Inside Sales explained in fewer than 1000 words

Inside Sales Explained in fewer than 1000 words

Here I will try to explain everything about Inside sales in fewer than 1000 words based on my experience. 

I would request you to read the article and let me know your opinion on the comment section. 

First, start with the general definition. 

What are inside sales? 

Inside sales are selling the product or services over the call, email, or using the internet and remotely. Inside sales reps always sit in the office and sell remotely. 

Inside sales reps never visit customer places for an in-person meeting. All the steps of selling are done remotely by inside sales reps. 

The primary difference between inside sales and field sales reps is that inside sales reps never visit customers' place for an in-person meeting whare as field sales are involved in in-person meetings only. 

Inside sales reps may not visit the customer place but have an excellent understanding of the product. Inside sales reps know the competitors and their strategies. Compared to telemarketers inside sales reps are more knowledgeable in terms of product understanding and skills to sell. 

So let us discuss everything about inside sales.

  

• understanding the job role and responsibility: 

It is important to know the job role and responsibility before applying for any job. Inside sales reps have to take complete responsibility to closer. Inside sales are not about just generating leads but closer to accounts remotely. 

Inside sales reps are supposed to take help from the marketing dept for emails and flyers for email campaigns. Help from the tech department to understand the product technically and solving the query. 

Closer on call is what I say in a generic term to represent inside sales. Also, inside sales reps avoid in-person meetings. 

• Understanding product and services: 

The first thing an employee must do is to try understanding the product and services as much possible. 

For inside sales reps, it's not possible to understand the product technically but the focus should be to know the product as much as possible. 

If one knows the product very well then he/she will have confidence while in discussion with the customer. All the same time competitor study is equally important. 

Once you understand the product of your company and scan your competitors, its time to take the first step in the course. 

• Database: 

You have to understand who is your customers. Is it B2B selling, or B2C selling. Who are the decision-makers? Who are the key decision-makers? Who are the influencers? You have to know all of these details are strategize accordingly. 

For example, you have a solution that helps IT industries of all major companies, then the Manager IT, Head IT, or and Director IT would be your decision-makers. 

Now, you have to reach out to your decision-makers to present your solution suite. You need a database now. to get the contact number and the email id of the right person. 

The database with accuracy is critical in this step. I prefer Fundoodata for my database need but, one disadvantage is that this database portal provides only a landline number of the contact person. Sometimes reaching the right person using a landline number is a difficult task. 

You can generate your database using LinkedIn or Naukri free search. 

• Excellent communication over the call: 

Once you know your prospects and have the contact number with you, its time for a cold calling. Cold calling is the technique of calling a person who doesn't know about you and presenting your solution/services. Cold calling is the most difficult task in the inside sales process. Cold calling is compulsory to have your sales funnel full of prospects. 

• Sales Script: 

A sales script is the first few lines that you say when someone receives your call. It's about who are you, your company introduction, and why you are calling. After that, you have to mold your discussion following the query raised by your prospects. 

• Objection handling:  

Objection handling is a critical part of inside sales. You have to kill all the objections raised by your prospects. Your complete product knowledge will help you in this stage. Your job here is to politely present the solution with resolving all the queries that the prospects have. The more strong your product knowledge fundamentals are the more clarity you can give to your prospects over the call. 

• Customer success story/ Case study: 

Know your customers and what products they are using for how long. A very interesting part of inside sales is telling your prospects customer success story or case study. Here you get a chance to discuss your success stories to your prospects. You can tell the use cases based on the industry. Most of the prospects would love to know what their competitors are using and why. This is a chance. Always tell industry-specific case study like if you are talking to an insurance 

• Email writing: 

After every productive call, you make you should send an email to the customers mentioning the minutes of discussion. This will help you and the customer both at the time of follow-up. The customer can recall what discussion he had at that moment. Always write a clean, error-free email with all the necessary documents attached for the reference. 

• Technical discussion: 

You may require to present your solution technically to your prospects. At that time you have to take your technical person on a conference call. You can schedule a webinar or online presentation with your prospects with your tech team for a technical understanding of your solution. Please write down all the tech discussions that happen between your technical person and the prospects. Share an email to your prospects mentioning all the tech discussion that happened and to suggest for a next step. 

• Commercial Preparation: 

Based on the requirements you have to prepare a commercial for your prospects along with the product that you are offering. 

 

• Negotiation: 

This is the last step of the inside sales process. Once you share your commercials with customers, the negotiation process starts. Here you have to understand the feeling of your prospects along with the solution requirements. Always try to create a win-win situation here. so that both the parties win and you get a happy long term association with your customers. 

That's all from my side!!

Thanks for reading. 

Let me know your opinion in the comment section. 

Do check the other articles. 

Thanks again!!!!!