It used to be that outside sales people ruled the roost. That’s where the sales training investments went and where the prestige and the high salaries lived. Things have changed.
Now, inside sales reps handle the big deals too. Many buyers no longer have the time to visit with a sales rep in the office. They are perfectly comfortable relying upon the phone to close even multi-million dollar deals. That is why today’s businesses rely more and more on inside sales to boost and sustain their business opportunities at a greater level of profitability.
So hiring well for your inside sales team matters more and more. Here are some of the high performance qualities you should look for in candidates and to build into your inside sales team:
• Inside Sales Attitude
You want inside sales reps who are hungry, who love the challenge of selling and are passionate about the solutions they sell and the customers they serve. They should have the courage of their convictions so they are authentic when they talk about the services they provide. They should be highly motivated to win and know how to overcome objections.
• Inside Sales Communication Skills
They need to be great communicators who adjust their style to the style of the customer on the other end of the line. And they should be willing to listen even more than they talk so they fully understand the customer’s situation before they advocate a solution. Their emails should be correct, clear and concise. They should know how to follow-up effectively as they bring insight and value to each interaction. And they should have the knack of persistence in tracking a potential client without being annoying.
• Inside Sales Independence
The best inside sales reps work fairly independently. They don’t like to have anyone looking over their shoulder. But they do need clear and relevant leading and lagging success metrics to keep them focused and on pace. Decide what would work best in your situation as a measure to evaluate their performance. It may be the revenue they generate, the degree of satisfaction of their customers, repeat business, or the number of calls per day that produce real business.
Take a good look at your existing Inside Sales team. If they are missing good communication skills or an inside sales process that works, a quality inside sales training program with the necessary coaching, reinforcement and process alignment may be the answer. What is most critical, however, is the attitude…and that you can’t often teach.
For more information about inside sales training best practices, please visit: http://www.lsaglobal.com/inside-sales-training-coaching/
