IThe Power of Mindshare in Channel Sales and Marketing
I’ll never forget the day my mentor explained the real difference between being noticed and being remembered. Early in my career, I was eager to impress, to show up, and to make things happen. What he gave me was more than tactical advice. He offered a philosophy that still anchors my work today.
“Don’t be the coffee and donut guy,” he said. I didn’t immediately understand what he meant, but as the conversation continued, I began to realize he wasn’t talking about effort or energy. He emphasized the importance of showing up with value and leaving a lasting impression. He meant impact—the kind that lives on in a partner’s mind long after the meeting ends.
That’s the essence of mindshare.
Building Mindshare: Strategy, Not Luck
Mindshare is the space your brand occupies in someone’s head before they consciously realize they’re making a decision. It determines whether your name gets recalled at the moment of choice. In channel sales and marketing, that kind of subconscious familiarity drives real and measurable business.
When I entered the distribution phase, I quickly learned that capturing mindshare was not just a tactic. It became the most reliable way to influence partner behavior. The more present and useful I made myself in the eyes of my channel, the more they leaned in. I couldn’t just reach out when I needed a favor. I had to be a consistent part of their workflow and show up in ways that mattered.
Getting to that level of connection doesn’t happen by accident. It takes thoughtful strategy, deliberate intention, and a presence that creates real value over time.
Create Demand Instead of Chasing It
You don’t need a Fortune 500 marketing budget to build mindshare. What you do need is to be visible in the right ways, in the right places, and for the right reasons. I’ve helped startups in security and technology earn that kind of visibility through tightly aligned strategies that position them as essential.
Your brand needs to show up in all the places where your partners or customers already pay attention. That means delivering valuable content, deploying targeted campaigns, and reinforcing your value proposition through every channel available—whether that’s email, search engines, events, training programs, or direct relationship building.
Repetition, when done with purpose, creates familiarity. Familiarity generates trust. Trust becomes loyalty and long-term revenue. That’s the formula for durable growth.
Sharpen Your Product Message
A well-executed communications strategy includes education and enablement. Webinars that teach something new, training that empowers field teams to win deals, and messaging that gives reps better ways to position your product—those are the building blocks of influence.
Pull-based mindshare is the most sustainable. Rather than chasing attention, you earn it by generating demand that brings people to you. Tactics such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization), content marketing, and email campaigns are especially effective when your message is valid and your delivery is consistent.
For startups, product marketing becomes a key differentiator. Your messaging needs to be sharp. Your positioning must clearly explain why your solution addresses a real problem more effectively than any other solution. Vague brands fade. Relevant ones endure.
Turn Your Channel Into a Story Engine
You need to own a straightforward narrative and repeat it with discipline.
Channel partners invest their time in products they trust. That means your product story must be something they can believe in and share with others. Once that happens, your story spreads through them, not just from you. That’s when mindshare becomes scalable.
I’ve achieved this by combining partner recruitment, outsourced marketing programs, and enablement content that directly addresses the channel’s needs. These efforts ensure that the message reaches the right hands and is repeated with confidence.
Why ICE Builds Mindshare That Lasts
At the core of all of it is ICE: Integrity, Consistency, and Execution.
These principles take mindshare from being a brand awareness goal to a business outcome:
- Integrity creates trust, and trust is what gets you remembered.
- Consistency ensures that people know what to expect every time they interact with your brand.
- Execution proves your reliability and builds long-term credibility.
Reputation grows through patterns of behavior. When you follow through reliably, your name becomes shorthand for results. When you execute well and often, your brand becomes the safe choice.
A Story They Still Remember
Fifteen years ago, on Halloween, I made a deliberate decision to stand out. I came to work dressed as “Big B”—a Bruin’s jersey, oversized gold chains, a bag full of candy, and a handful of mini liquor bottles. It was silly. It was bold. But it was also unforgettable.
I second-guessed myself at first. The costume felt like a stretch. But as I made my way through the building, something changed. People laughed, smiled, and engaged. They still talk about it.
That experience proved something. You don’t need a massive marketing spend to be remembered. Sometimes, all it takes is authenticity, creativity, and the willingness to try something different.
Make It Stick, Make It Matter
The key isn’t just to stand out for the sake of it. The key is to connect.
In industries such as security and technology, where noise is constant, mindshare makes the difference between being ignored and being the first choice. If you’re not occupying mental space when the decision gets made, you’ve already lost the sale.
When you align your brand strategy with ICE and deliver consistently relevant and repeatable experiences, you earn a place in your audience’s thinking. You’re not just seen—you’re remembered.
Mindshare doesn’t come from shouting. It comes from showing up with clarity and purpose—and doing so repeatedly.