Co-Sell Field Notes: Notes from a $70M Microsoft Services Seller

P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/

Your product is your funnel (if you let it be)

I've been curating my LinkedIn outreach list this week. Adding names on Sales Navigator, engaging with content where it makes sense, building the lead list slowly and on purpose.

And I caught myself almost making a mistake.

I was about to discard accounts that didn't fit my services ICP. Smaller teams. No dedicated MSFT seller. Companies where I'd normally say "they don't have the motion built yet, they're not ready for me."

But that's the old logic. That's services-only thinking.

The diagnosis

I used to think about my ICP in one bucket: who can afford and absorb my services. That's it. If a company can't pay $5k/mo for a co-sell motion, they get cut from the list.

The problem with that logic in 2026: AI is going to eat a chunk of services revenue. Not all of it. But enough that if you're 100% reliant on $5k+/mo retainers, you're exposed.

The companies I was discarding were not bad fits. They're just bad fits for the services tier I was selling exclusively before.

The fix

Build a product that gets your prospects into your world at a lower price point, in DIY mode, without you doing the work.

That's why I built CoSell Buddy. It's a tool that helps companies generate interest in revenue through co-selling with Microsoft -- without needing my services to do it. They sign up. They use the platform. They get value. (here if you're interested to see it and try it out)

And here's where the funnel lives: a chunk of those users will eventually figure out that running the motion themselves is harder than they thought. Or they'll grow into a team size where dedicated services make sense. Or they'll run into a deal where they need someone who has actually closed deals with MSFT sellers.

That's when I show up.

The shift in how I prospect

Now when I'm building my LI list, the question isn't "can this account afford my services today?"

The question is: "is this an account that does business with Microsoft and could benefit from co-selling, at any size?"

If yes, they go on the list. Some of them will become product users. Some of those will become services clients. Some won't. That's fine.

The other piece I had to remind myself: small teams without a dedicated seller are not disqualifications. A 6-person consulting firm with no MSFT seller is exactly who needs CoSell Buddy. They can't afford a full-time hire. They can't afford my services yet. But they can afford a tool.

That's a real customer. I almost cut them.

What this means if you're running a Microsoft services practice

Look at the accounts you've been ignoring. The ones that are "too small" or "not ready."

If you don't have a product, you're stuck only selling to companies that can absorb pricey services.

If you have a product, the pond gets a lot bigger. And the people who graduate from the product into services are pre-qualified -- they already understand the motion, they've already gotten value, they trust you.

I'm not saying go build software tomorrow. Most consulting firms shouldn't. Building product is hard and most attempts die.

But if you're 100% services and you're seeing AI start to compress your hourly rates, you should be thinking hard about what piece of your expertise you can extract into something that runs without you.

That's the play. Product as the top of funnel. Services as the close.

If you want to see how I'm running it, I'm always open to a conversation.

Happy Co-Selling!

Matt Barron

P.S. All previous emails can be read here​