OPINION Sales
“In essence, it’s just a case of understanding what your proposition is and how best to sell it. In some cases,
closing deals ‘fast’ is more favourable and might suit ‘hunters’.” Dave Hawkins, Head of Channel, KCOM
The fate of the hunter
Channel Partners are selling in a different landscape in 2020 to twenty years ago. The customer sales process
is so completely different that often our Channel sales people are going into deals where potential customers
are more informed than ever before. But does this spell the end of the hunter-type salesperson?
Paul Taylor, Sales Director at
Voiceflex
“I don’t believe so, companies
still need closers in the comms
industry. e information
gathering, and customer contact
areas have changed but you still
need to close that sale.”
John Mckindland, National
Sales Manager, Nimans
“I think there will always be a
place for the hunter type sales
person and many are doing
very well. ere’s plenty of new
business still out there, it’s how
you go about gathering that.
Telesales is the way forward for
many resellers who have been
phenomenally successful. ey
are pushing sales people out
of the door with ‘warm’ leads
rather than completely cold.
is signicantly increases the
chances of a sale for long-term
prosperity.”
Dave Hawkins, Head of
Channel Sales, Kcom
“ere will always be a need,
and space, for both the hunter
and farmer type of salesperson.
Some scenarios and product
oerings will naturally favour
the hunter over the farmer,
too. In essence, it’s just a case
of understanding what your
proposition is and how best to
sell it. In some cases, closing
deals ‘fast’ is more favourable
and might suit ‘hunters’.
Whereas in other situations,
developing lasting relationships
that encourage longer-term
growth is more favourable.
Today’s cloud-led environment
and recurring sales models
encourage relationship
building ‘farmers’ to succeed.
However, the industry will
always need a combination -
and the two groups probably
have a lot to learn from each
other.”
Paul Gibbs, Head of UCaaS
and Mid-Market, Gamma
“Absolutely not! It’s more about
using all the tools to ensure
you maximising your return
of the hunt. As I mentioned
previously a huge amount can
be found out on line before
even prospecting the customer.
I think the days of the making
100 calls per day to get
minimal appointments are long
gone as its about getting the
customer rmly in your sights
before pressing the trigger.”
Dave Hawkins, Head of Channel Sales, KCOM
Justin Blaine, Sales Manager,
NTA
“In my opinion I do not believe
the hunter salesperson will ever
be surplus to requirements,
people never have all the
answers. With the new digital
world, articial intelligence and
the web people within business
or personally still encounter
problems that they rstly cannot
identify and secondly, they need
help with. e hunter provides a
valuable role within making the
customer talk about these day to
day areas that cause them issues
and reect on these, during a
varied open and closed questions
conversation these concerns are
often talked about highlighted
and people sell the idea of how
these can be overcome.
All businesses require and
drive to increase revenue and
protability year on year, the
role of the hunter is the rst part
of the puzzle to open the door
to these opportunities to allow
further conversations to ourish
and sales to be made.”
MARCUS CAUCHI, SALES TRAINER AT SANDLER
I suspect no one is asking…How are vendors and their partners using
their marketing to help the middle of the sales funnel or to drive
improvements in the entire lifecycle to enhance customer experience.
Salespeople are always berated to bring in more leads into the top
of the funnel and then the next question is “When will it close?” Not
enough time or energy is spent on the middle of the funnel – the really
important bit – and so £billions are wasted in missed opportunities. You
have to slow down the sale to speed the sale up. Too many pursuits
were never going to close because the salesperson foisted the
“prospect” into a premature demo and they spend 80% of their career
chasing non-prospects who were never going to buy or who have been
put off by the seller’s behaviour. Those “call backs” should have been
closed or disqualified on the previous call but again, salespeople and
their managers confused activity with meaningful action.
Marcus Cauchi, Sales Trainer at Sandler
48 | Comms Business Magazine | March 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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