Why Inside Sales Training Matters for an Organisation

In the post-pandemic world, inside sales have become as important as outside sales, if not more. Telemarketing, email correspondence, and social media outreach are important sales strategies in 2022. If your sales strategy does not include these, the results will not be as expected.

Traditionally, sales reps are trained for outside sales. They learn the art of conversation, have a credible personality, can make people feel comfortable, and so on. Training and reskilling become indispensable when we shift these skills to long-distance communication. 

Let’s find out more about why inside sales training matters for an organisation.

What Are Inside Sales?

Put simply, inside sales are remote sales. But the term inside sales incorporates much more than the final sales figures. It includes identifying a prospect, nurturing the relationship with them, building trust, and then converting them into buyers. 

We do the same things in traditional sales as well. The only difference between outside and inside sales is the mode of communication. In outside sales, you are physically interacting with another person, and in inside sales, the communication is over calls, texts, emails, and messages. 

Why Are Inside Sales More Relevant Than Ever?

A few decades ago, inside sales would constitute a tiny percentage of a company’s overall sales. Now it can go up to 50-50 or be even more skewed in favour of inside sales. The reasons behind this development are simple:

1. More people have access to different modes of communication.

2. Time efficiency – inside sales allows the sales development representative (SDR) to reach more people in less time.

3. Organisations are using remote SDRs to expand their pool of talent.

4. The average consumer now has a better understanding of remote sales and is not suspicious of them.

The more connected we are as a people, the more inside sales will matter. Think about how much time and money it saves for an SDR to convert an overseas lead over calls versus travelling there physically. Organisations can also employ more SDRs when inside sales are their primary sales avenue. 

While there are several benefits of inside sales, there are challenges. That is where inside sales training comes into play, and even experienced sales reps can benefit from inside sales training. 

But first, let’s identify the challenges of inside sales training. These are the challenges that inside sales training will help you overcome. 

Challenges of Inside Sales

Here are some of the key challenges of inside sales:

1. Lack of trust

Face-to-face interactions are always more credible than remote interactions. It is particularly important for B2B deals. No business would be willing to partner with a supplier if they do not have 100% trust in them. Invoking this trust and credibility without any personal, physical interaction is difficult.

2. Disconnected customer experience

Disconnected customer experience is a side effect of inside sales and not necessarily a challenge. The customer’s experience can be disconnected when they do not have a complete idea of what they are signing up for. They may also feel disconnected from the company that is offering the product or service. As a result, their interest in the transaction can start to wane.

3. Training requirement

As we already mentioned, outside sales skills do not necessarily translate to inside sales skills. Consequently, inside sales training becomes necessary for the organisation or company. However, it is both a challenge and an opportunity. Inside sales training will also have a positive impact on outside sales. The challenge here is providing the training itself. 

Why Does Inside Sales Training Matter?

Inside sales training has two key advantages – increased sales and better-trained employees. However, you cannot learn (or teach) inside sales in a classroom with a theoretical approach. Hands-on training and experience are the only ways to train sales reps for inside sales. 

Here’s why inside sales training matters for an organisation in 2022:

1. More sales

Obviously, the better your sales skills are, the more you’d be able to sell. Inside sales training is not very different from traditional training in its fundamentals. You must still trust, build strong connections, and invoke curiosity. The biggest advantage of inside sales training is more skilled sales reps. 

2. Time efficiency

Inside sales take much less time than outside sales. Skilled inside sales reps can close deals much faster. As a result, they can now dedicate the remaining working hours to administrative tasks. More free time also means more time to learn and upskill. Effective inside sales training saves a company both time and money.

3. Specialised sales reps

Most sales reps struggle when it comes to specialisation, and most organisations look for generalist sales reps who can handle different types of customers. However, you would want a specialist for large deals involving C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, and VIP clients. 

With inside sales training, sales reps have the opportunity to specialise in a specific category of leads. This, in turn, helps the organisation close more deals and establish deeper connections with its most valued customers.

4. Employee retention and sales culture 

Without any upskilling and training, sales can be a very stagnant profession. As a result, it’s not uncommon for companies to lose their best sales reps when they decide to switch fields. 

With inside sales training,  the overall sales culture of an organisation improves. Upskilled employees are also more passionate about their work since they now have a growth trajectory. The overall performance of the sales team improves as a result of this. 

How to Provide Inside Sales Training

Since inside sales training requires a hands-on approach, you cannot teach it through courses, classes, and resource materials. The most effective way is to learn as you go. However, some formal training to establish the ground rules is always effective.  

All organisations should start thinking about inside sales training in 2022. The longer you wait, the more you miss out on. 

For more sales and sales training resources, check out the Juno School blog.