The single biggest problem contributing to lack of new business development is the hybrid hunter/farmer sales role, says Mike Weinberg (NewSalesCoach.com). “This issue is big and hairy, and there isn’t a simple fix or canned solution,” he says.
There are precious few true hunters, but an abundance of account manager farmers. How many legit A-player rainmakers do you have? Most likely, between 10 and 20 percent — probably closer to 10.
With so few true new business killers, why do sales managers task their reps with account management responsibility that dilutes their hunting effort? “I am tired of hearing how important all these other ‘sales’ functions are,” Weinberg states. “If you are not hitting your new business acquisition numbers, isn’t it fair to examine how much real time and focused effort is actually dedicated to the cause?”
No one defaults to prospecting.
“Show me one blended-role salesperson who is ignoring the needs of an important existing account to focus on new business development (prospecting) and I’ll show you 10,000 salespeople doing the opposite.
Questions to ponder
• When was the last time you took a hard look at the account management/service burden that is placed on your supposed new business sales team?
• Is your sales compensation structured in such a way that a dollar sold to an existing account pays the same commission as a dollar sold to a new account? Year after year?
If you’re falling short of the desired level of new business acquisition, have you considered studying how salespeople are actually spending their time? You may be shocked about the actual amount of time dedicated to prospecting by salespeople with hybrid hunter-farmer responsibilities.
