Best of LinkedIn: Channel Marketing CW 25/26 2026

Channel marketing over the past two weeks was shaped by a clear shift from partner relationships to measurable partner operating models. The strongest signals centered on co-sell discipline, marketplace execution, AI-enabled partner workflows, partner data quality and activation paths that turn signed agreements into revenue.

Date

June 30, 2026

Channel Marketing

Thomas Allgeyer

Methodology: Every two weeks we collect most relevant posts on LinkedIn for selected topics and create an overall summary only based on these posts. If you´re interested in the single posts behind, you can find them here: https://linktr.ee/thomasallgeyer. Have a great read!

‍

Listen to our podcast

If you prefer listening, check out our podcast summarizing the most relevant insights from Channel Marketing CW 25/ 26:

Ecosystems as GTM leverage

Partner ecosystems increasingly framed as the new enterprise sales leverage, replacing reliance on cold outreach and SDR-heavy motions
Buyer trust positioned as borrowed through partners already embedded in target accounts
International expansion linked to ecosystem depth, with partners enabling faster market entry and local credibility
Partner diversity highlighted as strategic advantage, as different partner types influence different buyer groups
AI monetization framed as dependent on the right partnerships, not only better products or internal sales capacity
AI labs seen importing enterprise sales DNA and investing more seriously in partner ecosystems

‍

Co-sell, marketplaces and cloud channels

AWS ACE highlighted as a major co-sell lever when opportunities are registered early and managed proactively
AWS Marketplace positioned as a place where deals increasingly start, not only close
AWS reduced professional services listing fees, improving marketplace economics for services partners
AWS Partner Central agents introduced real-time opportunity scoring, qualification and recommended next steps
Microsoft Marketplace framed as a ready-made playbook for cloud and channel sales execution
Microsoft EA pricing changes presented as a new opening for CSP partners
OpenAI models on AWS GovCloud strengthened the partner opportunity for public-sector and regulated agency use cases

‍

Partner operations and measurement

Partner Ops emerged as a core requirement for scaling ecosystems beyond relationship-led execution
Co-sell credibility tied to written definitions, CRM governance and clear systems of record
Channel programs seen at risk when they cannot prove performance to Finance
Partner marketing data quality positioned as a prerequisite for automation, attribution and AI adoption
Affiliate marketing measurement challenged as flawed MMM models trigger budget cuts based on poor channel fit
Standardization of partner marketing value metrics gained attention through community-led initiatives

‍

Activation and enablement

Partner activation framed as a revenue problem, not a training or portal-completion problem
Moving partners from signed agreement to first revenue identified as the central activation bottleneck
Effective activation linked to partner selection, co-building the first deal and tracking selling behavior
Partner enablement positioned as a core marketing pillar, going beyond content uploads and certification paths
Bad portal experiences, slow deal registration and unused co-sell motions seen as direct blockers to partner revenue
Tech partner strategy sessions created a support route for partners without dedicated partner managers

‍

AI and partner productivity

AI adoption in partner teams framed as an operating model redesign, not a simple tool rollout
Partner work increasingly split between tasks AI can absorb and relationship work humans must compress
AI expected to expose which partnerships have real leverage and which only create noise
Partner ecosystems positioned as sources of early market signals that AI can turn into GTM action
Maven edge AI expanded from channel marketing into onboarding, enablement and QBR coaching
PartnerPlex AI featured as a launch partner in the AWS Partner Central Agent ecosystem

‍

PRM, tooling and partner experience

Salesforce PartnerCloud launched as a unified CRM-connected experience across the partner lifecycle
Suger PRM launched to manage partner revenue across cloud providers, resellers and distributors
Modern PRM demand increased as partner teams outgrow legacy tools built mainly for resell motions
PartnerFitScore introduced as a way to prioritize partners by real growth potential rather than instinct
Partner self-quoting framed as a strategic shift in speed, partner experience and marketplace readiness
Tooling infrastructure increasingly treated as a signal that companies are serious about partnerships

‍

Program design and partner quality

Successful ecosystems linked to executive sponsorship, revenue alignment and customer outcomes
Partner programs warned against maximizing partner count instead of partner productivity
Leadership transitions exposed ecosystem fragility when frameworks and systems depend on individual champions
Salesforce practice growth positioned as dependent on GTM strategy, not only certifications
Workday partner selection challenged, with approved status seen as insufficient proof of team quality
Compensation alignment between direct sales and partner motions framed as essential for program success

‍

Community, events and regional expansion

Channel Marketing Association discussions surfaced shared pain around manual tracking and weak attribution
Partnership Leaders breakfasts in London created peer exchange around MDF, attribution and integrated campaigns
Wiz EMEA’s first Partner Summit reflected growing momentum in its regional partner ecosystem
HubSpot’s North America Elite Partner Summit reinforced the role of leadership investment in partner experience
Microsoft LATAM partner activity centered on observability, intelligence and trust
Shanghai partner and customer meetings highlighted the global potential of Chinese enterprises expanding internationally

‍

Subscribe to newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest blog posts to your inbox every week.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Frequently asked questions

What is changing in channel marketing?

Partner relationships are turning into measurable partner operating models. Co-sell discipline, marketplace execution, AI-enabled partner workflows and partner data quality led the discussion. Partner Ops is becoming a core requirement, and channel programs that cannot prove performance to Finance are seen at risk.

How do partners use AWS co-sell and Marketplace?

AWS ACE works as a co-sell lever when opportunities are registered early and managed actively. AWS Marketplace is where deals increasingly start, not just close, and AWS reduced professional services listing fees. AWS Partner Central agents add real-time opportunity scoring, qualification and recommended next steps.

Why do new channel partners fail to produce revenue?

Because activation is treated as training instead of a revenue problem. The main bottleneck is getting from signed agreement to first revenue. What works is careful partner selection, co-building the first deal and tracking selling behaviour. Bad portals, slow deal registration and unused co-sell motions block revenue directly.