Two Tall Guys Talking Sales
Two Tall Guys Talking Sales takes a practical look at one of the most common sales management mistakes: assuming all salespeople are built for the same job. Sean O'Shaughnessey and Kevin Lawson use a basketball analogy to unpack the difference between hunters, farmers, lone wolves, challengers, relationship sellers, transactional sellers, and trappers. This episode challenges owners, sales leaders, and frontline sellers to examine whether their sales processes, compensation plans, and revenue management expectations actually match the type of salesperson required for Sales success. If your team is underperforming, the issue may not be a lack of effort. It may be role design. Key Topics Discussed 01:00 — Why Sales Roles Need Clear Definitions Sean opens with a basketball analogy: if you do not understand the positions, the game becomes harder to follow. The same is true in sales. Confusing labels like hunter, farmer, challenger, lone wolf, and trapper can create bad hiring decisions, poor coaching, and broken sales strategies. 02:50 — Do Not Confuse Seller Type with Business Model Kevin draws an important distinction between the kind of salesperson you have and the kind of business you operate. A transactional sales model, a relationship-driven sales model, and an enterprise sales model each require different selling behaviors, messaging, and support structures. 06:20 — Hunters, Farmers, and the Cost of Misalignment Sean explains why a one-time ERP-style sale usually requires a hunter, while repeat-purchase relationships often require a farmer. Asking one type of salesperson to behave like another may be possible, but it is rarely efficient. Sales leaders need Business acumen to know what role the business actually requires. 08:25 — Lone Wolves, Challengers, and Unsupported Sales Teams The discussion turns to lone wolves and challengers, especially in organizations that give salespeople little infrastructure, weak marketing, poor sales processes, or minimal sales enablement. If leadership expects sellers to "just figure it out," they may be selecting for independence while unintentionally creating risk. 09:50 — How to Reshape a Sales Team Without Blowing It Up Kevin warns against the instinct to immediately replace the team. The better move is to take an intellectually honest look at the team's structure, upskill where possible, and decide whether the business needs account managers, customer service support, hunters, or relationship-focused sellers. 12:50 — The Trapper: Building Toward Enterprise Revenue Generation Sean closes by describing the trapper: the salesperson who can hunt, farm, lead, challenge, and plan proactively for larger future opportunities. This is where Value selling becomes more than a technique. It becomes a disciplined approach to expanding from a pilot project to departmental adoption, divisional traction, and eventually enterprise-level revenue generation. Key Quotes Sean O'Shaughnessey — 01:07 "Not knowing what the roles are is a big deal. So that same kind of thing happens in a sales arena, where you may not understand what type of salesperson you have or what type of salesperson you need." Kevin Lawson — 02:51 "It's important to note that just because somebody looks like something doesn't mean that's actually what they are." Kevin Lawson — 03:51 "You, as a seller, need to understand your business model so that you know how to sell." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 08:08 "Asking one type of salesperson to be another is really difficult to do. That's like asking that point guard to be the center." Kevin Lawson — 10:39 "Change people before you have to change people." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 14:15 "How do you become proactive? How do you plan for the deal that's going to happen in nine months?" Additional Resources The Challenger Sale — Referenced during the discussion of lone wolves and challengers, especially the idea that some sellers succeed by taking control of complex customer conversations. Eliminate Your Competition by Sean O'Shaughnessey — Sean refers to the "trapper" concept from his book as the more complete sales archetype for complex, enterprise-level selling. B2B Sales Lab — Kevin mentions that this topic will be explored further in B2B Sales Lab office hours, where sellers and sales leaders can dig into the practical work of assessing team fit, role design, and sales execution. A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast Audit your current sales team against the sales motion your business actually requires. Do not start with personality labels. Start with the business model. Are you selling once and moving on? Are you expanding accounts over years? Are your deals transactional, relationship-driven, enterprise-level, or a mix? Then map each salesperson against the role the business needs: hunter, farmer, account manager, challenger, lone wolf, or trapper. The decision that follows is the real work. Some people need coaching. Some need a different seat. Some roles need compensation redesign. Some teams need additional support around account management, customer success, prospecting, or CRM discipline. Sales success improves when the revenue management system fits the people, the process, and the customer buying motion. Summary This episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales is a useful listen for any owner, VP of Sales, sales manager, or seller who has ever wondered why a capable salesperson still struggles in the wrong role. Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey make the case that sales performance is not only about talent. It is about fit, structure, expectations, and leadership discipline. If your sales strategies are not producing the results you expected, this conversation will help you look beyond activity levels and ask the more important question: Do we have the right people in the right sales roles for how our customers actually buy? B2B Sales Lab is a private, member-led community for sales professionals who want actionable insights, not theory. It's a space to ask real questions, share proven practices, and connect with others who are serious about improving revenue performance. Designed and led by veteran sales leaders, the Lab is where strategy meets execution. Join us at b2b-sales-lab.com You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC - Sean@NewSales.Expert [Sean@NewSales.Expert] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/] You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com [kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/] You can book time on Kevin's calendar at https://lighthousesalesadvisors.pipedrive.com/scheduler/JP7rZXH3/virtual-meeting-booking-time-with-kevin [https://lighthousesalesadvisors.pipedrive.com/scheduler/JP7rZXH3/virtual-meeting-booking-time-with-kevin] You can book time on Sean's calendar at http://newsales.expert/sean-oshaughnessey-calendar/
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