Inside sales is about selling things to clients without meeting them face to face. It’s been called remote sales and was done by phone and is mostly now accomplished online. Here’s an overview of everything you’ll need to know to make it work for your small business.
Inside sales is cost effective and delivers results. How? Smart sales reps use the best tools available to them. They want the ones where they can reach clients quickly and gather data to follow up with.
That includes tools like:
Email Marketing
It’s good if you have a solid list of emails addresses to send pitches to. It’s even better if you’ve got good CRM software to sort and juggle all the info email marketing bounces back at you. Salesforce has a tool that sets up in minutes.
Automatic Dialing Software
Integration can be the name of the game for inside sales teams. A pre-recorded message that gets sent to a list of contacts works great when you’ve got an online interface to use as a command post. Small businesses use this type of integrated marketing to boost sales numbers.
Social Media
Social media channels are a great inside sales tool. Posting inside groups and networks boosts visibility for small businesses that know how to leverage everything from Twitter to Facebook. Answering questions and posting resources fosters the kind of interest that leads to sales.
Inside Sales Networking
Those are just a few of the tools you can use. When it comes to networking, inside sales reps are looking to internet resources like LinkedIn to make good connections. This a great way to develop an association with professional bodies and trade organizations.
Here’s an excellent blog they can steer your team in the right direction.
Benefits of Inside Sales to Small Business
Using inside sales techniques for your small business has many advantages. At the top of the list is bringing your efforts in line with buyer preferences. People are busy like never before and reaching out to them in cyberspace is the best way to make contact in today’s world.
Work Life Balance
Being a sales rep used to mean being on the road and away from your family for long strestches. With the technology available today, inside sales reps can leverage their skills with tools like Skype, webinars and YouTube without ever needing to pack a bag.
Deeper Insights
Getting to know your target market and prospects better is one offshoot from using social media as an inside sales tool. Today, you can learn more about possible clients online than you ever could face-to-face.
The Downside of Inside Sales
There are some disadvantages to having just an inside sales team under your roof. For example, some prospects might actually want to touch and feel what they are thinking about buying.
Other customers might prefer a face-to-face relationship. Finally, if you’re selling to a reseller who is going to turn the product around, an inside sales rep doesn’t get to see how it’s being displayed and promoted.
Inside sales isn’t a once size fits all solution for every small business and everyone that wants a sales job in the field. Some sales reps like to look people in the eye and shake their hands before they make a sale. If you’re like that, this might not be the go-to strategy for your small business or every member of your sales team.
Companies that sell farm equipment in small towns might be better with an outside sales strategy. The same goes for office equipment and window and door replacement companies and similar business that need more contact with customers.
On the other side of the coin, B2B small businesses like book keeping services and tech companies are well suited to inside sales teams. Many products that work remotely fit the bill here.
Customer Support Photo via Shutterstock