“In the future there are three kinds of people, those that make it happen, those that watch what happens and those that wonder what happened.”

So that’s clear then.

Someone quite famous said of important moments in time — “If not us then who and if not now — when?” We all want to make it happen and well before someone else does.

A great basis for any real thinking about transformation is a big room full of walls — permission to think outside of the box and passionate people.

And there’s few parts of industry more ripe for transformation than the process of enterprise purchasing. It was a great opportunity for everyone to both reflect and align on just what that means.

Planning for the future to build something entirely new means thinking 5–10 years out but balancing pragmatism and impatience right now.

“That means imagining what the world will be like as far out as 2025.”

Carnegie Mellon University suggests that the winners in such a world will be the specialists, the creative class, and those who have solutions that require emotional intelligence like salespeople, coaches, customer-service specialists — in short those who create everything from writing and art to new products, platforms and services.

And to take another perspective the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation in Alexandria tells us that the ‘tough to automate’ industries (Healthcare for example) will need science, technology and mathematics solutions, the skills, passion and expertise to fuel the new ‘platforms of trade’.

Our time together started not only with complete permission to think very differently but to think and act as entrepreneurs.

As a startup unconstrained by what’s been before. To imagine this new world and to exploit the art of the possible.

“Imagine that!”

It was a great opportunity for the team to check in with each other, listen to peers and start to see where the joins and gaps were and define how unconstrained we currently are. It’s a journey.

Strategically we are shooting for the moon, tactically we are bringing the whole earth along with us.

Our role on the first day was simply to listen and observe.

Therefore the first part of what follows is only an initial interpretation of what we heard as everyone reported in. This first representation translated the various contributions from each and every team member.

An objective synthesis.

The second part of this document was an initial opportunity to hear first hand from clients what’s inside their heads and how they would react to the question we posed. The audience was a cross section of people from the buying and procurement departments in some large and not so large organisations and their insight is reflected in the second framework below.

There’s a link to a version of what’s below which is couched slightly differently to them.

The Hand Drawn ‘Wall’ Images Below Are All Available Here

Buckminster Fuller said—

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

Imagine

The Required Shift Of Mindset — Changing the Way we do Business!

It’s going to take courage and resolve but it’s a fight that cannot be avoided. It’s highly conceivable, likely even that our competition are already well advanced on this course.

This strategy is simply not optional and as a consequence our deliberations and creativity for the challenge are both timely and essential.

Going Digital?

To ask the question about digital versus real world is to ask the wrong question — their perfect mix is now table stakes.

Gone are the days when marketing was a simple act of ‘broadcast and they will come’ — we need to be far smarter than that — the ground rule is to ‘cause attraction’ through smart storytelling, meaningful conversation and innovative creativity — imagine that.

“We have to figure out how that works for us.”

And also for us to truly win we will need to stop promoting ‘things and stuff’ (product benefits) and start creating ‘outcomes and results’ — genuine value that people want and need to achieve their business mission.

No one can escape the fact that the consumption of ‘everything’ is changing beyond recognition.

The word on everyone’s lips now is ‘experience’ — and for good reason. Most products and services are of high enough quality to be indiscernible from one another.

They are differentiated only by how they are perceived, traded and serviced. The intangible value of the brand, the feel and sense of our relationship through that cycle and the quality of how we are supported through the lifetime is now the frontline.

So — imagine if we could create that platform — that new trading floor complete with its own Experience Economy — redefining what commerce means within the whole of HP.

In different language how can we create that indispensable platform* — a mechanism that has integrated access — connected directly to the plethora of products and services within HP.

A platform that can perform 24x7 as an intelligent ‘engine’ for customers of varying shapes and sizes — enabling them to search and find whatever is required along the purchase lifecycle — truly turning that into a value chain of offerings and outcomes.

A market of value. Why can’t we do that!

A value chain by this definition would allow us to design solutions that were locatable in real time. Delivering real value and impact for clients — either through pre-packaged solutions that are evidenced and proven — or by smooth introduction to ready and more tailored expertise, configuration and execution.

*Some Sangeet Choudray quotes are included at the very bottom of this summary for the platform afficianados…

The Critical Dimensions:

Let’s Call It Data — A deep intimacy and clarity of customers by segment, role persona and passion. An ever learning system that delivers the right answers in the right way through the right ‘channel’ at the right time.

Who Cares What Channel? — Complete comfort with the delivery transport mechanism. We would be fluent in delivering this via App, on Smart Watch, Virtual Reality Headset, Live Chat Platforms, Google Hangouts and Carrier Pigeon. We could even turn up in person.

Frictionless — But Really — Smart and close to real time filtering of interest and need — switching that interest to the right resources and solutions immediately — no arcane barriers and opaque bureaucracy.

A pivotal part of any system like this will be how the incoming ‘signal’ is handled — failing here is not an option.

How interest is handled and expectations managed will be the beginning and end of this. Through whatever channel we receive interest this handling mechanism will be how we are judged.

Modular Campaignability — A catalogue (to use a popular definition) but built very specifically to ensure coherent and compelling value to clients in a singular, blended but above all structured way — delivered to business outcome.

Automating Only What’s Appropriate — From packaged offering to how that transaction is fulfilled is the mother of all ‘moments of truth’. The fact that now a large percentage of that could be semi or wholly automated is also where we can win or lose. What we can’t lose is the humanity and intimacy along the way.

DEC On DEC — As we journey through the stack of possibility from SLA’s to Security Guarantees and from ROM Calculators to Customizable Templates and Motion Graphics — the experience is what will translate each Campaign into a winning reputation and repeatable formula.

This needs to feel right at each and every step and design is essential from look and feel to simple and useful capture and translation of requirement.

Equipped To Win — Bringing the right tools, not the tools that worked to fulfil old style problems but the right tools that represent the new challenges that our customers have and we will need to make this work.

Engagement Is The New Black — It will be essential for our new ‘Center’ to make complete sense and be completely understandable to the wider enterprise — in particular the sales teams and the industries we serve.

How we tell our story and how we support our audiences is a major factor here.

Team DEC — We must be a team to make this happen. We have a great start and we feel unified and passionate. That can be the only way of we are to drive the kind of change this represents.

It’s Us — Our Job — Leadership is everyone’s responsibility. It’s indivisible from the idea of team. As leaders it’s our responsibility to create the followership that this initiative needs. This will take courage and guile. There will be countless challenges, naysayers and blockers and only real leadership will get us through this.

Social Warriors — It would be highly ironic if we weren’t all completely socially and digitally aware.

We cannot advocate for digital and 21st Century methods of engagement and selling if we aren’t steeped in how that really works.

We not only have to say it but we need to evidence it in how we work, think and show up. We truly have to engage and pay attention to what’s happening. Each of us could nowadays build an app in 45 minutes. If we wanted to.

Cracking Code — All of this done in a codified fashion throughout. Building insight and archive as it goes. Creating the equipment and blueprints, standards and training materials to create the wildfire of adoption and evangelism around the world.

“If I Could Wave A Magic Wand?”

“If Henry Ford had asked his customers what they wanted we would now be submerged in horse manure. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn enormously from our customers — and we did learn.”

The Link To The Client Version Of What’s Below:

“We don’t think about ‘buying’ — it’s the outcome that really matters”

It’s A Very Different World.

We heard some very clear observations from our clients.

Different Lenses — These days whatever’s being ‘bought’ has to fit into an entire lifecycle — it has a time based window of value. It’s very much not simply the technology — equally important are the services that go with it. There are many different actors in the enterprise, the experience can be very different for different people in their roles — they will all see this differently.

Different Patterns — buying integrated services means there is no single ‘buyer’ — it’s more a mix of influencers, this makes it hard to make a purchase — especially in a consensus driven organization. An amalgam of people who have an opinion.

Different Deals — A straightforward deal that used to make real sense just no longer does — the technology changes far too quickly. Everything is about flexibility — being able to change. That’s the new challenge. It’s become very hard to imagine committing to a 10 year contract in such a dynamic marketplace. How could you!

Different Strokes — There is a spectrum of experience that is relevant — sometimes the personal interaction is important, other times the convenience of automation takes precedence. At the heart of it all is that trusted relationship — you can’t take that away from the deal.

Different Folks — You fall in love with people you meet and work with in the boardrooms during the sale but then you never see them again — there is a big difference between sales and operations.

Different Consumers — The ‘end’ end users are incredibly consumerized these days — it’s what they are getting used to — and they expect the easy approach — today there’s still a lot of governance that slows the process down.

“Somehow procurement and finance will have to work out how to address all of this.”

The main part of the framework was topped off by the purchasing lifecycle.

We checked in that this representation summed it up well enough and then asked three far more interesting questions in order to get to the clues for how and what to transform from or to.

These ideas represent what actually mattered to us.

How brilliant could this be and what would constitute an ideal world? Put simply what would it take to be served perfectly in terms of buyer-seller engagement.

We See A World Where:

There’s An Ocean Of Information To Exploit — It’s not just about online vs. physical — the whole big data explosion means that the knowledge that is available so readily must be used for each others advantage — there is no excuse not to be informed.

Our Partners Always Make It Real! — We don’t need the generic powerpoint presentations, we know plenty about the business selling to us already. Give us the right information in the right way that’s meaningful and has integrity — or fail.

The Cost Value Thing Is Clear — Be cost effective (the price is right) — make it work — and make it so that ‘no one will yell at me.’

Value has to be quantified — the benefits that we have defined between us — we are expecting to receive them. Such value propositions have to be shared for the duration.

Everything Is Designed To Run — We want to see how the integration and operation actually works out, to see that change evolve and have the support still there to know that we would be able to address issues and get the value anticipated. It’s not the technology itself that’s usually the issue, it’s the change management aspect.

“We really want to buy an outcome — but it’s very hard to keep it at that level — the contract and purchasing processes are there to define the detail of what ‘good’ means and it quickly starts to feel transactional”

Business Outcome Is The Measure — It’s not unusual for the business outcome to get a little lost in the procurement process. By the time everything has got to that stage it’s become very much more transactional and the moment has passed.

The Deal Is Frictionless — A perfect experience would be frictionless, the purchase itself is almost a non event — no company exists for the sake of a purchase.

“We see a world of invisible indispensability!”

There’s A Perfect Brief — We give imperfect information and expect a perfect result. No business is able to provide a perfect brief that describes what it is they need to achieve — clearly enough to make the outcome meaningful to a supplier to be able to turn that into a proposal

A World Of Co-Creativity — In a perfect world there would be a way to get at the real requirement — it would be much more collaborative — experimental and fast. Co developed from the ground up. Total two-way transparency.

A World Of Conversations — It’s always going to be a conversation involving both sides speaking to a range of people to explore options — to see what is possible, finding the people and solutions that work for our environment — and that’s also one of the only ways of building trust.

These are no longer the traditional procurement processes and this is no longer just about talking to the sales people, there have to be many ways to validate that we are making the right choices.

“Buying is an emotional thing and the fear needs to be removed well before we can even think of excitement.”

Getting Beyond The Risk Thing — There is a strong element of fear and risk in the current environment. That things may change, that someone may not be happy with the solution, that it won’t deliver what is expected, that we are making the right choices and investing budget wisely, being taken advantage of, putting all our eggs in one basket. We rely on so many ‘experts’ to guide us to the right decision.

Clarity In A World Covered By Clouds — Buying is now happening ‘at the edge’ — they don’t really know what they are doing, they will just buy and circumvent those that do understand buying.

There is a big difference between buying basic (consumables) and solving a complex problem. The Cloud is bringing clarity of the buying experience. It’s defining what you get, there is no opportunity to personalize — you other like it and buy it or you look elsewhere.

“It’s completely commoditized and there is very little control — it changes the internal work completely — being forewarned — not getting caught out is vital.”

The positive side of this is rapid innovation. And if it’s done well we actually like that — as consumers. If that was the same in Enterprise it would be great — but the movement of services across platforms is a much more challenging scenario. The cost of change is high.

“A trusted provider has the right to value but not to extortion!”

The End Of Irrelevance — The dynamic landscape that we are witnessing today is actually driving out irrelevance — the agendas, the cycles — to survive we have to adapt.

Information Assimilation — The best vendors have the ability to navigate through the organization with the right organization — to choreograph and orchestrate — all of the information and noise. Knowing that someone is watching my back is really powerful..

While we don’t want to be exploited there are real benefits of long term partnerships.

The Incredible Power Of Credibility — You have to do the due diligence — to understand how the company’s (being considered) handle the complexities of integration — very few systems stand alone.

Affinity Through Affinity — Affinity with our context — a reasonable appreciation of our environment, our dynamics and our challenges — the expertise that is important to us — and the empathy with us — as an organization.

The ability to ask the right questions to help us get the best outcome — curiosity with a purpose.

Skin In The New Game — The belief that the supplier is really investing in the outcome — that they have a vested interest.

Connected directly to the outcome

A Question Of Scale — With some of the smaller companies the question is their ability to scale — which means that the big companies tend to always win. It’s hard for a small company to invest in the relationship — larger companies have a bigger margin for error despite being universally disliked — simply because they are big.

Avid Movie Goers — The spectrum here is what creates a lot of the challenges. A project may well be focused on one of these ‘labels’ but the reality is that we need suppliers that span all of them. This is where the tension comes in — every year the budget comes down and that will drive behaviour.

“The only way we generate the money to go to Infinity and Beyond is to save money from elsewhere. Supplier Revenue has to come from other sources.”

“Knowing We Are Solving The Right Problem?”

Being able to define the outcome we are trying to achieve is a universal problem. At some levels we can be specific but not always.

An underlying understanding of the business is vital — together with the ability to translate what is being said into the underlying need. This calls for a combination of handling politics and building relationships.

That there is a problem is clear, knowing exactly what it is needs more work.

In most cases there will have been many conversations before purchasing get involved. This requires the right relationship internally between buyer, influencer and purchasing — the nature of the purchasing role varies across organizations.

Alignment and consensus is vital — knowing what the corporate priorities are and that this purchase is supporting them

Sometimes we are seeing vendors offering solutions to problems that we didn’t necessarily know we had — and maybe didn’t even need to solve.

Out of here can come inspired thinking that is valid though. If we didn’t dream we wouldn’t change.

For complex purchases the conversation has to be with the people who understand the context best — not just procurement.

The healthy discussion is always between the person with the budget and the person tasked with delivering the solution. Procurement shouldn’t be in the middle — it is there to provide a valuable service in making sure an agreement is reached. That still means they need to understand the rationale and drivers.

“Feeling Confident in Our Decision?”

Most times the decision is apparent as you work through the discussions.

You get a sense of who can and can’t deliver the right solution. If you follow the right process you can be more confident in the decision

Confidence comes from:

• Will it do the minimum?
• What is the worst that can happen? (There will always be unknowns)
• A complete assessment of the moving parts
• Belief in the ability to execute
• Evidence of skin in the game
• Having the right metrics

“There are more people to keep happy in complex decisions so there is more incentive to keep a strong case and evidence building…”

The differentiation factor plays a massive role.

It’s typically not cost alone that drives this unless it’s significantly different — far too high for example. Usually we are looking for that differentiator, if there is no differentiator then cost will become more of a factor.

We will select experience of the people over the experience of buying. We do buy from people we hate but it’s not a determining factor if we know that we need a particular solution. If it’s the right product/service at the right price we will still put up with a bad experience.

“That said, we are all about relationships and everyone would rather enjoy working with people that we empathized with.”

Where it may become more of a factor is where we know we have a long term relationship to sustain with them. If we see in the selling process that the people in a company are just not the ones we want to spend time with on an ongoing basis that is enough to break a deal.

“Realizing the Value We Expected?”

The expected value has to be in minds from the very start. Capturing the value is not done particularly well by suppliers or buyers.

There are many milestones where value should be realized — project implementation being a key one — did we get what we wanted?

There are many versions of the truth when it comes to certain definitions of value.

There is a distinction between what is easy to measure and what is a good outcome — we have exited from contracts where the metrics are all green. Sometimes the real value may be different from the stated one — it can be as basic as keeping someone else happy.

Learning and iterating plays a part in managing expectation and also in checking in on the value we are achieving.

Expectations of suppliers may not always be fair and having accountability across buyer/seller is important.

Being able to ask each other how we think we are doing — through surveys for example — keeps this in mind

Stakeholders — who have skin in the game and a stake in getting the deal done:

• Budget holders
• Those who have to deliver
• The Business Users

There are others that need to be taken into account:

• Legal / Compliance

“While some can’t actually say no, they can create enough uncertainty to put others off making the call — ‘it’s a business decision’ is often the response.”

The Face Time Imperative

While the landscape is changing there is no getting away from the importance of establishing a relationship when it comes to anything of substance. High cost or high risk will always call for a more personal interaction. Once trust has established things can change.

Internally it’s vital that we connect f2f — externally it can vary quite a lot and depend on the purchase and parameters.

‘Physical’ is a tool that we choose to use when it matters, at key points. Nuances — behind requirements for example — will only be noted in real face to face.

There are some things that can happen virtually — getting on a list of approved vendors for example — can happen without human interaction — and this is essential for companies to even be considered. What may have to change is the process for putting people on the approved vendors list (small companies)

Ultimately what matters is speaking to the right people and it may be better to get on a web conference if that is the only way to do that. But at the end, it’s always important to make connection.

“Trying to sell things that the business doesn’t want or need — now that’s a really big frustration. Figure out what I need first. make the investment in knowing what is going on. Or risk my wrath!”