A company’s sales strategy often relies on two distinct profiles: the Hunter and the Farmer. Understanding their differences and how they complement each other is essential for optimizing the performance of a sales team.

Hunter: the art of revealing and creating needs

The Hunter is an active sales profile, focused on winning new customers. Their role goes well beyond simply responding to existing inquiries: a Hunter seeks to reveal or even create a need in their prospect. For this type of salesperson, prospecting is both a core skill and a source of professional energy.

When a Hunter benefits from support in prospecting, their ability to generate new leads increases significantly. They secure more qualified appointments, which greatly raises their chances of turning meetings into actual sales. The partnership between the Hunter and their sales assistant (a Business Developer at PHCom) becomes decisive for the overall success of the company.

For instance, analyses of over 4,000 appointments annually scheduled by PHCOM clearly show that the Hunter generates more new contracts when relieved of administrative tasks and initial qualification. This also allows the sales management team to closely monitor opportunities and avoid losing prospects, including former clients that should be re-engaged.

Farmer: building loyalty to reap more rewards

The Farmer, by contrast, excels at managing and developing existing client relationships. Their priority is retaining clients and maximizing the value of ongoing contracts. However, when a Farmer receives new, qualified leads from external prospecting efforts, they face a new challenge: efficiently following up to turn these prospects into steady clients.

This is exactly when the added value of a sales support service (Development Center) becomes clear. By guiding the Farmer through the commercial process that needs to be implemented, we ensure that opportunities created through external prospecting are not lost or forgotten. How should you position yourself at the first meeting? What is the core objective? What is the first sale to aim for? Here, it’s less about closing a direct deal and more about reaching a first mutual agreement: for example, securing a second meeting or submitting a proposal in the right conditions.

And then, how do you organize follow-up calls and ongoing commercial tracking?

The Farmer thus plays a complementary role as a commercial strategist, ensuring the long-term loyalty of new clients won thanks to the initial efforts of the Hunter.

Complementarity and balance: the key to sustainable growth

The complementarity between Hunters and Farmers is often overlooked, even though it’s fundamental to achieving sustainable commercial growth. The optimal balance will of course depend on the market’s nature and the strategic goals defined by management. A highly competitive or fast-changing market will require a stronger Hunter presence, while a mature or low-growth market will need more Farmer profiles to secure the client portfolio’s stability.

In conclusion, no business can afford to do without either of these profiles. Precisely identifying the right balance between Hunters and Farmers, and efficiently organizing external prospecting support, is a key expertise for maximizing sales performance.