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This disadvantage is twofold. For starters, no matter how much you evaluate and train your indirect sales force, you can't completely control what they say or do when interacting with target customers at various points of sale. While you should obviously try to work with people you trust, having your company's reputation tied to a third party can be stressful. If they make a mistake, you may have to deal with the consequences indirectly.

You're also giving up some control in the sense that you can't effectively manage your entire sales cycle. Conventional wisdom says that sales channels should increase your revenue, but this isn't guaranteed doctor database depending on your revenue shares and the performance of your direct sales.

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Across sales channels, different channel partners obviously take a cut of your sales profits. Whether it's 10%, 25%, or 50% (and sometimes more), losing profits from direct customers that would otherwise be all yours can hurt. However, you'll likely save money in the long run when it comes to customer service and account management . After all, 75% of something is better than 100% of nothing.