I have been working for my company since January 2005. My position, that time, was Business Development guy. In my view, I had to develop everything related to my company business. Evaluating current business achievement, giving advice to overcome red business performance or developing new "toys" to be implemented. I was excited to be sit on that chair.
But, wait a second ... Actually, I have done nothing related to my job last year. What I did was preparing solution proposals to be sold. My main job was saved in a cupboard placing in my dirty full of spider net warehouse. My performance was only approaching two to five principles to be partnered with. I was not happy with that bad achievement but I could do nothing because company wanted me to do unwanted duties. It was not my mistake. But, I was so disappointed, very disappointed.
Starting February 2006, I was placed to monitor and control project delivery. Business Development would be mine, my boss told me when ordering me to new job. "OK, I will take that responsibility." I answered. I moved to new room and conducted new role since that time on. I would not bothered with any sales or business development things.
It is approaching end of August now. Business is not going well. Sales performance is not good enough. If this situation continues, we will book no margin this running year. What will I save on my bank account? Only blank papers? Oh no! No, no, no ...
I have to do something. I must play my old role even if my company will not pay me for it. I have spoken to my mate and said that we had to rethink our business. This kind of business is going to hell and frankly I won't be in that bus, sit quietly and wait for a deadly crash.
My company revenue was 85% from government sector and only 15% from commercial sector. I have many times talked to my colleagues that depending on government sector with a business method I could not understand like what we have been in so far was not good to our health. I believed that our professionalism was represented in our commercial sector, not in government sector. Once we lost our government customers, we could only do nothing in commercial sector. So, I proposed to give more attention in developing commercial sector. Frankly speaking, I saw that government sector in Indonesia was going to grow up and arrive into what commercial sector has achieved. Advancing my company capability in servicing commercial sector will gain in business readiness when the time for clean government procurement process come in to reality. But, focusing our concentration to service the government sector will not give us more capabilities in penetrating commercial arket.
What a situation? My friend that took me in this company, that entering the playground with a huge amount of spirit to grow our commercial sector marketing, was turning in to government sector and enjoying to sell to them. Perhaps he faced a tall and thick wall to be broken and thought that the opportunity to develop commercial market was smaller that the government market. I think oppositely. Growing up commercial sector will drive us to better performance and the government sector will follow behind commercial sector.
