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Manage Microsoft co-sell opportunities from Salesforce

Maintain and manage all your Microsoft commercial marketplace co-sell referrals from Salesforce.

Leslie avatar
Written by Leslie
Updated yesterday

Preview feature

This feature is currently in preview and not yet accessible to all Tackle customers. For more information, contact [email protected].

Go to the Legacy version of Tackle Co-Sell for Salesforce.

Co-selling with Microsoft commercial marketplace through Salesforce helps drive a more strategic partnership, increasing your revenue growth and deal size, while ensuring that your pipeline is always up to date and represents an accurate picture of your partnership.

Feature capabilities when using the Tackle for Salesforce integration to manage your Microsoft co-sell opportunities include:

Before you start co-selling from Salesforce

Complete the setup and onboarding steps in the order below. After, get to know the Tackle for Salesforce view.

  1. Install the latest Tackle for Salesforce application (Tackle for Salesforce view placement and permissions set).

  2. Complete the Tackle co-sell onboarding for Microsoft.
    ​Note: After you complete this step, Tackle will sync your historical co-sells to the Tackle platform.

  3. Set up and publish your Microsoft field mapping.

  4. Test your setup (optional).

Tackle for Salesforce view

For each opportunity in Salesforce, you’ll see the Tackle for Salesforce view. Use this view to create, view, edit, and close your Microsoft co-sell referrals. Additionally, you can drill into key details about your referral, including:

Create Microsoft co-sell referrals from Salesforce

You can submit a Microsoft co-sell directly from your Salesforce opportunity.

  1. In Salesforce, go to Opportunities, and click the opportunity you want to submit a co-sell referral for.

  2. In the Tackle for Salesforce view, click the Co-Sell tab and then click Co-sell with Microsoft.
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    A Create co-sell form opens with all required and optional sections and fields.
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  3. Enter information for all the required section and fields. Some information may be optional:
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    1. Customer details (required) –– You can add customers for Tackle to search and select details from the Microsoft internal database. To add and search customer details:
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      1. Click Add customer. An Add customer menu opens. Enter a customer location and company name or Microsoft account ID. Then click Search.
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      2. Search results appear for Microsoft managed and Microsoft unmanaged when available.
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      3. To add a customer that aligns to your co-sell, click Add for the selected customer. The customer details will auto populate in the form.

      4. Review your customer matches. Tackle will try to align the best matches based on referral details. Click Review customer matches to see the results and select the right match. To begin a new search, click Back or Search again.

    2. Deal details –– Enter the deal name, value, location, IDs, customer objective, and customer purchase intent (required).
      ​

    3. Solutions –– Add the product(s) that will solve the customer's needs. At least one solution is required to create a referral.
      ​Note: Microsoft limits referrals to one IP-co-sell eligible solution per referral.
      To add, click Add solution.
      ​


      An Add solutions menu opens.
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      1. Select the tab based on the type of solution you want to add: Your solutions, Microsoft solutions, or Third Party solutions. After you click a tab, a list of solutions appears.

      2. For Microsoft solutions or Third Party solutions, enter search text for a list to appear. Click Add to add the solution(s) to the referral and then click Review solutions.This section operates like a shopping cart. You can add multiple solutions and review them before adding to the co-sell referral form.
        ​

        Note: For Microsoft solutions, adding or editing the quantity and price is required. The Edit option will appear on the menu if applicable.
        ​

    4. Type of help –– Click the dropdown to select the type of help you’ll need from Microsoft for this referral.
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      1. For Notes to Microsoft, manually enter notes. These should be based on customer and solution information you selected. Make sure to review them and make any necessary edits. This is required if you select Help needed from Microsoft.
        ​

    5. Partners –– Add partner information for your referral. To add:
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      1. Click Add partner. A menu appears to begin your search and selection. Begin to enter the partner details and a list of matches will appear to select.

      2. Select your partner and add additional required details to the side panel

        • Estimated Close Date

        • Currency

        • Estimated Value

        • Type of Help from Partner

        • Notes to Partner.

        • Team members

      3. Once complete, click Add Partner to add the information to the co-sell referral. When saved, the added partners will be invited to the deal.
        ​

    6. Team members –– Add up to five (5) team members to receive notifications from Tackle and Microsoft about this co-sell referral. At least one team member is required. To add:
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      1. Click Add team member. A menu opens.

      2. Enter the first and last name, email, and phone number of your team member. When you're done adding, click Add.
        ​

  4. When you’re done completing the form and creating your referral, click Submit to cloud. This will send your form to Microsoft for review.

Tip

After Microsoft reviews your referral, you can track the status in Tackle and make any necessary changes or updates, ensuring your co-sell opportunity is approved by and updated with Microsoft.

Edit Microsoft co-sell referrals from Salesforce

Note: Only co-sell referrals in Approved status can be edited. You can edit only select information; uneditable fields show in gray and are locked.

  1. In the Tackle for Salesforce view in Salesforce, click the Co-Sell tab.

  2. Find the co-sell you want to edit and click the referral to view details.

  3. When you're in the referral details, click Edit co-sell referral and edit the information in the form as needed.
    ​

  4. When you’re done, click Submit to cloud.

Close Microsoft co-sells as Won, Lost, or Error from Salesforce

Close a Microsoft co-sell referral as Won from Salesforce

Note: Only referrals in Approved status can be closed as won. Once a deal is marked as closed, it cannot be reopened.

  1. In Salesforce, find the opportunity you want to close as won and click the opportunity to view details.

  2. In the Tackle for Salesforce view, click Close won. A confirmation pop-up opens with a confirmation letting you know you cannot update details or information on this referral after it is Close Won.

  3. Click Close won again and your referral will reflect a status change to Closed and a substatus change to Won.

Close a Microsoft co-sell referral as Lost from Salesforce

Note: Only referrals in Approved status can be closed as lost. Once a deal is marked as close lost, it cannot be reopened.

  1. In Salesforce, find the opportunity you want to close and click the opportunity to view details.

  2. In the Tackle for Salesforce view, click Close lost. A confirmation appears and a pop-up opens.

  3. Click the Reason for closing field to select a reason you’re closing as lost. You can only select one. The reasons are based on the marketplace reasons.

  4. Enter optional notes as needed.

  5. When you’re done, click Close lost. After the referral is closed as lost, the co-sell referral status will change to Closed and the substatus to Lost.

Close a Microsoft co-sell referral as an Error from Salesforce

Note: Only referrals in Approved status can be closed as lost. Once a deal is marked as close lost, it cannot be reopened.

  1. In Salesforce, find the opportunity you want to close in error and click the opportunity to view details.

  2. In the Tackle for Salesforce view, click Close as error. A confirmation appears.

  3. Click the Reason for closing field to select the reason you’re closing as an error. You can only select one.

  4. Enter optional notes as needed.

  5. When you’re done, click Close as error. After the referral is closed as an error, the co-sell referral status will change to Closed and the substatus to Error.

View Microsoft co-sell referrals from Salesforce

  1. In Salesforce, navigate to your reports and search for Tackle MSFT ReferralsTackle, go to the left menu and click Co-Sell.

  2. From here you can view your list of inbound and outbound Microsoft co-sell referrals.

  3. Click on the type of referral you want to view. This opens the referral details including customer and deal details, solution information, and team members added to the referral. You may take action to manage your outbound or inbound referral from there.
    ​

Inbound referral management from Salesforce

To take action on your inbound referrals from Microsoft or a third-party, go to your Tackle MSFT Referrals report in Salesforce.

  1. In Salesforce, go to Tackle MSFT Referrals and click an inbound referral. The Referral Origin column in the report indicates outgoing (partner led) or incoming (Microsoft/third-party led) for sorting and action.


    ​You will be taken to a details page to review the inbound co-sell information and options to accept or decline:
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    • Accept and Link –– When you accept an inbound referral from Salesforce you will be prompted to link a Salesforce Opportunity ID so Tackle can associate the Microsoft referral to the right Salesforce opportunity. This ensures the referral is always in sync from the moment you accept.

      1. You can view the accepted referral details from your linked opportunity and take action to edit

    • Accept without linking –– You may accept the referral without linking and return later to add an Opportunity ID.

    • Decline –– When you decline the inbound referral you’ll still see it in the Tackle MSFT referrals report as an inactive referral. You are unable to edit a declined referral.
      ​

  2. Your accepted co-sell will be sent to Microsoft for review and approval, at which time more referral information will be released for review.

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