Hunter and Farmer Salespeople Common Training Needs at Top Sales Training Programs

Are sales hunters and sales farmers so different? Personality and aptitude testing revealthat yes, they are different in many ways, and therefore a farmer might not do well in a hunter role, and vice versa. For both kinds of salespeople, however, there are some common training needs which top sales training programs must address in order to create productive salespeople.

Here are the most important things both hunters and farmers need to work on in their training programs:

Qualification

Every salesperson, whether inside or outside, must determine whether the prospect has the ability to buy. This comes down to two things:

• They have the money/consideration
• They have the power to say “yes”

Barring these two conditions, no sale is possible. Notice I didn’t say “They need the product or service.” Because lots of people buy stuff they don’t need; NEED is NOT a primary qualification. However, no one can buy without money or the power to approve said money be exchanged for a product or service.

Top sales training programs encourage students to work only with prospects who have the money and ability to buy, rather than “nice people” or “people who need this (but are broke)” or “a hot lead” (who has no authority to buy).

Of course, there ARE further technical qualifications specifically based on your product or service, but these are usually offshoots of the two mentioned. For example, your product must not be illegal in the jurisdiction of the buyer (cannot say yes legally). Or, there must be sufficient equity in order to refinance a shopping center with zero out of pocket costs (must have the money in the form of equity).

The point is: qualify before you invest a lot of time in any prospect. You’d be surprised how many new salespeople feverishly pitch those who don’t qualify.

Handling Objections

The next skill both hunters and farmers need is the ability to handle and overcome objections. Inside salespeople usually have it a little bit easier, because their leads are often given to them by marketing personnel after proactively reaching out for your product or service via phone or web inquiry. In other words, they work with warm or hot leads.

Sales hunters often create the interest cold. There are more objections to overcome along the way.

Top sales training programs recognize that each type of salesperson encounters unique objections, and prepares students for them.

Closing

Closing is simply asking for the order and getting it. It’s finalizing the deal, and getting a signature or some other expression of agreement to the terms. Usually there is an exchange of some consideration at this point as well, such as a deposit check.

Inside sales people need to learn how to close on the phone or via email, without facial or body language clues. This is hard. Outside sales people who are sitting in front of the buyer have all the advantages here. Top sales training programs address all scenarios where closing might occur and prepare students to recognize the buyer’s shift even without visual cues.

Do you need training specific to hunters or farmers? Contact us today to learn more about our customized sales training programs.