‘To be or not to be?’ Hamlet once asked. For sales leaders however, the question has always been ‘Inside sales or outside sales?’
There are many factors to consider while determining whether your company needs an inside or outside sales model.
Inside sales is a team dedicated to selling remotely from an office. Instead of traveling to meet with prospects in person, inside sales representatives talk with leads over the phone, via email, and video chat.
Meanwhile, outside sales refers to sales reps "in the field." While they may still spend time in an office, outside sales reps meet with clients face-to-face, too, often traveling to do so.
Here are some tools that can be used for both sales models:
1. Sales calling tools: A great sales calling tool tracks and records calls, lets reps view context and notes while on the phone, and offers analytics for management to track. Call masking is also helpful for both inside and outside sales reps to show their personal phone number, a number local to the customer, or the company's number.
2. Sales prospecting tools: Virtual sales tools like Linkedin Sales Navigator can help inside sales reps prospect, discover new potential opportunities, find contact information for leads, and pull details to inform and tailor pitches.
Here's everything you need to know about sales prospecting.
3. Sales email tracking tools: Emails sent to prospects need to be tracked so that both reps and sales leaders can keep track of the sales process. Metrics like the number of emails sent, opens, clicks, and bookings resulting from each email can help both reps and their managers track and improve email selling.
Here's everything you need to know about email tracking.
4. Sales automation tools: From emails and follow-ups to data entry and sales cycle tracking, both inside and outside sales teams benefit from automating repetitive tasks and workflows. Some tasks that can be automated include data entry into your CRM, scheduled emails and triggered campaigns, follow-up reminders and, lead qualification among others.
Here’s everything you need to know about sales automation.
5. Video calling tool: Both inside and outside sales reps will need a video calling tool. In this category, you need something simple that just works.
6. Calendar and booking tool: When it comes to sharing availability and booking both sales calls and meetings, we recommend Google Calendar. It's easy to use on the go and works seamlessly with other calendar tools.
What other tools would you suggest using for both inside and outside sales reps?