Nearly every dealer I work with believes that the inside sales team can make or break an organization. That team is the first point of contact for most of your customers and the first faces that people see when entering your showroom. With this in mind, I’m thinking that 2014 should be The Year of the Inside Sales Representative.
During a series of focus groups that I conducted with contractors, several of them bluntly stated a desire for their company to “ fire the outside sales [team] and give us a discount on the savings for the company.” The implication of their comments is that outside salespeople ought to be more than just service representatives; they should actually produce new business through prospecting.
No doubt you’re reading this and agreeing wholeheartedly that your inside sales team is vital to your company’s survival and long-term growth. But what resources are you investing to develop these reps? Here are some areas to consider.
Stop dumping on them
During internal sales rep (ISR) training programs, I consistently hear from reps about their frustrations. Since they’re at the bottom of the administrative chain, they feel constant pressure to allocate their time based on the demands of managers, outside salespeople, walk-in customers, email requests, and more. They end up being air traffic controllers scrambling to juggle the many tasks that end up on their desks. Instead of irrationally expecting your inside salespeople to clean up the mess on aisle five, try helping them prioritize tasks based on the needs of your entire organization, not merely one salesperson or customer who is in panic mode. The next time you have a request for your ISR, make sure that it’s an actual request and allow him to give you the realistic time frame under which he can operate.
Recognize their contributions
Many dealers have started incentive programs to reward inside sales excellence. If you’re not ready to take that step, at least make it a point to recognize good performance with praise and recognition that lets your people know that they’re appreciated.
Invest in training
Remarkably, I discover that all of my clients agree about the importance of training while simultaneously telling me that they can’t spare the time to let the ISRs leave their desks. If your ISRs are valuable to your organization, then find the time to train them. You can stagger them into sessions; use online training; deliver internal programs; send them to evening classes; or find a dozen other ways to give them the vital growth support they need and deserve. In our industry, which is clamoring for replacement leaders for its aging salesforce, it’s time that we start building our future stars from within our organizations. Begin by developing your inside sales team as a proactive arm to help drive your sales growth. Not only will you build the future leaders of your organization, you’ll also quickly discover that it’s a pro table path for today.
