Our goal is to identify strategic channel partners faster and to capture customers through each channel efficiently.  Channel partners may sound like a perfect answer to the revenue and sales problem, but un=managed channel doesn't produce customers or the revenue that you need.

Often, early stage companies rely on channels to extend their reach and capture first customers.  Believing they can't afford an effective sales organization, they strike alliances with larger organizations that don't have the same urgency to drive someone else's product into the market.  To complicate things even more, we sometimes have to use channels that don't have marketing skills of their own to make the channel productive - - for them or for us.  In most cases, we have to provide the skills and programs to make everyone successful.

Relying on ineffective sales channels can be the death knell for many companies.  Building a channel that produces is as critical, and complicated, as building a productive salesforce.

Here is just one story about a company that had to revamp its strategy and channel program:

Problem: An early stage company with "bleeding edge" service and vision struck channel agreements with a number of partners that never rolled out the service and delivered no customers

Solution: We investigated how the partners were chosen and discovered no useful criteria, screening methods or prioritization was in place, which we immediately rectified.  In addition, we crafted a partner support program including a "rollout kit" to manage integrations and provide marketing support to users through the channel partner.

In a critical departure, however, we assessed the speed at which channel partners in this market were likely to launch the service and deliver end users and revenues.  Finding that the existing channels would not meet short-term needs, the company launched a direct-to-user program that quickly delivered users and market validation.


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