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AWS Sales Engagement

Overview

ZirconTech's AWS sales engagement process defines how and when we collaborate with AWS sellers and Solutions Architects on opportunities, utilizing the AWS Opportunity Management tool in AWS Partner Central for sales qualified opportunities.

Sales Qualification Criteria (BANTC)

Before engaging AWS resources, opportunities must be sales qualified with all required fields completed:

  • Budget: Confirmed budget range and decision-making process
  • Authority: Identified decision-makers and approval workflow
  • Need: Validated business need and technical requirements
  • Timeline: Defined project timeline and key milestones
  • Competition: Competitive landscape and positioning strategy

AWS Seller Engagement Process

When We Engage AWS Sellers

Immediate Engagement Triggers

  • Large Opportunities: Deals exceeding enterprise-level annual commitments
  • Strategic Accounts: Enterprise companies or key industry targets
  • Multi-Service Requirements: Complex solutions requiring multiple AWS service portfolios
  • Competitive Situations: Active competition requiring AWS positioning support

Timeline-Based Engagement

  • Early Stage: During initial discovery when technical architecture is being defined
  • Proof of Concept Phase: When AWS credits or sandbox environments are needed
  • Proposal Development: For pricing optimization and AWS program alignment
  • Contract Negotiation: For Enterprise Discount Programs or strategic pricing

How We Engage AWS Sellers

Initial Contact Method

  1. Direct Outreach: Contact assigned AWS Account Manager or Demand Generation Rep
  2. Opportunity Registration: Submit opportunity in AWS Partner Central Opportunity Management tool
  3. Context Sharing: Provide BANTC qualification details and technical requirements
  4. Collaboration Request: Request specific support needed (pricing, positioning, resources)

Ongoing Collaboration

  • Weekly Sync Calls: Regular check-ins on opportunity progression
  • Joint Customer Meetings: Coordinated presentations and discovery sessions
  • Strategic Planning: Quarterly account planning and opportunity pipeline reviews
  • Deal Support: AWS seller involvement in proposal development and contract negotiations

AWS Solutions Architect Engagement Process

When We Engage AWS Solutions Architects

Technical Engagement Triggers

  • Architecture Design: Complex multi-tier or hybrid cloud architectures
  • Well-Architected Reviews: Formal architecture validation and optimization
  • Proof of Concept: Technical validation requiring AWS expertise
  • Migration Planning: Application modernization or cloud migration projects

Customer-Driven Requests

  • Technical Deep Dives: Customer requests for AWS architectural guidance
  • Performance Optimization: Existing workload optimization and cost reduction
  • Compliance Requirements: Regulatory or security compliance validation
  • Innovation Workshops: Exploration of emerging AWS services and capabilities

How We Engage AWS Solutions Architects

Engagement Process

  1. Technical Brief: Share current state architecture and requirements with AWS Solutions Architect
  2. Joint Discovery: Include Solutions Architect in customer technical discovery sessions
  3. Architecture Collaboration: Co-develop solution architecture and implementation approach
  4. Customer Presentation: Joint presentation of recommended architecture and approach

Deliverable Coordination

  • Architecture Documents: Collaborative development of solution designs
  • Technical Proposals: Joint authoring of technical sections in customer proposals
  • Proof of Concept Planning: Coordinated PoC definition and success criteria
  • Implementation Support: Ongoing architectural guidance during project delivery

AWS Partner Central Opportunity Management

Opportunity Registration Process

Required Information Submission

When registering opportunities in AWS Partner Central, we complete all mandatory fields:

  1. Customer Information
  2. Company name, industry, and size
  3. Primary contacts and decision-makers

  4. Current AWS usage and maturity level

  5. Opportunity Details

  6. Project description and technical requirements
  7. Estimated AWS consumption and timeline

  8. Competitive landscape and positioning

  9. BANTC Qualification

  10. Budget: Validated budget range and funding source
  11. Authority: Confirmed decision-makers and approval process
  12. Need: Business drivers and technical requirements
  13. Timeline: Project milestones and go-live dates
  14. Competition: Identified competitors and differentiation strategy

Opportunity Tracking and Updates

  • Status Updates: Weekly updates on opportunity progression through sales stages
  • Milestone Reporting: Key meeting outcomes, proposal submissions, and customer feedback
  • Competitive Intelligence: Updates on competitive positioning and win/loss factors
  • Forecasting: Probability assessments and revised timeline projections

Collaboration Workflow

Internal Process

  1. Opportunity Identification: ZirconTech SDR identifies and qualifies opportunity
  2. BANTC Completion: Full qualification of Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline, Competition
  3. AWS Registration: Submit qualified opportunity in AWS Partner Central
  4. Resource Request: Identify specific AWS seller and Solutions Architect support needed
  5. Joint Planning: Coordinate approach and resource allocation with AWS team

Customer Engagement

  1. Discovery Collaboration: Joint customer meetings with AWS Solutions Architect
  2. Solution Development: Collaborative architecture design and proposal development
  3. Presentation Coordination: Joint customer presentations and technical deep dives
  4. Proposal Support: AWS seller involvement in pricing and contract negotiations
  5. Implementation Planning: Coordinated project kick-off and delivery approach

Success Metrics and Tracking

Opportunity Management KPIs

  • Registration Timeline: Opportunities registered promptly after BANTC completion
  • AWS Response Time: Rapid AWS resource assignment and response
  • Joint Activity Rate: High percentage of registered opportunities include joint customer activities
  • Win Rate: Improved win rate on opportunities with active AWS collaboration

Collaboration Effectiveness

  • Customer Satisfaction: Post-engagement feedback on AWS team involvement
  • Technical Quality: Solutions Architect assessment of architecture quality
  • Sales Velocity: Reduced sales cycle time with AWS collaboration
  • Deal Size: Average deal size increase with AWS seller involvement

Last updated: December 2024