Skip to content

Quiz: Distribution & Go-to-Market Channels

Test your understanding of how a venture's message actually reaches customers with these review questions.

1. What is a distribution channel?

  1. The overall strategy for reaching and acquiring customers, combining channels with messaging into one plan
  2. Any specific path or method through which a customer discovers, learns about, and ultimately accesses a venture's offer
  3. The actual sequence of steps a real customer follows from first encountering a venture to becoming a paying customer
  4. A deliberate system that rewards existing customers for bringing in new ones
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A distribution channel is any specific path or method through which a customer discovers, learns about, and ultimately accesses a venture's offer — the fifth canvas block this chapter is devoted to. Option A describes the broader go-to-market approach, and option C describes a customer acquisition path.

Concept Tested: Distribution Channel

See: Glossary

2. How does a go-to-market approach relate to a single distribution channel, according to this chapter?

  1. A go-to-market approach is simply another name for one specific distribution channel
  2. A go-to-market approach only applies to online distribution, never in-person channels
  3. A go-to-market approach is decided before any messaging work from Chapter 12 begins
  4. A go-to-market approach is the overall strategy that combines one or more distribution channels with the messaging from Chapter 12 into a coherent plan
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. A go-to-market approach is the overall strategy for reaching and acquiring customers, combining one or more distribution channels with the messaging built in Chapter 12 into a coherent plan. A single channel is a piece of that broader approach, not a synonym for it.

Concept Tested: Go-To-Market Approach

See: Glossary

3. What is a direct sales channel?

  1. The founder personally reaching out to and closing individual customers, one at a time, without an intermediary
  2. Reaching customers through internet-based platforms where they can discover and purchase without in-person contact
  3. Reaching customers through physical presence such as a booth at a local event
  4. A third-party platform that lists many similar offers together
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. A direct sales channel involves the founder personally reaching out to and closing individual customers, one at a time, without an intermediary. Option B describes online distribution, option C describes in-person distribution more broadly, and option D describes a marketplace channel.

Concept Tested: Direct Sales Channel

See: Glossary

4. What distinguishes online distribution from in-person distribution, as this chapter defines the two?

  1. Online distribution always costs more than in-person distribution
  2. Online distribution relies on physical proximity, while in-person distribution does not
  3. Online distribution reaches customers through internet-based platforms where they can discover and often complete a purchase with no in-person contact, while in-person distribution relies on physical proximity
  4. Online distribution and in-person distribution are two names for the direct sales channel
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Online distribution reaches customers through internet-based platforms — websites, apps, search, or online marketplaces — where a customer can discover and often complete a purchase without any in-person contact. In-person distribution instead relies on physical proximity, such as a booth, a flyer, or a conversation at the dog park.

Concept Tested: Online Distribution

See: Glossary

5. Jordan sets up a table at a neighborhood block party to talk with dog owners face to face. Which broad shape of distribution channel is this?

  1. Online distribution
  2. In-person distribution
  3. Marketplace channel
  4. Referral channel
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. In-person distribution reaches customers through physical presence — a booth at a local event, a flyer on a community board, a conversation at the dog park — relying on physical proximity rather than a screen. Jordan's block-party table is a direct example of that broad shape.

Concept Tested: In-Person Distribution

See: Glossary

6. Two founders each pick a single channel: one chooses the channel that is cheapest overall, and the other chooses the channel with the widest possible reach. According to this chapter's discussion of channel selection, what is the flaw in both approaches?

  1. Neither founder has run a channel test yet, so no channel choice is valid
  2. Both founders should have chosen a multi-channel strategy instead of a single channel
  3. Cost and reach cannot be evaluated until a customer acquisition path is defined
  4. Both founders ignored channel fit — how well the channel matches where their specific target customer already spends attention — rather than weighing cost, reach, and fit together
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Channel selection is the deliberate process of choosing which distribution channels to pursue, guided by channel cost, channel reach, and channel fit together. The chapter is explicit that the best channel isn't the cheapest or the widest-reaching one in the abstract — it's the one the specific target customer is already paying attention to.

Concept Tested: Channel Selection

See: Glossary

7. A customer sees Jordan's post in a neighborhood app, texts a question, books a time slot, and pays at the door. What does this sequence represent?

  1. A go-to-market approach
  2. A referral channel
  3. A customer acquisition path
  4. A multi-channel strategy
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. A customer acquisition path is the actual sequence of steps a real customer follows from first encountering the venture to becoming a paying customer. The chapter uses this exact sequence — app post, text, booking, payment at the door — as Jordan's own customer acquisition path.

Concept Tested: Customer Acquisition Path

See: Glossary

8. What is word of mouth, as this chapter defines the channel?

  1. The channel where existing, satisfied customers tell others about a venture without being deliberately prompted or incentivized to do so
  2. A deliberate system that incentivizes existing customers to refer new ones
  3. An agreement with another business that already has access to the same target customer
  4. A third-party platform that lists many similar offers together
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Word of mouth is the specific channel where existing, satisfied customers tell others about a venture without being deliberately prompted or incentivized to do so. The chapter's mascot callout reframes it as a channel a founder can design for, simply by asking a satisfied customer to spread the word.

Concept Tested: Word Of Mouth

See: Glossary

9. How does a referral channel differ from plain word of mouth, according to this chapter?

  1. A referral channel only works online, while word of mouth only works in person
  2. A referral channel requires a partnership with another business, while word of mouth does not
  3. A referral channel and word of mouth are the same behavior with different names
  4. A referral channel is the same underlying behavior as word of mouth, but deliberately designed and incentivized rather than left to chance
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. A referral channel is a deliberate system that encourages and rewards existing customers for bringing in new ones — the same underlying behavior as word of mouth, but designed and incentivized rather than left to chance. "$10 off your next session for every friend you refer" is the chapter's example of turning word of mouth into a referral channel.

Concept Tested: Referral Channel

See: Glossary

10. A local pet store agrees to display Jordan's flyer on its counter because its customers are also dog owners. Which channel type is this?

  1. Marketplace channel
  2. Partnership channel
  3. Direct sales channel
  4. Social media channel
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A partnership channel reaches customers through an agreement with another business that already has access to the same target customer. The chapter uses this exact example — a local pet store agreeing to display Jordan's flyer — to illustrate a partnership channel.

Concept Tested: Partnership Channel

See: Glossary

11. Jordan lists his grooming availability on a local services app alongside several competing groomers. Which channel type is this?

  1. Referral channel
  2. Word of mouth
  3. Marketplace channel
  4. Direct sales channel
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. A marketplace channel reaches customers through a third-party platform that lists many similar offers together, trading some independence for built-in customer traffic. Listing grooming availability on a local services app alongside competitors is the chapter's own example of this channel type.

Concept Tested: Marketplace Channel

See: Glossary

12. Priya posts photos of her meals in a local parents' Facebook group to reach new customers. Which statement correctly categorizes this activity?

  1. It is a social media channel, reaching customers through content posted on social platforms, whether organic or paid
  2. It is a marketplace channel because the Facebook group lists multiple businesses
  3. It is a partnership channel because the group has its own moderators
  4. It is a direct sales channel because Priya is personally posting the content
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. A social media channel reaches customers through content posted on social platforms, whether through organic posts, groups, or paid promotion. Priya posting meal photos in a local parents' group is this chapter's own example of a social media channel.

Concept Tested: Social Media Channel

See: Glossary

13. A founder posts in one Facebook group and asks for one referral, then measures the actual response before committing further time or budget. Which practice does this reflect?

  1. Multi-channel strategy — skipping it means missing complementary customer segments
  2. Channel fit — skipping it means picking a channel with poor reach
  3. Go-to-market approach — skipping it means missing a coherent plan
  4. Channel testing — running a small, deliberate trial of a specific channel and measuring the actual response before committing further budget or time to it
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Channel testing is running a small, deliberate trial of a specific channel — posting in one Facebook group, asking for one referral — and measuring the actual response before committing further budget or time to it. The chapter's warning is explicit: test one channel at a time rather than launching five experiments simultaneously.

Concept Tested: Channel Testing

See: Glossary

14. How does this chapter define channel cost?

  1. How many of your target customers a channel can realistically expose your offer to
  2. How well a channel matches where your target customer already spends their attention
  3. What a channel actually requires to use — money, time, or both
  4. The actual sequence of steps a customer follows to become a paying customer
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Channel cost is what a channel actually requires to use — money, time, or both. It is one of three properties, alongside channel reach and channel fit, that guide channel selection; option A describes channel reach and option B describes channel fit.

Concept Tested: Channel Cost

See: Glossary

15. According to the Distribution Channel Map described in this chapter, the marketplace channel is plotted with a high reach value compared to word of mouth's much lower reach. What does this comparison illustrate about channel reach?

  1. Channel reach measures how much a channel costs to use, not how many customers it exposes an offer to
  2. Channel reach measures how many of your target customers a channel can realistically expose your offer to — marketplace exposes far more than word of mouth
  3. Channel reach and channel fit are the same measurement plotted on different axes
  4. Channel reach is irrelevant once a channel has been tested
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Channel reach is how many of your target customers a channel can realistically expose your offer to. The chapter's scatter-plot data shows marketplace channel reaching far more people than word of mouth — but, as the accompanying discussion notes, that wider reach comes at a higher channel cost.

Concept Tested: Channel Reach

See: Glossary

16. A founder has channel-tested both a referral channel and a partnership channel, and both showed real results reaching different, complementary segments of the target customer base. What should the founder consider next, according to this chapter?

  1. Adopting a multi-channel strategy, deliberately using both tested channels together because they reach different, complementary parts of the target customer base
  2. Abandoning both channels since a founder should only ever use one channel at a time
  3. Launching three additional untested channels in the same week to maximize reach
  4. Returning to Chapter 4 to redefine the target customer before proceeding
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. A multi-channel strategy is deliberately using more than one distribution channel at once, chosen because they reach different, complementary parts of the target customer base rather than randomly. The chapter is clear that a genuine multi-channel strategy is built from tested channels, exactly like the scenario described here.

Concept Tested: Multi-Channel Strategy

See: Glossary

17. How does this chapter define channel fit?

  1. What a channel actually requires to use in money or time
  2. How many of your target customers a channel can realistically reach
  3. How well a specific channel matches where your actual target customer already spends their attention
  4. The overall strategy combining channels with messaging into one plan
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Channel fit is how well a specific channel matches where your actual target customer already spends their attention. The chapter's tip points out that discovery interview notes from Chapter 9 often reveal channel fit for free, since customers mention in passing where they'd naturally look for an offer like this.

Concept Tested: Channel Fit

See: Glossary