How to Up Your Inside Sales Capabilities

Unlike traditional forms of sales, inside sales representatives are highly trained individuals who are required to identify, nurture, and convert leads into customers through remote systems.

This virtual form of selling is made possible with the rapid evolution of technology and is becoming highly dominant within B2B, technology, and high-ticket sectors. However, to remain competitive in this emerging system of sales, inside sales representatives must be educated on the tools necessary to drive favorable results.

Just like you wouldn’t attempt to repair your car without the relevant tools, you shouldn’t try to take on inside sales without the relevant skills.

There are numerous strategies that all successful inside sales reps employ to close more deals and create more satisfied customers.

All of these skills can be quickly learned and implemented into your toolkit to help you achieve better results.

Below we’ll cover our top 5 tactics you must include in your inside sales strategy.

1. Develop a mastery of product knowledge:

Contacting a prospect and gaining their interest is the most difficult step of the inside sales process. However, if a product related query is asked and the sales rep cannot answer it, the prospect will almost instantly lose interest.

All successful inside sales reps must develop extensive knowledge of their company’s products. Through in-depth training, sales reps should have the ability to answer any question, whether basic or advanced; technical or practical.

Deep product knowledge enables sales reps to transform their pitch around each individual prospect, by specifying how the product’s features will provide value and satisfy the unique needs of the potential customer.

Knowing how each product works, the value it can provide, and its strongest features separates the top 1% of sales representatives from the rest.

2. Learn how to listen:

Inside sales revolves around the needs of the prospect, not the sales rep. Better results will be achieved once the representative focuses on the unique needs of the prospect, rather than their own desire to close the deal.

Inside sales reps should begin by listening attentively to their prospect’s needs and difficulties. In doing so, they can delve deep into the unique issue and develop personalized questions and suggestions that cater to the situation.

By putting yourself in the shoes of the prospect, you can determine which features and benefits are most important to highlight, based on what will provide them with the most value.

Rather than listing off all the product features and capabilities at once, this approach allows representatives to deliver a more ‘customer-centric experience’.

Since the benefits sought by each customer will vary, basing the value of your product on the needs of the individual will build a more favorable relationship.

3. Embrace the marketing team and research your prospects:

Marketers work to generate interest and demand for a product. Once leads begin appearing, inside sales representatives take over to close the deal. Clear communication between marketing and sales teams is crucial in finding qualified leads that are likely to be converted into customers.

Drawing insight into prospects enhances your ability to dictate the likelihood of closing a deal. An effective strategy to uncover these key details is to utilize social media platforms such as LinkedIn to research your leads. In doing so, you can learn about the prospect’s position in the organization, their capacity to make decisions, and other valuable information that can assist the sales process.

With this insight, inside sales reps can tailor their conversation around the prospect, providing for a more personalized and customer-centric experience.

4. Communicate clearly and responsively:

It’s not about what you say, it’s how you say it. The way you communicate your message is a vital sales skill and can help prospects relate with you when conversing.

We can make others feel comfortable by mirroring their actions – the same goes for their tone and style of voice. Matching the way in which a prospect communicates can go a long way. If they are speaking in a serious tone, do the same. Conversely, if they are using informal language, the same principle applies.

Actively listening and responding with follow-up questions shows that you are focused on the needs of the prospect, rather than concentrating only on what you are going to say next.

Base the conversation around the prospect to emphasize that you are not selling them a product, but rather, trying to provide them with a solution to their problem.

5. Remember to follow up:

It’s awfully easy to send the first e-mail or make the first phone call, however, following up can be daunting. One week passes… no response. One month… still nothing. Should you move onto the next prospect?

Research by The National Sales Executive Association showed that 80% of sales are made after the fifth call and 92% of salespeople give up before that.

To succeed as an inside sales rep, you must be persistent and confident. Eliminating the fear of rejection will differentiate yourself from 92% of people competing for the same position and will put you in a better position to gain the client’s attention.