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Every ISV on AWS Marketplace is at a different point in its journey. Some are just getting started. Some have been listed for a year and never made a sale. Some are transacting consistently but do not know how to scale. Some are running advanced co-sell motions with AWS reps across multiple geographies.
The problem is that most ISVs do not know where they actually are. And without knowing where you are, you cannot figure out what to do next.
After working with more than 100 ISVs through their AWS Marketplace journeys, Awssome developed a framework that maps the full journey into five distinct stages. We call it the AWS Marketplace Maturity Model.
This post explains each stage, what defines it, what the most common blockers are at that stage, and what you need to do to move forward.
TL;DR
- The AWS Marketplace Maturity Model has five stages: Eligible, Activated, Published, Adopted, and Accelerated
- Most ISVs stall at Stage 2 (Activated) because they treat listing as the finish line
- Each stage has specific blockers and specific actions required to advance
- Understanding your current stage is the first step to making AWS Marketplace work as a revenue channel
- The majority of ISVs who transact do so within 90 days of reaching Stage 3
Why a Maturity Model?
AWS Marketplace is not a single event. It is a process with distinct phases, each requiring different actions, different stakeholders, and different success metrics.
Treating it as a single event is the most common mistake ISVs make. They think the goal is to get listed. Once they are listed, they expect sales to follow. When sales do not follow, they assume the channel does not work for them.
It is not that the channel does not work. It is that they stopped at Stage 2 when the real work starts at Stage 3.
The maturity model gives you a shared language to understand where you are and what the path forward looks like.
Stage 1: Eligible
What it means
Your product meets the technical, legal, and business requirements to list on AWS Marketplace. You have an AWS account, a product that qualifies under AWS listing policies, and the organizational readiness to begin the listing process.
What you are working on
- Confirming technical eligibility (architecture, deployment method, compliance requirements)
- Setting up your AWS Seller account
- Completing tax and banking verification
- Preparing your product listing materials (description, pricing, documentation)
Most common blockers
AWS Seller account setup takes longer than expected. Tax verification for non-US entities is the single most common delay at this stage, often adding 2 to 4 weeks to the timeline. Many ISVs are also surprised to discover their product architecture needs changes to meet AWS deployment requirements.
How to move to Stage 2
Complete your Seller account setup, pass the required technical review for your deployment method, and submit your product listing. Once your listing is approved and live, you are at Stage 2.
Stage 2: Activated
What it means
Your product is listed on AWS Marketplace. You have a live, approved listing that customers can find. This is where most ISVs land and where most ISVs stay.
What you are working on
- Making your listing discoverable and compelling
- Beginning co-sell activation
- Completing the Foundational Technical Review (FTR)
- Setting up your Partner Central profile
Most common blockers
ISVs at Stage 2 typically have three blockers they do not know about: an incomplete Partner Central profile, no FTR completed, and no ACE opportunities submitted. These three items are what separates a listed ISV from a co-sell ready ISV. Without them, AWS reps cannot work with you even if they want to.
The other common blocker is internal: the ISV team that drove the listing effort moves on to other priorities. AWS Marketplace becomes a background item. Weeks become months. Nothing moves.
How to move to Stage 3
Complete your FTR, finish your Partner Central profile, and submit your first ACE opportunity. Enroll in the AWS ISV Accelerate program. These actions are what signal to AWS that you are ready to co-sell.
Stage 3: Published
What it means
You are co-sell ready. Your listing is complete, your FTR is done, your Partner Central profile is live, and you are actively submitting opportunities through ACE. AWS reps can now refer you to their customers with confidence.
What you are working on
- Building relationships with the AWS account managers covering your target geographies and verticals
- Submitting co-sell opportunities and responding to AWS referrals
- Configuring private offer and pricing for deal types AWS reps commonly run
- Producing customer-facing evidence: case studies, ROI data, technical documentation
Most common blockers
The biggest blocker at Stage 3 is not operational. It is relational. ISVs who do not proactively reach out to AWS account managers wait a long time for referrals. AWS reps manage dozens of ISV partners. They refer the ones they know.
The second most common blocker is evidence. AWS reps want to be confident before referring your product to an enterprise customer. If you have no case studies, no ROI data, and no reference customers, you make their job harder. They move to an ISV who has done the proof work.
How to move to Stage 4
Get your first transaction through AWS Marketplace. This typically comes from an AWS rep referral, a direct inbound from a customer who found your listing after being primed by your marketing, or a deal you move through the channel from your existing pipeline.
Stage 4: Adopted
What it means
You are transacting. Customers are purchasing your product through AWS Marketplace. You are generating real revenue through the channel. AWS Marketplace is working as a distribution mechanism, not just a listing.
What you are working on
- Increasing transaction volume and deal size
- Optimizing pricing configuration for different deal structures
- Deepening AWS rep relationships in additional geographies and verticals
- Building a repeatable co-sell motion your team can run without heavy Awssome involvement
Most common blockers
ISVs at Stage 4 often hit a ceiling because their co-sell motion depends too heavily on one or two AWS reps. When those reps change roles or territories, the pipeline dries up. The fix is building breadth: more AWS rep relationships, more verticals, more geographies.
Pricing configuration is also a common issue at this stage. Private offer setup, renewal pricing, and CPPO arrangements require careful configuration. Errors here cause deal friction at the worst possible moment.
How to move to Stage 5
Build a repeatable, scalable co-sell motion. Multiple AWS rep relationships across multiple territories. Consistent pipeline through ACE. Advanced deal structures. A product that AWS reps actively want to bring to their customers because it solves problems they see repeatedly.
Stage 5: Accelerated
What it means
AWS Marketplace is a meaningful, scalable revenue channel for your business. You are running advanced co-sell motions, potentially working with AWS resellers and distributors, and the channel contributes materially to ARR growth.
What you are working on
- Advanced partner and reseller relationships
- ISV Accelerate program optimization
- Geographic and vertical expansion
- Channel economics: pricing, margin, deal structure at scale
What defines this stage
Most ISVs who reach Stage 5 describe a shift in how they think about AWS Marketplace. It stops being a channel they manage and becomes a channel that works. AWS reps bring them deals. Customers come in already warmed up. The channel has momentum.
Getting here takes 12 to 24 months from first listing for most ISVs. The ones who get here faster are the ones who did not stop at Stage 2.
Which Stage Are You?
Use this quick diagnostic to find your current stage:
You are at Stage 1 if: You have not yet listed on AWS Marketplace. You may have an AWS account but your product is not yet live in the catalog.
You are at Stage 2 if: Your product is listed but you have not completed your FTR, do not have an active ACE pipeline, or have not submitted co-sell opportunities in Partner Central.
You are at Stage 3 if: Your FTR is complete, your Partner Central profile is live, you are submitting opportunities through ACE, but you have not yet had a transaction through the Marketplace.
You are at Stage 4 if: You have completed transactions through AWS Marketplace and are actively co-selling with AWS reps on a regular basis.
You are at Stage 5 if: AWS Marketplace is a primary or significant revenue channel that contributes materially to your business growth.
What Awssome Does With This Framework
Awssome uses this maturity model to guide every ISV through their journey. When you start working with us, the first thing we do is establish your current stage and identify your specific blockers. Everything we do from that point is oriented around moving you to the next stage as efficiently as possible.
Our new Pathfinder feature brings this model directly into the platform. You can log in at any time and see your current stage, your active blockers, and who owns the next action.
If you want to know your current stage and what is blocking you, we can run a diagnostic call in 30 minutes.
Book a diagnostic call with Awssome
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to move through all five stages?
It varies significantly by ISV, product type, and how actively the team engages the co-sell motion. Most ISVs who work with Awssome move from Stage 1 to Stage 3 within 60 to 90 days. Stage 4 typically comes within 3 to 6 months of reaching Stage 3. Stage 5 usually requires 12 to 24 months of consistent co-sell activity.
Can you skip stages?
No. Each stage depends on the previous one being complete. You cannot co-sell (Stage 3) without a live listing (Stage 2). You cannot transact (Stage 4) without being co-sell ready (Stage 3). The stages are sequential by design.
What is the most common stage for ISVs who come to Awssome?
The majority of ISVs who engage Awssome are at Stage 2: listed but not transacting. They have an active listing but have not completed the co-sell activation steps required to drive revenue through the channel.
How does Awssome help ISVs move through the stages faster?
Awssome handles the operational complexity at each stage: account setup, FTR completion, Partner Central configuration, ACE pipeline management, and AWS rep relationship development. We know where the blockers are and how to resolve them faster than most ISVs can on their own.