Many successful sales organizations recognize that different situations require different selling styles. Salespeople are typically referred to as “hunters” and “farmers,” but selling isn’t that clear cut. You’ve got to hire the right sales talent to achieve your sales strategy.
The key is matching the salesperson’s strengths with their role for today’s market conditions. You need the right people in the right seats. If you want to win new accounts, you’ll want hunters. If your priority is account management, you’ll want farmers.
However, what if you have multiple objectives? Some salespeople naturally combine traditional hunter and farmer qualities. For sales leaders, understanding each sales professional’s personality can help align strengths and weaknesses to create a high-performing sales force.
Using Sales Assessments to Evaluate Your Salespeople
You’ll want to begin by assessing your sellers’ personal styles to find out if your team has the right players. DISC (part of the Brooks Talent Index®) is one of the most common tools sales leaders use.
The DISC sales assessment analyzes an individual’s behavior style and communication style. The tool shows how someone communicates and interacts with others. For salespeople, it shows how they sell.
DISC is an acronym for four personality components: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance.
Everyone has a primary style and some degree of the other styles.
Dominance: How people respond to problems.
“High D” people focus more on results and tasks, tend to move at a faster pace, and are likely to be more formal in their communication style.
Influence: How people respond to others.
“High I” people focus more on people and relationships, tend to move at a faster pace, and are likely more relaxed in communication style.
Steadiness: How people respond to pace.
“High S” people focus more on relationships, tend to move at a more relaxed or deliberate pace, and are probably more relaxed in their communication style.
Compliance: How people respond to procedures.
“High C” people focus more on results and tasks, tend to move at a more deliberate pace, and are likely more formal in their communication style.
Understanding 6 Common Salesperson Styles
Building a team that has the skills and capabilities to meet your goals takes time. Although no one fits neatly into a category, there are six general types of sellers. Here’s a look at each type’s strengths, preferences, traits, and what role they’re most likely a best fit for.
Selling Style 1: Friendly Hunters
These are prospecting-focused salespeople who excel at finding and acquiring new customers. They’re typically highly motivated by the chase and challenge of new business.
DISC: High D, High I, Low S, Low C
- Style: Strong influencer who adapts well to other personalities
- Traits: Optimistic, charismatic, strong sense of urgency, focused both on people and task
- Prefer: Shorter sales cycle with high activity involving people
- Tend to: Be overly optimistic and shortcut accuracy; may lack follow-up and follow-through; may overpromise or not pay attention to detail
- Role: Skilled at opening doors and making initial connections
Selling Style 2: Friendly Farmers
Personable account managers who build genuine friendships with clients and leverage likability for business growth.
DISC: Low D, High I, High S, Low C
- Style: People first; strong relationship builder
- Traits: Empathetic, understanding, caring, strong listener, patience
- Prefer: Environment with many long-term relationships; longer sales cycles with customers who appreciate loyalty and personal relationships
- Tend to: Call on friends and family first, avoid confrontation at all costs, sell passively to avoid being perceived as too “pushy”
- Role: Strong relationship building and account management skills
Selling Style 3: Technical Hunters
Precision-focused sales hunters who carefully research and target high-value prospects with surgical accuracy rather than spray-and-pray approaches.
DISC: High D, Low I, Low S, High C
- Style: Dominant, pioneering, systematic problem solving, high standards for self and others
- Traits: Strong urgency yet keenly aware of accuracy and details; pragmatic, efficient, progressive, structured, and will not allow emotions to affect decision making
- Prefer: Tasks and results over relationships
- Tend to: Be very impatient of others who do not share their high standards (responsiveness, decisiveness, accuracy, progressive thinking, etc.)
- Role: Best suited to sell to others like them; “Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Accurate, Be Gone,” and, “I am not looking for friends.”
Selling Style 4: Technical Farmers
Data-driven farmers who use analytics and systematic approaches to optimize account growth and identify expansion opportunities.
DISC: Low D, High I, Low S, High C
- Style: Friendly, outgoing, willing to initiate contact and develop relationships quickly; combines their charisma with attention to detail and accuracy
- Traits: Strives for uniqueness, approval, and acceptance
- Prefer: Being perceived as a strong influencer with progressive ideas and high intelligence
- Tend to: Avoid confrontation and directness; may struggle when challenged by prospects who are very direct.
- Role: Sales engineer, technical sales support, product manager, or thought leader
Selling Style 5: Big Game Hunters
Persistent performers who relentlessly pursue targets; will prospect when there is a structured plan, cadence, and clear goal in sight. They will stick with it.
DISC: High D, Low I, High S, Low C
- Style: Very determined, persistent, and results focused; mission focused and disciplined
- Traits: Self-reliant, responsive, and accountable; determined to see things through to completion; strong in late stages of the sales cycle and in follow-through
- Prefer: Thrives on both challenge and predictability; does well with longer sales cycles and in complex or technical environments.
- Tend to: Be perceived as a “lone wolf” rather than a team player; they get the job done but it’s “all business”; will often limit networking events or team relationships
- Role: Best at selling to “doers”; not having to rely on others to deliver on their promises is optimal
Selling Style 6: Nurturing Farmers
Relationship cultivators who focus on deep customer care, regular check-ins, and ensuring client satisfaction rather than expanding accounts.
DISC: Low D, Low I, High S, High C
- Style: Best suited for managing existing accounts requiring a high level of service; strong on retention and customer satisfaction, less on expansion
- Traits: Follow-up and follow-through on project completion; patient and very focused on accommodating others
- Prefer: Longer sales cycles with like-minded buyers
- Tend to: Be resistant to change and struggle with ambiguity; may not act with a great deal of urgency because of the need to pay attention to details and accuracy
- Role: Serving the needs of existing accounts requiring a high level of service, rather than pursuing new accounts
How to Find the Best Sales Team Talent
Building a high-performing sales team isn’t just about finding good salespeople; it’s about ensuring you have the right mix of talents aligned with your specific business objectives.
Regular assessment of your current team’s strengths, weaknesses, and natural selling styles reveals whether you have the hunters needed to break into new markets and the farmers required to grow existing accounts.
This objective evaluation creates a clear roadmap for your next moves: Either invest in targeted sales training to develop existing team members who show potential or strategically recruit new talent to fill critical gaps that training alone cannot address.
Remember that even your top performers may not be the right fit for every goal; a successful hunter might struggle with account management, while a skilled farmer might not thrive in a high-velocity prospecting environment.
By continuously assessing your team against your evolving business needs, you can make informed decisions about development investments and hiring priorities, ultimately building a balanced sales force capable of delivering sustainable growth across all areas of your business.
Contact The Brooks Group to learn how sales selection assessments can help you reach your goals.
