ESBs, Enterprise Sales Boundaries

When it comes to frameworks of this type, my experience matches that of Elon Musk.

As he tweeted in '22; “ESG is a scam. It has been weaponized by phony social justice warriors.”

Well-meaning initiatives flounder to the point of fatally undermining the true endeavour through misguided, misdirected mission-creep.

As even some making a living from the latest evolution of this grading flavour sector dare to attempt balanced opinion on the matter, the devil is in the demarcation.

Yet let that not reflex us to denounce without consideration this latest attempt to update Malthusian, Limits to Growth, There Is No Planet B scales.

They term this gauge the ESBs; Earth System Boundaries.

Whatever the merits or methodology of their chosen octet of pressure, the fact remains they see current resource constraints on the existence of humankind. As well as by association, that of all else living on our pale blue dot.

Their way of highlighting this is though, fairly obscure.

As their prized graphic linked to up-top shows, eight categories are quite a lot to digest. Each actual area perhaps a little too abstract for the normal reader to take in, let alone remember. And the way they choose to show only one of the eight happens to be under safe limits is, to put it mildly, muffled.

We solution sellers can take something from this though.

There lurks beneath a way of assessing the boundaries of our current sales funnel. And each prospective deal held within.

The difference between this and many a bid security assessment, is the focus twist on boundaries you do not wish to breach.

Here's my instant first stab at a similar eightsome in our sphere;

Complacency, Status Quo, Budget, Complexity, Exclusivity, Resource Assurance, Project Bandwidth, Investment Capacity.

When working out where the boundary of each may in fact lie, there is also the chill to take into account that might come from that which we might feel 'just' on a bid, not necessarily holding water for the prospective buyer.

In any case, in whatever way you frame them, thinking in terms of restrictions could be a useful alternative view for one of your year's monthly deep-dives into the pipeline of potential business.

Would you really want to pursue a deal where only one of your 'safe limits' are not in peril of being burst through?