Success in today’s technology market requires more than great products and services. Companies need to leverage their own sales capabilities, the sales capabilities of their partners, or sometimes a combination of both. Now more than ever, it’s not just what you sell, but how you sell it!

The dynamics of effective go-to-market strategies vary in complexity. Direct sales are a relatively straightforward balance between the interests of the buyer and those of the seller. Indirect sales, through integrators, distributors, or other resellers, introduces a triangle effect through which vendors can reach higher volumes of customers by providing revenue opportunities to those third-party channel organizations. Achieving the optimal balance of the vendor’s interests and the channel’s interests will maximize long-term gains and efficiencies that will ultimately benefit the end customers. It requires the skillful blending of empirical decision-making with the politics of human nature. It is both science and art. Like the fencer in our logo, success requires speed and agility, as well as strategy and creativity.

There are many variables to consider in choosing the best go-to-market strategy: the maturity of the technology; the brand strength of the vendor; the size of the available market; competitive positions; ecosystem opportunities; international/cultural ramifications; and a host of others factors that guide companies toward direct sales, indirect sales, or a hybrid model. Elements of the go-to-market program include compensation & benefits, training & certification, marketing, direct/indirect rules of engagement, recruitment, back-office systems, and more.

Presti Research & Consulting, Inc. specializes in helping technology companies build go-to-market strategies and programs, either from the ground up or through the evolution of legacy programs. We advise on strategy & tactics. We gather useful information from channel partners, alliance partners, and customers. We also help our clients communicate with channel partners, alliance partners, and customers in order to help differentiate our clients in both perception and reality.