Symptom: There is no group in the organization dedicated to the (internal) Sales (client liaison) function.
Finding strategic applications for the organization's products is a tough challenge. It takes people with a deep understanding of the clients' businesses, training in opportunity-discovery methods, and sufficient time with clients to find the breakthrough opportunities. This is the job of (internal) Sales (client liaisons).
The (internal) Sales (client liaison) function is a profession in itself, with its own methods, tools, and required competencies. It is very different from the product development function that Engineers do.
Furthermore, it is a full-time job to maintain a presence with clients, understand their needs, and facilitate and effective relationship between clients and others in the organization.
Combining client liaison functions with other duties can also create dangerous conflicts of interests. For example, the people expected to conduct opportunity-discovery analyses (without bias) may be the same people who are expected to design and construct particular products (with excellence in a specific domain, i.e., people who are paid to have a bias).
For all of these reasons, the (internal) Sales (client liaison) function must be a distinct group.
If such people do not exist within the organization, the problem may be that the structure does not accommodate a business-oriented (internal) Sales (client liaison) function. This suggests the need to create such a group and link their activities to the rest of the organization, followed by recruiting business-oriented liaisons.
Root cause:Structure, organization chart, specifically a missing (internal) Sales (client liaison) function. copyright 2024 N. Dean Meyer and Associates Inc. All rights reserved.
