Are You a Hunter or a Farmer?

“If executive recruiting and staffing is a barometer of how our economy is progressing, I am pleased to say that I feel optimistic about the days ahead,” says Chris Gardner, principal of Artemis Consultants. Chris leads an executive search firm that places talent in the areas of data, marketing and information services.

Chris will acknowledge up front that many people in his industry have seen a difficult time as much as anyone else over the past year or two. “In our situation, we went from being a recruiting arm for a single company to going out and representing companies across the nation. So the economy presented a unique opportunity for us to meet new people, make new friends, and let them know that we are here. It was more about building relationships with prospects rather than just attempting to set up and close business deals.”

That time invested in forming relationships is now paying off, Chris will tell you. “We have seen tremendous momentum, which began to pick up during the course of 2010,” he shares.

If executive recruiting and staffing is a barometer of how our economy is progressing, I am pleased to say that I feel optimistic about the days ahead.” —Chris Gardner, Principal, Artemis Consulting
Chris has a tremendous amount of experience identifying talent in sales and marketing. “We named our firm for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt,” he says. “I think it’s a suitable fit. When it comes to sales professionals, a person is either a hunter or a farmer. The farmer will excel at servicing the needs of existing business, and keep the account going. But the hunter is focused solely on bringing in new business. That’s also how we operate.”

To this end, Chris is no stranger to connecting with people over the phone. When it comes to being persistent, he acknowledges the importance of not giving up after just three attempts. “Giving up too soon in the follow up is probably the biggest mistake sales professionals make,” he says. “In my opinion you need to focus on being ‘diplomatically tenacious,’ which is being persistent without being obnoxious.”

However, Chris qualifies that point: “I do know it is important to be persistent in reaching out to people…however my experience also tells me that in some circumstances, there is a time to let go if prospects will not call you back. When you are in a situation where you have so many other people upon whom you can call, it comes down to honestly determining what is the best use of your time.”

It is a blessing when you have that many people to call upon…which in reality is a blessing we all share. There are plenty of prospects out there for everyone to serve. The needs are there, and so is the opportunity.

And those who know the nature of the hunt will be the ones that find them.

Keith F. Luscher, (Google Search) is interim business development director for The Money Foundation, an independent investment professional’s think tank and production group operating within a broker-dealer. Prior to this he served professionals in the insurance and financial services industries as a management consultant. In that role, he advised producers on issues related to marketing and prospecting, and developed groundbreaking educational curriculum. In addition, Luscher is also a nationally known author, speaker, and expert in media, interpersonal communication and marketing.