The ‘Orbital’ Roles of Sales & BD Authority in the Inception of Customer Centricity
Dr. Deny Sapian, DBA
Sales & Business Development Professional | 80/20 Strategy-Engineer:Strategy-Technician
In the study of nuclear physics, one can observe at submicroscopic levels -??the standing waves of subatomic particles consisting of multi-electrons uniquely exhibiting three-dimensional motion of quantised particular orbitals around the nucleus of an atom. Orbitals are essential to determine the distribution of ‘critical’ electron molecules, which in turn distinguishes the basic molecular properties of materials. And unlike the planar depiction of motion in conventionally defined ‘orbits’, the orbital motion significantly illustrates predominant habitancies of these energetic-electrons over the extant of quantum space and time continuum.
These building blocks of matter emanate precise amounts of associated energy in the form of quantum light and electromagnetic radiations with zero rest mass. In particle physics, massless particles made up of photons and gluons are the fundamental “carriers” of momenta of energy and forces. What this means is that these particles of nature can never be ‘relativistically’ at ‘rest’ (or remain dormant and stagnant) without energy equilibrium as demonstrated by Albert Einstein (1905) via his infamous?E=mc^2?nuclear physics equation.?
Furthermore, the articulated and uniquely characterised elementary sub-particle ‘fingerprints’ allows us to identify and differentiate the 118 elements from the Periodic Table or Elements widely used in chemistry, physics and other sciences.?
In contextual relevance and ‘meaningful’ perspectives to Management Science, I find it fascinating and absorbing that the quantum epistemology of mimicry of particle dynamics can be effectively and precisely applied in strategic sales management and strategic management theory and praxis.
Now, the question is how and in what specific context would this apply to?
Well, in the ever-changing landscape of the business world we live in today, many companies talk about and are setting internal policies ‘orbiting’ around customer-centricity as a vital and elemental protocol to promote new values and increasing existing customer value in order to reduce the harsh realities and impact of economic turbulence faced in the postmodern world economy.
As one of the key ‘business thinking’ idea conceived and conceptualised by the ‘father of modern management’, Customer Centricity (CC) was truly the hallmark nuclei and core foundation of Peter Drucker’s (1954) ‘Practice of Management’ which stretches the boundaries and frontiers of common grounded perspectives on customer-importance.
In fact, the concept and approach of managing CC traverses the generic industrial practice and praxis of managing customer relationships and engagements, transcending the conventional wisdom of “the customer is always right” slogan coined by Selfridge (1990) and strategic management approaches adopted by many postmodern organisations.?
Much like an atomic nucleus, which signify cohesive bonds between electronically charged protons and neutron particles held together by a fundamental force (known as the “strong force”), the analogous characteristic nucleus of CC domain would also require positively robust adherence and coherence of distinctive constituent decision management processes and structural institutionalisation of ‘Strategic SELLING Advantage’ motive forces to support and stabilise the dynamic and fluid customer retention and relationship management ecosystem.
In the case of aptly functioning Sales & BD authority in organisations highly adept at managing crises and external environmental turbulence, the process of accomplishing efficient and tangible corollaries to early tactical opportunity spotting and closing, and strategic customer advocating initiatives exemplify these exact strong ‘orbital’ stances (i.e., ubiquitous influence and agency) and necessitated multidimensional competence frontiers unique to Sales & BD roles which bind the organisational vision and strategic mission to harmonised executions of achievable customer engagement strategies. In fact, the authority of Sales & BD functions (i.e., the power to command and control value proponents) are the inherent “strong force” which forms the basic fundamentals of effective customer engagement protocols via CC inception and implementations.
Conversely, whilst atomic particles exhibit a combination of spontaneous radioactive emissions (or decay) to form more energetically stable element - in context of isomorphic mimicry of particle dynamics into strategic sales management science, the phenomenon of particles reaching point of mass equilibrium via ‘destructive dissolution’ governed by ‘half-life’ time intervals signify great importance for the firm to be conscientiously aware of the time-bounded proponents for CC implementations and implications.
Half-life, in nuclear physics refers to?the interval of time required for one-half of the atomic nuclei of elements to decay. In business context, this may be applied to “the essence of time” in assessing the voice of customers (VOC), whereby, if neglected or left unattended - anticipated behavioural indispositions detrimental to acquiring/expanding business dealings would build-up and continue to fester in cumulative quarterly (or yearly) intervals, with the rate of dissolution of trust and confidence levels in highly biased customers remaining constant throughout the status quo or relationship attrition process.
“It is the customer who determines what a business is, what it produces, and whether it will prosper” - Peter Drucker (1954)
What this would now mean in my modest opinion is that, enterprises and corporate organisations need to ambidextrously reposition it’s ‘firm orientation’ and ‘strategic orientation’ impetuses by instigating and managing highly valuable customers as designated “key customer accounts” with more robust ‘strategic thinking’ predispositions and deeper level ‘time-bounded’ understanding of the respective customer’s entire business architecture and ecosystems.?
Furthermore, taking heed of verified and pressing VOCs is what truly defines a successful and sustainable business venture, being part of the order of establishing ‘Strategic SELLING Advantage’ in the first place!
However, in today’s complex and highly uncertain world of business, many organisations fail to recognise such critical exigencies of an ‘elemental’ CC inception (for e.g., by virtue of systematically regulated in situ ‘customer-facing’ planning/activities) as their typically distantly-based mid-to-senior leadership executants continue to be unwaveringly preoccupied with cultural indispositions, ‘hindsight’ biases and self-indulgence over past (and to some extent, no longer relevant and replicable) successes.
Indeed, the peculiarity of business disruptions and devastating withdrawals as observed by multiple sectors during (and post) the COVID-19 pandemic, has chronically impacted almost every enterprise on planet earth by surprise. Therefore, it would be essential for organisations to foster new thinking and ‘innovative’ strategy approaches to deliberate recovery and drive strategic inertia via focused CC momenta for business continuity moving forward.?
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Besides, contextual customer-focused management expertise and protocols are becoming an increasingly talked about proponents for strategic renewal of opportunities and value advantage priorities in the multitude of growth driven enterprises. However, the ‘popularity’ of merely adopting the CC lingo by most accounts seem to supersede the entire essence of what it should and could exhibit.
Now what do I mean by this?
Despite the prevalent assimilation of conventional Sales & BD strategies in numerous corporate organisations having its roots in exhorting customer feedback and satisfaction, the ultimate goals and objectives of CC in managing strategic sales management are often lost in translation.
Based on my personal accounts per decades of gathered anecdotal and empirical evidence, I found the lack of understanding of Key Customer behavioural and perceived dynamic structural profiles, infused with dissented perspectives over the multiplicity of layers of strategic decision management within the customer’s ecosystem often caused strategy misjudgments. Inadvertently, poorly translated Marketing strategies steered by perpetuated non-exposures to key customer organisations and peripheral-region biases, have again and again impeded ‘rightful’ and ‘meaningful’ decisions on significantly accurate strategy paradigms to be employed at regionalised locations of the business.?
Unfortunately, such circumstances of typically observed predicaments have time and again troubled many large multinationals and corporate organisations with unsettling and unjustified doubts on the ability of it’s orbital Sales & BD authority without compromise. In fact, this further raises an equipoised contention, and thence hindering ‘man-on-the-ground’ Sales & BD representatives’ value creation and value capture ‘fingerprinting’ skillsets to effectively intercede business prospecting initiatives as the presumed strategic planning and policymaking at main corpora leadership levels within the organisation is surmised to be ‘relativistically at rest’!
Ensuing accounts of acute strata of crises faced by such firms suggested it would be imperative for organisations to engage and collaborate with key authority and stakeholders within the organisation itself which include adjacent business units and supply chain resources which are also critical pillars of inertia towards implementing a more effective CC alignment and implementation. In support of this notion and intent, it would be essential for the firm to instigate operational excellence and avoid making grave CC institutionalisation mistakes via:
Moreover, it would be extremely vital for firms to clearly establish strategic decisions and choices with ‘strategic regeneration’ inertia reorientation encircling goals to achieve longer-term business continuity and growth strategy outcomes.?
Besides shifting ‘reactionary’ organisational strategic objectives which are often conflated with ineffectual short-term decision imperatives, the firm must deliberate precise and measurable ‘incremental’ and ‘radical’ transitional actions it must undertake to accomplish anticipated strategic postures in dealing with opportunity and prospect disruptions and resultant economic deformations.
In summary and full retrospect, I strongly believe the most practical way for firms to configure integral change momenta in establishing and delivering distinct and strategic value proponents of CC, is by endorsing the role of ‘orbital’ Sales & BD authority in driving strategic perceptiveness and firm reorientations via:
Bibliography:
Drucker, P. F. (1954).?The practice of management. New York: Harper & Row.
Einstein, A., & Lawson, R. W.?(1921).?Relativity: The special and general theory. New York: Holt.
Peterson, E. & Riesterer, T. (2020).?The expansion sale: Four must-win conversations to keep and grow your customers. McGraw-Hill.