Closing $480K by Co-Selling With an MSP Partner

The Challenge

A mid-market logistics company wanted to upgrade their security posture but had no internal security team to manage any solution. They needed a managed offering — hardware, software, deployment, and ongoing management bundled together. We sold product, not managed services, which made us a poor fit for the deal as structured.

The Approach

Instead of walking away from the deal, I partnered with an MSP who specialized in mid-market cybersecurity management. We created a joint proposal: our product formed the technology foundation, while the MSP provided deployment, user training, 24/7 monitoring, and ongoing management. The customer got a single invoice and a single point of accountability through the MSP.

I coached the MSP's sales team on our product value proposition and joined their customer presentations to handle technical questions. We also created a shared success plan with the MSP, defining each party's responsibilities and revenue share to prevent any conflicts during the sales process.

The Result

The joint proposal won the deal at $480K — $280K for our product and $200K for the MSP's managed services. The customer got the turnkey solution they wanted, the MSP got recurring managed services revenue, and we got a product deal we would have otherwise lost. The MSP went on to replicate this model with five additional mid-market customers.

Key Takeaway

Not every deal fits your go-to-market model. When the customer needs something you do not offer, partnering with a complementary provider creates a win-win-win that pure product selling cannot achieve. The best AEs know when to bring in a partner rather than force-fitting their offering.