What is inside sales ? Some Introduction

Inside sales refer to sales that do not take place face to face. Sometimes inside sales is referred to as “virtual” sales. Whatever term is used, inside sales is the selling of products and services to customers through the computer, phones, and other mobile devices without meeting them face to face. For example, if you buy say an iPhone from an online retail site without having to meet the sales agent in real life then that is term inside sales.

Inside sales agents work with customers to find what they want, develop solutions and ensure a smooth sales process. Sales agents also look for new sales leads, through client referrals, business directories, etc.

However, to make the best use of this efficient sales methodology, you need to follow some best practices

 

Updated database

For your inside sales program to be successful you need an updated and current database free from errors. You can use call center software.  Expecting the sales team to perform and meet sales targets without an up-to-date database is not fair. In fact, the yardstick for measuring a sales rep’s performance should revolve around the size and the quality of the database a rep has to target. It is not advisable to evaluate the performance of the sales teams only on the basis of the sales results they deliver. The managers should check if the sales team has put in the right amount of effort. See how many RPC (right part contact) contacts your sales team has been able to make. Set a target and measure the performance of individual sales rep on the basis of the number of RPC connects established.

 

Providing training

The company should take it on its part to provide regular training to the sales and marketing team members on the latest technologies, current market scenario, and also help them improve domain knowledge. The managers should see to it that regular information sharing sessions are conducted among the team members and across the teams to ensure that all reps are well abreast with what is happening within their target markets and outside.

 

Leveraging social media

Using social media can be helpful if you want to identify, connect, engage and nurture prospects and opportunities. The inside sales reps should be able to use the different social media channels to enhance respective knowledge level and reduce the overall time to generate leads. The sales reps should generate reports which should be analyzed and reiterated to all the team members along with the new goals set. This way everyone would know where he/ she stand in terms of achieving targets.

Inside sales is highly effective in both low- touch and high-touch sales model and is increasingly being used to target business-to-business (B2B) or high-end business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. But you need to strategize well and have a proper evaluation process in place to enhance inside sales effectiveness.