MWC Partner Co-Sell That Lands a Lighthouse Deal
Landing a lighthouse deal through partner co-selling requires a strategic approach that goes beyond basic collaboration. This article breaks down two proven tactics that drive results, backed by insights from industry experts who have closed major deals at events like Mobile World Congress. Learn how to build compelling partner narratives and execute the missing piece play to win big with your co-sell partnerships.
Lead With Pre-Aligned Partner Narratives
As an agency that works with a lot of telecom and SaaS brands at events like MWC Barcelona, the fastest co-selling wins don't start at your booth, they start with pre-aligned narratives. The play we've used is simple: before the show, identify 3 to 5 adjacent partners in your pavilion, align on a shared enterprise pain point, and agree on a tight joint story. Not "we integrate." More like "together we reduce rollout time and de-risk vendor sprawl."
On-site, we run what I call a corridor conversion meeting. Fifteen minutes, standing if possible, with a clear agenda: problem, joint solution, next step. No decks. Just one crisp use case and a calendar link ready. The key tactic that made it convert was route planning the floor around target accounts, not wandering. We'd literally map which booths our top 20 prospects were visiting and coordinate walk-bys with our partner so the intro felt organic, not staged.
The lighthouse deal didn't close because of the booth. It closed because the prospect saw two vendors already aligned, already speaking the same language, already acting like a combined solution. That level of coordination signals enterprise readiness fast.
Run the Missing Piece Play
Look, MWC is pure chaos, so you have to be surgical. My go-to move is what I call the "missing piece" play. I'll walk the floor and look for booth neighbors who have a great core platform but are clearly missing the specific custom application layer we live and breathe. I remember specifically working the IoT pavilion. We found a partner who had the sensors and the connectivity but no way to actually show the data. We stepped in and showed them how our dashboards could bridge that gap for a Tier-1 telco they were already chasing. By positioning ourselves as the final piece of their puzzle, we weren't just neighbors anymore--we were their secret weapon.
To make this work in a month, you can't just wander around aimlessly. We use a tactic called "Pavilion Clustering." Before we even land in Barcelona, we map out specific stacks like 5G or Edge Computing. These are spots where the hardware is usually solid, but the software implementation is a total bottleneck. The real trick is the meeting design. We don't do the "let's grab coffee next week" thing. We go from a booth handshake to a private whiteboard session that same afternoon. GSMA says over half the people at MWC are Director-level or higher, so you've got the decision-makers right there in the room. If you can provide immediate technical validation on a whiteboard, you bypass all that post-event follow-up fatigue. That's exactly how we move to a lighthouse deal within 30 days.
At an event this big, the noise is deafening. You aren't there to meet everyone. You're there to find the one partner whose success actually depends on your expertise. When you solve their immediate implementation headache on the spot, they don't just thank you--they naturally open the doors to their biggest enterprise clients. It's about being the solution they didn't know they needed until you walked onto their rug.
Launch a Time-Boxed Pilot With Gates
A small, time boxed pilot turns interest into proof. Lock in dated milestones for design, build, test, and handover, and make them part of the order. Define success rules, data access, and a clear go or no-go at each gate.
Share risks with service credits if a milestone is missed, and add rewards if goals are beat. Use the pilot site as the first reference story once results are checked by the buyer. Draft the pilot plan with named owners and firm dates today.
Align on a Single Success Metric
Executive sponsors from each partner need one shared target that ties directly to customer value. Pick a clear metric such as time to deploy, cost per user, or customer satisfaction score, and make it the single North Star. Put it in writing with owners, budget, and a decision cadence so trade-offs are fast.
Remove side goals that distract from the outcome to keep focus tight. Tie bonuses and marketing to the same metric so everyone pulls in one direction. Set the tone with a short memo and a joint kickoff, then ask for sign-off this week.
Prove End-to-End Value Under Load
Customers trust solutions that run end to end under real load. Set up a live path from device through radio, core, edge, and cloud on carrier-grade gear. Show smooth handoffs, failover, and clear monitoring so teams can see issues before users do.
Prove security and data rules with logs and audits that a buyer can check. Host the demo in a neutral lab or on a partner network and record steps so it can be repeated. Reserve the venue and lock the demo plan with all parties now.
Offer a Unified Commercial Bundle
Buying should feel simple, fast, and safe. Create one bundle price that maps to a single scope, a single invoice, and a single support path. Wrap it in one order form and one master agreement that covers all partners.
Show a clear three year cost view with options to scale up or down without penalty. Add standard terms for data, uptime, and exit so legal review is smooth. Build the one order pack and send it to the buyer and their legal team today.
Sustain Outcomes With a Shared Scorecard
A joint scorecard and roadmap keep trust high after the ink dries. Pick a few outcome metrics and set how they will be tracked, viewed, and fixed when they drift. Share live dashboards with the buyer so there are no surprises.
Plan a quarterly review to adjust features, rollout waves, and training based on usage and feedback. Tie each roadmap step to the customer’s own milestones so value shows up on time. Publish the shared scorecard and the co-owned roadmap with named owners this month.