Maximizing Sales Efficiency for AWS Partners with HubSpot Sequences and Marketing Plays

The cloud landscape is dynamic, and for AWS Partners, standing out and scaling efficiently is paramount. You're not just selling technology; you're delivering complex solutions, often in collaboration with AWS, and navigating sophisticated client needs. In this competitive environment, your sales team's efficiency isn't just a goal—it's a critical driver of growth. Wasted effort on repetitive tasks or inconsistent follow-up can mean missed opportunities with potential clients looking to leverage the AWS cloud.
This is where strategic automation and well-defined processes, specifically using tools like HubSpot Sequences (Sales Plays) and thoughtfully crafted Marketing Plays, can transform your sales outcomes as an AWS Partner.

The Challenge for AWS Partners: Time-Intensive, Manual Sales Efforts 

Many AWS Partners, despite their technical prowess and deep understanding of AWS services, find their sales teams bogged down by manual tasks. Think about the hours spent:

• Crafting individual follow-up emails after a joint AWS webinar or a lead from the AWS Partner Network (APN) Customer Engagements (ACE) program.
• Remembering to nurture prospects met at AWS Summits or re:Invent who aren't ready to buy immediately.
• Manually logging every interaction and trying to coordinate with AWS sales teams for co-sell opportunities.
• Ensuring consistent messaging across the team when discussing your specialized AWS solutions, be it data analytics, migration services, or managed security.

These manual efforts don't just consume time; they lead to inconsistencies, missed follow-ups, and ultimately, a longer sales cycle and lost revenue potential. Your highly skilled sales professionals should be focused on strategic conversations and closing deals, not on administrative overhead.

Enter HubSpot Sequences (Sales Plays): Automating Personalized Outreach for AWS Solutions 

HubSpot Sequences are a powerful tool for automating a series of targeted, personalized emails and task reminders. For an AWS Partner, this means you can stay top-of-mind with prospects and ensure no lead from an AWS event or referral slips through the cracks without sacrificing that personal touch.

How AWS Partners Can Leverage HubSpot Sequences and Sales Plays:

1. Post-Event/Webinar Engagement:
   • Scenario: You've just hosted a successful webinar on your latest serverless computing solution built on AWS Lambda and API Gateway, or perhaps you've collected leads at an AWS Immersion Day you co-hosted.
   • Sequence Example:
     • Email 1 (Day 1): Thank attendees, share the recording/slides, and offer a relevant case study showcasing your AWS expertise.
     • Task (Day 2): For highly engaged leads (e.g., those who asked questions), create a task for the sales rep to connect on LinkedIn.
     • Email 2 (Day 4): Offer a "15-minute AWS Solution Briefing" or a consultation on how your solution can address their specific pain points.
     • Email 3 (Day 7): Share another piece of value, like a guide to "Optimizing Costs on AWS with [Your Solution]" or an invitation to a hands-on workshop.
     • Task (Day 10): If no engagement, create a task for a final personalized check-in call.
2. Nurturing ACE Referrals & Marketplace Leads:
   • Scenario: A new lead comes through the ACE program or from your AWS Marketplace listing. These are often warm leads that require timely and specific follow-up.
   • Sequence Example:
     • Email 1 (Immediate): Acknowledge the referral/Marketplace interest, introduce your specific AWS competency (e.g., "As an AWS Premier Consulting Partner specializing in Migration..."), and offer to discuss their project.
     • Task (Day 1): Sales rep to research the company and their potential AWS needs.
     • Email 2 (Day 3): Share a tailored case study or whitepaper relevant to their industry and your AWS solution (e.g., "How we helped [Similar Company] achieve X with our AWS Well-Architected Review service").
     • Email 3 (Day 6): Propose a brief discovery call to explore their AWS roadmap.
3. Re-engaging Past Prospects for New AWS Offerings:
   • Scenario: You've launched a new generative AI solution leveraging Amazon Bedrock, or a new managed service for Amazon EKS.
   • Sequence Example:
     • Email 1: Announce your new offering, highlighting its benefits for businesses already on AWS.
     • Email 2: Share an early success story or a demo video of the new AWS-based solution.
     • Email 3: Invite them to a specialized demo or a Q&A session.

Key Benefits of Sequences for AWS Partners:

• Consistency: Ensure every prospect receives timely and relevant communication aligned with your AWS partnership messaging.
• Efficiency: Free up sales reps from manual email drafting and follow-up reminders.
• Scalability: Engage more prospects effectively without proportionally increasing sales headcount.
• Personalization: While automated, sequences can be customized with personalization tokens to feel individual.
• Improved Lead Nurturing: Keep your AWS solutions top-of-mind throughout the buyer's journey.
  

This combination of touches across multiple channels creates a multi-layered engagement strategy, leading to higher open rates, meaningful conversations, and eventually new business opportunities.

Beyond Sequences: Implementing "Marketing Plays" for Strategic Sales Actions 

While Sequences automate a linear series of touchpoints, "Marketing Plays" (a term TSL uses for a documented, strategic approach to a specific sales scenario) provide a broader framework for your sales team. For AWS Partners, these plays guide reps on how to react to specific triggers or how to proactively target segments with relevant AWS-centric messaging.

Think of a Marketing Play as a documented sales campaign or mini-campaign outlining the steps, messaging, content, and goals for a particular sales initiative.

Examples of Marketing Plays for AWS Partners:

1. The "AWS Well-Architected Review" Play:
   • Goal: Generate opportunities for your AWS Well-Architected Review services.
   • Target Audience: Existing clients not yet fully optimized on AWS; new prospects with complex AWS environments.
   • Triggers: Client mentions cost concerns, performance issues, or security questions related to their AWS infrastructure.
   • Steps:
     1. Sales rep identifies a potential trigger during a conversation or through monitoring.
     2. Rep sends a targeted email (could be a template within a HubSpot Playbook) outlining the benefits of a Well-Architected Review, referencing specific AWS pillars.
     3. Shares a case study of a successful WAR engagement.
        Offers a complimentary "Pre-Review Health Check" or a discovery call.
     4. Uses specific talk tracks focused on cost optimization, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and operational excellence on AWS.
   • Content: WAR explainer document, relevant AWS whitepapers, case studies, email templates.
     
     
2. The "Migrate to AWS with Confidence" Play:
   
   • Goal: Identify and convert prospects looking to migrate legacy systems to AWS.
     
   • Target Audience: Companies expressing interest in cloud migration, using on-premises infrastructure, or facing end-of-life hardware.
   • Triggers: Leads from AWS migration events, downloads of your "Cloud Migration Guide," inbound inquiries about specific AWS migration services (e.g., Amazon RDS, EC2).
   • Steps:
     1. Qualify the lead based on their current infrastructure and migration readiness.
     2. Send initial educational content about the benefits of migrating to AWS with a partner (e.g., your AWS Migration Competency).
     3. Offer a "Migration Assessment Workshop" or a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis for AWS.
     4. Use specific messaging that addresses common migration fears (downtime, data security, cost) and highlights your proven methodology.
   • Content: Migration assessment questionnaires, AWS TCO calculator links, case studies of successful migrations, "Why Migrate to AWS with [Your Company]" one-pager.
     

Why Marketing Plays Are Essential for AWS Partners:

• Standardized Best Practices: Ensure everyone on the team is using proven strategies for specific AWS-related sales scenarios.
• Faster Onboarding: New sales hires can get up to speed quickly on how to sell your AWS solutions and navigate co-sell motions.
• Improved Collaboration: Especially vital for co-selling with AWS, ensuring clear communication and aligned efforts.
• Measurable Results: By defining plays, you can better track what's working and refine your approach for specific AWS offerings or target segments.
• Strategic Focus: Moves the team from reactive selling to proactive, planned campaigns around your core AWS specializations.

Getting Started: A Phased Approach for AWS Partners

Implementing HubSpot Sequences (Sales Plays) and developing Marketing Plays doesn't have to be an overwhelming overhaul.

• Identify High-Impact Scenarios: Where are the biggest bottlenecks or missed opportunities in your AWS sales process? Is it initial lead follow-up from AWS events? Nurturing ACE referrals? Promoting a new AWS-based managed service?
• Start Simple: Choose one or two scenarios to build out your first Sequences or Marketing Plays. For instance, create a basic follow-up sequence for leads from your AWS Marketplace listing.
• Map Out the Steps: For each Sequence, define the email touchpoints, delays, and any internal tasks. For a Marketing Play, outline the triggers, audience, messaging, content, and desired outcomes specific to your AWS offerings.
• Leverage Your AWS Partner Resources: Incorporate messaging about your AWS Competencies, Partner Programs (e.g., MSP Program, Solution Provider Program), and successful case studies into your content.
• Train Your Team: Ensure your sales reps understand how to use Sequences effectively and when to initiate specific Marketing Plays. Highlight how these tools help them achieve their targets, especially in the context of AWS solutions.
• Measure, Analyze, Refine: Use HubSpot's reporting (or your CRM's analytics) to track open rates, click-through rates, meeting bookings, and ultimately, deal conversions influenced by these efforts. Continuously optimize your content and timing based on performance.

For AWS Partners, thriving in a competitive ecosystem means leveraging every advantage. By strategically implementing HubSpot Sequences and well-defined Marketing Plays, you can empower your sales team to work smarter, engage more effectively with prospects interested in AWS solutions, and ultimately drive more revenue and solidify your position as a trusted AWS expert. Stop leaving opportunities on the table and start maximizing your sales efficiency today.

Ready to optimize your sales and marketing efforts? Book a meeting with Brian Shilling, our Chief Growth Officer, to learn how HubSpot Sequences and Marketing Plays can take your business to the next level.