INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
There is nothing meritocratic about sales
A startup may have the best product, the best vision, and the most compelling presentation, only to discover that their sales team is
talking to the wrong decision-maker or not making the right kind of small talk
generally is uncovered by extensive networking and gossip.For David Hammer and his team at Emissary, that is a problem to solve
teams on one side with people (called emissaries, naturally) who can guide them through the sales process at companies they are familiar
The best emissaries are generally ex-executives and employees who have recently left the target company, and therefore understand the
decision-making processes and the politics of the organization
The startup has raised $14 million to date according to Crunchbase, with Canaan leading the last series A round.While Emissary is certainly
a creative startup, its the questions spanning knowledge arbitrage, labor markets, and ethics it poses that I think are most
interesting.Sociologists of science generally distinguish between two forms of knowledge, concepts descended from the work of famed scholar
The other form is tacit knowledge
help a rider avoid falling down.While org charts may be explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge is the core of all organizations
There is no handbook on these topics, but anyone who has worked in an organization long enough knows exactly the process for getting
something done.That knowledge is critical and rare, and thus ripe for monetization
Here you have the company with the most data in the world and the tools to search through it
knowledge required.That thinking eventually led into sales, where the information asymmetry between a customer and a salesperson was obvious
ultimately the one that will lead to a signed deal
Hammer eventually realized that there were individuals who could arbitrage their valuable knowledge for a price.That monetization creates a
new labor market for these sorts of consultants
For employees at large companies, they can now leave, take a year off or even retire, and potentially get paid to talk about what they know
people see an opportunity to just get engaged
Clearly that proposition is attractive, since the platform has more than 10,000 emissaries today.What makes this market more fascinating
long-term though is whether this can transition from a part-time, between-jobs gig into something more long-term and professional
Some companies experience rapid change and turnover, while knowledge of other companies may last a decade or more.All that said, Hammer
believes that there will come a tipping point when companies start to recommend emissaries to help salespeople through their own processes
Some companies who are self-aware and acknowledge their convoluted procurement procedures may eventually want salespeople to be advised by
people who can smooth the process for all sides.Obviously, with money and knowledge trading hands, there are significant concerns about
place procedures to monitor ethics compliance
the millstone of every salesperson
Under the guidance of people in the know, the fits and starts of sales could be transformed into a smooth process with the right talking
points at just the right time
Maybe the best products could win after all.
