Channel Strategy & Risk Consulting:
Build Healthier Channels. Prevent Future Headaches.
Most brand protection problems start long before the first violation. Weak channel design, unclear partner agreements, and outdated distribution strategies leave the door open for conflict. We help you build a stronger foundation so you don’t have to clean up preventable messes later.
Channel Risk Starts at the Top
It’s not just about MAP policies or rogue sellers. Many issues in brand enforcement trace back to upstream decisions that lacked clarity, consistency, or strategic foresight.
Warning signs you might need help:
Legacy distributors reselling into gray markets
Unclear or unenforced partner agreements
Overlapping sales territories or conflicting incentives
Channel conflict between eCommerce and retail partners
Howell & Associates have seen it all. And we help you fix it at the root.
Our Four Step Channel Strategy Framework
We work with brands to assess, design, and optimize their channel strategy, reducing risk while supporting growth. That means identifying where things are breaking down, aligning your partners around what matters, and putting systems in place that are built to last. Our approach is practical, proactive, and designed to keep your channel working for you, not against you.
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Step 1: Assess Channel Health and Risk Exposure
See where control is slipping before the damage hits your bottom line.
We begin with a full channel audit. Where are the gaps? Who has access to what? Where does control break down?
We help you:
Map your entire distribution network
Identify gray areas, overlap, and access vulnerabilities
Analyze risk exposure from authorized & unauthorized partners -
Step 2: Align Channel Goals to Business Strategy
Design a smarter channel that supports growth and stops preventable conflict.
Not all partners are equal. Not all markets need the same rules. We help you build a model that supports revenue and reduces conflict.
We help you:
Define roles, rights, and rules across channels
Separate strategic partners from opportunistic resellers
Align incentives across sales, marketing, and enforcement -
Step 3: Strengthen Agreements and Programs
Build the guardrails that keep partners honest and bad actors out.
A good channel strategy needs teeth. That means clear agreements, defined policies, and consistent enforcement posture.
We help you:
Draft or revise partner agreements to prevent loopholes
Build or refine Authorized Seller Programs
Introduce MAP and enforcement guidelines in context -
Step 4: Monitor, Adapt, and Optimize
Stay in control with a channel strategy that evolves as your business grows.
Channel strategy is never set-and-forget. We help you measure performance, adapt to market shifts, and optimize over time.
We help you:
Create KPIs for channel control and partner behavior
Integrate monitoring and enforcement tools into your strategy
Adjust distribution or agreements as your market evolves
Our Customers See Success. You Can Too.
"The team at Howell & Associates helped us build a channel strategy that actually supports how we sell today, and prepared us for the future with a cleaner partner program, fewer conflicts, and real alignment across sales, legal, and ops."
- VP of Commercial Strategy,
Global Consumer Brand
We speak business and brand protection.
Unlike firms that operate in silos, we combine legal, operational, and channel strategy experience to connect the dots.
We design before we enforce.
You can’t enforce your way out of a broken channel. We help you fix the architecture first—so enforcement works better later.
We don’t deliver binders. We drive decisions.
Our work is strategic but grounded. You’ll get clear actions, aligned incentives, and documents that matter.
We help brands scale safely.
Whether you’re expanding into new markets or cleaning up legacy risk, we help you grow with clarity and control at the center.
Why Brands Work with Howell & Associates
Rebuild global channel architecture to reduce gray market leakage
Repair partner relationships after uncontrolled third-party resale
Integrate MAP, enforcement, and distribution into one strategy
Enable growth while reducing internal friction and legal exposure
How We’ve Helped Clients
A few of our satisfied clients:
Your Brand Protection Stack
We work across the full lifecycle of brand control. Whether you’re cleaning up unauthorized sellers, enforcing MAP, or preventing gray market diversion before it starts, our approach is built to scale with you. Click to learn more:
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Channel Strategy & Risk Consulting
Design stronger systems that prevent problems before they start
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MAP Policy Development & Enforcement
Build an enforceable policy that works in the real world
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Marketplace Monitoring & Enforcement
Turn your data into action with real follow-through
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Reseller Investigation & Channel Enforcement
Find out who’s behind the violations, and shut it down
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Gray Market & Counterfeit Protection
Protect your brand as you grow. Keep threats from coming back.
If you’re constantly fighting fires in your channel, it might be time to rebuild the firehouse. We help brands design smarter routes to market, with control baked in from the start.