The architecture pattern
A
New customer account created in CRM
Referral · Inbound inquiry · Trade show lead
Gate A
↓
Screening runs before account activates
No calls · No deck · No proposal from inactive account
Activation gate
B
Opportunity reaches proposal stage
Quote request · Significant deal value
Gate B
↓
Screening current · End-use profile evaluated
Cannot advance to proposal without compliance qualification
Qualification gate
C
Commercial contract ready for signature
Sales agreement · Distribution agreement · Letter of credit
Gate C
↓
Antiboycott language scanned · Diversion risk evaluated
Cannot reach signature without compliance review
Contract gate
D
Customer places order
PO received · Quote confirmed · Contract release
Gate D
↓
Screening · destination · product · order pattern confirmed
All four conditions confirmed before order enters fulfillment
Order accept gate
✓
Evidence generated — Customer Compliance Register
Screening · ownership · end-use · contract review · Timestamped
Record
Control DNA — Sales fields
| Field | Type | What it governs | Review trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
screening_status |
enum |
Clear, review, or blocked. Must be current before account activates. Refreshed at defined intervals and on every ownership event. |
Account creation |
beneficial_owner |
text |
Ultimate beneficial owner of the customer entity. The company name may be clean. The owner may not be. |
Ownership change |
end_use_profile |
text |
Stated application for the product. Governs whether prohibited end-use criteria apply. Evaluated at qualification — not assumed. |
Proposal stage |
transaction_eligibility |
enum |
Whether the customer is authorized for commercial engagement: eligible, restricted, or blocked. Determined by screening plus ownership plus end-use together. |
Any change |
distribution_markets |
char[] |
Countries the customer resells or distributes to. Markets outside the product authorization create diversion exposure. |
Proposal stage |
antiboycott_flag |
bool |
Whether any contract document associated with this customer contains language requiring antiboycott review. |
Contract received |
next_screen_due |
timestamp |
When the next screening is required. The Hub alerts before the interval lapses — not after the next order arrives. |
Interval approach |
Failure modes
CRM is a pre-compliance environment
Commercial relationships begin before compliance evaluates them. CRM and screening system disconnected. Fix: screening integration in CRM — account cannot activate without result.
Momentum before screen
Rescreening is an annual event
Customer screened at onboarding. Next screen twelve months later. Ownership changes in between. Fix: defined interval with auto-block on lapsed screens.
Undetected SDN connection
End-use qualification is a form, not an evaluation
Customer signed the end-use certificate. Nobody evaluated whether actual operations match. Fix: end-use profile assessed at qualification and reviewed when customer activity changes.
Prohibited end-use risk
Compliance enters at the point of shipment
Relationship built. Contract signed. Then compliance is asked to evaluate commitments already made. Fix: activation gate means no commercial momentum before compliance clears.
No leverage at decision point
Distributor compliance is the distributor's problem
Enterprise screens the distributor. Not the distributor's customers. Not the markets served. Fix: distribution market disclosure required at qualification.
Diversion liability
Intelligence signals
Customer screening currency rate
Active customers with current screen · Any lapse = unmonitored relationship
New account activation time
Creation to activation · Days = gate working · Weeks = being routed around
Opportunity qualification completion rate
Proposals with completed compliance qualification · Target 100%
Contract review completion rate
Contracts reviewed before signature · Target 100%
Order acceptance compliance rate
Controlled product orders evaluated before fulfillment · Target 100%
Implementation
01
Required compliance review step in CRM account creation. New accounts cannot advance to active without screening sign-off.
CRM workflow configuration · No budget required
02
Compliance qualification form embedded at proposal stage in CRM. Cannot move to proposal without it.
CRM opportunity workflow
03
Contract review checklist before any commercial agreement executes. Three questions. Required sign-off.
Contract management workflow
CRM
Real-time screening integration. Account activates or holds in seconds. Ownership monitoring continuous.
Salesforce + Descartes · HubSpot + Visual Compliance
Contract
Contract scanning for antiboycott language. Flagged documents route to compliance before signature workflow.
Ironclad · Icertis · Summize
Order
Order acceptance integration. Controlled products evaluated against authorization conditions in real time at order entry.
SAP GTS · Oracle GTM