Moving from Inside Sales to Outside Sales

I figure there's more than a few sales guys and gals here, so I figured I'd throw this out to the masses. I have about 6 years of inside sales experience under my belt and am getting offered a couple outside sales positions.

Has anyone here made a move from inside to outside? I'm curious as to what your experience was like and if the transition was easier or harder than you thought it'd be.

Hey congrats on the new position. I am mostly a desk jockey but the thing about outside sales is that people sometimes are awful lying rude jerks that make you hate your job... they are the 3-5% you will deal with. If you come at your job with a positive attitude all the rest will be wicked awesome people that you will build great work relationships with. Just remember you might get a few jerks now and again but most people are great.

Good Luck!

I have been in sales my whole life. First computer services then snack foods then commercial lighting and now personal care items. HIGHLY recommended! It is like having your own business, I can't imagine anything other than sales. It is not about the money, it is about calling your own shots.

A lot of it is not deep knowledge about the product but relational. So, think genuine enthusiasm rather than bits and bytes about obscure product factoids. Here is your most important charge: Demonstrate to the prospect why it is his / her best interest to buy your product.

There, class is over. Ha, ha!

Captain Pre-Capsize said:

A lot of it is not deep knowledge about the product but relational. So, think genuine enthusiasm rather than bits and bytes about obscure product factoids. Here is your most important charge: Demonstrate to the prospect why it is his / her best interest to buy your product.

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I've been in a company where the technical people thought they could do the selling themselves, based on their product knowledge. Needless to say that it didn't work. Customers don't want to know about all bolts and nuts indeed.

On the other hand, I've also been in a company with arrogant sales jerks who knew nothing, apart from how to do quick hits and runs to get the maximum bonus. You can build relationships all you want; when you're selling crap, customers will know it in the end.

There is a sometimes difficult relationship between technical specialists and sales people ... but I've learned over time that they need each other, and that a company only works well when both parties respect each other, and try to learn from each other (but not too much).

dushea said:

I figure there's more than a few sales guys and gals here, so I figured I'd throw this out to the masses. I have about 6 years of inside sales experience under my belt and am getting offered a couple outside sales positions.

Has anyone here made a move from inside to outside? I'm curious as to what your experience was like and if the transition was easier or harder than you thought it'd be.

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Dustin,
I made that transition decades ago and it's a natural one for any sales professional. It's part of your professional growth. My experience was that it wasn't really "harder", but it required changing the way one worked with the customer when building a trusting relationship. There are now all sorts of visual cues that can either promote or stunt the relationship. Time management is also a critical change. Managing one's time for an inside sales job requires protecting yourself from office distractions that have you doing unproductive work. Outside sales requires managing a territory so that your most productive hours aren't wasted in airports, traffic jams or long fruitless road trips.

Can you tell us if you'll be selling to a different group of customers? i.e. will you be dealing with strategic accounts/enterprise accounts? Will you be doing more account management and less new account acquisition or will you just be expected to hit the same metrics (sales volume, new accounts acquisition, deals closed etc) on the outside as on the inside? In other words, is it a different job or just a different location doing the same thing?

m

+1
I am helping my assistant make that change now. For him: 1. Pare down the bureaucracy 2. Begin to think out side the box 3. Go fishing...always watch for new sales opportunities and then pursue them

oakeshott said:

Dustin,
I made that transition decades ago and it's a natural one for any sales professional. It's part of your professional growth. My experience was that it wasn't really "harder", but it required changing the way one worked with the customer when building a trusting relationship. There are now all sorts of visual cues that can either promote or stunt the relationship. Time management is also a critical change. Managing one's time for an inside sales job requires protecting yourself from office distractions that have you doing unproductive work. Outside sales requires managing a territory so that your most productive hours aren't wasted in airports, traffic jams or long fruitless road trips.

Can you tell us if you'll be selling to a different group of customers? i.e. will you be dealing with strategic accounts/enterprise accounts? Will you be doing more account management and less new account acquisition or will you just be expected to hit the same metrics (sales volume, new accounts acquisition, deals closed etc) on the outside as on the inside? In other words, is it a different job or just a different location doing the same thing?

m

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1.If sales call reports are required, make sure you do them and get them in on time. Nothing will put you on the radar in a negative light faster than being that guy who is always late with paperwork.

2. If it's relationship selling, it will take time.

3. Don't run the competition down, sell your product on it's strength not the competitions weakness.

4. See if you can shadow the most successful outside rep.. He or she is doing it right and high achievers will share and be willing to help.

5. Be yourself.

6. Become organized and have literature and business cards at all times.

7. Be on time for appointments.

8. Get quotes out that day if possible.

9. Handle credit issues quickly.

10. Have fun and make your customers laugh.. No one wants a grumpy sales rep..

The 2nd important thing is to turn it off at the end of the day. Rehashing a lost sale or problem does nothing..

The most important thing is to: GET OUT OF BED !!!!

I'm in purchasing.

I have a different perspective then some.

I agree with everything Mojo88 said to tell you the truth.

The one pet peeve I have is if someone takes things personal. Business is business. If someone asks a question, they might already know the answer. So unless you know the answer for sure, say you don't know but you'll find out. Then follow up ASAP.

I prefer to close a deal in person, but sometimes it's cool to just email.

Regardless of the industry, most buyers have the same set of responsibilities and varied workload that isn't strictly laid out to devote all their time to dealing with vendors and suppliers. The tedious busy work takes a lot of time as well. When you get someone's time, make sure to thank them for it.

I've had plenty of salespeople call on me just to do a routine touch up. That's cool. Keep in touch so you're not a stranger when the time is right. Don't treat the little guys like they're a waste of your time. They know other buyers in the industry.

Some of my smallest spends take more time and effort than my biggest spends.

I've also come to realize that where I work, the sales staff are trained a little different than the average salesperson. I don't get along with them actually. Arrogance is a huge issue for me, and it floats in front of you and behind you. Confidence is different. If you know your stuff and believe in what you're selling, you'll do great. If you treat every sale like the most important one, you'll do even better.

Oh yeah, and not everyone follows sports. If I had a penny for every salesman who tried to break the ice with small talk about sports I'd be retired by now. Lots of people are into sports, but in the chance you call on someone who isn't- don't look panicked- make sure you have some other neutral tidbit to follow up with!!!

Make a note, mentally or on your paper or tablet, about one thing personal about the customer the first time you meet them. Spouse's name, grade their kids are in, where they like to go fishing, their favorite brand of cigar, whatever. Then mention it the third time you see them. Sounds less creepy than if you mention it the second time you see them, and sounds more personable than asking again if they are married or have kids later on after you've already met a few times.

I keep a short note in my contacts list of personal things like that.
For instance "likes 70's kung-foo movies" or "son in college" so when the negotiations get heavy or the names and faces all jumble together I have a tangent to change the conversation and a real way to jog my memory about who I'm talking to.

The last tidbit I'll share with you is this, if you look like you don't need the sale you probably won't close the deal. Dress nice, wear a nice watch, drive a clean car. If you show up in a brand new car, wear a watch that costs more than a nice suit, or have a pair of shoes that cost 1k, you might give the wrong impression. I'm not saying to slum it in sneakers and khakis unless that's the norm for the industry you're in. I'm just saying that if you're going in to visit a customer and your wardrobe is nicer than their office, they'll wonder about whether you're making a margin or gouging them. Carry a nice pen, and don't overdo it with the AS or cologne.

I always call the guys I met in person before the guys who cold called me. While I know I'd make a terrible salesman, if i were I'd prefer to be outside!

Bump. Good thread. I just went into sales in my career. I know the industry but I need to get better and more comfortable at prospecting.

I wonder if the OP took that new position?

Some huge differences between inside and outside. Just as big is the difference between sales and sales management. Lots of times someone who is great at selling gets kicked up, and s/he actually is lacking in the traits needed to manage people and systems.

mightyeskimo said:

Bump. Good thread. I just went into sales in my career. I know the industry but I need to get better and more comfortable at prospecting.

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Thanks for posting. Saw some good bits of advice. I started working in an insurance office this February.

Macfrommichigan said:

Some huge differences between inside and outside. Just as big is the difference between sales and sales management. Lots of times someone who is great at selling gets kicked up, and s/he actually is lacking in the traits needed to manage people and systems.

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Exactly. Just because you can sell, it doesn't mean you can manage. I have seen tremendously successful salespeople become horrible bosses. The mistake most make is trying to convince salespeople to sell exactly like they did. In selling you have to find your own style and work at it. I read a lot of books in the beginning and took something away from each thing I read.

The worst sales managers were the ones from outside the industry. They would come in and start to measure everything. I told a sale manager once that metrics and measurement didn't equate to leadership. He tried the generic approach in selling and it was a huge failure. He had no knowledge and customers saw right through it.

One book I read recently was.....The Like Switch..... it's a great book for people in sales.

Good luck. I love the actual sales part of my job. If I could get rid of anything, it's the corporation that places no value on what bridges I've built with the community and seems to delight in burning them. If you follow Dale Carnegie's advice and take an interest in other people, you'll have it made.