Hunters need the stimulation of a transaction, and appreciate the associated visibility and recognition.
Farmers/account managers find prospecting to be laborious or are unfulfilled with a transaction unto itself. They prefer the potential of a quality longer term relationship (including a series of transactions, fulfillment of business needs, etc.)
Both profiles are motivated by compensation. In fact, some hunters can also farm, given the appropriate compensation structure. However, a strong hunter profile cannot tolerate the lack of peaks and valleys, and visibility.
Hunting has two components: 1) Prospecting 2) Qualifying/Closing. Many farmers could be good hunters if prospecting is not required (because of strong marketing or telesales support to create “leads”).
In summary, farmers are invaluable if your client base and solution portfolio are big enough to justify the role. Do the math, if you generate X% more business from our existing clients, does it justify the dedicated role? If not, tweak your compensation structure (and training) to motivate the hunters to “see the light” and give existing clients a little lov’n in return for a recognition and $.