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Hunters, hunters, I need hunters!
I have spent most of my career in growth stage or early adoption environments. (I like the frenzy, implementing vision, building accelerated success, juggling the “too many things to do”, I like a team “figuring it out”…. ok, I’ll stop – I like all of it!) Whether in a large organization launching a new “venture”, joining a ground floor start-up (or second-phase) or even an established company with the buzz of emerging solutions and very early adoption – hiring for sales, at every level, is mission critical.
When one thinks of maintaining an existing customer base plus adding additional revenues over time, most managers look for a “Farmer”. When an organization is focused on acquisition – new business? Ahh, the Mighty Hunter! Every one wants a proven hunter – has a Rolodex, opens doors, can close biz, opens another door and on and on. We take a chance and hope they are the “hunter” they promised to be in the interview process.
I recently viewed this video, “Business of Software 2009″. Geoffrey Moore is the speaker – love his book, “The Chasm” – read many years ago. Fantastic.
Now, I have a tendency to view most things from a sales leadership perspective. I can hopefully find a lesson everywhere and I feel I slice and dice what I hire in a hunter role – beyond rolodex’s and “talk”.
This video is about software, but consider it from a sales perspective – hire a hunter that fits the market conditions. You still need a hunter… but – Would you hire a different type of hunter if the company is in growth stage in the marketplace vs product maturity? Would you hire a different type of hunter if you need a productivity sale vs a value sales pitch? Wondering…
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Great article from Inc, How to define Your Target Market to be successful. (Although in today’s world of the Social Web, perhaps it should be called defining your target community to!)
In addition to great sales people, it is important that company and marketing strategy align to target a defined audience. Amazing how sales cycles will be accelerated and close ratios improve when conversing with proper targets
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Relationships built, conversations ongoing, partners at the ready, product demo prepped, upcoming crowd sourcing, video and presentation loaded, fantastic end-client – set up and tools of the trade for my last project with a retail management software company.
Heard it was a great and successful show.
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Was cleaning up some digital media on an old laptop and ran across some old project photos. Been awhile but, ahhh, early adoption – those were the days, figuring out how to make it work!
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I’ve finished a full time sales and strategy project and am now at the tail-end of a part-time break at home/ vacation. I’ll be posting again soon as have spent some time relaxing and playing, thinking and pondering what is next.
A bit ago, I was asked by some cohorts to speak to 2 things.
1. Attempt to explain how I set the stage that surrounds large deals – to unfold the story towards me, rather than always be “chasing a sale”.
2. I was also posed a question regarding how I’ve successfully defied the “bell curve” of sales team performance and how to break the statistical “80-20 rule”. (20% are performers, the rest are average or under-performers)
I typically don’t have time to write at length when I am fully engulfed with a project (too busy selling!), so have been writing a bit while away wandering. There is a plethora of information on the web about sales tactics, time management, prospecting, closing, sales cycles, relationship building in the enterprise world… and the like. I believe, (especially in the current “buying” economic environment), staging one’s steps and awareness of the right “customer approach” is critical. I also am extremely confident that building a sales team of “20percenters” (break that 80/20 rule) is not just possible but realistic and sustainable. I think I’ll be calling that series “Building your 20″ or maybe “20 = 100″ or perhaps “inspire and lead by being in the 20 yourself!” – Hmmm
So I’ll be back soon, posting a series on how to defy the “bell curve” of sales performance and how I approach staging deals with the result being a phenomenal close ratio. I’m not sure, as yet, which will come first. It will be my personal approach, my “How I…” and would love to hear what you do.
Til then….. enjoy and go sell something!
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