I was sitting with someone I consider to be a “master” Shaman. She is responsible for a sales organization that produces hundreds of millions of dollars in sales per year. We were discussing the challenges of big hunting boats – This occurs when you have a large whale with many different relationships and lots of sales opportunities. With so much opportunity on the table, so many different touch points and mini-buyer’s tables and ongoing activity, how do you make certain that things do not slip through the cracks and that your boats are operating efficiently?

Supply chain management, transportation and logistics, computer solutions sales and many other industries struggle with this many touchpoint/many deal problem.

1. First, lots of boats, one Shaman – Set the organization up for one person to provide oversight to all of the hunts inside of a single whale. Too often, cross-functional areas put a company at risk because they do not have central coordination of all of the hunts. This scares and confuses, (and annoys) the whale because of the apparent ignorance in the hunters.
2. Shaman on the boats – Too often the Shaman manages the fleet of boats from the shore- trying to keep oversight through reports, emails and conference calls. You have to maximize the hunts by being on the boats.
3. Choose the Harpooners by hunt, not title – The most important quality for the Harpooner to have with this many hunts going on is the relationship with the whale- access to people and information. Make the decision early in each hunt who will serve as the Harpooner and let everyone on the boat know why.

What are your experiences with one whale/many hunts? What are the best practices you can share?