Inside vs Outside Sales: What is the difference?

Following the onset of the pandemic, inside selling has gained more and more traction. Forbes has shown that inside sales has grown 15 times more than outside sales in the United States. So inside sales vs outside sales – what exactly is it and what are the key differences?

What is Outside Sales?

Outside sales are face-to-face transactions, known for meeting with prospects at trade shows, conferences, and industry events.

Outside sales people seldom work in an office, although the amount of time they spend on the road varies considerably. They might concentrate on a region or state rather than a territory.

What is Inside Sales?

The procedure of selling remotely via phone, email, and other digital channels rather than in person is known as inside sales. It’s popular in the B2B sector, particularly in SaaS and IT industries.

A sales development rep’s kit might include things like as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, as well as a range of sales tools such as Salesforce, chat boxes, email marketing, and even the traditional phone.

What is the key difference between inside vs outside sales?

Communication

Inside sales are all about engagement through technology. This is why live chat software is becoming so important for modern businesses. Leveraging tools like phone, email, zoom, video are all part of the toolkit to reach prospects. For inside sales, this means a predictable schedule with a targeted list of tasks to complete. However, inside selling presents a key challenge. Firstly, you need to have a very deep understanding of your product. It is critical that you can explain the functionality of your product to a prospect, without using a demo. Being able to pinpoint the exact features and function is critical to success.

Outside reps must be excellent communicators with exceptional oral and interpersonal skills. As an outside representative,  you have to be able to hold the attention of dozens or even hundreds of prospects at meetings, trade shows, conferences, and events.

Why is there a rise of inside sales?

1. Inside sales is lower in cost
2. Platforms such as Zoom, email and phone can be accessed easily
3. There is no limitation to the amount of prospects you can reach in inside sales
4. More buyers are looking for online selling as opposed to face-to-face

How to start with inside sales?

CSO insights found that only 33% of inside sales representative time is spent actively selling. Thus, sales intelligence tools like Triggr are useful to get started with inside sales, as leads are found for you. There is no such thing as a handbook for inside and outside sales. Companies are experimenting with various methods in order to ensure that they discover the best fit for their product, consumer, and market. Determine what is appropriate for you.