What is the difference between hunting and farming in sales?

To anyone being directed by Google’s algorithm while looking for actual ‘hunting’ and ‘farming’ blog, sorry to disappoint you. But then if you are looking at it from a sales expertise point of view, you are at the right place. The irony is that the terms which have a sales connotation to it have actually been derived from the original work that the words signify. 

Let’s get into a quick history lesson to understand it a little better. Before human beings were learning to get into a more civic form of a lifestyle, these forms of gathering food had a very important role to play (still do in many societies). A hunter’s task was to hunt for animals that will feed their family/clan. The unique aspects of their job were as follows:

1. Go to areas beyond their own territories.

2. Try different methods to complete their job.

3. No guarantee of success. Some days there could be an excess and other days could be just nothing.

As you can see, while the rewards of the job are that the family/clan would get some exotic food that would otherwise not be available, it wasn’t a sure-shot method of feeding them. And that’s essentially where the farmer’s role comes in. The farmer was the one on whom the family/clan/society was dependent for their day to day needs. Below are the aspects of their job:

1. Create farms (in some cases, use the seeds and produce that the hunter has brought).

2. Grow the produce and expand the farms, to feed the growing needs of the society.

Essentially, the family is dependent on the farmer’s success. If the farmer fails, there is a high chance that the family will go hungry. At the same time, the farmer isn’t expected to produce anything exotic, but more so to sustain the group with an occasional bounty of a bumper crop.

I’m sure by now you know why we are discussing the different style of gathering food in a sales blog. The sales world isn’t very different from the above. Replace ‘food’ with ‘revenue’ and you get the same construct that’s in place in almost all the companies today. Hunters and farmers are two sides of the same coin. Sales hunters are tasked to get new set of logos (clients) to an organization. They have to break into new territories to ensure there is a flow of new clients which expands the number of companies the organization is doing business with. Once the sale has been made, the hunters typically move on to acquiring a new client, leaving the client management to the “farmers” and the delivery organization. The farmers’ roles is to then manage the client expectations, deliver on the promises made, build relationships, and look for opportunities to grow into the organization by offering services to the extended clientele within that company.

As for the renumeration, I’ll put out another blog to state the typical salaries/commission that hunters/farmers can expect, but here’s a sneak peak on the salary structure that Hunters and Farmers command:

Hunters are sought after in the industry as the expectation from them is to bring in new clients. To lure them, they are offered a commission heavy structure ranging from 2-5% of the sale made. In some cases it’s 10-20% of the profit made.

Farmers on the other hand are the backbone of the company as it’s on them to sustain the operation and build on the clients that have already been acquired. They have higher base salaries either with a bonus that’s handed out based on the targets achieved, or a commission on the renewal and additional business they bring in.

On the question of what is most suitable for you? I know a lot of folks will look at the money and take what is higher. While that might be okay for a short while, it’s not something that’s sustainable in the long run unless you have an affinity towards it. My recommendation is to go after what interests you more. How do you prefer to make your sale?; By going after multiple accounts and breaking into a new company or by building relationships and propelling organic growth. If you are confused, check out the points listed above for each role. The one that you can identify yourself in, is what you should go for!