Friday, September 12, 2008

Grocers vs. Lock-Makers


I cannot help but draw parallels between corporate-ism and the Art of War. This is one of those corporate anecdotes that happened when one company (Grocers’) went to the other (Lock-makers’) to sell its services and I thought this was best blogged about. Drama of this kind is not unknown in most professional lives.

Grocers vs. Lock-Makers

Grocers move into enemy territory when the gates open and the gongs sound and the grocer team enters in 5 cars, each bigger and better than the other with the chief grocer leading the rest. Lock-makers await them at battleground. Grocers seemed to be particularly pleased with themselves for having “cracked” the lock-makers flaws and needs.
Grocers begin warfare with shooting arrows of current capabilities and clients. (Trying to emphasize the fact that with lock-makers’ 100 yrs of existence, they never diversified into these fronts, not that grocers were doing it, but isn’t corporate world one big farce??)... Lock-makers show an expression of shock at the volumes grocers handle. Grocers score.
1-0
Grocers continue with varied forms of attack, pause for effect on the technologies implemented (though most of it could have very well been in the pen and paper stages!!!), but it drew gasps of ambush from the lock-makers… (Something that they read about being implemented in the far far West, was being done here?? in the land of elephants and snake-charmers??) Grocers score again.
2-0
Now, Lock-makers pull their socks up, and counter attack, saying, they have approached many like the grocers’, and have rejected them due to cost constraints (Definitely, These dinosaurs would be doing business with skeleton-like cost structures – Grocers smirked !!) This is when Grocers’ put down their trump card and declare all that they know about Lock-makers (mostly putting down structure of what-is-where, who-does-what, number-of-who’s, who-could-help-who etc.) Lock-makers surrender, and declare Grocers victorious, for Lock-makers had tapped Grocers doors’ for services and not the other way round.
3-0
Grocers declare Lock-makers as allies and look for future “co-operation” (Read business/cash inflow) and leave jubilantly out of the now-allies’ gates.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny how the grocers locked-in the lock-makers by teaching them how to lock their profits that they were making by selling locks to the world, including the grocers, who thought that their valuables were safely locked, thanks to the locks they got from the lock-makers! Little did the grocers know that they were the ones who were actually locking-in their own profits! Didn't someone say, "Self help is the best help!"

-PPPPS :)

Ivory Mystic said...

haha ! does this now justify why lock-makers couldn really justify their 100 yr existence ??? Dinosaurs !!!!

M as in Mint said...

so, wat i see is, all the while the war was goin on with the gongs, gangs et al, you were takin away minutes to glory....for your personal blog!! Some ppl!!...even dynosaurs' horrifying, chill-down-the-spine roars sounds like baby donkey's braying to you, huh?! Unshaken & peristent full-of-self pre-occupations! typical! I cant balme ya...guess it runs in the family! ;):) A/w, these 'groce' corporate meetings, corporate beat-around-the-bush ambush 'sugar'y strategies totally keeps me locked-out all the time! I would rather remain in my blissful self-chosen pre-occupation too....unshaken....! :)

I love variety...given that, your assortment of blogs lately, keeps me hooked (helps to have the same blood...we hit 'the' chord!) keep at it, babe! 3 cheers to kaleidoscopic life! 3 cheers to our MPD!! :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

Dinosaurs, yep, more specifically Gawd-ano-saurs-rej! :P

-PPPPS

Ivory Mystic said...

haha @ m as in mint ! yes, i thought it best to maintain the tranquility within me while wars waged outside !! and yeah, MPD definitely helps, esp with pretensions at corporate affairs *wink*

And haha @ anonymous PPS ! ur dinosaur naming skills are giving me away !!! and soon i might have to tap the lock-makers' doors for a job !

Anonymous said...

We know that the tuskers are an endangered lot and that makes their largest teeth a rare commodity, but don’t you think you can spare a nub or two to satiate your patrons’ Ivory Itch!

-PPPPS :)

I hope you still have your job!

Anonymous said...

Its not unusual to allow grocers to mentor lock-makers. Would you pin your hopes on secluded lock-makers. No adversarial role here for the lock-makers, they just needed to adapt. Its a game of hits n misses - more often than not, grocers win !