Are You Marketing to Hunters or Farmers? Why Understanding Decision-Making Styles is the Key to Growth

Sheena Hinson

Most marketing strategies fail not because the product or service isn’t valuable, but because they don’t account for how decision-makers actually think. In dental and healthcare— industries where purchasing decisions involve balancing patient care, provider well-being, and business profitability—understanding whether your audience thinks like a hunter or a farmer is essential.

This distinction isn’t just about personality types; it’s about how people evaluate opportunities, consume data, and make investment decisions. John F. Dini explores this concept in his book, Hunting in a Farmer’s World, highlighting how entrepreneurs and business leaders naturally lean toward one mindset or the other. Having worked with clinicians, business owners, and executive teams across the industry, I’ve seen firsthand how the most successful businesses align their marketing and business development strategies with these decision-making styles.

THE HUNTER VS. FARMER MENTALITY IN DECISION-MAKING

Hunters: The Opportunity-Driven Decision-Makers

• Move fast and act on instinct—if they see value immediately, they act.

• Want concise, high-impact messaging with clear ROI.

• Prioritize competitive advantage and revenue growth over incremental improvements.

Examples: High-growth practice owners, PE-backed DSOs, and startup entrepreneurs.

Farmers: The Long-Game Planners

• More methodical and risk-averse, requiring thorough research and validation.

• Value stability, sustainability, and incremental growth. Need trust, relationship-building, and long-term strategic alignment.

Examples: Legacy practice owners, multi-generation dental groups, and academic-driven clinicians.

IS YOUR MARKETING SERVING HUNTERS OR FARMERS?

It’s not just about who you’re marketing to—it’s about what your marketing actually offers. Decision-makers in dental and healthcare have three primary concerns:

• The Obvious Patient Benefit – Does this improve outcomes, patient experience, or care quality?

• The Provider Benefit – Does this reduce stress, improve workflow, or enhance job satisfaction?

• The Business Impact – Is this financially viable, and how quickly will we see ROI?

Most marketing strategies lean too heavily on just one of these pillars. The businesses that win? They connect all three, making it easy for both hunters and farmers to see the immediate and long-term value.

Hunters respond to innovations that promise rapid impact and revenue growth—they want to know how this makes them more competitive today.

Farmers need to see how a solution improves long-term efficiency and sustainability—they want reassurance that they’re making the right investment.

Bridging The Gap Between Strategy And Reality

One of the biggest challenges in the DSO space is the disconnect between high-level decision-makers and on-the-ground realities. A clinical executive at the corporate level may be making purchasing decisions, but they don’t always have full visibility into the daily challenges of regional teams or individual providers.

This isn’t a matter of negligence—it’s simply the nature of scaling a business. However, if marketing doesn’t connect strategy to execution at every level, adoption suffers.

This is why recent, relevant, real-world insight is critical— regardless of whether you’re selling a product or a service. It’s not enough to have a polished pitch deck that resonates at the executive level. If the solution isn’t truly viable for the people expected to use it, adoption will stall, and the attrition rate will be high.

When bridging those gaps, it’s often not about asking “how” to solve a problem, but rather “who” can best solve it. As Dan Sullivan emphasizes in Who Not How, leveraging the right subject matter experts accelerates outcomes while keeping teams focused on their strengths.

THE HIDDEN CONSTRAINT: TIME & MONEY

Even when a solution is valuable, decision-makers are working within constraints:

• There are only so many checks they can write.

• There are only so many hours they can invest in learning new products, technologies, and services.

Closing a deal at a high level is only the first step. If providers find the solution disruptive, impractical, or difficult to integrate into their workflow, they won’t use it—leading to churn, wasted resources, and an unsustainable business model. The true test of success is whether a product or service moves beyond the sale into widespread adoption.

Marketing Needs To Be For Sales Enablement

Too often, marketing operates in isolation, producing content that looks great but doesn’t actually support sales teams in closing deals. If you’re a hunter—whether in leadership, business development, or sales—you are responsible for making sure your farmers have the tools they need to succeed.

On the flip side, if marketing is doing the hunting, it needs to serve the same goals as a farmer: It should nurture, build trust, and provide sales teams with what they need to convert prospects into loyal customers.

This is where a strategic, informed approach makes all the difference. Companies that understand these dynamics don’t just generate leads; they drive adoption, accelerate decision cycles, and create long-term advocates for their products and services.

FINAL THOUGHTS: ALIGNING STRATEGY WITH DECISIONMAKING STYLES

Too many businesses take a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing and sales. The companies that break through the noise are the ones that tailor their strategy to how their audience thinks and operates.

If you’re speaking to hunters, get to the point—show them the win.

If you’re speaking to farmers, build trust—show them the roadmap.

And if you’re speaking to both? Your strategy had better be built to bridge the gap.

Having spent years working at the intersection of clinical insight, marketing strategy, and business development, I’ve seen what works—and what doesn’t. The most successful businesses don’t just focus on making the sale; they ensure what they’re offering is truly usable, valuable, and built for long-term success.

Sheena Hinson specializes in growth strategy, business development, and operational advisory, bringing over 15 years of clinical experience to offer a practical, data-driven view of what businesses and practices need to grow.

With a strong background across professional and B2B channel partnerships, strategic advisory, and market positioning, Sheena helps organizations bridge the gap between business growth and patient care. She advises companies on strengthening operations, expanding market reach, and uncovering opportunities for sustainable growth — all while aligning strategy to real-world execution. She provides high-level guidance to executive teams, industry innovators, and investment groups looking for pragmatic insight, relationship-building expertise, and operational optimization. Sheena is passionate about helping others win and creating growth strategies built to last.