As companies, from very small to large hire traditional hunters, it’s imperative they give the Sales Rep the correct rifle (my choice is a Remington 798 .30/06) with a great scope, targeted game, and the patience to stalk their prey. With hunting SaaS software deals, they need the attributes in an earlier blog plus a plethora of prospecting techniques, consultative skills, and the mastery of a proven sales methodology as an example, Miller Heiman. If the accounts are enormous, they will need more time. If the CXO is the primary target, they have to reload and use different strategies. Ultimately, they will be successful for you, as long as things are in balance, as they are in the wild.
Hunters succeed in all types of companies, from a small business with 2-3 Sales Reps up to an Enterprise with 100’s. They know how to sell consultatively (free “gifts of Knowledge”), use limited resources, work in teams (small ones predominately) and thrive in competitive environments. Overall they are the most in demand for any type of sales job!
To find and hire a hunter, you have to understand their demeanor, their weapon of choice, and how they systemize their process of killing. That will give you a great, winning combination. Recently, I met with a CXO of one of the world’s largest Enterprise consulting firms specializing in the Insurance and HR space. They were a $5B division of a larger parent company. She said she wanted her “client consultants” to be “meat eaters” and kill what they eat.
Very descriptive but then again she is wildly successful. Selling technology or solutions or cloud software, she agreed hunters need things like, titles that match (within reason) their targets perception of “non- sales people (as industry specialists they move the center of gravity)*, exemplary writing skills, highly polished LinkedIn accounts, self-written publishing for thought leadership, effective Twitter presences, and perhaps most important, the ability to understand complex issues and correlate them into multiple value propositions across a large group of decision influencers and decision makers.
In this case, value propositions should be by vertical, by title, even by company that help a sophisticated customer envision measurable gain and value, and not just a lower price. To craft this, hunters need to be comfortable with corporate finances, so they can communicate eye-opening statements that will draw the attention of the Sr. executive. After all, the senior decision maker speaks a different language than an “Account Executive”, so why not create a level playing field for the hunter?
Good hunting, be fair, and carry intelligence and generosity to your prey; and you will be rewarded.
What do you do next? Send us an email and we’ll arrange for you to speak with Ed to chat about how these learnings can help build more sales just for your business.
*The center of gravity moves from generalist to specialist”, Bain & Company, Bain Brief, Ledingham, Kovac, Heric and Montaville.