Are You A Farmer Or Hunter?
by Davina Schonle | Dec 6, 2021 | Business
When it comes to sales personalities, the easiest and simplest way to explain the different personality types is by talking about Farmers and Hunters. As a small business owner, you are probably responsible for your own sales and in doing so are under a lot of pressure and sometimes doing things against the grain of who you are. We all need to do things that are uncomfortable if we are to get the business growth and personal growth we want, but sales shouldn't be hard.
If you are struggling with sales, then perhaps focus on more lead gen activities to get you the corporate sales (and business growth) you want.
Farmers
Farmers love nurturing and building long-term relationships. They love interacting with people and are generally people-pleasers. They love having conversations without wanting to sell and so would happily have a catch up call over coffee.
If you are a Farmer here are some things you can do to get more sales:
- Go to networking events
- Cross sell into different departments
- Focus on referrals
- LinkedIn Engagement with potential clients
- Get bigger deals with your existing corporate clients
Hunters
Hunters love the thrill of the chase. They love seeking out new opportunities but can get bored easily and prefer instant gratification rather than playing the long term game.
If you are a Hunter here are some things you can do to get more sales
- Cold email - playing the numbers game
- Targeted emailing with a personalised strategic approach
- Bid for tenders
- Going to events
- Going to pitch events
In reality, as a small business owner, you need to be both. You need to hunt for new opportunities with new and existing corporate clients and then you need to nurture and build long-lasting relationships so you can optimise that access and get bigger deals.
If you want support growing your business by selling into corporates and doing it in a way that makes the most of your personality type, then let's chat.