Mailmen and Dogs: Challenges of Account Management

When organizations create functions as interfaces with other organizations with whom they wish to “peaceful commerce from dividable shores“, there often emerges a certain code of rituals, ceremonies, games, and tactics which help them conduct their exchange in their best respective interests. The departmental converse of the sales function is of course the procurement function, or sourcing, or purchasing, as it is variously referred to in different organizations. The marvels of Weberian bureaucracy has led to these functions fulfilling their raison d’etre through the creation of a sophisticated science and robust processes to make their outcomes consistent, predictable, and value-added. I have seen very impressive frameworks and models, for example, which enable Sourcing departments to take strategically tailored approaches to dealing with their vendors – corporate speak for giving short shrift to peddlers and feting the nobles.

Structurally complementary functions like sales and procurement are often not the only channel linking two organizations together. The relationship between two organizations often involves a web of thick and fine strands running criss-cross between different departments. The sales function has begotten the Key Account Manager role to be the thickest of these strands, and to oversee the spinning of the others, while the Sourcing function, not to be outfoxed, has developed its own specializations, often organizing itself in categories like management of service-providers, equipment-vendors, etc.

The fun in all of this, which is the point of this rambling post, starts when KAMs aim to dazzle the bigwigs in the C-suites, but don’t manage to get past the thicket of protective processes erected by our bright eyed friends in Sourcing, whose aim is to steal the former’s thunder by puncturing their pitch with their perfected, self-congratulatory bargaining techniques. The resulting dynamic reminds me of the perennial mailman vs dog relationship, with the little canine pouncing on the harassed mailman, and tugging on his trouser bottom to keep him from delivering his mail. This is not meant to diminish Sourcing, but in fact to extoll their concientiousness – it is infinitely amusing to see big-headed lion-hunters set upon by a pack of wild-eyed laughing hyenas.