From Chase to Choice: Building a Channel That Chooses You

There is a common misconception in channel go-to-market strategy:
"Channel is a franchise, just sign a bunch of channel partners and wait for the deals to roll in."

Outsource lead gen, qualification, and deal management to the channel and let them work their magic. Many companies, even big blue ones, are guilty of this thought process. They ramp up partner recruitment, throw KPIs at the channel team, and sit back... only to ask months later, "Why isn't the channel producing? Are these partners even doing anything?"

The hard truth is that chasing butterflies (aka partners) is the absolute most inefficient way for both sides. The right approach is not to scale fast- it's to scale intentionally. Build a program that attracts.  

Model for Scalable Partner-Led Growth
Each layer supports the next. Skip one, and the whole model wobbles.

Step 1: Go Direct First - Anchor the Brand
Hunt directly, create a base for the business of referenceable clients. This builds credibility and gives you the early wins you will need to attract future partners. No shortcuts here, earn the right to be noticed.

Step 2: Forge Alliances 
Vendor alliances are your low-hanging fruit-but handle with care. Look for mutually beneficial opportunities, not just white-labeled shortcuts (a topic for another post). The key is reciprocity. What value are you offering back?

Step 3: Build a Channel – Intentional Curation 
Ask yourself: What partners are your vendor or alliance contacts already working with? Leverage that network to broker strategic introductions. Be selective. Set clear give/get expectations and truly invest in a few partners who align with your goals and values.

Channel Compensation & Collision
With your curated partner list, key alliances in play and referenceable clients, is where you must put the real work in to be poised for the compounding growth the channel can provide. 

Step 1: Decide the role partners will play
What % of your business should come through the channel vs. direct? How much is the business going to invest in each channel is notoriously underinvested in. 

Step 2: Deal Registration
Once you've decided how to split the business between direct and channel, the next step is to define your partner deal registration process. This topic deserves its own deep dive, but here are the essentials: keep it simple, protect it from abuse (e.g., partners registering every opportunity imaginable), and decide early whether distribution will be part of your strategy. You don’t have to leverage distribution now – in fact I wouldn’t recommend it - but you do need to know if it is on your roadmap.

Step 3: Understand how your partners get paid
This is crucial. Many (not all) GSIs and large partners are compensated on GP or TCV, not MRR or ARR. That 3-year deal? Gold. A 1-year subscription? Meh. MRR? Laughable. Recurring models can easily put you in the “meh” bucket unless your partner economics are aligned.

You don't scale by signing everyone, you scale by being someone worth signing with. ~ Best, Arielle