Farm Don’t Hunt

When it comes to business building and sales, you have two distinct choices. You can be a farmer or a hunter.

The problem is, few business owners ever consider that they can change and become more productive. They continue to hunt, because that’s what they’ve always done. Change simply takes embracing a different point of view.

As a hunter, you are constantly on the lookout for new game to shoot. That means if you don’t continuously find new clients, you are not generating revenue and you can do little about it.

As a farmer, on the other hand, you plant seeds once. Then you continue to harvest the fruits of your labor year after year. You find a client one time, service them in a preeminent way, and continue to receive business from them.

You know you’re a farmer when you can easily calculate the lifetime value of a client over the course of one year or more.

You are a hunter if your measurement of business success is a high dollar amount average first time sale.

What can you do if you are a hunter who would rather farm?

Just develop a consistent client relationship management (CRM) program once. Then follow it consistently throughout the year.

In developing CRM programs for client companies, I always start with the basics.

Stay in touch. Communicate that you care consistently.

Treat clients like the best friend they are. Don’t complete a sales and then vanish, only calling again when hunting slows down and you become desperate for business.

During the course of a project, be on the watch for indications of when to make the next sale recommendation.

Somewhere in a project, generally in the middle, you see a need for additional services. Make the recommendation on how your new client can continue to receive additional assistance from your company.

Treat everyone who does business with you like a client not a customer.

In the dictionary, the word client is defined as “Someone who is under the protection and guidance of another person.”

While a customer is, “Someone who purchases goods and services from another.”

If you embrace the client mindset, you will want the people who buy from you to receive every advantage you can offer them. Caring is what farmers do.

Hunters are too busy looking for new game to bag so they can eat another day.