The Hunt

Most sales professionals fall into one of two categories – the hunter/gatherer or the account manager. The hunter/gatherer is all about acquiring new clients, bigger orders, and impossible deals. The account manager, by contrast, pursues new business less aggressively, but puts in the time and effort it takes to keep existing clients over the long term. Most successful companies employ both hunter/gatherers and account managers, and the key is matching the right type of professional with the right type of role. To help streamline that process, we’ve outlined the pros and cons of both types below.

Hunter/Gatherer

Pros

• Independence – These professionals like to work on their own, and require little supervision or management. This independence makes them excellent problem solvers.
• Initiative – They have the drive to identify new leads and do what it takes to turn them into a sale.
• Networking – Hunter/gatherers are often tapped in to large networks of industry insiders and potential clients.

Cons

• Collaboration – Since they naturally thrive on their own, hunter/gatherers often flounder on teams and can prove to be an outright obstacle.
• Loyalty Building – Their goal is to make the fast sale and move on, making them poor at nurturing long-term customer loyalty.
• Building Relationships – These professionals find the first need that they can satisfy, and pursue that angle to the fastest sale possible.

Account Manager

Pros

• Teamwork – They work well with others and are good at building coalitions and uniting collaborators.
• Client Relations – Long-term clients turn to account managers to provide them with the focused, informed service they require as their needs evolve.
• Consistency – Thanks to their steady approach, account managers develop loyalty from both their clients and the people they work with.

Cons

• Tenacity – These professionals prefer to work with already-established clients, and pursue relatively safe sales opportunities.
• Self-determination – Since they lack initiative and thrive in team environments, account managers rarely have what it takes to tackle major projects on their own.
• Connection Development – Don’t count on account managers to have well-developed networks of their own.

It deserves to be reiterated – both hunter/gatherers and account managers are essential. A company made up entirely of one or the other will either lose all its clients or fail to gain any new ones. Which type of professional are you looking for? Rely on the sales recruiting experts at Artemis Consultants to help you find the ideal candidate.