Choosing direct, partner or digital routes segment by segment for an IT services firm
The firm knew whom to target but reached every segment the same way. A route for each segment and clear rules of engagement put direct, partner and digital sales on the same plan.
- Challenge
Clear target segments, but no decision on how to reach each.
- Approach
Segment-by-route analysis, partner fit and rules of engagement for co-selling.
- Result
Each segment has a primary route, and partners know when to involve the firm.
The situation
IT services firms often know their target segments but reach them all the same way: enterprise sellers, a hyperscaler badge and a marketplace listing. Large regulated enterprises may need direct, senior-led selling, while mid-market buyers often arrive through hyperscaler or ISV referrals, or shortlist online. Without a route chosen for each segment, direct sellers chase deals a partner could bring. Meanwhile, partner field teams co-sell with competitors who show up prepared.
The question that mattered
For each target segment, should the firm sell directly, through partners or digitally, and how should those routes work together?
What we did
- 1
Map how each segment buys
Research how buyers in each segment find and procure services, through direct tenders, hyperscaler marketplaces, ISV implementation referrals or reseller frameworks.
- 2
Assign a route to each segment
Match direct enterprise sales, hyperscaler and ISV alliances, resellers and digital-led motions to segments by deal size, cost of sale and partner reach.
- 3
Write the rules of engagement
Define who leads, who registers the deal and who owns the client in each co-sell scenario, including marketplace and partner-sourced deals.
- 4
Equip each route
Build co-sell briefs for priority hyperscaler and ISV field teams, and outline the digital-led journey for segments that buy without a sales meeting.
What we delivered
The evidence and working documents the team kept.
- Segment-by-route matrix: direct, partner or digital
- Partner fit assessment across hyperscaler, ISV and reseller options
- Rules of engagement for co-selling, deal registration and client ownership
- Co-sell briefs and joint value propositions for priority partners
- Digital-led journey outline for smaller accounts
The outcome
Every target segment
assigned a primary route
Direct sellers
focused where senior-led selling is needed
Rules of engagement
written for co-sell and partner-sourced deals
Partner field teams
briefed on when to bring the firm in
Pipeline reviews ask which route a deal came through and whether that route fits its segment.
What changed in the GTM motion
Route-to-market choices are made segment by segment instead of by habit. Direct, partner and digital teams work to the same rules, and new alliances are judged against the segments they serve.
Services in this programme
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