We all know that businesses and policies change over time, so Hard Deck couldn’t last forever. The lessons learned from the experience, however, continue to affect our decision-making on GTM and partner strategy.

At first, Hard Deck was a huge success. But soon, we were met with opposition from our Direct sales team and the Compaq leadership. Here’s how we enforced the strategy and how it ultimately won out over Compaq’s direct ambition.

If you’re seeking to build a channel program but your company doesn’t believe in the channel and the channel doesn’t trust you, it’s time to enact a predictable and enforceable strategy.