When hiring a new inside sales rep, or developing an existing one, look no further than your top performers for elite qualities.
The following are traits or habits of effective inside sellers that serve as a guide for improving your overall team.
Highly Productive
First and foremost, great inside sales reps are extremely productive. They make a high volume of prospecting calls much more efficiently than a typical field rep.
A major difference between inside and outside sales activities is the communication approach. The best inside reps are artists at building rapport and making prospects comfortable on the phone.
Diligent and Analytical
Not only are they top producers, but top reps monitor how well their calls turn into appointments or conversions. Salesforce noted that, amongst a number of different variables they track, one of these is the best times of day to call to achieve more success.
By monitoring the factors that lead to successful or unsuccessful calls, top reps fine-tune their approaches over time. Their analytical nature contributes to improved efficiency. One way you can aid your inside reps during lead generation is to arm them with top data acquisition like the one from Internal Results. We have a team of people who constantly update our 90+ [updated: June 2017] million business contacts so you are always guaranteed of having up to date contact information for your team, thereby saving them time and effort.
Deep Product Knowledge
Nothing distinguishes elite-level insider reps from good ones more than deep product knowledge. Of course, strong product knowledge is important for any salesperson, but given the limitation of a phone exchange, it is especially vital to an inside rep. Sellers need to explain benefits of greatest value to each prospect, and accurately address concerns that arise.
Alert and Effective at Multi-Tasking
Few jobs require more multitasking than inside selling. Reps make calls in a busy office and must focus on key CRM details in the midst of a conversation. These reps are especially important in capturing the data marketing needs to build effective promotional materials that they can share with their field sales teams and marketing personnel.
Also, inside reps understand the selling process, and how a particular call to a prospect fits in. An interaction at lead generation is different from an interaction later in the cycle, for instance.
Competitive and Highly Motivated
Inside selling is sometimes stressful, and in some workplaces, making 100 or more calls a day wears on reps. A high level of motivation and a strong work ethic are essential to grind out calls.
Goal orientation and competitive instincts also contribute to peak performance. You want inside sales people that want to do more than the bare minimum; they want to be among the best.
Conclusion
The most effective inside sales reps are top producers, and efficient in everything they do. They know the selling process inside and out and make it their mission to know more about products than anyone else. Even in the midst of chaos, top inside sellers drive lead generation activities in your company.
Our Inside Sales teams work with some of the largest organisations in the world. Contact us for more information on how our solutions can support the efforts of your top sellers!
