Inside sales is becoming a popular sales model for many companies today. Ken Krogue of Inside Sales.com defines inside sales as “remote sales,” most lately called “virtual sales,” or professional sales done remotely. Where Outside Sales or traditional Field Sales is done face-to-face.
To take it a step further, inside sales can be comprised of:
1. Sales – those that sell products or services in their inside sales position and/or
2. Lead Generation – those who generate leads for the inside sales team or field sales team.
Is it complicated? Not really.
How Inside Sales Works Within Organizations
A few instances when inside sales can work is when companies want the field representatives to manage and close sales and have a separate lead generation function. If the sales price of the product or service is low, it may lend lends itself to inside sales activity.
Some Organizational Models for Inside Sales
1. An inside sales team generates leads to fill the enterprise sales pipeline, for the field or outside sales organization’s response. The field or outside reps focus on closing deals.
2. An inside sales team generates leads for the entire enterprise, while management and closing activities are divided between inside sales and outside or field sales. An inside sales team generates leads and fills the enterprise sales pipeline. The field sales team manages and closes the larger enterprise sales opportunities, while the inside sales team manages and closes smaller ancillary products and services sales opportunities.
3. An inside sales team manages and closes smaller ancillary products and services sales opportunities. An inside sales team generates leads to fill the smaller ancillary products and services sales pipeline, and inside sales representatives focus on closing smaller deals.
Q&A
What inside sales models are working for you? Need fresh ideas for inside sales to fit with the way you operate? Enter your questions or ideas in the comments.