Six Roles
Partner Alliance Manager
Partner org
Owns the Microsoft relationship end to end. Creates referrals in Partner Center. Monitors both 14-day windows. Drives deal registration.
Partner Field Sales (AE)
Partner org
Owns the customer relationship and deal close. Carries quota. Not responsible for Partner Center submissions.
Partner Solutions Engineer
Partner org
Technical architecture, POC, and reference architecture documentation. Required input for IP co-sell eligibility. Interfaces with Microsoft PTS.
Microsoft PDM
GPS (Global Partner Solutions)
Partner strategy, co-sell pipeline, introductions to field sellers, escalation facilitation.
Cannot require field seller to engage on any specific deal.
Microsoft Field Seller (AE)
Enterprise / SMB / Digital Sales org
Owns the customer account and 14-day accept/decline decision. FY27 priorities: Copilot, Azure AI, Security, Fabric.
Not partner-facing. Decides independently based on account priorities.
Microsoft PTS
GPS (Global Partner Solutions)
Technical validation during complex pursuits and Advanced Specialization audits. Engaged selectively through PDM.
Deal Types
| Type |
MS Obligation |
Registration |
| Private |
None |
No |
| Partner-led |
View only |
Yes* |
| Co-sell Active |
14-day window |
Yes* |
*IP co-sell eligible solution required
Key Accountabilities by Phase
R Responsible
A Accountable
C Consulted
I Informed
A/R = sole owner
Phase 1
Origination and Validation
- Identify co-sell opportunityAAM
- Validate customer is Microsoft-managedA/RAM
- Assess co-sell candidacy (selective)A/RAM
- Confirm Solution Area + Solution PlayA/RAM
Phase 2
Referral Submission and Acceptance
- Create deal in Partner Center (all fields)A/RAM
- Monitor Microsoft 14-day windowA/RAM
- Respond to inbound referral (14-day)A/RAM
- Accept or decline outbound referralA/RField Seller
Phase 3
Qualification and Development
- Qualify customer requirementsA/RField Sales
- Technical architecture + POCA/RSE
- Update deal stages in Partner CenterA/RAM
- Escalate stalled deal (PDM nudge)AAMRPDM
Phase 4
Proposal, Negotiation, and Close
- Prepare and present proposalA/RField Sales
- Position MACC / Marketplace pathA/RAM
- Mark deal won or lostA/RAM
Phase 5
Deal Registration and Incentive Capture
- Verify all 5 registration criteriaA/RAM
- Submit deal registrationA/RAM
- Monitor validation + incentive claimA/RAM
14 days
Bilateral obligation: partner must respond to inbound; Microsoft seller must respond to outbound. Missed = deal closes as declined in Partner Center, cannot be re-opened. Both windows run independently.
72 hrs
Minimum between deal creation and marking Won before submitting registration. No exceptions, no overrides. Most common first-time rejection reason.
5 criteria
Won status. IP co-sell eligible solution. $25K+ value. Microsoft-managed account. Partner-led or co-sell active deal type. All five required.
Eight Failure Points
1Dual 14-Day Cliff
Partners know the inbound obligation. Fewer know the outbound window also auto-expires. Both run independently. Both are the alliance manager's operational responsibility.
2Customer Account Type
If the customer is not Microsoft-managed, the deal is ineligible for registration. This check must happen before deal creation, not after. Error surfaces only at registration, after the deal is closed.
3CRM Integration Breakage
The Marketplace Intent field became mandatory for API submissions in January 2026. Pre-existing Salesforce and Dynamics integrations fail silently. No error appears in most CRM dashboards.
4Missing Mandatory Fields
Solution Area and Solution Play are mandatory for all IP co-sell submissions. Missing either field = rejected or deprioritized before reaching a field seller.
5Scorecard Misalignment
FY27 field seller priorities: Copilot, Azure AI, Security, Fabric. Solutions outside these workloads are deprioritized regardless of referral quality or partner relationship.
6Volume Over Selectivity
Submitting every deal collapses acceptance rates and damages the PDM relationship. Submit only deals where Microsoft engagement materially changes the outcome.
772-Hour Registration Timing
Registration submitted before 72 hours have elapsed is rejected. Opportunities cannot be deleted once created. This is the most common first-time registration error.
8PDM Relationship Confusion
PDM facilitates introductions and escalation. PDM cannot compel field seller engagement on any specific deal. The field seller decides independently based on account priorities.
Common Misconceptions
Co-sell ready does not mean seller engagement. Sellers have no obligation at Co-Sell Ready status.
PDM is not a field seller and cannot compel deal engagement. Two different orgs, two different jobs.
Partner-led is not co-sell active. Active creates the 14-day bilateral obligation; partner-led gives visibility only.
Marketplace Intent field is mandatory for API submissions since Jan 2026. Silently drops referrals when missing.
72-hour minimum before marking Won. Registering immediately after close is rejected every time.
Deal registration is not co-sell. Without a referral first, there is no Microsoft engagement, only partial post-close credit.