In the 1970s and 80s, a successful college baseball program primarily recruited shortstops (I think it was Oklahoma State, but I’m not completely sure). If they had seven incoming freshman position players, five or six of them would be shortstops. Their philosophy was that shortstops were the best athletes on the field and could play any position. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, it was true at the high school level back then. This concept leads us to our last strategy of the week…
Strategy #3 to making sure your Account Managers are better hunters: Don’t hire Account Managers. Hire hunters.
If you truly want your Account Managers to drive new business in their current client base, then you should consider hiring sales professionals who have a track record of winning new business. It’s pretty difficult to turn a farmer into a hunter, but it’s not too hard to turn a hunter into a farmer – especially if they’re a thoughtful and technically competent hunter.
Before I proceed, please do NOT take this advice at first site. Think about it. Think about the individual you’re interviewing; think about your customer base; and think about the possible downfalls. Below are some thoughts to consider.
- Deliver a personality profile test (I like DISC). These tests will reveal natural tendencies that recent performance, interviews, or resumes won’t. Make sure these characteristics include traits that are critical to taking care of your customers.
- Ask them to share examples of how they’ve taken care of customers following the sale.
- Make the compensation plan consistent with the motivation that drives a competitive hunter.
- Make sure you have the resources to provide support and training to ensure they’re capable of handling most of the technical and product questions, like a traditional Account Manager would.
That’s it. I hope traditional Account Managers aren’t insulted by this last strategy. I believe there is a crucial role for traditional Account Managers, as long as the expectations are clear. However, many organizations are now requiring Account Managers to generate new sales. If this is the case, it’s important to know as early as possible and match up the right personality and talent.
What do you think? Not just about today’s post, but all three strategies from this week? This is a major challenge many independent integration companies are having today, and it’s not an easy fix. Let’s hear it… Thanks everyone.
