Sales Rep 101 – Chapter 33

Inside Sales

Inside Sales Reps can make a great income if they have the right opportunity. But it also depends on the amount of effort they put into it. We have all walked into a store and could not find anyone to help us. When that happens to me that tells me that the store doesn’t have a good inside sales staff. Over my 30 year sales career I have had many inside sales jobs. And I have seen people have great success but also fail miserably. But the truth is that it really depends on you. If you have the skills and the drive to always get better then Inside Sales can be a great career for you. Let’s take a look at what it takes to be successful.

What Is Inside Sales

So what exactly is Inside Sales and what is typically the process of Inside sales? Inside sales is quite different from most other Sales Jobs. And the reason for that is because 100% of your customers come to you looking for what you sell. That means that customers are either coming into your store and you are helping them find what they are looking for or your customers are calling into your office. A step further would be working with Online leads or email marketing leads that come into the store.

Inside Sales does absolutely zero cold calling or prospecting and that is why many people choose Inside Sales. Because the thought of cold calling makes many people want to throw up! However, Inside Sales does not pay near as well as other types of sales though. So the process for Inside sales is pretty simple. Customers either come into your store or office and ask about your products or service. You help them find the best solution to what they are looking for and sell the customer. Inside Sales reps usually will earn a small commission for every sale generated in a month.

I have had many, many sales jobs over my career and that includes Inside Sales. The reason that I love Outside Sales so much is because of the Flexibility. Inside Sales reps are always in the store or office with a schedule of when they can take breaks and their lunch breaks. And this works better for some sales reps. But for most Sales Reps that I know it is much harder for them to be in Inside Sales.

Inside sales reps generally are in the office either 8-5 or in shifts depending on the hours of the store they work in. During slow times Inside Sales can get pretty boring. Especially if your manager doesn’t ask you to stay busy. However, I know a lot of managers that will always find things for reps to do when it’s slow. Either cleaning up the store, reorganizing some things, or following up with potential sales. They will generate a list of people that have not purchased yet and have reps make calls to generate sales. That is not fun.

I have a funny example that doesn’t really apply as Inside sales but still funny. I worked at a Liquor store in college and the owners hated it when it was slow and we were doing nothing. So he would have me dust every bottle in the store. Thousands of stupid liquor bottles! It was awful. My point is that Inside sales can get pretty slow sometimes so you need to be prepared to at least look busy.

Inside sales can take on many forms. Maybe the most familiar example would be a store like best buy. When you walk into Best Buy you would walk over to the department you were looking at and someone would usually greet you right away and ask what you were looking for. Were they just being nice? In part yes, but they also make a small commission off of each sale that they make.

Some reps are more aggressive than others. I have walked into a store like a Best Buy and I have had 5 people come up to me before I even get back the department I’m looking for. Those types of reps will usually do well in Inside Sales because they are going to make more sales. I have also been in stores where it takes an act of God to find someone to help. That is why companies offer a commission on each sale. They want to make sure the customers are getting taken care of.

The other type of Inside sales would be someone working in an office and taking care of customers calling in. Of course the phones are not constantly ringing, so that type of sales rep will have a list of other things to do to help generate sales as well. An example of this would be a heating and air company or a home improvement company. And to some extent an insurance agent. Calls would be answered by a receptionist and forwarded on to a sales rep who can sell them their insurance.

Phone Sales is a different type of sales though. It may seem like a type of inside sales but it is called phone sales for a reason. They are constantly on the phone. Either in a call center where they are constantly taking incoming calls, or using an automated dialer and making outgoing phone calls. The outgoing phone calls have slowed over the years due to the constant scam calls that we now get. However, they can still have access to a list of current customers or potential customers that they can call.

Inside Sales Examples

So let’s take a look at some other sales jobs that may not pay quite as well but you can still earn a decent living.

• Inside Sales
• Best Buy type stores
• Furniture Sales
• Phone Sales
• Insurance Sales (for the first few years)

For the most part on average these positions will be selling items that would not be classified as big ticket items. Also, these are example of Inside Sales which usually pays an hourly wage plus commission. Because you are making an hourly wage your commissions are not as high. However, some people prefer these types of jobs because they are not as stressful and the customers usually come to you.

Inside Sales can be the type of job that you start to take for granted. Because you feel like you can just cruise through the day and just clock out at the end of the day. However, if your manager is watching they will always be trying hard to replace you with someone better. Here are a few tips to become a good inside sales rep.

Work Hard – Yes I know this seems like common sense but you would be surprised. Because I am have spent my whole career in sales I watch sales reps when I go into stores. I am shocked at how lazy people are these days. Work hard from day one and your manager will take notice. It may take a while but you will earn more money with a promotion.

Learn Your Products – Again, common sense would tell you that all sales reps should know what they are talking about but this is not the case. If a customer comes in and doesn’t feel comfortable buying from you won’t sell as much which means less commission. Become knowledgeable and you will make more money!

Engage – Make sure you are engaging with your customers. Don’t wait for them to come find you. If you see a customer looking around go ask them what you can help them with. They will almost always ask you a question. Then you can make the sale and make more money!

Be Aggressive – No I don’t mean be a complete idiot and yell at customers. What I mean is have a plan and try and talk to as many people as you can during your shift. Because it is a numbers game. The more people you talk to them more sales you will make. And you know what that means. When I walk into a store I can spot these reps immediately and I know they are making the most money.

Ask Your Manager – Talk to your manager and ask them what you can do to get better. Ask them if they need any help on a project they are working on for the store. I know this sounds like sucking up and there may be some truth to that. But that shows initiative and that will go a long way to you getting better hours and more sales and more money.