Internal pressure makes companies blind to new business
The economic pressure on businesses is greater than it has been in years. Staff shortages, rising costs and a growing mountain of internal processes mean that many organizations have mostly turned inward. Where strategy was once about growth, it is now about survival.
CBS figures show that staff shortages are structural in many sectors; in some industries, such as construction and manufacturing, even more than 80 percent of business owners experience a shortage of people. At the same time, absenteeism remains stubbornly high. In 2023, workers were absent from work for an average of 5.3% of their working days, and by the beginning of 2025, that figure has already risen to 5.8%. Converted, that means an increase of over one additional day of absenteeism per employee in just two years, an increase of nearly 9%.
And where technology was once meant to unburden, it now actually creates additional noise. According to research from Gartner digital workers use an average of 11 applications a day, and nearly half say this actually hinders their ability to work effectively.
The result: internal pressure rises, the outward gaze fades, and teams grow weary of their own complexity.
The internal vortex
The result is predictable: internal pressures increase, priorities shift, and outward focus fades. In many organizations, commercial consultation now revolves more around internal alignment than customer value. Teams analyze, report and optimize themselves, but lose touch with the outside world.
What was once the heart of the commercial role, building relationships and spotting market opportunities, has been traded for dashboard conversations and status updates. The outside world shouts, but many account managers no longer listen.
According to the LinkedIn Sales Leader Compass Report (October 2024), salespeople still spend an average of only 24% of their time on direct customer contact, with the rest disappearing into internal meetings, administration and CRM updates. That’s a remarkably low proportion for roles that are precisely designed to build bridges to the marketplace.
And while everyone knows that the strength of an organization lies not in the meeting room, but in the field, in conversations, in listening, in catching that one phrase that betrays an opportunity, that reality seems to be increasingly out of focus.
The price of staying inside
That lack of outside focus comes at a price. Conversations become shorter, more superficial, and shift from strategic to operational. Customers experience less added value, while competitors, often smaller and more agile, take advantage of exactly that.
It’s a paradox: companies are investing more in CRM, sales enablement and internal training than ever, but those same systems are making it difficult to really sell. Not because the tools are bad, but because they misdirect attention. Activity reports replace the conversation about impact.
The opportunity beyond the walls
Meanwhile, the world outside is moving faster than ever. Customers are open to dialogue, partners seek collaboration, and technology opens new routes to growth every day. The market wants to innovate, but it demands human contact.
We see this every day in the conversations we have on behalf of our clients with companies such as Schneider Electric, Iron Mountain, Heijmans, Arcadis and many others. Where organizations dare to call, listen and ask questions, energy is created. The market is not closed; on the contrary, it is hungry. But that hunger requires something that is becoming increasingly rare: real attention.
Digital fatigue as an opportunity
Many decision makers struggle with digital fatigue. They spend all day in calls, webinars and virtual consultations. What they miss is the unexpected conversation, the sparring partner who listens instead of pitches. That’s the space where new business is born today: not in tools, but in trust.
Organizations that get this are shifting their focus. They focus less on internal activity and more on external relevance. They dare to ask the question, “How much of our time really goes to customers?” And if the answer is painful, they know that’s where their profit lies.
The courage to go outside again
The future of commerce lies not in yet another process, but in renewed contact. Companies that give their teams room to listen, discover and make mistakes will regain their position in the market.
So honestly ask yourself the question:
Is your team still actively engaging with the ideal customer?
Do your account managers still dare to go out? Or do they hide behind internal priorities – safe, predictable, but also quiet?
Those who dare to ask these questions take the first step toward a commercial team that not only survives, but grows again. The rest will keep meeting about why the market is moving so hard.
