Before we begin the time consuming and mentally exhausting process of looking for team members, we should evaluate the company expectations again and ensure that the sales team expectations align. Once that is clear, it is essential to break you team into the most productive roles possible. The more representatives you are capable of hiring, the more diverse your team can be. On the contrary, if you are only hiring two representatives, they will need skills from each of the titled categories.I want to admit that I am taking some liberties with these terms. Others may have written about hunters or gatherers in a different light than I will here, but hey that is the fun of a blog. Feel free to disagree with me and call me crazy! THAT is the fun of open collaboration. EVERY COMMENT THAT IS NOT OFFENSIVE IN LANGUAGE AND PERTAINS TO THE SUBJECT MATTER WILL GET POSTED.

So let us begin with some assumptions. For the sake of this article I will assume we are looking for four specific roles, hunters, gatherers, communicators, and collaborators. Here are examples of what each would do:

Hunter:

1. Lead generator
2. Appointment setter
3. Field rep for a product with direct consumer potential (Real Estate, Mortgage Lending, Stocks etc..)
4. Field rep for a common service
5. Door to door salesman

Gatherer:

1. Sales Engineer
2. Field rep for a product with complicated specifications
3. Customer service/Renewal rep for a product with high level support requirements

Communicator:

1. Inside Sales Representative that closes SMB opportunities
2. Corporate Account Executive for mid to large size opportunities managed via the phone

3. Regional Sales Manager for territories focusing on small to mid large enterprises

4. Enterprise Account Manager for top line accounts managed via the phone

Collaborator

1. Outside/Field/Regional reps that manage complex sells to top line account
2. Territory managers that carry direct quota and depend on team selling
3. Business development managers/directors in consulting related businesses

We could dig into every possible combination of team members and relationships, but why? The goal here is to learn the characteristics of each personality and then fit that requirement to your goals and expectations. For this exercise I will build a team of lead generators (Hunters), renewal representatives (Gatherers), regional sales managers (Communicators), and enterprise territory managers (Collaborators).

Where should we begin? Well assuming I have developed performance expectations, I should start with the lead and work my way up to the biggest close.

The Hunter

My hunter in this case has specific goals; generate leads for the regional sales managers, and assist the team when necessary. Here is what constitutes a hunter:

1. High energy – they have the drive to d whatever it takes. These people are jumping out of bed and running long before they drink the first cup of coffee. They drink a lot of coffee. Tendencies are to build tools for repetition. They use pitches and canned e-mails, and are hungry for advancement and opportunity.

2.Think skinned – The No’s outweigh the Yes’s 50 to 1 in this realm, and frankly the hunter could care less. You can push and push, and the hunter will bounce right back.

3.Territorial – This is a tough one. You want them to fight for their leads without disrupting the group. What is theirs is theirs, and one of the more complicated things to do with a true hunter is get them into a role that requires more collaboration.

4.Charismatic – This may be the most important trait for a true hunter to find success. Think about the short time they have to win someone over; 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 10? If they can not get you willing to listen quickly, then the hunter struggles to accomplish their goals.

What should you look for when interviewing for a hunter:

1. Bouncing knees: People that can hardly sit still make for great hunters. When you offer them interesting topics, the excitement should emanate from their eyes and animate their limbs.

2.Youthfulness: This is a job for the young at heart. Age is irrelevant, do not get caught up in it. Look for hunger, drive, short term objectives. If someone has a really good five year plan, believe it or not, they may not be a true hunter. Some immaturity in the professional sense is required to maintain the grind.

3.Humor: I know I have found a good hunter if I have laughed out loud in the first minute of our conversation. Humor breaks the ice, and hunters do not even know when they have put you at ease.

The Gatherer

The gatherer on my team is only necessary after we have established a client base. This would probably be the last of my hires, and only after other team members productivity waned from the load. The common characteristics:

1. Compassionate – This is the person who learns your dog’s name. A gatherer calls you on your birthday and remembers your middle name. Other people may have it in a list somewhere, the gatherer genuinely can recall what you bought your spouse on their last anniversary.

2. Consistent – The gatherer is always right on time. They have a way about them. Tendencies lead to impeccable spreadsheet management, and their desk is always neat. They check their messages at the same time each day, and have a schedule for every activity. Sudden change can disrupt their flow, and one of the difficulties in promotion is creating a more adaptive nature.

3. Detail oriented – Contracts, long detailed explanations of service agreements, historical review of support requests, this stuff is all fun to the gatherer. They relish in becoming the repository for the clients needs. The same attention to personal information can carry over to the details of the client relationship. This is how they keep the clients from moving on!

What to look for when interviewing a gatherer:

1. Collected demeanor – A polite individual with a strong smile and handshake. They ask to sit if not offered, and compliment something about you or your office early on. They sit straight and speak in the most professional of manner.

2. What happened to my interview – Before you know it you are in eighth grade talking about what you did at summer camp. The gatherer gets into personal stuff without any forced conversations. You can not help but open up and often learn about a recent “funny thing”, or an Aunt’s favorite recipe.

3. Not much in the closing department – Do not be surprised, or disappointed if they end on a soft note. This is your passive closer. They do not push for a sale because more often then not the customer has a deadline. The expiration of services allow for a more passive approach. If you feel good about the value offered, and comfortable enough to share something personal, you have a gatherer.

The Communicator

Frankly, this is the most important hire I make in any organization. The communicator lives by the rules of value selling (I will provide a training series on value selling after building a plan is completed). The common characteristics:

1. Listens to people! – The communicator knows to start with the opinions, needs, wants, desires, and habits of others. They mimic their potential client’s terminology and thought process, not in mockery, but to truly walk in the prospect’s shoes. How can you provide solutions without knowing the problems.

2. Quicker than that coyote! – A communicator can think from the tip toes of the feet. Objections are handled with constructive and powerful value counters. Doubt is soothed with value oriented offerings. Compromise is made without consequence. You can not catch a communicator sleeping because they are honest. “I do not know, but I am going to find out.” is the mantra of the willing.

3.Now what made me share that? – As mentioned in the previous post, a good communicator will get you to talk about things you did not expect to discuss. Before you know it, you are the one sharing information about the company, the culture, and your plans. You start talking to the candidate inclusively, as if you already made the hire.

4.Close me, how can I close you? – By the time a communicator asks you how it went, you should be thinking about obtaining their references. Make some space before blurting out, “you’re hired.” There are many communicators out there.

If this is not enough, other things to look for:

1. Talks candidly about the mistakes that made them better.

2. Is willing to share personal information in a casual manner.

3. Has quick answers to difficult questions, but does not hurry to provide them.

4. Asks how things are going in the interview at more than one point.

5. Keeps you longer than you expected without you noticing.

The Collaborator

The collaborator is really a communicator who has elevated their capabilities to a management level. Delegation now plays a major role in their day to day as they coordinate between multiple internal and client facing contacts. They have the delicate task of long cycle, low volume, high dollar sales. What to look for:

1. Experience! – Not necessarily domain, but just history in building large value pockets in an organization. They have taken a team into an enterprise and strategized on how each member would align with someone else on the opposing team. The collaborator has earned the ability to manage large accounts by proving themselves in other roles. Their leadership has been tested. Be careful selecting a good communicator and making them a collaborator before testing them with one or two accounts. It take time to develop these team members and mistakes can cost millions.

2. Strategy – From the onset of the interview you can see them building a case. They are reading you as much as you them. The collaborator is cautious in taking a position and asks more penetrating questions. They want your opinion on the health of the company, the culture of the team, and details on the expectations. If you are clear about your plan, they can see your vision and comment on it.

3. Patience – While they have the instinct to attack, they are measured in their manner. The collaborator waits for the moment to speak. They sit on their haunches and subtly lead you to where you want to go. You are asking them when they are available for follow up, not the other way around.

What to look for is pretty much the same as a communicator. The additional two points:

1. Has a lot of other offers and is not concerned with sharing this information. This is a tactic to show value.

2. Often mentions discussing things with their spouse, family, friends, mentor etc…

While this is just a few brushstrokes in the realm of sales personalities, I think it offers a template for building hiring plans. If you have any additional questions regarding interviewing to roles, feel free to e-mail me directly or leave a comment. If you would like me to post the comment and response as a blog post, let me know.

Thank you all who have already commented on the site. Your kind words are an inspiration.