Partner-Led vs. Active Co-Sell: How to Choose the Right Microsoft Deal Type
Prep Like a Pro for Microsoft Co-Sell in FY26
The #1 Thing Microsoft Sellers Look For: High-Quality Notes in Active Co-Sell Deals
Submitting a deal as Active Co-Sell? Great — you’re signaling to Microsoft that you're ready to collaborate. But here's the truth:
If your notes are weak, vague, or AI-generated fluff, the seller won’t engage.
Microsoft sellers are scanning dozens (sometimes hundreds) of deal submissions a week. What they’re looking for is simple:
Clear, credible, and useful context that tells them this deal is qualified — and that helping you is worth their time.
Why Your Notes Field Matters So Much
Once you select “Active Co-Sell” in Partner Center, the Customer Contact and Notes fields become required.
But required ≠ strategic.
Most partners treat this as a checkbox. The best-performing partners use it to:
- Build trust
- Accelerate alignment
- Get sellers excited to help
What Microsoft Sellers Want to See in Your Notes
Here’s a simple framework:
1. Proof the Deal Is Real
- Mention who you’re working with (e.g., “in contact with the Marketing Director at Contoso”)
- No need to name names — a title is enough to show qualification
2. Why This Matters for Microsoft
- Is your solution MACC eligible or incentive eligible?
- Can it help the seller hit their quota or performance goals?
- Will it decrement MACC (good for them)?
3. What Help You Need
- Be specific: “Need support navigating IT and procurement,” “Looking for account team alignment,” or “Customer asked for MS recommendation”
4. If There Are PII/Compliance Gaps
- Can’t provide customer contact? Say so clearly.
Example: “PII restrictions prevent including contact info, but we’re actively engaged with procurement.”
This lets the Microsoft “deal catcher” move it forward without delay.
❌ What NOT to Do
- Paste AI-generated notes with generic placeholders
- Write vague summaries like “great opportunity, large customer”
- Skip over customer contact or leave “TBD”
If it doesn’t help a Microsoft seller act — it’s not worth writing.
Example of a Strong Notes Section
“Our team at __Partner Name__ is excited to connect with you accelerate this deal with __customer name__. We are currently talking to the marketing director and need help selling the value of marketplace to the IT/Procurement team within the customer.
Our solution is Incentive eligible so will both retire the customers MACC agreement and help with your quota. We also report PRACR and on average see ~10% of the TCV convert to ACR via PRACR.
Please note we are unable to share the customer contact info until after our first interaction due to PII.
”
👏 This tells the Microsoft seller everything they need.
