Our Account Executive seat is currently responsible for both hunting new accounts and managing existing ones, but our new client acquisition has ground to a halt because the team is comfortable just farming renewals. How do we restructure this seat without losing revenue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic structural issue. Hunting and farming require entirely different mindsets, skill sets, and cognitive profiles. Forcing one person to do both is a design flaw on your Accountability Chart.

First, split this single seat into two distinct seats: New Business Development (the Hunter) and Client Success Manager (the Farmer).

For the Hunter seat, define five core roles focused entirely on outbound prospecting, pitching, and closing new business. Their primary Scorecard metrics should be new leads generated, discovery calls booked, and contracts signed.

For the Farmer seat, define roles focused on client onboarding, retention, upselling, and relationship satisfaction. Their Scorecard metrics will look like retention rate, account growth, and net promoter score.

Once the structure is clear, evaluate your current team using GWC. You will likely find that some of your reps get and want the hunt, while others are far more comfortable building long-term relationships.

Transition them into the seats that match their natural striving instincts. By aligning their daily tasks with their innate strengths, you eliminate the friction of trying to force a natural relationship builder into a cold-calling role, resulting in both happier clients and a surge in new sales.