Part 2: The Hunter, the Farmer, and the Fisherman

Part 2 - Which Sales Model is best for Your Practice?

Hunter Farmer Model Not Quite Right

Early in my career when I was developing a new practice, I had few clients and was not a widely recognized guru.  I had valuable expertise and felt I was at my best when cultivating established clients, but I needed lots of new clients before I could become the farmer type suggested by the customary Hunter-Farmer model.  I also could not afford to hire a hunter to help find me new clients.   So I took it upon myself to develop hunting skills.  I went to various training courses and read lots of books on the subject and I indeed developed some hunting skills.  But overall, I felt like I was fighting a dual personality; some days wearing my hunting gear and others donning my farmer jeans.  It just didn't feel right trying develop and integrate both hunter and farmer attributes.  I worried that I would not develop sufficiently as either a hunter or a farmer.  But did I really need to?

As I struggled with how to aggressively grow a practice while cultivating relationships, I studied other consultants who had similar challenges, yet were succeeding even though they exhibited few of the classic hunter or farmer characteristics.    I contemplated the question, if successful consultants in young or small consultancies are neither hunters nor farmers, then what are they?   I came across the answer and realized that I had mistakenly characterized myself as a farmer.  I was neither hunter nor farmer. I was a fisherman.

I was a Fisherman

You may be thinking, okay, here we go with another metaphor.  But I have found that for most consulting practice leaders, the fisherman model is a more apt description of the successful business development traits than the traditional (and narrow) hunter-farmer model.  The fisherman is a model of both patience and well-timed aggressiveness that we need to land new clients.  The fisherman also has the wisdom and respect to cultivate the fishing beds so as to always have a source of food (a.k.a. revenues).   

I’ll forewarn you - I am not a highly experienced or knowledgeable real fisherman.  Most of my experience was as a boy, trolling for bluefish in Nantucket Sound.  I remember preparing rod and reel, making sure my tackle box was stocked the night before we went fishing.  We would chart our course and plan our day.  The next day we would get up early, head for Horseshoe shoal because that’s where our research indicated all the fish would be.  After arriving at the shoal, we would use our trusted fish finder -- the seagulls -- to help pinpoint the best fishing spot.  We would set what we felt was the appropriate lure on the line, drop the line, and slowly troll the area.  We would make course adjustments if nothing bit, or change our lure.  When we got a bite, we would be patient, allowing the fish to nibble before giving a bit of a yank to set the hook.  Timing was important; one had to resist trying to reel it in too soon and allow the fish to run a bit first.  At the right time, we would reel it in and see if it was a good catch.  Sometimes we realized that the fish was not right for us and we threw it back in (it never pays to bring the wrong fish into the boat). 

The fisherman model is worthwhile considering because it is both a description of the characteristics of many successful Practice Leaders as well as a guide for developing your practice.  Fishing requires some solid planning about where to go to find the fish, research about what the fish like to eat, and what lures might attract them to nibble.  It requires patience while fish are nibbling and aggressiveness when its time to reel it in.  It also takes the courage to throw some fish back in when it’s not right for either you or the fish. 

Considerations

Why is all this worthy of consideration?  Because too many firm mangers continue to use the hunter-farmer model as a guide to their recruitment efforts and performance reviews.  Many managers I’ve worked with have relayed opinions such as, “I don’t feel like we’re getting enough business out of current clients, we need more Farmers” or, “What we really need is another hunter like Sharon,” or, “I think we need to instill more hunting skills in some of these people.”  With only the hunter-farmer framework as a mental model, many managers are missing the boat (no pun intended) by not recruiting and developing more fishermen.  And if you are a practice leader who struggles to improve perceived deficiencies in your hunting or farming skills, perhaps you should forget about it and consider whether or not you’re really a fisherman.  If so, be confident in yourself and hone those natural fishing abilities that will allow you to grow your business.