As you can imagine there are all sorts of salespeople in the world. Some people just need to close a few deals, while others want to generate an entire pipeline. The question is: what kind of salesperson do you need?
The sales world is tough. It's tough to find sales people that are capable of generating sales for your company. The sales hunting vs farming model helps guide sales leaders in developing each representative’s inherent strengths to gain the team’s shared ideal outcome.
We've all heard the contrast of hunters vs farmers in sales. Let's explore the value of different sales personas for your sales team.
Hiring a new salesperson is not easy because before you do that, you need to know what kind of salesperson you need – hunter or farmer?
When sales hunting, a company is looking for someone that can independently generate new leads and sales opportunities.
This type of salesperson is typically very aggressive, outgoing, and outspoken. They are the ones that will go out there and find new business – they are the hunters.
On the other hand, when sales farming, a company is looking for salespeople that are sales experts in their own right.
These individuals typically look to collaborate with other sales professionals, utilizing their strong sales skills and knowledge of the industry to find new leads for your company.
These salespeople are the farmers who work with other sales hunters to create a well-rounded team.
The key difference between these two sales personas and how they should be utilized:
Sales Hunting:
Are good at closing deals (quick) because less time spent on research, more time spent on sales
Initiate contact with new prospects, business development activity
Can be more competitive and aggressive in nature because they are motivated by short-term results (commissions) vs long-term success of the company.
Sales Farming:
In contrast to sales hunting, sales farmers take a longer time closing deals but have less pressure from management because their sales goals are typically more attainable
May have more in-depth knowledge about certain prospects or customers and can utilize this to cultivate long-term customer relationships
Less likely to be motivated by external factors such as money or commission, but rather look for job satisfaction and stability.
Sales Hunting salesperson:
Are sales hunters a good fit for your sales team?
If you are looking to hire salespeople that can independently generate new leads then, yes. You will find this type of person in sales recruiting events or from headhunters.
However, keep in mind that these individuals tend to be more aggressive and competitive in nature, so they may not be the best long-term fit for your company.
Sales Farming salesperson:
If you are looking to hire salespeople that can work with other sales professionals and have a deep understanding of their industry, then sales farmers are a good fit.
They typically look to collaborate with other sales hunters to create a well-rounded sales team. You can find these salespeople from referral programs, social media or alumni networks.
It depends on what you are looking for in a salesperson and the overall strategy of your company. Sales hunting is good if you are looking to generate sales quickly and with less resources or time, while sales farming is good if you are looking for longer sales cycles that require more in-depth knowledge.
This question all depends on your company’s strategy, the market conditions, customer preferences/needs etc.
Both hunters and farmers are necessary for sales teams. It depends on your company’s strategy, the market conditions and customer preferences/needs etc.
An effective sales team will need both types of salespeople to be successful in today's competitive marketplace!
Hunter's Business Model
Account Executive, Field Sales, and Business Development are all tasks that Hunters excel in. It's no surprise that they enjoy the challenge and have thick skin to deal with the inevitable rejection.
Unwaveringly hungry, enthusiastic, and unafraid of rejection, with no need for persuasion to sell more. One of the most difficult roles in sales is that of hunter versus farmer.
Persona of the Hunter Salesperson
Have you received a call from your candidate to confirm that you received their resume?
Do they call you after the interview to follow up?
These are important qualities to look for in a Sales Hunter during the interview process!
Skip the ones who don't return your calls or who don't have the courage to ask tough questions in the interview – they're likely to treat your potential customers the same way.
Hunters are driven by a desire to make a profit. As a result, always inquire about the amount of money your prospect wishes to earn.
Show them the door if they say they want a particularly high base. They won't care about the base if they want to be a million-dollar salesperson since they're focused on the commission.
Your Hunter candidate should be a natural at creating rapport, as they'll be expected to do so in a matter of seconds, given the amount of time they'll be on calls and appointments.
Because you need someone confident and extroverted to hunt for business, they must radiate confidence and demonstrate positive body language.
Model of Farmer Sales
According to the sales hunters vs farmers Model, whereas Hunters seek out new business, Farmers develop consumer loyalty. Account Managers, Customer Service Representatives, and Inside Sales Representatives are all examples of customer-centric roles.
Farmer as a Salesperson
A hunter will phone and follow up with a possible employer, while a farmer is unlikely to do so.
Instead, pay attention to how they establish rapport. Are they conversing with you over the phone?
Do they have a bright smile when you meet them?
Do they know how to communicate in an email in a polite manner?
All of these abilities are necessary for building long-term connections.
The most effective Customers consider farmers to be loyal friends. They may meet outside of work and engage with them on social media.
Farmers should be people-oriented, the type of people who everyone admires. This relationship will ensure that they are always at the top of clients' minds.
To like and trust someone enough to look to them for solutions to your problems is one thing; to like and trust someone enough to look to them for solutions to your problems is quite another. Not only does recurring business come effortlessly when trust and a relationship are established, but referrals are also easy to come by.
Farmers are great at forming and maintaining long-term connections for this reason.
The Hunters and Farmers Model's Deliberations
Relationships are important, but revenues are what keep the company going. Farmers require guidance on how to request a sale.
Remind them to ask for references and emphasise the significance of their role in generating repeat business.
Hunter's persistent personality, on the other hand, is what makes them amazing — you can trust them to bring in the sales!
Hunters are used to taking risks, therefore they'll often accept lesser base pay in exchange for larger commission rates.
A sales representative's task is to contact potential customers and determine whether or not they will profit from the product.
He will advocate for the sale if they are a good match. Let's imagine a salesperson was able to strike a contract with a single customer for a support team of 20 users with basic functionality.
The customer will be onboarded by the Success team after the transaction is completed, ensuring that they have the setup they desire and are satisfied with the product.
To ensure that the customer is doing well, the Success team will conduct regular health checks and Quarterly Business Reviews.
The Success representative can find triggers for fresh opportunities during these conversations. Learning that the support team is expanding to a new geography, for example, would necessitate the addition of more users and more advanced capabilities.
After that, the representative will work closely with the customer to track their progress and upgrade them to a more advanced plan that better suits their needs.
In this way, the Sales person enhances the value of an account by maintaining its expansion, while the Success rep raises revenue by bringing in new customers.
To bring in additional business, the Sales and Success teams typically employ similar approaches, and they will follow a similar procedure to convert an opportunity. This normally happens in three stages:
When it comes to closing sales, Sales and Success have a few tricks up their sleeves.
In this piece, we'll break down a few real-life customer journeys and show you how the Sales and Success teams work together to generate revenue.
Account executives are often expected to be both hunters and farmers in sales organisations, which is an outmoded technique.
It's rare to discover a "unicorn" candidate who is both a great hunter and a great farmer, which is why, as a sales manager, you should start looking for account executives who can complete one or the other of your team's tasks.
Look for applicants that are hunters or farmers to help you establish the greatest sales team possible.
Here are some traits that will help you distinguish between the two.
Hunters include:
Their goal is to close new business, therefore they're laser-focused on that. Anything that causes people to lose sight of their goal is an obstacle.
Numbers-based — They understand that selling is a numbers game and are constantly searching for methods to improve their productivity and efficiency.
They thrive on competition, whether it's with others or with themselves. They despise losing even more than they enjoy winning.
Persistent — They don't take no for an answer, and they don't mind being labelled as obnoxious, even stalker-like.
They like to think of themselves as lone wolves who can get the job done without the help of a pack or even a leader.
Agriculturalists are:
Results-oriented – Their primary goal is to assist their client in achieving the outcomes they've promised.
Relationship-driven – They think that building, nurturing, and focusing on their client connections is the key to success.
Client-focused – They aim to give the finest service possible to their customers. Farmers don't take shortcuts; instead, they cultivate their "crops" throughout the season.
They are structured and disciplined, and they have a system in place to serve and grow their accounts.
Farmers, unlike hunters, prefer to collaborate with their clients and team to deliver the greatest possible solutions and outcomes.
Here are some suggestions for getting started now that you know your Sales organisation needs to start "farming" and doing more to sell to your existing install base.
Farmers should be respected.
Sales groups have a habit of speaking disparagingly of farmers, as though their efforts are of lesser significance than those of hunters.
It's time to drop phrases like "She's just a farmer" and "He couldn't make it as a Sales man, so he switched to Customer Success."
Although the efforts involved in increasing existing customers differ from those involved in acquiring new ones, this does not make them any less necessary or useful.
"Farmers feed the world," we tell people in Nebraska all the time. They can also help you build your business at a far lower cost.
Take advantage of data, technology, and processes.
You already have a lot of information about your current consumers. You're having hundreds of encounters with them when you factor in Sales, Services, and digital touchpoints, which should lead to actionable account intelligence but rarely does.
Adopt a look at this white paper on how to take a different approach to Data-Driven Selling for additional information.
