Framework
Distribution-Through-Trusted-Intermediaries GTM
For B2B founders without direct C-suite relationships, find people who already have a seat at the table and give them a compelling reason to introduce you. VARs, managed service providers, and even VC firms can become distribution partners - not just funding sources.
How it works
- 1Identify who already serves your target buyer: managed service providers, system integrators, industry consultants, and VC firms with enterprise portfolios all have existing trust with decision-makers
- 2Give the intermediary a strong commercial reason to introduce you - not just the referral fee, but a product that enhances their stature with the client they care about retaining
- 3VC-as-distributor model: work with VC firms as resellers who earn meaningful revenue from introductions, not just equity upside from a future round - this creates value before any investment transaction
- 4The intermediary's incentive: they want to be seen as a strategic resource, not just a vendor - a genuinely differentiated product they introduce creates that positioning with their clients
- 5Podcast and media appearances are the parallel direct channel: thought leadership creates inbound from buyers and intermediaries who self-qualify by consuming your content
- 6The direct path still exists but is slow: direct B2B enterprise sales can work, but expect 12-18 month sales cycles and require a champion inside the organization - intermediaries compress that dramatically
Hear it on the podcast
The $1.5 Trillion AI Problem Nobody Talks About Until NowListen to the episodeMore from this episode
AI-Ready Data as a PrerequisiteFix the data before investing in the AI strategy. Most enterprise AI failures are data failures disguised as model failures. Clean, structured, trustworthy data is not a nice-to-have - it is the prerequisite for any AI outcome worth chasing.Outcome-Linked Enterprise PricingFor high-value enterprise solutions, price on a share of the savings or value you create rather than time, seats, or features. The model aligns vendor and client incentives, justifies premium positioning, and makes the ROI conversation concrete.
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