Not all sales jobs are created equal. They differ in terms of the type of relationship the salesperson develops with their customers and the selling style that is most effective.
There are any number of labels that can be used to define relationship preferences and selling styles. However, you should be able to categorize any sales job using the three relationship preferences and the four selling styles that are described in this chapter.
Relationship Preferences
There are three primary relationship preferences:
- Hunter: Once the sale is made, this salesperson prefers to move on to new conquests.
- Farmer: A Farmer services existing customers with the intention of developing an ongoing stream of business and maximizing account penetration.
NOTE: Account penetration consists of repeated, consistent efforts to sell a company’s entire portfolio of products and services to a customer, and expand the sales relationship to all of a customer’s divisions and business units.
Hybrid: This salesperson is effective at creating new sales relationships and deepening relationships after the initial sale is made.
To develop a deeper understanding of these three relationship preferences, consider how the weightings differ for the four Critical Attributes for sales success.
Relationship Preference and Critical Attributes
Sales Drive
Emotional Toughness
Reasoning Ability
Service Drive
Hunter
High
High
High/Medium/Low
Low
Farmer
High/Medium
Medium/Low
High/Medium
High/Medium
Hybrid
High/Medium
High/Medium
High/Medium
High/Medium
The Hunter role is focused on finding and securing new sales relationships. Once a new customer has been secured, the Hunter prefers to hand off the customer to another salesperson (a Farmer) for ongoing service. The Hunter will then go pursue additional new sales relationships.
In order for salespeople to be successful Hunters, they need a strong Sales Drive. This means they derive considerable satisfaction from persuading others and the activities involved in selling. Most Hunters also prospect aggressively. This requires them to have a high level of Emotional Toughness in order to deal effectively with rejection. If the Hunter’s sales style is Consultative or Relationship (these styles are discussed later in this chapter), a strong Reasoning Ability can be valuable. A strong Service Drive is not necessary for most Hunters, especially if their employer allows them to hand off new customers to other salespeople for ongoing service.
The Farmer does not secure many new customers. This sales role is focused on deepening and broadening existing customer relationships. When Farmers do secure new customers, it is often the result of referrals from existing customers. In a pure Hunter/Farmer model, Farmers may hand off these referrals to Hunters.
Some Farmers have a very strong Sales Drive and use it to their advantage. However, since most Farmers do not spend a lot of time pursuing new sales relationships, a strong Sales Drive is not a requirement. (Farmers do need to have a strong enough Sales Drive to be comfortable asking for orders and pursuing add-on business.) Because most of their conversations are with people they already know, Farmers do not face much rejection. As a result, they do not require high levels of Emotional Toughness. Reasoning Ability can be important to Farmers, as the ability to diagnose and solve customer problems in a timely fashion creates the trust that forms the foundation of deep, long-term customer relationships. Service Drive is also important, but it must be tempered. Remember, a Farmer’s goal should be to build and maintain mutually beneficial business relationships.
The Hybrid is capable of performing either the Hunter or Farmer role. They can be effective in securing new business and in deepening customer relationships, but it is very rare for both relationship preferences to be completely equal. Most Hybrid salespeople prefer one role to the other. The Hybrid salesperson who prefers the Hunter role is likely to have more churn in their account base and a higher rate of new account signups. The Hybrid salesperson who prefers the Farmer role will prospect effectively for a period of time. However, as soon as they have secured a sufficient number of accounts, they will happily focus their full attention on Farming these accounts.