Hunters and Salesmen
Fall is approaching and here in Wisconsin, that means deer hunting season isn't too far away.
I am not a hunter, so this may not make any sense to those of you who are. But to the untrained eye, it appears there are two different approaches to hunting. Some set up tree stands in (hopefully) great locations and wait for the deer to wander by.
Others trek off into the woods in search of deer - looking for signs of activity, (mating, feeding, tracks) until they find their prey.
Both approaches still require similar skill sets to be successful - a good eye, a steady hand on the trigger, in order to hit the target.
I think that salespeople have similar traits. Some set up shop (network heavily) and wait for the order referral or the new customer to call. Then, armed with great product knowledge and selling skills, they close the order.
Others "hunt" for sales. They work Trade Shows. They call leads. They cold call potential customers. They follow up on every quote. They beat the bushes for business until they find an opportunity, then they move in for the sale.
When the deer population is exploding, tree stands will be as productive a strategy as trekking through the woods in search of prey. But when the deer population starts to thin out, tree stands don't offer the same opportunities as one might get by honing our tracking skills.
In a slow economy, your salespeople better learn how to track prey, or risk going hungry.
I am not a hunter, so this may not make any sense to those of you who are. But to the untrained eye, it appears there are two different approaches to hunting. Some set up tree stands in (hopefully) great locations and wait for the deer to wander by.
Others trek off into the woods in search of deer - looking for signs of activity, (mating, feeding, tracks) until they find their prey.
Both approaches still require similar skill sets to be successful - a good eye, a steady hand on the trigger, in order to hit the target.
I think that salespeople have similar traits. Some set up shop (network heavily) and wait for the order referral or the new customer to call. Then, armed with great product knowledge and selling skills, they close the order.
Others "hunt" for sales. They work Trade Shows. They call leads. They cold call potential customers. They follow up on every quote. They beat the bushes for business until they find an opportunity, then they move in for the sale.
When the deer population is exploding, tree stands will be as productive a strategy as trekking through the woods in search of prey. But when the deer population starts to thin out, tree stands don't offer the same opportunities as one might get by honing our tracking skills.
In a slow economy, your salespeople better learn how to track prey, or risk going hungry.
