Whale Hunting for your Biggest Accounts

If you've not already done so, add this book to your reading list: "Whale Hunting: How to Land Big Sales & Transform Your Company". It's been out for a couple of years now, achieving popularity because of using the Inuit Indians (Eskimos) of Northwestern Alaska to teach us the importance of capturing large accounts.

Much as the Inuit understand the significance of harvesting even one whale, compared to an elk, seal, or polar bear, so we should realize what landing an account 10-20 times our average would do for us. One whale will feed 30 Inuit for an entire year. What would it mean to your company to land a whale?

The Inuit prepare all year by making and honing their gear, selecting people for specific roles, & training for the hunt. This takes complete commitment, patience, and a team effort. The children even participate as scouts to spot the whales when they first begin to appear in the early spring.

A successful hunt brings the whale to the beach where it is harvested by the entire village, processed, and preserved. Everything is used except the head, which is taken back out to sea in respect for the whale. The oil, food, and clothing are distributed according to who performed what, and the needs of the village itself. After a celebration, the process begins again for the next year.

The similarities to the sales process for landing a "whale" account are impressive.

1) Leadership must focus the organization top to bottom.
2) Employees must be willing to learn new roles, and to perform them flawlessly.
3) Everyone must agree to do the hard work.
4) The process must be managed meticulously.
5) Results are everything; everyone wins & loses together.

The book is a good read because of the story line which is easily related to our businesses, and the changes & challenges we've encountered in the marketplace. The effort however, approaches overwhelming. Accordingly, the result must truly be a whale!

Although whale hunting isn't for everyone, which I will address in a separate article, it is more than worth a look. As with most things, there is a great deal to be learned by examining and evaluating the process.