In my work I see it go wrong in the same way, time and again.
A company has a good product, sees commercial opportunity and decides to grow through partners. And almost immediately the same reflex kicks in: we need to find partners. More reach. More resellers. More routes into the market!!!
That sounds logical.
But it is also exactly where things usually start to go wrong.
Because the biggest mistake when building a partner channel is usually not having too few partners. The biggest mistake is going too broad, too soon.
Companies chase volume, when what they need first is sharpness.
More partners is not the same as a better channel
On paper, a broad partner network often looks impressive. A list of names. A few logos. Conversations held. Interest sparked. Maybe even a distributor, retailer or reseller already signed.
From the outside it looks like something is standing. In practice, it says very little.
A partner channel only becomes valuable when partners truly understand what they are selling, who it is relevant for, why it is commercially interesting and what is expected of them.
Without that clarity you get exactly what you do not want: a channel on paper, but little movement in practice.
And I see that more often than people think.
The thinking error: anyone can add it to their portfolio
Many companies overestimate how self-evident their product is for partners.
They think: if the product is good and the market benefits, partners will pick it up.
That is almost never how it works.
A retailer looks at a product differently than an installer.
A distributor looks differently than a reseller.
And a reseller looks differently than a specialised service company.
Every party in the channel has its own dynamics, its own business model and its own commercial focus.
So the question is not: who could sell this?
The real question is: who can put this in the market credibly, profitably and repeatably?
That is a much sharper question. And usually a more confronting one.
A partner does not choose your product, but their own business
That may well be the most important starting point.
Partners do not primarily choose your enthusiasm, your ambition or your product vision. They choose what fits their own commercial reality.
That means they look at questions like:
Does this fit my customers?
Is it easy to explain?
Can I make money with it?
Does it require a lot of support?
Do I need to train people?
Does it generate ARR?
Does it strengthen my position or distract from it?
If you do not have good answers, a partner will often be quite interested. But interest is not activation.
And that is where the big difference lies.
Where it usually goes wrong in practice
What I see a lot: companies start recruiting too early and start designing too late.
They look for partners first, and only then ask the real questions.
What type of partner actually fits here?
What does that partner need to be capable of?
What role do they play in the sales process?
What should be in it for them?
How do we make it easy to start?
If you ask those questions after signing partners, you are already too late. You are in repair mode.
And repair work in partner channels always costs more time than making sharp choices up front.
Not every product belongs in every channel
It sounds obvious, but it is one of the most underestimated realities in retail and distribution.
Some products need explanation.
Some need demonstration.
Some need installation.
Some need visibility, simplicity and turnover speed.
Which also means: not every product is suited for retail. And not every product belongs with a generalist reseller. Sometimes a specialist channel is better. Sometimes you build through installers first. Sometimes distribution makes sense, but only when activation at the front end is right.
So the mistake is not just in partner selection. It often starts with the assumption that the channel will shape itself.
It will not.
A good channel is designed.
Better five active partners than fifty dormant ones
I believe far more in selectivity than in speed.
Not because small is better by definition, but because focus learns faster.
With a few well-chosen partners you see much sooner where it really pinches:
Does the partner understand the story?
Is the proposition sharp enough?
Is the margin right?
Is there enough support?
Is the first deal moving?
Where do people drop off?
Those are the questions that get you somewhere.
A list of fifty potential partners mostly creates a feeling of progress. Without activation underneath, you are mainly building noise.
And noise costs energy. On both sides.
A partner channel does not start with contracts
Another thing I often see go wrong.
As soon as someone says yes, it feels like the channel has started.
In reality, that is when it begins.
A partner program does not start with a signature. It starts with the first movement. The first training. The first customer question. The first deal. The first time someone on the other side truly understands how to position your product.
That is why you need to think about activation before recruitment.
What should a partner be able to do in the first 30 days?
What information must be available immediately?
How quickly can someone pick up a first sales opportunity?
Who helps with that?
What makes it simple?
If that is not in place, every partner channel becomes heavier than it needs to be.
The better route
If you want to build a partner channel that actually works, I would almost always approach it like this:
First get sharp on who the product is really relevant for.
Then determine how the end customer buys.
Then choose which type of partner fits that.
Then work out the commercial logic needed to get that partner moving.
And only then scale up recruitment.
It is less spectacular than rolling out broadly.
But it usually delivers a channel that stands stronger, learns faster and wastes far less energy.
Finally
The biggest mistake when building a partner channel is not a lack of ambition.
It is a lack of focus.
Too many companies want too many partners too soon. While the real win usually sits in one simple question: who truly fits here?
Not every partner is a good partner.
Not every channel is the right channel.
And not every product is ready to be rolled out broadly.
Recognise that in time, and you will not build a partner network that only looks good in a presentation. You will build a channel that can actually move.
Wondering if your product is partner-fit?
The Partner Fit Scan gives you a substantiated answer within two weeks: can your product scale through partners, and how? Fixed fee, honest go or no-go advice. Or explore my work on partner networks and channel sales.
