Episode 61: Atrion Communications’ Pat Grillo on the Consequences of Channel Conflict

Channel conflict is an unavoidable fact. Despite the controls and efforts of channel leaders, vendors and partners invariably come into conflict by competing for the same business in the field. Partners generally accept that channel conflict will happen periodically and that they’ll sometimes find themselves on the losing side of the conflict-resolution equation. What matters more to partners is how vendors try to mitigate conflict and adjudicate incidents. Failure to curb channel conflict can cost vendors and partners alike – and dearly. Atrion Communications is learning about the severe effects of channel conflict as its grapples with the aftereffects of one of its primary vendors taking a deal direct. Atrion lost $9.5 million on the deal, and a whole lot more. Atrion CEO Pat Grillo joins Pod2112 to share his story and discuss what vendors need to know about the consequences of channel conflict from a partner’s perspective.