If your organization is going to sell offers to government or corporate customers - you need to understand these customers practices, as these types of customers can easily replace you if your business cannot support the unique ways these companies choose to operate. 

These Corporate and Government customers are few in numbers (500 maximum across the globe) These types of customers issue few orders are few but usually a million plus in revenue. 

These types of customers typically DO NOT ship all nor do they accept boxes when they order solutions.  THIS BEHAVIOR CONFUSES EVERYONE

accounting and operations resources panic or find every part of the deal to fail standard operating procedures. 

• Direct business customers are nearly always going to negotiate a pricing schedule that must be honored-Customer Standard PRICING terms
• Direct business customers are not going to accept terms at a deal level-Honoring the customer standard terms
  • Direct customers EXPECT commitments delivered on time
  • Direct customers EXPECT solutions rather than boxes

Sony is one of the Corporate and Government types of buyers, and they are a seller who was strictly selling to resellers.  In 1992, Sony began to sell direct to Enterprise size customers. 

There are many types of failures experienced when working with the largest customers, for the reasons above and more.  Example; if the ordering system is going to build offers every time they are put in the system, AND the orders ship once imported into the country AND the shipments bill to the customer when they were not expecting the shipment nor do they have the authorization to accept an invoice, the accounting gets really screwed up.  Not to mention the reversals and returns of high-end components, which are easily damaged in shipment. 

Small and medium business operating models sell to resellers, who resell to the smaller customers.  Large Enterprise size customers DO NOT buy through resellers. 

Small and Medium customers have similar business practices and are unable to object to deal level terms.   Standard terms are accepted based on the seller's terms. 

Enterprise size customers are unique, every one of these types of customers spends months negotiating Standard Customer terms. 

Adding an extension to the purchase order - month number with items to deliver in that month was how we managed to overcome the barriers caused by a system failure which did not allow many items in monthly allocations.