Melissa Villegas
Experience as Business Development Director for LatAm
Melissa wasn’t always in the sales world, but a few years ago, she discovered her passion for this discipline and found the skills to be a #DealCloser. She decided to fully dedicate herself to this path and swiftly climbed the ladder to her latest position as the Business Development Director for LatAm. Melissa achieved this through outstanding performance not only in sales but also in her ability to build and lead her company’s sales team in Colombia from the ground up. Have you heard of the Hunters and Farmers Sales Approach? Which one do you think Melissa is?
Drawing from her experience, Melissa explains the process of breaking into a new market for a new product in a country and achieving traction to achieve the anticipated growth. The first thing to consider is what type of sale you will conduct – consultative or transactional. In her case, it was a consultative sale, and she emphasizes that the most crucial skill, especially when selling a software-as-a-service (SaaS), is the ability to translate something complex into something simple for the client to understand.
Hunters and Farmers Sales Approach
Based on the above, Melissa introduces a couple of key concepts that every salesperson should identify: “sales hunters” and “sales farmers.” It’s important to recognize what type of salesperson you are. The first is an aggressive type of salesperson who is ready to close all major deals and engage with the client to build a relationship, and loves the adrenaline that a sales process generates. The second type is the one who nurtures the customer and gradually brings in sales based on an initial sale.
What did Melissa Share with us?
Another topic we explored in the interview with Melissa is how crucial it is to have a passion for sales and for what you are selling. Without passion for your product, it’s difficult to know all the details and have the ability to translate it into understandable language for your client. In addition to this, Melissa believes that the success of a sale lies in knowing who you are facing. You should always come prepared to a business meeting with your client, armed with their data and information to address the meeting.
“A salesperson can be born, but they can also be made. It’s important to identify the two types of salespeople: hunters or farmers. The farmer is someone who possesses the soft skills to become the best farmer-type salesperson your company needs. The hunter, on the other hand, is born, vibrates, and loves the thrill of selling.”
Melissa Villegas
To conclude, Melissa shares from her experience the criteria to consider when qualifying prospects satisfactorily. The first is to understand what your product needs to function successfully; second is to ensure that your client has these technical characteristics to guarantee the proper functioning of your product and prevent a bad reputation; third is to identify who your ideal buyer is; and the fourth and final is to understand how fundamental your product is to this person.
