Modern businesses often ignore face-to-face sales in favor of its little brother: inside sales.
This is understandable given that an inside sales force can be 40% to 90% less expensive than an outside sales force.
However, cheaper does not always mean better. If you're a B2B company, or any company selling a complex solution, nothing beats the personal touch of outside sales. This is particularly true in the liquid energy industry.
The main differences between internal and external sales
Think about it. How many sales emails do you ignore per day?
Do you answer or give your full attention to every call you make?
Mostly not.
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Unlike outside salespeople who work hard to achieve agreed-upon "face time" with customers, inside salespeople can be ignored.
Outside sales teams create face-to-face interactions that lead to stronger customer relationships. In fact, 95% of people agree that face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term business relationships with Eaton hydraulic valve Rexroth a4vg
.
There is a big difference in money. Outside sales teams have a 30.2% higher close rate, and their average sales revenue is about 130% higher than inside sales teams.
By contrast, it costs less to retain inside salespeople, who earn 15% less than outside sales. They tend to generate less revenue per order than outside sales, but research shows they have shorter sales cycles.
Given the data above, if your inside sales team is outperforming your outside sales team, chances are your outside sales performance isn't as good as it should be.
Strategies to improve your external sales force
An outside sales force can be your biggest expense or your biggest source of income. To improve your performance, use these seven strategies.
Strategy #1: Use your best salespeople to identify the best new hires
Appointing the right representatives is crucial. Employee turnover is one of the biggest expenses in business, especially when those employees are salespeople. Replacing them can cost up to 200% of an employee's annual salary.
Hire right the first time by surveying your top salespeople and using them as a "measuring tool" for job candidates. Ask about their habits, behaviours and attributes that they use in the field and use them as criteria in the hiring process with rexroth hydraulic pump parts.
Strategy #2: Train your reps
It is common for hydraulic and pneumatic salespeople to get technical training if they do not already have this knowledge.
However, sales training is often overlooked when considering how to cut costs. It seems like an expense, but it is actually an investment.
Sales training improves performance and creates more business in the future. Establishing an in-house sales training program is a cost-effective way to teach sales skills and product knowledge.
Proper sales training proactively lowers costs. For more information on effective sales training, check out Badger's Ultimate Guide to Sales Training.
Strategy #3: Promote transparency
Transparency motivates.
If the rest of your team can see how many meetings your great salespeople are putting together, they'll try harder. Think of friendly ways to promote competition during your weekly meetings, like investing in a "scoreboard" for the office where you can watch the numbers rise.
Also, make it part of your sales culture, openly discuss what works for your star salespeople so everyone can benefit from your experience. Work in informal and relaxed ways to encourage this communication, such as team building events.
Strategy #4: Track your team's analytics
In sports, a good coach looks at players' weaknesses so they can find ways to help them get stronger. In sales, the leader must do the same.
A strong CRM can help with this. It allows you to dig into your team's performance and get serious insight into their strengths and weaknesses.
Track their meetings, bumps, closed deals, and missed opportunities to get an accurate view of their untapped potential, then create action plans to support them where they need it most.
Strategy #5: Drive Success
In B2B companies, the incentive structure is the biggest influence on the performance of the sales force. This seems quite true when it comes to foreign sales in fluid power and manufacturing distribution.
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