The ISV Accelerate playbook
The steps to AWS's ISV Accelerate program, how each one gets done, and how Skematic keeps track of where you stand.
What it's for
ISV Accelerate is AWS's co-sell program for software companies: AWS sellers work your deals with you, and you get more support and visibility from AWS. To join, AWS asks for:
- a Foundational Technical Review (FTR) of your product;
- a listing on AWS Marketplace;
- AWS's co-selling course;
- opportunities shared with AWS: 15 submitted and 5 launched (won).
The playbook in Skematic takes you there one step at a time, and always shows where you stand. Open it from Playbooks in Skematic, or ask a connected AI assistant: "Let's get started with Skematic".
The milestones
| Milestone | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Readiness | Who does what on your side (IAM admin, CRM admin, finance contact), your AWS team, and checking your FTR and Marketplace listing |
| Connection | Connecting AWS Partner Central and your CRM to Skematic, and agreeing a timeline |
| Eligibility | Payee Central with AWS (so AWS can pay you), and AWS's co-selling course |
| Pipeline | Sharing opportunities with AWS until 15 are submitted and 5 launched, and your co-sell materials for AWS sellers |
| Application | Telling AWS you're ready, then submitting the application AWS loads in Partner Central |
You can work on several steps at once. Only a step that waits on AWS holds back the one after it.
How a step gets done
Every step says who does it (you, Skematic, or AWS), what to do, and where. It gets done in one of two ways.
Skematic checks it. Some steps are done as soon as Skematic can see it from your data. You don't mark them:
- your FTR and Marketplace listing (from AWS's records);
- AWS Partner Central and your CRM connected;
- your IAM and CRM admins in place (someone invited as a manager, or both connections made);
- your finance contact saved;
- your co-sell materials approved;
- every AWS seller on your approved deals sent their brief;
- opportunities submitted and launched, counted in ACE.
If Skematic later finds a problem, such as a connection that stopped working, the step shows it again.
You mark it. For what Skematic can't see, such as a support case you opened with AWS or a course you took, mark the step done or skip it, on the Playbooks page or by telling your AI assistant. You can also undo a mark. Through an AI assistant you can say a step is stuck, and what it needs.
The submitted and launched counts can't be marked by hand: they count only what AWS has, and only your own opportunities (not referrals AWS sent you).
Skematic keeps who marked each step, and when.
Waiting on AWS
Two steps wait on AWS. After you ask AWS for Payee Central, the next step shows when AWS's email is expected (about 5 days). After you tell AWS you're ready, it shows when your application should be in Partner Central (about 2 weeks). If the date passes, the step is flagged so you can follow up with AWS.
Help along the way
- Payee Central: Skematic fills in the text for your support case with AWS (your company name and your finance contact) for you to copy. Check the name is your legal name, and add the country where your company is registered.
- Your first deals: Skematic picks the deals worth sharing first, fills in every field ACE needs, and shares the ones you approve.
- Co-sell materials: Skematic drafts your super-power statement and one-pager from your company profile. See Co-sell materials.
- AWS sellers: once AWS approves your opportunities, Skematic drafts one email per AWS seller covering all their deals, and a follow-up if they don't answer. See Emails to AWS sellers.
Nothing goes to AWS until someone on your team approves it.
Making it your own
The playbook is Skematic's, and your organization has its own copy of it. Owners and managers can change it for your organization (Skematic's version stays as it is for everyone else, and nothing is sent to AWS):
- Edit a step: its title, instructions and links, who it's assigned to, a due date, and a note for your team. A step assigned to someone shows in their Inbox under "Playbook steps for you".
- Hide a step that doesn't apply to you. It's listed greyed under Hidden and no longer counts toward your progress; Unhide brings it back.
- Reset to Skematic's version takes a step back to Skematic's title, instructions and links (its assignee, due date and note stay).
- Add step on a milestone adds a step of your own, marked like the others and counted in your progress. You can edit, move or remove it.
Steps show Edited when some of their wording is yours, Your step when you added them, and Skematic updated this step when Skematic changed its version since you edited it (the editor shows Skematic's new wording).
Some steps stay as Skematic has them, so your progress always matches what AWS sees:
- the submitted and launched counts: you can assign them, give them a due date and a note, but not reword or hide them;
- steps Skematic checks from your data keep their title;
- what AWS requires (your FTR, your Marketplace listing, the co-selling course, and the counts) can't be hidden.
You can also ask your AI assistant: "We don't do the kickoff call, hide it", or "Assign the Payee Central step to Nate, due Friday".
Who can do what
Anyone in your organization can see the playbook. Members, managers and owners can mark steps; viewers can't. Only owners and managers set the finance contact and edit your organization's copy of the playbook.
If your company is already in ISV Accelerate (from AWS's records), every step shows as done.
Next: Co-sell materials.