Sales & business development consulting for Microsoft partners.
The short answer
Ascend's sales and business development consulting helps Microsoft partners and ISVs find where their revenue system is breaking down, then build a repeatable sales system with the team, marketing and CRM they already have.
Work starts with a baseline, not a template. From there, the engagement can stay diagnostic, move into a six-month pipeline and sales-system build, or add fractional revenue leadership, depending on the constraint the baseline reveals.
Fit
Is this the right conversation for you?
A strong fit when
- Revenue depends on a few top performers or on Microsoft and referral inbound you do not control.
- Sales and marketing use different definitions of a qualified opportunity.
- Your team sells features of the solution rather than customer outcomes.
- You sell across several Microsoft solution areas and are unsure your program benefits are mapped to each.
- You want to improve the team you have before adding headcount.
Probably not a fit when
- You want a one-off sales training workshop with no follow-through.
- You want an outsourced team to replace your sellers rather than strengthen them.
- You need Microsoft program enrollment or licensing administration handled for you.
Deliverables
What the work actually produces.
Consulting is the umbrella. These are the concrete pieces of work it is built from, each tied to an existing Ascend engagement.
- 01IGNITE
Stakeholder interviews
Structured interviews with sales and marketing leadership to surface misalignment before anything is redesigned.
- 02IGNITE
70-point readiness baseline
Red/Yellow/Green scoring across seven categories, from Marketing Strategy & Planning to Microsoft Program Utilization.
- 03IGNITE
Microsoft Program Utilization review
A check of Co-op/MDF, designations, Marketplace, and Partner Center mapping to every solution area you sell.
- 04IGNITE
Prioritized 90-day roadmap
A findings presentation that separates quick wins from structural fixes.
- 05Scale Your Revenue
Solution-selling methodology
The NOSE Approach installed across the team, with talk tracks and objection handlers built for your solutions.
- 06Scale Your Revenue
Sales and marketing alignment
ICP definition, outcome-based messaging, and MQL-to-SQL handoff design so marketing-sourced leads convert.
Engagement process
How the engagement runs, step by step.
- 1
Diagnose
Assess your current sales motion, team capabilities, tech stack and pipeline health to find what is holding revenue back.
- 2
Design
Build the process, messaging, tools and training plan that fit your team and your market.
- 3
Deploy
Work directly with your sales and marketing teams to install the system: training, coaching, configuring and iterating.
- 4
Compound
Ongoing coaching, deal reviews and quarterly recalibration so the system keeps improving.
What this service does not do.
Clear boundaries make better engagements. Read these before you book a call.
- Ascend is an independent consultancy. It is not Microsoft and does not speak for Microsoft or control co-sell, funding or program decisions.
- Outcomes such as pipeline consistency and win-rate improvement are targets measured against your own pre-engagement baseline, not guarantees.
- Ascend works alongside your team. Your sellers still own their deals, and your leaders still own hiring and compensation decisions.
- Pricing is scoped to the engagement after a conversation; it is not published.
Buyer questions
Questions partners ask before engaging.
What does sales consulting for a Microsoft partner actually include?
It starts with a readiness baseline: stakeholder interviews, a 70-point assessment across seven categories, a pipeline and CRM audit, and a Microsoft Program Utilization review. That produces a prioritized 90-day roadmap. If you continue, Ascend implements the system with your team, including methodology, messaging, CRM stages and coaching.
How is this different from generic sales consulting?
The work is built around how Microsoft partners and ISVs sell: co-sell motions, Marketplace, Co-op/MDF and designations, and the mix of referral, inbound and outbound pipeline typical of the partner model. The assessment includes a dedicated Microsoft Program Utilization category.
Do you replace our sales team?
No. Ascend embeds alongside your existing reps and managers to install skills, frameworks and habits, and enables your sales managers so coaching continues after the engagement ends.
Where should we start if we are not sure what is wrong?
Start with IGNITE, the one-time Sales & GTM Readiness Assessment. It is designed to identify where pipeline is breaking down and what to fix first before you commit to a longer implementation.
Can Ascend guarantee Microsoft co-sell or funding?
No. Ascend reviews how well you use Microsoft programs and helps you sell more effectively within them, but Microsoft makes its own program, funding and co-sell decisions.
Keep reading
Supporting services, guides and packages.
Supporting service
Pipeline Development & Sales Systems for Microsoft Partners
A six-month build for Microsoft partners and ISVs: ICP and messaging, CRM stages and reporting, a new pipeline channel, AI-assisted outbound and monthly scorecards.
Supporting service
Fractional VP of Sales / CRO for Microsoft Partners
Fractional VP of Sales and CRO-style leadership for Microsoft partners and ISVs: weekly operating cadence, deal coaching, forecast reviews, hiring support and QBR reporting.
Guides
Talk through where your revenue system is breaking down.
Book a consultation with Ascend. Bring your current pipeline picture and the questions you are weighing; leave with a clearer view of which starting point fits.