Amplify Your Reach and Grow Your Revenue With a Smart Channel Strategy

When new technology companies feel confident in their product and are ready to reach customers, the instinct is often to build out a sales team. As a former senior sales leader, I won’t be saying anytime soon that sales reps aren’t needed! But here’s the truth: your highest-cost approach is always adding full-time employees.

Early on, a lean sales team combined with a well-crafted channel strategy can be a smarter, more scalable path. Yes, you’ll share revenue with distributors and/or resellers—but the cost is often far less than expanding your payroll to reach the same customer base.

That said, channel strategy is not one-size-fits-all. Success requires:

• Careful research into which firms influence your target verticals, geographies, and end-user segments
• A clear understanding of your competition—how they go to market and how they incentivize their partners
• Strategic alignment with partners who can amplify your brand and deliver real customer value; and if they can combine your offerings with those of a larger complementary ISV or hardware provider, even better!

Investing early in a professional who can help you build this foundation may be the difference between slow growth and rapid scale.