Inside sales

Introduction

Companies across the world have taken their tents and discovered a new place called the internet. Like every other element of our lives, technology has revolutionized the face of sales. Businesses have begun to develop a workforce that finds prospects inside four walls. And patrons are much more comfortable with that too! In this blog, we will discuss the top 5 inside sales practices to crack your targets every month.

With inside sales, companies are putting more effort than just selling their products/services. They wanna make the clients happy and satisfied by understanding their difficulties and requirements and addressing them in the best possible way. How you do that is a learning curve which the best of the teams crack over a period of time.

Here we bring the top 5 practices that the best inside sales teams do to crack their targets every month.

1. Always start the conversation on a warm note

As an inside sales rep, you might frequently have to initiate contact with your prospects. Make sure you start the conversation on a friendly and respectful note with them. First things first, call them by their name and make sure you have researched on a completely unrelated topic to break the ice with them, it could be about some of the latest news or events, or even on today’s weather. If you can find something they are generally interested in or have recently mentioned in their social media posts, you will have a great way to build a rapport with them.

Do state the objective of your meeting, but make it a crisp one. Avoid too much jargon or acronyms and keep the language simple so you don’t confuse them. Once you have done that, keep the next parts of the conversation focused on them, listen openly and try to understand their goals and challenges. Ask them some questions which they are happy to talk about. Remember, don’t cut them off when they’re speaking at all.

2. Treat yourself as a consultant and chief problem-solver

In your role as an inside sales rep, you often have the great opportunity to help customers address many of the issues plaguing their operations — both to help them grow, but also to avoid problems in the first place. Make sure you don’t shy away from this and make the most use of this opportunity.

This is easier said than done and to become a problem-solver, you will have to prepare for your sales conversations in advance. You will need to research your prospect and anticipate client needs before your calls. Then, in your conversations with customers, make all the efforts to learn what issues and challenges they are facing, and then address them by providing solutions that fix those in the best possible way to your prospects’ interest.

3. Craft a powerful story that builds value and excitement

One of the most common reasons inside sales reps’ conversations start to fall flat is a lack of enthusiasm. You might have the best product, a good sales pitch, and are also well prepared. But what matters is your enthusiasm when you are into the conversation.

In the conversation, you want to position yourself as a trusted business partner who can meet the needs of your prospects. Your objective, you want to give prospects reasons to work with you rather than your competitors. The key to doing this is by telling a compelling story that shows how you can help them, how your company can solve their pain points, and how they’re going to benefit from working with you.

A compelling story builds value and excitement for your audience creates a “pull” for a prospect to want to see you in more situations, engage with you, and interact with you. It also positions you as a trusted business partner.

4. Build trust through listening

The inside sales rep’s ability to build credibility and trust with the prospect lies in their ability to listen. Too many sales reps start the conversation with a quick sales pitch without first listening, discovering the true need, and sharing the solution they can bring. This sales pitch-centric approach tends to alienate the prospect and result in a lost opportunity.

Instead, make sure to listen and understand the prospect’s journey and then share the solution you can bring to their business challenges and see where that goes from there. This approach helps you understand your prospects’ business inside out, and as it is rightly said that “Getting to know someone is the best way to build credibility and trust,” 

5. Never stop following up

As an inside sales rep, the only way you are getting to know your prospects more and establishing a rapport with them is by talking to them more and more. The best way to do this is to make sure you are actively following up with prospects.

Follow up with new sales leads and existing customers. This may mean via the phone, messages, emails, or even via social media. Find ways to keep yourself in the eyes of your prospects always. In today’s virtual world, social media has provided the option to stay connected more frequently than you ever did, it is up to you to make sure you use it in the most effective way.

When you commit to never stop following up, you’re differentiating yourself from virtually everyone else who’s competing with you for this prospects’ business (and attention). The key with your follow-up is to keep it short and sweet, yet remain persistent.

Conclusion

Inside sales is an art, something which you enjoy doing because you like listening, solving problems and talking to more and more people. Every conversation gives you the opportunity to make yourself better at this art. We hope these 5 inside sales practices give you a good direction to make yourself better and convert more deals.

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