Summer Sales

This summer I am going to be practicing some of my sales skill with my family’s landscaping business. One of the things I am going to be taking into consideration is the concept of hunters and farmers, Rabbits and elephants. As many of you know hunters go out to get new leads and take shots knowing they will miss some. Farmers go out and cultivate and grow existing leads, keeping a long term relationship. I would consider my dad, who is the primary salesman of company more toward the farmer end. He has many relationships that he continually works to keep up. Many of these relationships equate to more jobs and a lot of referrals. Now when it comes to rabbits and elephants, my dad is definitely an elephant hunter. He knows there is a need for the small rabbit jobs to keep the less experienced crews working but many times he will go for the elephant, the huge outdoor living spaces. These can cost anywhere from $100,000 to one of the most expensive which totaled over $1,000,000. Although harder to get, the elephants definitely pay off. They provide work and sustainability to the company for a very long time.  Now when I enter into the sales this summer  I will have to take on the more hunter rabbit role. I have minimal leads meaning I’ll have to hunt down my own and I have minimal experience meaning I’ll have to go for the rabbit sized jobs.