The "Doctor" I am

For most of my 25 years that I have managed and also led Technology functions across leading Organisations, brands cut across Industries; my interaction with most Sales people from Technology vendor organisations have been far from useful. The approach of most has been what do I get out of this; rather than what can I give!!! Salespeople often approach Heads & decision makers like vampires hunting for the perfect vein to tap. They circle around, eyes gleaming, ready to latch onto the biggest budget they can find. But if you turn out to be a capillary—small, but crucial—they sigh dramatically and vanish into the shadows, missing the point entirely. What they don’t realise is that the real issue may be an intramuscular issue needing to be addressed and then the strength building that can power true organisational transformation. If they just paused, assessed the muscular needs, and worked on that, they’d find themselves as the perfect partner for long-term, scalable success

While sales team are out for the blood, some of the presales teams swoop in directly to solve business problems, it’s like the Avengers showing up to stop a petty thief—they arrive with all the swagger, convinced their tech powers can solve anything. It is as though, “We’ve got this” and “You are lucky to have us” attitude, usually exuding a superiority complex, as they size up the problem, ready to throw AI, blockchain, or some buzzword-filled solution at it. They don't just walk in—they float, as if on a cloud of code, fully convinced that no business challenge can stand up to their technical wizardry.

In the middle of it all, the business teams are desperately trying to explain, “Actually, it’s more about customer behaviour than needing a new app…” but the techies brush it off like an annoying pop-up window. They’re too busy building an overly complex, futuristic solution to realise the real need is something far simpler, like better communication or addressing a process issue. By the time they’re done, they’ve created a spaceship for a business that just needed a bicycle. And yet, they leave the room convinced they saved the day.

Akin to my experience for the last one year moving around from one Ortho to physio to another before you actually find someone who is damn serious about “understanding” the problem.

The “understanding mindset” just requires the following three? key aspects –

1.??????? To keep aside any biases or past experiences and be fully appreciative of the business needs with data driven insights and wholistic approach

2.??????? Ability to relate processes and bring in process consulting approach to business problems and have a collaborative and constructive view in moving to the next steps

3.??????? To bring in a plan of action after a detailed discovery engagement which is not meant to be a quick fix but a strength building exercise taking the Business to a different level

If it is a chronic muscle inflammation or injury leading to the problem akin to process lapse and lack of internal controls, implementing an ERP solution is like a steroid injection helping to reset things.

First, the injection: quick, sharp, and designed to deliver relief where it hurts. You brace yourself, but the pain lingers a bit. Most ERP projects are timebound, project managed and look to be the panache of all problems, like the way magic kicks in—muscles feel invincible. But beware! If you’re not careful, relying too much on this quick fix without long-term care will have you limping back to the doctor in no time. With ERP implementation, a powerful cocktail of process overhauls, cutting-edge tech, and some good old paradigm shifts follow. But just like the injection, it’s not a one-and-done. Without proper adoption and culture change, you’ll feel the sting of project fatigue before any lasting transformation occurs.

Like in my case, the larger objective is to go the longer miles; Businesses invest in technology to go the longer haul & for that periodic strength training is essential, by which I mean, continuous process optimisation through Intelligent Automation, process adaptation to market and customer needs with new age tools and techniques including AI is necessary. A Technology / Transformational partner who is capable of catering to the longer haul of business is most important

In both cases, long-term maintenance is key. Sure, consultants might not carry syringes, but they do bring in tools for Process Mining that are just as likely to cause temporary discomfort with the realisation of what else needs correction! Whether it’s your biceps or your business processes, sustainable change requires more than a quick jab—it takes a steady, strategic plan to truly transform. And does your partner have it in them to stick by you through those long mileages!!