We are expanding our business to include a new direct-to-consumer channel. Should we add a brand-new seat on our Accountability Chart for this channel, or should we simply add a new role to our existing Sales and Marketing seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When expanding your business, you should only create a brand-new seat on your Accountability Chart if the new function has a fundamentally different set of metrics, a distinct operational flow, or requires a completely different skillset. If you simply add roles to existing seats without thinking, you risk overloading your managers and diluting their focus.

To make this decision, ask yourself if the new direct-to-consumer channel requires its own unique marketing strategies, fulfillment processes, and customer service standards. If the answer is yes, you need a dedicated direct-to-consumer seat. Placing this under your existing B2B sales seat will lead to poor execution because the conative strengths required for B2B sales are vastly different from consumer marketing.

However, if the new channel is just a small pilot project that uses your existing inventory and systems, you can temporarily assign it as a role or a quarterly Rock to an existing department head. Just be prepared to split it out into its own dedicated seat once the revenue justifies a full-time owner.