Why the “Channel Stack” is a Terrifyingly Outdated Idea

Why the “Channel Stack” is a Terrifyingly Outdated Idea
“If you are marketing technology, you are either: disrupting an existing category, creating a new category—or you’re at the wrong company” — Anthony Kennada, Gainsight VP of Marketing. You probably wouldn’t choose to use this outdated Mac for work every day, so why rely on an outdated channel stack? Wow. That statement from Anthony Kennada, an Allbound board member, comes from an article of his on ChiefMarketer.com, and it brought me right back to the exact reason we founded Allbound: to disrupt an industry – the channel – that has been seemingly left behind despite massive innovation and new technologies being introduced in every other segment of sales and marketing over the past few decades. But, why not the Channel? How on earth can the category of indirect sales and marketing, one of the most important and complex roles in modern-day commerce, continue to be stuck on what have been called the seven most dangerous and expensive words in business: “we’ve always done it this way.” And what can we do to change it? Because it was made all too evident yet again in a recent article where it was very boldly proclaimed that “The Channel Stack is the Future of Channel Management.” Well, I’m here to tell you that very statement in and of itself exemplifies the terrifyingly outdated and expensive state of thinking that has left channel sales and marketing neglected of modernization, and has many channel partners fighting for their own survival.  Here are five very real…
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