When ants reveal an emulable way to obtain resources
Leon Bloy maintained that the whole of Creation is a book from which the wise can read everything. Borges says in this regard: “according to Bloy, we are verses or words or letters of a magic book, and that incessant book is the only thing in the world: it is, rather, the world.” In the same sense, Orientals and pre-Columbian peoples of America maintained that nature was a master in many more aspects than the West has considered.
But science has been discovering analogies between natural life and psychic life for centuries. The beginnings of sociology and psychology, specifically dedicated to individual and social behavior, have drawn their methods from biology and the physical sciences. In this sense, animal behavior has been an obligatory parameter to understand our behaviors.
Traveling ant
When thinking about the optimization of certain collective processes, ants are paradigmatic. They self-organize into “trails” thanks to pheromones (chemical substances secreted, in order to provoke specific behaviors in other individuals): each ant that finds food leaves a chemical trail; others follow it, and if they also find food, they reinforce that trail. Thus, the “winning” path becomes stronger and stronger and the colony allocates more resources to the path where there is more return.
That is, basically, a living systematics.
What do they call “Systematics” in the business world?
It is the standardization of “how an action is performed.” It is an order of steps that must be followed, in what sequence, with what criteria and tools, and with what cadence (daily/weekly/monthly).
If it is the commercial “systematics”, the action is to sell, and based on this it includes processes, routines, roles, metrics and controls that allow the sales function to be organized, measured and improved.
The primary objective is that the results do not depend on improvisation or “individual talent”, but on a replicable and manageable way of working.
The Exploration
At first, ants explore in several directions. They don’t know where the food is, so they open up options. But they do not explore forever: as soon as a path shows potential, the system pushes exploration into efficient exploitation.
What happens in a human organization with the same synergy?
Consider the dynamics of a dedicated sales group within an organization.
The activity of its members will consist of:
Prospecting on several fronts, i.e., “exploring in several directions.”
Detect signs of opportunity. And… “As soon as a path shows potential…”
Move resources to the section that shows the best conversion. In other words, “turning exploration into efficient exploitation”.
Any resemblance to the anthill reality is not pure coincidence.
The commercial system is that map of stages that avoids being “looking for the sake of searching” or, on the contrary, becoming obsessed with a single path without validation.
El “pipeline” como feromona
The pheromone is simple but shared information: “there is food around here and it is worth it”. He does not explain everything, but he coordinates. In a commercial system, the pipeline fulfills this role. Each interaction leaves a “smell of probability”: stage progress, a specific next step, a score.
If the deal progresses, it is marked for the team to see, prioritize and reinforce.
Without a common sign, each vendor would be an ant raking alone.
Positive feedback… and also negative
The ant system is supported by two loops:
Positive feedback: more success → more pheromone → more ants → more success.
Negative feedback: if the trail stops yielding (food runs out, there are obstacles), the trail evaporates and the colony reconfigures the strategy.
The parallel in sales describes this journey:
What converts, is scaled./ What does not convert, is cut quickly.
A sound commercial system is not rigid; she is disciplined and adaptable.
4) Simple roles, complex coordination
Each ant does relatively basic tasks: exploring, following a trail, transporting. But the sum creates a collective intelligence greater than any individual.
In the words of an executive from N5, one of the leading providers, the commercial system is nothing more or less than a choreography that every salesperson must comply with as soon as they sit down in front of the computer and until they finish their day. The same platform operates on its system indicating sequenced activities to each seller.
If you want to learn more about commercial systematics 👇
