In sales, the classic "hunters vs. farmers" analogy has long shaped hiring strategies. Successful hunters develop and research their qualified pipeline and close deals; farmers cultivate existing relationships and grow revenue over time. Traditionally, hunters land in sales and farmers in account management or customer success.
But as customer retention and expansion become central to a company’s growth, it’s worth asking: Why are we not putting some of our best hunters into customer success roles?
The Misalignment of Role and Strategy
Customer success has often been seen as a nurturing, reactive role, deemed by many as being perfect for farmers. But in reality, modern customer success requires proactive engagement, revenue ownership, and strategic expansion which are typically hunter-like qualities.
Ideally, customer success is about driving net revenue retention (NRR), reducing churn, and identifying upsell/cross-sell opportunities. This almost reads like it’s a job description for a sales executive. Great customer success people are not just good relationship managers, they’re revenue drivers.
Why Hunters Belong in Customer Success
Growth Focused, Not Just Supportive-
Customer success is no longer just about keeping customers happy—it’s about growing accounts. Hunters have the mindset to spot opportunities and turn them into revenue while not sacrificing customer relationships to make this happen.
Proactive Engagement-
Hunters thrive on initiating conversations, asking hard questions, and solving problems before they escalate. These skills are critical in preventing churn and expanding customer value.
Results-Driven Mentality-
With NRR as a key KPI for customer success, having team members who are comfortable with measurable results and metrics is a strategic advantage. Hunters crave this.
Cross-Functional Collaboration-
Customer success teams work closely with product, sales, and marketing. Hunters often bring the confidence and influence needed to align these stakeholders and advocate for the customer.
Customer Expectations Have Evolved-
Today’s customers expect a strategic partner who understands their business goals and can guide them to success—not just someone to answer questions. Hunters are better positioned to play that advisory role.
Rethinking the Talent Strategy
It’s time for companies to stop viewing customer success as a soft-skill role and start staffing it with problem-solving, revenue-minded, high-performing sales talent. The most successful organizations are those that put their best people not just at the front of the funnel, but throughout the entire customer journey.
Conclusion
The line between sales and customer success is blurring. As retention and expansion take center stage in growth strategies, companies should reconsider who they place in customer success roles. Maybe it’s time we let more hunters into the field—because the real hunt begins after the deal is signed.
About Reaction
Reaction is a customer success and growth acceleration platform that equips businesses with real-time insights to inform their entire customer journey and go-to-market strategy. For over a decade, Reaction's cloud-based platform has helped well-known companies and health systems capture critical feedback from key stakeholders to optimize customer success, drive new client acquisition, validate product roadmaps, and implement data-driven growth strategies. Through customizable dashboards, dynamic alerts, and comprehensive analytical tools, Reaction transforms customer and market data into strategic intelligence, enabling organizations to improve retention, increase revenue, and make informed business decisions.
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