Most manufacturers who decide to add a direct layer already know the strategic reasons. The hard part is the first ninety days. Done poorly, it creates channel noise, operational mess, and internal skepticism. Done deliberately, it produces a clean set of learning relationships and a repeatable process.
Here is a realistic sequence that prioritizes control and signal over speed.
Days 1–15: Define the rules before you invite anyone
Decide the commercial boundaries first. Which product lines are eligible for direct? What is the pricing architecture relative to distributor cost? Are there geographic or account-size restrictions? What are the payment and credit terms? What is the minimum viable order? Write these down. Ambiguity at this stage becomes conflict later.
Also decide the non-negotiables on compliance: FFL verification process, any state restrictions you will enforce beyond the legal minimum, and how regulated items will be handled. Do not launch and then invent policy under pressure.
Days 16–30: Select a deliberately small cohort
Start with 15–40 dealers, not hundreds. Prioritize accounts that already have some relationship with you or clear evidence they can move the product. Mix a few larger, operationally mature dealers with a larger number of smaller, hungrier ones. Avoid the temptation to open the floodgates to every dealer who has ever expressed interest. The goal of the first cohort is clean signal and manageable support load, not maximum volume. Document why each account was included. You will want that context when you review results.
Days 31–45: Onboard with friction in the right places
Make the commercial terms and catalog access clear and boring. Do not over-automate the approval step yet. A short human review of each new account in the first cohort is a feature, not a bug. Confirm FFL status, ship-to addresses, and any special requirements. Give them a clean, limited catalog rather than the entire line. Set expectations on order cut-off times, shipping, and how exceptions will be handled. The onboarding experience should feel professional and low-drama. It does not need to feel frictionless on day one.
Days 46–75: Run real orders and watch the operational truth
The data that matters most at this stage is what happens when actual orders hit your system. Track order accuracy, time from order to shipment, payment timing, and the volume of exceptions or support tickets. Look for patterns: which dealers order cleanly, which require constant clarification, which SKUs move, which sit. Resist the urge to expand the cohort while you are still learning the failure modes. Fix the process first. Also watch the human side — how your internal team is handling the new volume and whether any steps are still living in email or spreadsheets that will not scale.
Days 76–90: Review against the original rules and decide the next increment
Pull the numbers and the qualitative notes. Which dealers met the commercial and operational expectations? Which did not, and why? Did the pricing and terms you set hold up? Where did the process break? Decide three things: which accounts stay in the direct book, which get additional catalog access or better terms, and what process changes are required before the next group is invited. Only then consider expanding. Expansion without a cleaned-up process simply multiplies the problems you have already observed.
What to deliberately avoid in the first 90 days
- Do not try to replace a meaningful percentage of distributor volume immediately.
- Do not open every SKU to every dealer.
- Do not promise service levels you have not tested.
- Do not treat the first cohort as a marketing announcement.
Treat it as a controlled experiment whose primary output is operational learning and a small set of proven relationships.
A successful first cohort is not measured by how many dealers you signed. It is measured by whether you can now describe, with evidence, how a direct order flows, where it breaks, what the real support cost is, and which kinds of dealers are actually worth the relationship. That knowledge is what lets you scale without creating a second operational mess alongside the one you already have with traditional distribution.
If you are preparing to stand up a first direct cohort and want a second set of eyes on the sequencing or the commercial boundaries, we are happy to walk through it with you.