Direct vs. Indirect Sales: Best Model for B2B Growth
- Elena from PARTNER2B
- May 13
- 5 min read
Introduction
In today’s competitive B2B market, how you go to market is just as important as what you sell. One of the most consequential decisions B2B leaders face is whether to scale through a direct sales force, invest in indirect channel partners, or build a hybrid GTM motion.
With buyers demanding more value-aligned experiences and cost pressures rising, the efficiency and scalability of your sales model have become strategic imperatives, not just operational concerns.
Understanding Direct Sales
What Is Direct Sales?
Direct sales refers to a model where companies engage directly with the end customer. The organization handles the full customer lifecycle, from lead generation to closing the deal, using its own sales resources. This gives companies full ownership of branding, pricing, customer messaging, and service delivery.
Pros of Direct Sales
Control:Â Companies manage the entire sales process and customer experience without intermediaries.
Profit Margins:Â No need to share revenue with partners, which can lead to higher margins when executed efficiently.
Customer Feedback:Â Sales teams gain direct insights from prospects and customers, fueling faster product iteration.
Cons of Direct Sales
Costly to Scale:Â Building and managing a full sales team requires significant financial and human capital investment.
Slower Market Entry:Â Penetrating new regions or industries without established local connections can be slow.
Limited Reach:Â Organizations are limited by the reach and capacity of their internal teams.
Exploring Indirect Sales Channels
What Is Indirect Sales?
In an indirect sales model, third-party partners such as resellers, systems integrators, managed service providers, or referral agents (commonly called "channel partners") are responsible for selling a company's offerings. These partners leverage their own relationships, networks, and infrastructure to extend the vendor’s reach.
Pros of Indirect Sales
Faster Expansion:Â Partners often bring established relationships in local or niche markets.
Lower Fixed Costs:Â Instead of hiring a full internal team, the company shares revenue with external partners.
Scalability:Â The model is easier to replicate across geographies and verticals with the right partners in place.
Cons of Indirect Sales
Less Control:Â Sales processes, customer messaging, and brand representation are handled externally.
Revenue Sharing:Â Partners take a portion of the profits, which can reduce margin if not managed strategically.
Partner Management:Â Requires resources to recruit, onboard, enable, and incentivize the right partners.
Why Indirect Sales Is on the Rise
The shift toward ecosystem-led growth is not just theoretical, it's backed by clear performance data.
The EBSTA 2024 GTM Benchmark Report found that:
Partner-sourced revenue has a 35% higher win rate
And a 25% lower customer acquisition cost (CAC)Â compared to direct sales motions
These metrics validate what many forward-looking B2B leaders already know: partnerships are not just support functions. They are strategic revenue channels.
As buyer behaviors shift toward trust-based influence and solution bundling, indirect sales become not just efficient but essential.
Elena Zapolyanskaya, PARTNER2B’s CEO insight:
"We’ve seen B2B organizations double their sales efficiency by aligning with the right partners, those who share their ICP, GTM rhythm, and value narrative. That’s what our AI Partner Fit Score™ delivers."
Comparative Analysis: Direct vs. Indirect Sales
Category | Direct Sales | Indirect Sales |
Control | High, with full ownership of sales process | Moderate, requires strong partner oversight |
Market Reach | Limited to internal capacity | Broader, via partner networks |
Customer Access | Direct insight into needs and behavior | Dependent on partner feedback |
Cost to Scale | High fixed costs | Lower, mostly variable based on partner success |
Speed to Market | Slower, internal expansion required | Faster through established partner networks |
Brand Consistency | Fully managed in-house | Requires enablement and partner training |
Use Cases: When Each Model Works Best
Choose Direct Sales When:
You have a complex, high-touch offering that requires consultative selling
The market is still being defined, and you need feedback loops to iterate fast
You serve enterprise customers with compliance or security requirements
You require full visibility into customer data and sales performance
Choose Indirect Sales When:
You want to expand into new markets or verticals without building local teams
Your product is mature, easy to sell, and already proven in the market
You benefit from bundling your solution with a partner’s offering
Speed and cost-efficiency are more important than owning the customer experience
Real-World Examples: Direct and Indirect in Practice
Direct Sales Example: Salesforce
Salesforce uses a highly coordinated direct sales model for enterprise and strategic accounts. Its teams are structured around industries and account size, with full ownership of customer relationships. This gives Salesforce strong control over the buyer journey, contract terms, and renewals.
That said, Salesforce also uses ISVs and consulting partners to expand reach and implementation success, showing how direct models can coexist with indirect support.
Indirect Sales Example: Cisco
Cisco’s revenue model is built on a powerful indirect channel. The company enables partners with training, marketing, and co-selling tools while incentivizing them through tiered rewards. This has allowed Cisco to scale into new markets and maintain global coverage without proportional internal hiring.
Read more: What Is a B2B Partner Program?
Why the Future is Hybrid
Leading companies are combining the best of both models into hybrid go-to-market strategies.
This allows them to maintain ownership of key accounts while scaling reach and efficiency through partners.
In a hybrid model:
Direct sales teams focus on enterprise or high-potential accounts
Indirect partners cover mid-market, SMB, or regional territories
Referral partners and influencers expand top-of-funnel reach
Strategic alliances create new joint offerings and integrated solutions
This approach aligns with how modern buyers purchase through a mix of direct education, third-party validation, and trusted advisor input.
PARTNER2B and Ecosystem Optimization
Whether you choose a direct, indirect, or hybrid sales model, the success of your GTM strategy depends on how well aligned your sales motions are with your customers' journey. That’s where PARTNER2B comes in.
With the AI Partner Fit Scoreâ„¢, PARTNER2B helps companies:
Identify and prioritize partners based on strategic fit and past performance
Score potential alliances for ICP overlap, GTM timing, and joint opportunity potential
Accelerate onboarding and enablement with data-driven recommendations
The result is not just more partners, but better partnerships, those that actively influence deals, increase efficiency, and expand total addressable market.
Final Thoughts: Your Sales Model is a Strategic Asset
Your sales model is not just a way to close deals. It is a reflection of how you meet customer needs, allocate resources, and align with the market. Choosing the right model should be an intentional decision grounded in data, not legacy structure.
Direct sales offers control, deep engagement, and clarity.
Indirect sales provides scale, reach, and cost efficiency.
Hybrid models deliver resilience and flexibility when orchestrated strategically.
Whichever model you choose, remember that partnerships are not shortcuts. They are multipliers. With the right tools, like PARTNER2B’s AI Partner Fit Score™, you can turn your ecosystem into a revenue engine.
Happy partnering!