There is an age-old deliberation on which is the most important role in a company. Does it depend on the business model or on the industry? A typical corporate has the following broad roles/ departments: Commercial/ Sales, Operations, Accounts/ Finance, Human Resources, Legal, and Management. All are important. All are critical. Which one is more important than the rest? It is like asking which child you like out of your own and the answer is always the same in all cultures.
There can be many arguments in favor of the others. However controversial it may sound; I want to make a case in favor of Commercial/ Sales. I know there will be a loud outcry in favor of all the others. Sales, Marketing, Commercial, Business Development – terms used in corporates can confuse and distract you from the importance of this role. In any business, the model works when there is someone selling the product or service well enough for the revenues to come in. The pressure of the performance in sales is highest in B2B or B2C models. The importance of their success or impact of their failures is highest for any company. The target for increasing sales is set easily in boardrooms but is achieved only by a set of skilled salespeople. The kind of commercial sense needed for being a salesperson is not just training but is also a skill that is developed individually. The knowledge of the capabilities of the product/ services is applied and monetized only in Commercial. The interdependency of the departments cannot be ignored. There is no one department getting results without the support of all the other departments in a well-run company. The discussion here is not about which department is better, but it is about which one is important for the company to sustain itself and grow.
Think about it – unless there is revenue, there is no sustainability to any business model. So, in a way, all of the departments should enable, support and ensure that Commercial prospers for the sake of combined prosperity of the company. That is just the first step and thereafter all other departments will need the support to sustain what has been procured in terms of new business.
Capt Pappu Sastry/ CEO – ASL
