Inside Sales TIPS: Who is really suited for inside sales?

Inside Sales TIPS: Who is really suited for inside sales?

Inside salespeople, who communicate with prospective customers (leads) by phone or e-mail, listen to their needs and issues they are considering, and build relationships with them, are indispensable in today’s age of non-personal sales. On the other hand, there is a strong image that inside sales is a difficult, demanding, and mentally challenging job, and that it is not suitable for everyone.

In this issue, we will tell you what kind of person is “really suited for inside sales” and the unknown charms of inside sales.

Is inside sales difficult/tough? Who is suited for it?

Why Inside Sales is Considered a Tough Job

In this article, I would like to discuss the qualities required for inside sales and what is necessary, focusing mainly on the mental aspect.

It is often said that inside sales is difficult and demanding, and there are several factors that contribute to this.

First, the inside sales position itself is between marketing and sales, and it is easy to get caught between the two in terms of results and workflow.

Another is the poor image of “telephone sales” and “tele-appointments. While inside sales is a sales activity that focuses on building relationships, tele-appointments are sales activities that specialize in making promises (appointments), but it is true that many people confuse the two. If you focus only on making appointments and practice quantity-oriented calls with aggressive scenarios, both the caller and the receiver will experience a great deal of stress.

Inside sales, executed according to a well-developed strategy and in accordance with established operations, is not subject to unnecessary stress.

However, there is a knack to making 30 to 50 calls daily, or 100 calls depending on the project. It is also a skill that is needed for inside sales, and those who can have it are “good at inside sales”.

Mental skills and imagination required for inside sales

So what skills are really needed for inside sales?

Is it the skill to execute a talk meticulously and accurately according to a call script (script)?
Or the quest to acquire project-related knowledge?
Or is it the mentality of not breaking even after a tough rejection…

All of these are very important, but there is something even more important to consider before utilizing these skills and qualities.
That is the mindset of always thinking about the other party on the other end of the line.
Of course, a phone call is only as good as the person on the other end of the line.
Especially in call work that emphasizes deep listening and listening closely, the presence of the other party is even more important.

In inside sales, the most important thing is to have a meaningful conversation with the caller, who is the main actor. To achieve this, it is necessary to always imagine and understand the caller’s situation.
Specifically, we use our imagination in the following ways

• What kind of business situation is the person on the other end of the line? Busy? Not so busy?
• Do they understand the purpose of the call?
• Have you convinced them to have the conversation?
• Are you able to convey what you want to say to the other party?
• Are they satisfied with the content of the conversation?
• Do they feel that our empathy and sharing is sufficient?

Call work is a collaborative effort with the other party, which is only possible when the other party is present. The main actor is always the caller. To complement the leading role, it is important to consider the feelings of the leading role and be close to them.