Market Core · Sales Channels · Module
Channel conflict
Where routes compete for the same customer, and the rule that settles it — written before the collision rather than during it.
The idea
How it works
Two routes serving one segment will collide. The customer discovers they can play both, price erodes, and the partner concludes that the relationship is not what they were told.
The standard remedy is segmentation: routes are assigned distinct customers by size, geography or product. Deal registration and price floors are the mechanisms; the segmentation is the actual answer.
Working with it
In practice
- 01
Assign segments to routes explicitly
By size, geography or product. Ambiguity is what creates the conflict.
- 02
Register deals
A first-claim mechanism prevents most disputes and costs a form.
- 03
Hold a price floor across routes
A customer who finds two prices for the same thing has learned to negotiate against you permanently.
- 04
Name who rules on the exceptions
They will occur. A named arbiter with a fast turnaround prevents each one becoming a relationship problem.
One level in
The components of channel conflict
A component is something that exists afterwards which did not exist before — a deliverable or a mechanism, not an intention.
A customer who finds two prices for the same thing has learned to negotiate against you permanently.
The other modules in sales channels
Route to market
Which routes the organisation uses — direct, partner, reseller, marketplace, self-serve — and what each buys in reach, margin and control.
LearnEnablement
What each route needs to be able to sell: what the offer is, who it is for, what it costs, and what to say when asked something difficult.
LearnChannel performance
What each route delivers against what it costs, including the cost of managing it and the margin it takes.
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