isn't just an advantage—it's a necessity that also requires transforming your go-to-market motion.
What Our Alumni Are Saying
"This course is 100% essential for anyone starting on this journey. Even for those who are already there, they should take this course. I wish I’d been able to do this a year ago - it’d have saved me a lot of stress." - Director of Alliances & Strategic Partnerships, Redgate Software
James went from having his marketplace strategy shot down by his board to generating $200K in revenue + $7M pipeline in just 8 weeks.
"Cloud marketplaces are complex and continually changing. This course offers a wide variety of speakers and topics to address this complexity and specifically create strategies to drive value…" - Jordan Spiers, VP of Strategic Alliances, Cloudaware
What You'll Get Over 5 Weeks
10 Deep-Dive Expert Sessions with VP-level cloud GTM leaders who've built million-dollar marketplace motions
4 Mastermind Sessions to solve your specific challenges with peers and mentors
12-Month Access to our exclusive Cloud GTM Leader Slack community
Frameworks & Templates that normally cost thousands in consulting fees
Certificate showcasing your marketplace expertise
Free Workshop: March 27th
Before the course begins, join our free workshop "5 Strategic Shifts Driving $1M+ Cloud Marketplace Deals" on March 27th (9-10am PT) where I'll share the exact frameworks our most successful alumni have used to transform their results.
Secure Your Spot in Cohort 10
The Cloud GTM Leader course begins April 1st. With just 8 days until launch and limited spots remaining, now is the time to transform your cloud marketplace strategy.
Our program has been recognized by Jay McBain of Canalys as a Top Education Program for Channel and Partnership professionals, with alumni from companies like GitLab, Citrix, Darktrace, and Wiz consistently rating it 9/10.
P.S. Not sure if this is right for you? Attend our free workshop on March 27th to experience our teaching approach and meet community members before deciding.