Channel Sales Pro: Why Vendors Must Rethink the Indirect Channel to Scale Faster, Podcast

By Doug Green

“The indirect channel is still the fastest way to scale—but only if you know how to build it right.”

At the Channel Partners Conference & Expo MSP Summit in Las Vegas, I caught up with Rick Beckers of Channel Sales Pro to talk about a topic that continues to define growth strategies across the telecom and MSP ecosystem: how to effectively build and scale through the indirect channel.

Channel Sales Pro focuses on helping technology vendors enter and expand within the channel—specifically by building partner ecosystems that drive revenue. As Beckers explained, many vendors recognize that the indirect model is the fastest path to scale, but they often underestimate the complexity involved in doing it successfully.

That’s where experience matters. Beckers brings a unique perspective, having operated across multiple roles in the ecosystem—including MSP ownership, TSD leadership, and consulting. This breadth gives him insight into the motivations and challenges of every stakeholder in the channel.

One of the key realities he highlighted is that most vendors entering the channel have aggressive growth targets—often aiming for a $100 million exit. Achieving that kind of scale requires more than just signing partners; it requires building a repeatable, well-supported channel strategy that aligns incentives, enables partners, and accelerates deal flow.

For MSPs and channel partners, this creates opportunity—but also complexity. Vendors that invest in structured channel programs, partner enablement, and go-to-market alignment are far more likely to succeed, while those that treat the channel as an afterthought struggle to gain traction.

The conversation underscores a broader trend across the industry: the channel is not just a distribution model—it’s a growth engine. But like any engine, it needs to be designed, tuned, and managed correctly.

For vendors looking to scale, and for partners evaluating who to align with, the message is clear: success in the channel doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built.