They hunt – plain and simple. You could say it is in their blood. This becomes an issue when you are attempting to hire a sales hunter as I have witnessed this past week. One of our customers zeroed in on a particular candidate who is a strong hunter, but my customer took their time in pursuing him. In that time, he uncovered another opportunity and received an offer. That offer was later placed on hold so he returned to my customer for an interview. They thought he would be a great fit, but the first company came back and made him another offer along with my customer. He went with the other offer.
Confusing I know, but the point here is that hunters keep hunting even when they are securing a deal. This behavior is their strength and their weakness. They keep their nose to the ground and keep looking for the next opportunity.
Hunters are also difficult to manage in that they take a strong, but understanding manager to work with them. Hunters can be driven, but they can also be demanding. They can be empathetic, but they are often competitive.
Oh, and most importantly, they can make you a lot of money.