-A recent Columbia study found “that executives talk about customers 10 times more often [in earnings calls] than employees. And when they do, executives perceive customers to be analogous to opportunities and employees to risks.” I believe leadership's customer is their employees. Then the employees will handle the external customer. Happy employees who have a good fit of beliefs with their employer are extremely good salespeople and customer reps. Even if that isn't their role. And think of how much larger a sales force a company can create this way, when every employee does sales!