They produce inconsistent results. He didn't have the people or other resources to evaluate, train, and provide ongoing technical support for twenty-five Systems Integrators. He started a process he couldn't finish properly. Leads don't mean that people will buy , especially when the supplier lacks the capability to follow up on them. Systems Integrators are particularly poor at following up leads.
People live up to expectations.
Frank's negative bias about Manufacturers Representatives caused him to treat them as problems. His attitude towards them helped to undermine their commitment and performance, and lost some of their major accounts just when his company desperately needed business. Adding a sales channel creates inter-channel conflicts over resources and customers . These conflicts are intrinsic to multi-channel selling and require careful planning and skilled management to keep under control. The addition of Systems Integrators overloaded an anemic sales management system and created conflicts which accelerated the collapse of his Manufacturers Representative channel.