Inside vs. Outside Sales Part 3

In earlier posts, we talked about the difference between inside sales vs. outside sales. But there is still a third type, which is becoming more common. Hybrid sales merge the highlights of an outside sales position with the financial benefits of inside sales.

Typically, a hybrid salesperson will spend a portion of their day in the office, making sales calls and dealing with emails. Often they will be responsible for running email marketing campaigns and calling sales leads. After making contact with the leads in the office, they then visit clients in person. A good example of a hybrid sales representative would be an insurance agent. They work both in the office and out of it, and reap the benefits of both.

But why would you want to be a hybrid salesperson?

If you work primarily with inside sales, going outside of the office can help break the monotony of your day and changing scenery can stave off burn out. Another benefit is that you get to have the personal relationship with your clients and the high closing rate while still making larger numbers with calling contacts and internet marketing campaigns. The downside is that when you are working in hybrid sales, you lose the casual dress code and work environment.

If you are an outside sales representative, spending time in the office can help you to feel more grounded. It can give you better organizing tools just by having a desk somewhere. Also, being able to network with your coworkers and feel like you are an important part of the team can help you keep from feeling isolated and make you feel more included in the office environment. Because you are spending a portion of the day in the office, you can generate more income by following up leads by email or phone and participating in internet marketing. The cons to this position is that you lose the self management part of outside sales and have more contact with a boss. Which could be a good thing, if you struggle with self motivation.

Either way you go, inside, outside or a mix of the two, a career in sales allows you to make quite a bit of money without education, credentials or experience. Success as a salesperson depends on your ability to communicate with clients, make the sale and build relationships. If you decide to change careers, the skills you gained as a salesperson will serve you well in almost any other type of career field.

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.