Carrie Richardson Podcast Live from CPExpo 2026

Carrie Richardson Podcast Live at Channel Partners 2026

Carrie Richardson joined Doug Green on the Telecom Reseller Podcast live at Channel Partners 2026 to talk about a problem that shows up in a lot of channel growth motions: getting more names is not the same thing as getting closer to the right partners.

This article explains why channel growth improves when vendors focus on better targeting, cleaner MSP data, and stronger lead qualification instead of relying on more volume.

Volume Does Not Fix Weak Targeting

A lot of channel growth work still gets measured by volume.

More outreach, more event leads, more records in the system, more activity from the team. That can look productive, but it covers up a more basic problem. If the wrong prospects or partners are getting individualized attention from the start, more volume does not solve the problem. It often makes the big issue harder to spot.

It hides a lot of other sins, as well. Poor SDR performance or badly planned event management, for example. Is the rep ineffective, was the campaign planned poorly, or are sales and marketing both being given bad direction? Is it the chicken or the egg? Bad plans create bad data, and bad data leads to bad plans.

That was one of the central themes of the conversation in Las Vegas at Channel Partners 2026.

This is not an abstract channel problem. It shows up when vendors are trying to recruit MSP partners, sort through event follow-up, and figure out why a busy-looking booth is still not producing what it should.

Book a demo: book time with me for a demo of Fox & Crow Instinct.

Bad Data is Not Better Than No Data

My point of view on that comes from doing the SDR work for vendors pre and post channel events. Before Fox & Crow Group, I built Managed Sales Pros and worked closely with vendors trying to grow through MSP partnerships. Over time, the same pattern kept showing up. Teams assumed they needed more leads when what they often needed was better targeting, cleaner data, and a clearer idea of which partners were actually worth pursuing.

That is part of the reason we built Fox & Crow Instinct.

Instinct is not about adding more names to the pile.

It is about helping vendors identify the MSPs that fit, segment the market with more precision, and prioritize effort before the team burns time on the wrong accounts. That distinction matters more than people think. A large list can make a program look healthy for a while. It does not tell you whether the right partners are in motion.

I touched on that directly during the podcast, especially in the context of events and partner recruitment. Anyone who has worked a conference list knows the problem. You come back with activity, but activity is not the same thing as direction. Some contacts are not real opportunities. Some companies were never a fit. Some records should never make it into the system at all. If no one sorts that out early, the team ends up working volume and calling it strategy.

Last year I interviewed more than a dozen channel vendors about their process for trade shows - how did they prep, how do they work the event, how do they prioritize follow up? That series was published on the WIN Podcast.

MSP Data Integrity is Everyone's Job Because it Impacts Everyone's Job

Experts who have been in the I.T. channel for as long as I have (and many for years longer) identified data integrity as a clear problem for vendors. If the MSP team is just scanning badges to hit incentives, the team responsible for converting event leads into sales opportunities ends up holding the bag. Sales and marketing find themselves finger pointing.

Anyone who has ever attended an MSP trade show has likely experienced the large number of people on the "can I scan you anyhow" sales team. You explain you are not an MSP, you are not a lead, you just came to the booth to say hello to an employee that works there, and they want to scan you anyhow. The event rep is concerned only with volume, but that volume is going to hurt numbers for several people along the commission food chain. I'm already experiencing the barrage of emails offering me discounts on products I won't ever need because...like I told the rep with the scanner..."I'm not an MSP, I'm only here to say hello to Rebecca."

Volume can feel like progress when targeting is weak because it gives everyone something to work on.

Volume can't create better partner decisions. Volume just delays the moment when somebody has to admit that the motion was pointed at too much of the MSP market and not enough of the right part of the market.

This is one of those issues that gets easier to recognize once you have seen it repeat enough times. It feels like a conversation that every revenue leader has had multiple times over their career, only to have sales and marketing teams drift right back into volume when pressure to make quota gets heavy again. Talking about quality in data collection and data integrity in your CRM system is important, and instructions that are unclear lead to outcomes that are equally murky. What's acceptable in your CRM? What counts as a "real MSP lead?" Gmail addresses? Fake names? Info@ emails? If they're not interested enough to give you their contact information, or if they just let you scan their badge to get a free pair of Ray Ban's how much time and treasure are you prepared to lose chasing this lead? Before you scan someone who simply doesn't care about your business, your products or your services, consider the amount of work you are creating for the next person who has to touch this lead, and the amount of money your company is going to waste pursuing this unqualified badge scan. If they're not an MSP, you don't want them.

"Win, Win or Walk"

As one of my good friends likes to say: "Sales teams need to understand the concept of Win, Win, or Walk." That counts for MSP events and lead generation activities, too. When it's clear from the start that someone doesn't want to engage with your company at an event, or is clearly not qualified from the start (they're not an MSP, for example) it's your responsibility to protect the calendar of the next person in the line. You might win a little bit when you scan an unqualified badge at an event, but your SDR colleague stands to lose a lot when they are forced to repeatedly call your "hot lead" and loses time that could have been spent pursuing real business. Your BDRs can't close a deal that never really existed to begin with. Before you scan, think "win, win, or walk." Your decision impacts your entire sales team, and when no one can convert the "leads" you brought back from the event, the event gets cut as a bad investment. 100 leads, 90 bad? Bad event. 10 leads, 10 deals? Good event. Bad scans mean fewer shows and fewer shows mean we don't really need someone to scan badges...cause and effect is clear.

If this conversation sounds familiar, book time with me for a demo of Fox & Crow Instinct.

It is a practical way to look at whether volume is covering up a targeting problem in your own channel motion.

Check Out Carrie Richardson on the Technology Reseller Podcast

The conversation on the Telecom Reseller Podcast stayed anchored in what actually slows channel growth down, not just what sounds good in a recap after the event is over.

The full podcast is embedded below.

Hear Fox & Crow Group On Other MSP Industry Podcasts

Like this podcast?

You can check out Ian Richardson's podcast appearance with Doug Green, and other Telecom Reseller podcast episodes on the Technology Reseller Podcast.

You'll find his interview with Brian Doyle on MSP Business School here.

He's also been featured on Membrain.com's The Art & Science of Complex Sales Podcast

You can find both Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson hosting The WIN Podcast, and the Fox & Crow Group Youtube channel features interviews with Carrie, Ian and other channel experts.

Want to talk to Carrie or Ian on your podcast? Schedule a quick call with us to talk about it.

FAQ

What is the main point of Carrie Richardson's Channel Partners 2026 podcast appearance?

The post argues that getting more names is not the same thing as getting closer to the right partners. Better targeting and cleaner data matter more than raw volume.

Why is bad data a problem for channel growth?

Bad data creates wasted follow-up, distorts event ROI, hurts SDR and BDR productivity, and makes activity look stronger than actual opportunity quality.

What does Fox & Crow Instinct help vendors do?

Fox & Crow Instinct helps vendors identify MSPs that fit, segment the market with more precision, and prioritize effort before teams spend time on the wrong accounts.

Why does MSP data integrity matter after channel events?

Poor badge scans and unqualified contacts create extra work for downstream teams, lower conversion quality, and make event results less trustworthy.

What does "Win, Win or Walk" mean in this article?

It means teams should not force clearly unqualified contacts into the funnel. Walking away from bad-fit interactions protects time, pipeline quality, and overall sales effectiveness.