Inside vs. Outside Sales Part 2

In a the first part of this series, we were talking about the differences between inside sales and outside sales. Often, when looking for a new job in the sales field, the only information the job advertisment contains is whether it is for an inside sales representative or an outside salesperson.

So, what is outside sales?

An outside salesperson typically visits client on a weekly or monthly basis. They follow up sales leads in person and build relationships with current clients. Because they work outside of the office, without much in the way of supervision, typically this sort of sales rep is very experienced. It is crucial that the salesperson be self motivated and able to work under pressure with many and varied tasks.

Acting as the face of the company to clients, means that anyone working in this type of job has to represent the company image. This means that they definitely have a dress code. Often, the leaders in this field are immaculately groomed and are required to look their best on a daily basis. Anyone entering this field should be prepared to invest quite a bit of money on their wardrobe.

During a sales visit, a sales representative will be expected to sit down with customers to discuss their needs and explain what products and services the company can provide to meet those needs. Often, this is done through presentations using powerpoint, catalogs, product samples or brochures, and many times are given to groups of one to two hundred. Public speaking and persuasive speaking are crucial in this position.

Because of the amount of travel, be it local or across the country, these salespeople often work longer days than their inside sales counterpart. The benefit of meeting with clients face to face is that typically the outside sales representative will have a higher closing rate. Many employees find that even though their days are longer, the changing scenery makes their days go by faster and breaks the monotony of answering phone call after phone call.

An outside salesperson is invaluable to their company. Because of the personal nature of their business, if an employee decides to go to work for a competitor, often they take the customers with them. By building personal relationships with clients, these sales reps find that they have higher customer satisfaction and repeat clients.

But, in the changing world of sales, there has been tremendous growth in a new category of sales. In the next post in the series, we will take a closer look at Hybrid Sales.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.