Samir is the CEO and Co-founder of Veloxy. After spending 20+ years creating corporate systems, boosting revenue, and eliminating inefficiencies, Samir started Veloxy to help sales professionals shorten sales cycles, accelerate pipelines, and close more deals.
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The world of sales is vast, and if you’re a sales professional, you’ve likely been exposed to both inside and outside sales roles. However, if you’re considering a transition to outside sales or simply want to elevate your field selling game, you’re in the right place.
This blog post will delve deep into the realm of outside sales, exploring effective strategies, essential skills, and tools to help you succeed in this challenging yet rewarding career path. So, let’s answer the question, “what is outside sales?” and embark on this journey to master the art of field selling together!
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Defining Outside Sales: A Closer Look
Outside sales is the practice of selling products and services through direct, in-person interactions, setting it apart from inside sales, which operates remotely. Sales professionals in outside sales roles enjoy a higher level of autonomy, often working independently and engaging directly with clients to build strong customer relationships. Johnson & Johnson and Cisco Systems are examples of companies that offer competitive outside sales positions, where outside sales salary varies depending on factors such as experience, industry, and commission structure.
Travel, autonomy, and emotional intelligence are some defining characteristics of outside sales, with reps often handling larger, more expensive accounts than their inside sales counterparts. An integral part of outside sales is the talent to interact with clients in person to finalize the sale. This ability distinguishes them from other sales professionals. The effectiveness of outside sales representatives is deeply rooted in their skill to create and uphold direct relationships with potential customers.
The Role of an Outside Sales Representative
An outside sales representative, also known as a sales rep, is responsible for conducting sales activities in the field through direct customer interactions, both with prospective and existing customers. Their primary responsibilities include:
This type of sales position is advantageous for those who prefer to manage their own schedules and work autonomously.
Outside sales representatives have a unique set of duties, such as:
Given the nature of their work, organization is paramount for success as an outside sales representative.
Essential Skills for Thriving in Outside Sales
To thrive in outside sales, professionals must possess a unique set of skills that combine communication proficiency, flexibility, and problem-solving aptitude. Effective communication enables salespeople to form strong relationships with customers and colleagues, fostering trust and transparency.
Problem-solving abilities are equally important, enabling sales representatives to recognize and tackle obstacles faced by their clients or potential customers, propose tailored solutions, and prove their value to the customers.
Building Customer Relationships
Forging robust customer relationships holds significant importance in outside sales. The success of the salespeople largely depends on their skill to create and uphold direct relationships with potential customers. Trust plays a critical role in outside sales, as strong bonds of trust can lead to:
In order to establish strong customer relationships, outside sales representatives should excel at interacting with clients directly, comprehending their needs, and offering beneficial solutions. This level of personal connection helps to establish trust and rapport, making the sales process smoother and more successful. By focusing on the customer’s needs and demonstrating empathy, outside sales representatives can build lasting relationships that lead to recurring business and long-term success.
Navigating Autonomy in Sales
Autonomy characterizes outside sales, providing sales representatives with the freedom and self-management to plan their own time and tasks. However, managing autonomy effectively can be challenging, as it requires a high level of self-discipline, time management, and self-motivation. Establishing goals, maintaining a schedule, and utilizing time tracking tools are just some strategies that can be employed to manage autonomy effectively.
To foster self-motivation while managing autonomy, sales representatives can set rewards for achieving goals, break tasks into smaller components, and maintain organization. By employing these techniques, sales representatives can capitalize on their autonomy and attain success in the industry.
The Sales Process in the Field
The sales process for outside sales representatives involves prospecting and concluding deals, requiring a unique set of skills and strategies. Prospecting may involve consistent follow-ups, setting goals, and being knowledgeable about the product, while closing deals often requires a structured follow-up strategy, product knowledge, and familiarity with the sales territory.
Sales representatives should:
Prospecting Strategies
Efficient prospecting strategies for outside sales representatives include networking and utilizing referrals. Networking is essential for constructing new connections and capitalizing on existing ones, actively engaging in industry events, participating in social media, and utilizing professional networking sites such as LinkedIn.
Social media can play a significant role in prospecting strategies, allowing sales professionals to identify the most-used platforms for their ideal customers and share customer stories with marketing, while also providing an opportunity to leverage social proof in sales and research prospects and their businesses.
Another effective prospecting strategy is cold calling and cold emailing, which, when done correctly, can yield excellent results. To ensure that cold outreach is an effective prospecting tool in outside sales, the following steps are recommended:
By following these steps, you can increase your chances of success with cold calling in outside sales.
Closing Techniques
Finalizing deals in outside sales frequently demands a customized approach and potent negotiation abilities. Some of the most effective closing techniques include:
Negotiation plays a vital role in closing outside sales, as it establishes a connection between the buyer’s requirements and the seller’s offerings. Sales representatives must be skilled negotiators to effectively persuade and close deals, overcoming objections and demonstrating the value of their product or service to the customer.
Compensation Structures in Outside Sales
Compensation arrangements for outside sales representatives, including their sales salary, might encompass:
Providing competitive remuneration is crucial for drawing in top performers and retaining talent within the sales organization.
While comparing the costs of inside and outside sales representatives, one should take into account elements like:
While outside sales representatives may have higher costs due to travel and accommodations, inside sales representatives may have lower overhead costs, making it crucial to find a balance between the two types of sales roles when structuring a sales team.
Tools and Technology for Modern Outside Sales Teams
Modern outside sales teams depend on important tools and technology to enhance their sales performance and maintain competitiveness in the current dynamic sales environment. CRM software, for example, offers comprehensive insight into the sales pipeline, increases efficiency, and optimizes workflows in outside sales. Call tracking software enables the synchronization of voice software with other channels, allowing easier contact with prospects and providing useful context when following up with leads.
Lead generation software is another vital tool for outside sales teams. It assists in:
Ultimately, lead generation software helps improve sales performance.
The Evolution of Sales Models: Inside vs Outside
As the sales landscape has transformed, the roles and responsibilities of inside and outside sales representatives have persistently evolved and adapted. Inside sales focuses on volume, targeting SMB and mid-market buyers with products that are typically more cost-effective and require less consideration from customers, while outside sales emphasizes securing high-value, high-quality accounts and targeting major customers with a higher average contract value. The inside sales team plays a crucial role in this dynamic environment.
The evolution of sales models has also been influenced by technological advancements and changes in the way people do business. The pandemic, for example, has necessitated a rapid transition from in-person events to remote selling for sales teams, forcing outside sales teams to adapt to inside sales technologies and procedures.
As the sales environment continues to transform, it becomes important for sales organizations to remain flexible and adjust their strategies to cater to the constantly changing needs of their customers.
Structuring Your Sales Team for Success
Structuring a sales team for success requires a strategic approach that considers the unique strengths and challenges of both inside and outside sales representatives. By aligning sales goals and fostering collaboration between inside and outside sales reps, organizations can create a cohesive sales strategy that drives results and maximizes revenue.
It becomes important to provide the required resources, tools, and training to assist sales teams in their endeavor to attain sales targets and preserve a balanced work-life environment.
Aligning Sales Goals
Aligning sales goals across inside and outside sales teams is crucial for ensuring a cohesive sales strategy and maximizing overall business performance. To create a unified sales strategy, it is essential to set common goals, foster collaboration, provide autonomy, align sales strategies, and ensure regular communication between teams. Addressing common challenges such as marketing-to-sales handoff, disparate systems, inconsistent data, and misaligned goals can be achieved through improved communication and collaboration, integrated systems, clear data management processes, and aligned goals through regular communication and shared targets.
By synchronizing sales goals between inside and outside sales teams, organizations can witness:
Collaboration Between Inside and Outside Sales
Collaboration between inside and outside sales representatives is essential for achieving optimal sales performance and maximizing overall business success. Ensuring collaboration involves aligning sales goals, fostering teamwork, and providing ongoing support and resources for sales representatives. By working together, inside and outside sales teams can optimize time dedicated to identifying new prospects, providing real-time alignment between teams, forming strong relationships with customers, encouraging a collaborative process, and improving communication and collaboration between teams.
Addressing the common challenges faced by inside and outside sales teams, such as:
can be achieved through increased communication, collaboration, and support from sales managers and leaders. By fostering a collaborative environment, sales organizations can maximize their sales performance and drive continued business growth.
Transitioning from Inside to Outside Sales: A Guide for Sales Professionals
For sales professionals contemplating a transition from inside to outside sales, it becomes important to adjust to new responsibilities and challenges peculiar to the field selling environment. Adopting effective prospecting strategies such as:
is crucial for success in outside sales. Additionally, cultivating a customer service mindset and forming relationships with colleagues and customers can help facilitate a smooth transition.
To successfully transition from inside to outside sales, sales professionals need to develop new skills and strategies to handle the unique challenges of field selling. These include adjusting to fluctuating schedules, managing travel logistics, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. By embracing these changes and focusing on building strong customer relationships, sales professionals can thrive in their new outside sales roles and contribute to the success of their organizations.
Balancing Act: Managing Travel and Sales Targets
Managing travel and sales targets in outside sales demands a careful balance, as sales representatives should effectively allocate their time and resources to cater to customer needs and boost sales performance. Effective time management practices for sales representatives include:
By implementing these practices, sales representatives can better manage their travel schedules and maximize their sales potential.
In addition to efficient time management, sales representatives can also leverage technology to manage travel logistics effectively. Some ways to do this include:
By implementing these strategies, sales representatives can maintain a healthy balance between travel and sales targets, ensuring the ongoing success of their outside sales efforts.
Cultivating a High Performing Sales Team in the Field
Nurturing a high-performing outside sales team involves a mix of hiring, training, and continuous support to aid sales representatives in realizing their full potential. Effective hiring practices, such as utilizing objective measurements and evidence-based decision-making rather than intuition, can help organizations recruit top-performing outside sales representatives. Providing access to comprehensive training programs can further enhance selling techniques, skills, and processes. Some examples of comprehensive training programs include:
Continual support of external sales teams, including offering feedback regularly, defining objectives and expectations, and providing incentives and rewards for meeting those objectives, is crucial for maintaining a high-performing outside sales team. Additionally, providing access to resources such as sales tools, technology, and training can help sales teams stay informed and motivated, ultimately driving increased sales and higher revenue for the company.
Navigating Challenges Unique to Outside Sales
Outside sales representatives frequently confront distinct challenges, including:
To address these challenges, sales representatives must develop effective strategies and utilize available tools and resources.
Sales representatives can optimize travel time, distance, and cost, align activities with sales objectives, streamline travel expenses, leverage technology, and remain organized to manage travel logistics effectively. Additionally, they can employ the following strategies to manage fluctuating schedules effectively:
By addressing the unique challenges of outside sales and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, sales representatives can achieve success in their field selling efforts.
Final thoughts on Outside Sales
In conclusion, outside sales is a dynamic and rewarding career path that requires a unique set of skills, strategies, and tools to succeed. By understanding the nuances of outside sales, effectively managing autonomy, building strong customer relationships, mastering the sales process in the field, utilizing modern tools and technology, and navigating the unique challenges faced by outside sales representatives, sales professionals can thrive in their field selling roles. It’s time to embrace the exciting world of outside sales and unlock your full potential as a sales professional!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of outside sales?
Outside sales involve traveling to customers’ locations, such as their offices or events like conferences and trade shows, to make a sales pitch, demonstrate products, and create relationships. Cold calling and door-to-door sales are some of the main methods used in outside sales.
Is outside sales a hard job?
Outside sales can be challenging due to the need for independent working and good time management skills. However, having a system in place such as a daily schedule can help manage the job successfully.
Is outside sales better than inside sales?
Outside sales may come with higher costs due to travel and lodging, but often result in deeper customer relationships, bigger sales, and higher salaries. In fact, outside salespeople typically work on higher-value deals and have a 10% higher average quota than inside sales agents. Overall, outside sales appears to be the more profitable option.
What is an outside sales representative job description?
As an outside sales representative, you will be responsible for conducting face-to-face customer interactions out in the field with both potential and existing customers, providing the best possible customer experience as well as hands-on product demonstrations.
What are some effective prospecting strategies for outside sales representatives?
Networking, leveraging referrals, and utilizing social media are effective ways for outside sales representatives to reach out to new prospects.