“We signed the distribution agreement! Now time to sit, relax and see the growth finally coming!”.

If you’re a cybersecurity startup or scaleup, you might recognize this moment: the high of closing your first distribution deal. It feels like validation, a catalyst for expansion. But too often, that excitement turns to confusion, frustration, and disappointment.

Nick Bailey, Global Account Director at Softcat, has seen it firsthand: “At my previous company, we signed 15 vendors while I was there: 2 were great, 3 were okay, and the rest failed. But that’s the general nature of this business.”

Most cybersecurity vendors that have tried to scale their business through distribution know what Nick is talking about. Many of these partnerships fail due to a wrong fit between channel and vendor.

Mateusz Wepa, from iiTD Poland, gives an example why this happens: “Vendors tend to overvalue big brand distributors. You’d rather have a smaller distributor focused on you 100% than a big one that gives you 10% or less.”

I have been working for more than 20 years with cybersecurity vendors and distribution partners around the world, and I can tell you this: signing a distribution agreement can be game-changing yet guarantees nothing. It’s a milestone, yes, but it’s also a small step on the much harder journey toward growth.

To understand how vendors can increase their chances of success, I spoke with seven distribution leaders from a variety of companies (large and boutique, transactional and MSP-focused) across five different countries. Here’s what they had to say.

What Distributors Really Want: More Than Just a Good Product

The consulted distributors agreed on one key point: having a great product is just the starting point. It’s expected, not exceptional.

Distributors consistently look for vendors that offer more than just a “cool” technology:

• Clear market differentiation

• A realistic go-to-market strategy

• Clarity on the channel strategy

• Integration with existing ecosystems

• Loyalty and trust

Each one of the interviewees had something to say about this:

“Partners don’t need the best in class product. They need a good product, but they need the best in class channel,” said Mateusz Wepa. “A lot of vendors with great technology didn’t grow properly just because they didn’t have a channel strategy in place that was attractive for the partners. For the partner, the most important thing is to make money.”

Mikolaj Sikorski from Dagma reinforced this point with a strategic lens: “We expect the vendor to clearly articulate compelling differentiators, a strong product vision, and a strategic roadmap. If a vendor relies only on marginal feature comparisons or assumes success in one market means success in another, it shows misalignment.”

David Sánchez García from Ontinet.com tied it back to partner needs: “A product only has value if it addresses real needs and fits into the partner’s overall strategy.”

Cybersecurity vendors – especially those starting to work with distribution – are often in love with their technology, forgetting that a product’s value lies not only in features but in its ability to integrate into a broader business context and solve actual use cases.

Thomas Bresse from BeMSP echoes the importance of ecosystem fit: “We want to avoid solutions that are completely isolated. We prefer those that fit well into an ecosystem.”

This is particularly true with specialized distributors, such as those focused on MSPs (like BeMSP above) or those who prefer to concentrate most of their efforts on one or two strategic vendors, surrounding them with complementary and inter-operable solutions. If a new vendor doesn’t align with that strategy – no matter how advanced the technology – the distributor is unlikely to prioritize it.

Channel Clarity Is Non-Negotiable

One of the strongest recurring themes from every interviewee: vendors must choose a clear channel strategy and stick to it. Trying to sell both directly and through partners almost always creates conflict.

“Hybrid approaches rarely work. Vendors must make a clear choice,” said Ettore Mastropasqua from ALLNET.ITALIA. “Either go through distribution or go direct, but not both.”

Thomas Bresse reinforced this from an MSP perspective: “We work with MSPs, so we immediately rule out vendors who are primarily targeting enterprise or mid-market clients.”

Additionally, the way of working must be clearly defined from the beginning. What will be the respective roles of the vendor and the distribution partner? Will the distributor have exclusivity in a given market or for an initial period of time, or does the vendor intend to sign multiple distribution partners?

These are fundamental questions that determine how much effort and investment the distributor is willing to put forward.

Commitment Goes Both Ways

Successful distributor relationships require vendors to match the distributor’s commitment. This means contributing time, people, and money, instead of just expecting results.

“A strong sign of commitment is the allocation of dedicated resources – ideally in coordination with the distributor – rather than simply offloading activities to the channel.”, says Ettore Mastropasqua of ALLNET.ITALIA.

Distributors consistently emphasized that they should be treated as an extension of the vendor’s team, not just another independent entity executing transactions. This includes transparent communication, shared objectives, and mutual accountability.

“A distributor is not just a reseller,” reinforces Ettore Mastropasqua. “It’s an extension of the vendor’s own team. The commitment must be mutual.”

David Sánchez García from Ontinet.com recommends: “Treat the distributor like you would a new internal hire. Train them, support them, and empower them.”

At the heart of these expectations lie two core principles: loyalty and trust. Vendors must demonstrate that they are invested not just in transactions, but in building a stable, long-term relationship.

As Mateusz Wepa put it, “The channel that we’re going to build needs to be secure and transparent. Transparency with the channel, and lack of direct involvement without the knowledge of the partners. That’s very important.”

Distributors are willing to invest, but they expect the same from vendors. This includes:

• Dedicated vendor-side resources

• Marketing and event co-funding

• Shared planning and transparency

The more commitment the vendor shows to the distributor and their needs, the more the partner is willing to invest, prioritize the vendor, and build the brand alongside them.

Flexibility and Local Adaptation

Every country, every partner ecosystem, and every sales process is different. A rigid go-to-market model designed in one market rarely survives contact with another. Distributors unanimously emphasized that what works in the U.S., the Netherlands, or Germany might not work in Spain, Poland, or Italy.

“Many vendors, especially from North America, fail in Europe because they try to replicate their home market strategy in new regions,” warns Mikolaj Sikorski from Dagma. “You have to think global but act local.”

This goes beyond just messaging and pricing. It includes how the product is positioned, who it is sold to, and even how onboarding and demos are conducted. For example, David Sánchez García from Ontinet.com noted that vendors often fail by treating every distributor the same:

“Not all distributors are the same nor do they operate the same way. Vendors must invest time in understanding the local distributor’s structure and adapt their approach accordingly.”

Language plays an important role here too. As Thomas Bresse from BeMSP shared, “Our best experiences have been with vendors who have people on their team who speak our language and can interact directly with our partners.”

This is particularly important during the launch phase, when direct engagement with partners and internal teams can make or break momentum.

Mateusz Wepa added a complementary perspective: vendors shouldn’t worry about translating every piece of content upfront, but instead should empower the distributor with quality material in English and trust them to handle localization. “That’s one of the reasons you choose a distributor: to bring local know-how,” he explained. Those that are empowered to adapt tend to deliver faster, more sustainable results.

Enablement and Responsiveness

Enablement doesn’t just mean training. It means preparing the distributor to operate independently and successfully, on the commercial and technical fronts.

Distributors expect vendors to:

• Provide high-quality documentation: Not just datasheets or product pages, but detailed, well-organized materials that help commercial teams pitch effectively and technical teams support customers. This only works when vendors provide complete, organized documentation from the outset. Resources that are accessible, up to date, and usable and loved by both commercial and technical teams.

• Offer training (commercial and technical): Initial onboarding sessions should give distributors enough knowledge to deliver demos, answer partner questions, and troubleshoot common issues. But enablement doesn’t stop at launch; it should evolve with the product. As Mikolaj Sikorski emphasized, “We expect structured product training, followed by continuous updates as the product evolves.”
  

• Remain responsive and available: Vendors must be reachable when it counts. Quick access to answers, whether pricing clarification, technical support, or licensing help, allows distributors to be agile in front of their partners. As Mateusz Wepa noted, “The ultimate value in value-added is time.” If vendors delay, the whole channel slows down.

Distributors that receive timely, relevant support can truly act as an extension of the vendor. Those that don’t, often become bottlenecks instead of growth engines.

Driving Demand Together

Distribution is not just about logistics, contracts, or onboarding; it’s about growth. For distributors, lead generation and market development are critical indicators of a vendor’s seriousness and readiness to succeed.

Nick Bailey was direct: “Lead generation is key. There’s no point in having the infrastructure in place if you’re not going to drive actual transactions.” In other words, no matter how well the operation is built, it’s meaningless without real pipeline opportunities.

Mateusz Wepa echoed the same idea but expanded it further: “If you want to build a brand, you have to create visibility. You have to have people seeing it, having access to it, building credibility.”

For him and others, marketing support isn’t a bonus; it’s a proof of commitment. Vendors that help co-fund events, share leads, or even just provide swag for giveaways get prioritized. Those that are present in the market, at least often, for in-person activities even more.

Ettore Mastropasqua connected this directly to onboarding and mutual responsibility: “Lead generation is a key component of a strong partnership. It’s not enough to have infrastructure in place if there is no plan to drive transactions.”

There is more to growth with a distributor than just lead generation. Incentives programs for both the organization and their teams are an important part of the conversation. Rebates, SPIFFs, dinners, prizes, experiences, are key to motivate the internal staff of larger distributors.

Distributors are often working with multiple vendors at once. The ones that show up with leads, demand-gen plans, or event support become the ones that get attention. As one distributor from the United Kingdom put it: “If you don’t bring business, you become background noise.”

That said, how lead generation, incentives and market development are executed can vary widely depending on the type of distributor.

A boutique, value-added distributor may expect co-branded webinars or support for local roadshows, while a larger, transactional distributor might focus more on funded heads, digital campaigns or shared lead portals. MSP-focused distributors, on the other hand, may value tools and enablement programs that help their partners sell recurring services.

The key is for vendors to ask the right questions early on: What does demand generation mean for this distributor? What support do they need to succeed in their model? Just like everything else in successful partnerships, alignment matters more than assumptions.

Avoiding the Common Mistakes

Here are the pitfalls that nearly every distributor mentioned when talking about failed vendor relationships:

1. Assuming the distributor will do everything.

   • Distributors are enablers, not magic growth machines.

2. Targeting the wrong type of distributor.

   • A startup might get lost in a large distributor’s portfolio. A smaller, hungry partner may be a better fit.

3. Failing to commit resources.

   • Distributors need vendor-side people, budget, and a shared plan.

4. Not defining roles and expectations up-front.

   • Distributors want to know what their role will be from day one: What responsibilities does each side take on?

5. Overcomplicating onboarding.

   • Onboarding should last as long as it takes, but it must be practical. Too little is a red flag; too much can overload the team.

6. Neglecting to adapt to local realities.

   • Language, culture, pricing models, and sales cycles all vary.

7. Complex processes.

   • “Make it as easy as possible” is the recommendation of one of the consulted distributors.

8. Damaging trust.

   • Nothing breaks a relationship faster than undercutting the channel or misattributing success.

Choose Wisely

Distributors are one of the Kingmakers in Cybersecurity. Choosing the right one, and understanding how to work with them, is essential for cybersecurity vendors to achieve sustainable growth.

Not every distributor will be the right fit for every vendor, and alignment in objectives, business model, priorities, and engagement style is often more important than size or reputation.

Cultural fit, empathy, and communication matter just as much as pricing and product. Don’t fall for logos or headcount: look for alignment.

The right partner understands their market, shares your vision, and invests in your success. But that relationship must be nurtured through transparency, commitment, and mutual respect.

Signing a distribution agreement is cause for celebration, but it’s just the first mile of a marathon. And like with any marathon, you need to be ready for it.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Cybersecurity & Business authored by Ignacio Sbampato. Read the original post at: https://cybersecandbiz.substack.com/p/what-cybersecurity-vendors-get-wrong