Which SALES PERSONALITY fits your business situation: Hunter or Farmer or Developer?

Which SALES PERSONALITY fits your business situation: Hunter or Farmer or Developer?

Normally, we hear about two sales personalities: Hunter or Farmer.

Adding one more: Developer.

Hunters: They are aggressive pursuers of sales leads. Hunters are straight shooters who are well-suited for closing deals. In the short-term they could give a boost to your sales revenue. However, they are ill-suited for business situations which require ongoing relationship building or a differentiation-based approach.

Farmers: They are relationship managers who are good at maintaining existing business or expanding sales in current client sites. Farmers are more suited for Account Management roles in established client accounts. Also, they are suited in roles which need managing a preferred vendor relationship with clients.

Developers: They are builders of new business and revenue enablers. Developers are more suited for roles requiring a consistent pursuit for building new revenue streams. They are relationship enhancers who also rate high on customer service. Also, they progressively build the confidence with the client to position the company as the preferred choice.

So the question is: which type suits a company’s situation?

‘Hunters’ are best suited when you:

•  need to go straight for the ‘kill’

•  already have the credentials/ references to differentiate from your competitors

•  are selling one-off deals viz. cars, appliances, or other commodities

•  know that there’s not much innovation or differentiation needed

Farmers are best suited when you:

•  need to manage an existing business relationship

•  are harvesting revenue based on a preferred vendor contract

•  want to provide for the client’s already defined needs

•  are selling existing products to existing accounts

Developers are best suited when you:

•  need to make a differentiation on an ongoing basis

•  want to consultatively sell value instead of features

•  need to scope-out opportunities and customize your approach to achieve the objective

•  you want to build the relationship and close the sale at the right time