"The Channel" – Actually Part of Many “Channels”

There's a funny thing that happens when technology business folks talk about go-to-market strategies. We often refer to partner sales as "the channel"—as if there's only one path to market. The reality? "The channel" is just one piece of a much larger go-to-market puzzle.

The Multi-Channel Reality

When we take a step back and look at how technology actually reaches customers, we see a diverse ecosystem of routes to market—multiple "channels" if you will—each with individual characteristics, advantages, and challenges.

Let's break down what this multi-channel landscape really looks like:

1.      Direct Channels

Field Sales Teams: Your own boots on the ground, building relationships and closing complex deals face-to-face. For broadcast technology with six-figure price tags, these teams remain invaluable.

Inside Sales: Phone and video-based sales teams handling high-volume, transactional, or less complex sales processes. They're the engine behind many SaaS companies' growth.

E-commerce: Your digital storefront where customers can self-serve, particularly for standardized offerings with straightforward implementation requirements.

Direct Marketing: Generating demand and conversions through your own marketing efforts—content, advertising, events, and digital campaigns that create direct customer relationships.

2.      Indirect Channels (What We Often Call "The Channel")

Resellers and VARs: Partners who sell your technology, often bundled with additional services or complementary products.

Distributors: The logistics and fulfilment layer that connects your products to networks of smaller resellers or integrators.

Systems Integrators: Solution builders who incorporate your technology into larger, more complex offerings.

Service Providers: Partners who implement and operate your technology on behalf of end customers.

3.      Emerging Channels

Marketplaces: Third-party platforms like AWS Marketplace, AppExchange, the GV AMPP app store or vertical industry marketplaces where customers discover and purchase technology solutions.

Embedded Solutions: Your technology incorporated into other vendors' products—think "powered by" relationships where your solution becomes a component of another offering.

Digital Ecosystems: Platform-based environments where complementary solutions come together through technical integrations and co-selling arrangements.

Why Channel Diversity Matters

The most successful technology businesses don't put all their eggs in one basket. They develop a thoughtful mix of go-to-market channels based on:

Customer Preferences: Different customer segments want to buy in different ways. Enterprise customers might prefer direct engagement for complex solutions, while SMBs might prefer working through local partners.

Solution Complexity: Straightforward products might thrive in e-commerce or marketplace channels, while complex solutions requiring significant customization need high-touch channels.

Economic Realities: Direct sales teams are expensive for reaching smaller customers or penetrating new markets. Indirect channels can provide more cost-effective coverage.

Lifecycle Stage: As your business evolves, your channel mix should too. Early-stage companies often start direct to perfect their offering before expanding to indirect channels.

Finding Your Optimal Channel Mix

Instead of thinking about "direct versus the channel," smart technology companies ask "What combination of routes to market will most efficiently connect our solutions with customers?"

The answer varies widely based on your technology, market, and business model. A broadcast hardware manufacturer might rely heavily on direct sales and traditional VAR and SI routes, while a SaaS company might blend direct e-commerce, sales through integrators, and marketplace presence.

The Integration Challenge

Perhaps the biggest mistake technology companies make is treating each channel as a separate silo. Today's buyers don't experience your go-to-market strategy as separate channels—they experience your brand across multiple touchpoints.

A prospect might discover you through partner marketing, research on your website, purchase through a marketplace, and receive implementation support from a service provider. For this journey to feel seamless, your various channels must be integrated, aligned, and mutually reinforcing.

The Takeaway

When we limit our thinking to "direct versus the channel," we miss the diversity of ways technology reaches customers. The most successful companies build sophisticated, multi-channel go-to-market machines where each channel plays a specific, strategic role in the larger ecosystem.