The IT Ecosystem Problem

Anyone Can "Say" Ecosystem ... But Few Can Actually "Do" Ecosystem

Part 1 (Because the article got too long for a single post. I know …)

Something has been nagging at me, but I recently put my finger on what was amiss – and this led to what might be a bit of channel blasphemy. Forgive me, but I think another buzzword has gotten out of control.

And yet again, this jargon issue is causing a massive miss in tech and telecom vendor GTM strategies. Simply put: a misguided sense of satisfaction spawned by the popularity of the term “ecosystem” is preventing vendors from actually evolving their GTM capabilities.?

Let me explain. According to channel canon and “all” the research, nearly all tech vendors are selling through one or more indirect channels ( Salesforce ; 90+% of vendors sell with partners), and vendors who deploy a multi-channel strategy are able to steal market share from those who don’t ( 麦肯锡 ; integrated omnichannel strategies 2X more likely to increase market share by 10 points). We figured it out and GTM is solved. Nice.

Or, it would be … if vendors could actually deploy an “integrated omnichannel strategy.” But that’s exactly the issue: vendors say they have an ecosystem strategy, but most merely have multiple partner types without any of the integration / synergy that creates real value.

To be clear: some vendors are not only doing ecosystems but thriving and growing as a result. Specifically, my good friend Jay McBain has referred to this shift in GTM fundamentals as “The Decade of the Ecosystem” and has recently declared we are at “halftime” of said decade. I agree wholeheartedly from a strategic point of view … and vendors who implement this strategy reap outsized rewards. Ecosystem is the correct strategy for our times.

But survey consensus is not nearly the same as execution or effectiveness in the real world.?

Here’s what I mean. The wisdom of the industry says that successful GTM is no longer a linear / single-route strategy … but a diverse / multi-route strategy. And this is where jargon matters – because it’s easy to say “we have an ecosystem strategy” but dramatically more challenging to integrate the systems / humans / partners in your environment and get them to work together.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll oversimplify the definitions: omnichannel means more than one channel from which customers can buy your products / services; while ecosystem means an integrated journey for each customer that may cross among multiple channels. The key difference is in the seamless experience for customers, not the presence of different partner types.

If we’re honest, most vendors are nowhere near an integrated operation and internal inefficiency is merely a symptom. The real cost is lost opportunity, market coverage, and customer engagement. So here’s a question: is it actually helpful to say you have an ecosystem strategy?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How are you "doing" ecosystem? What are the obstacles?

In Part 2 of this topic, I’ll share my analysis of the GTM challenge and the obstacles to real ecosystem execution.

#ITChannel #Ecosystem #GTM #VendorSalesStrategy