What is an inside sales rep?

An inside sales representative is a sales professional who works remotely using technology to find prospects, nurture them, and convert them into customers. They essentially do everything a normal sales rep does, but only inside an office space. An inside sales rep’s work environment has its pros and cons. 

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  • Pros: working remotely frees up your time from traveling to meet prospects. It’s also going to be many of your busy B2B clients’ preferred method of meeting 
  • Cons: not meeting face-to-face can rob sales representatives of an intimate and emotional connection with prospects

In the podcast Inside Sales, host Darryl Praill brings on Benjamin Dennehy, UK’s self-proclaimed “most hated sales trainer,” who hands out some tough love. Dennehy claims that many inside sales reps have no clue what sales actually is and that too many get caught up in what he calls “hamster wheel prospecting,” never working their way up to building an emotional connection to make a sale. Dennehy puts it this way: prospecting is preparing to commit the crime, while selling is having enough courage to rob a bank. 
An inside sales representative schedules a meeting over the phone.

In order to not get stuck in the preparation phase, be ready for the robbery before you pull up to the bank: make sure to make an emotional connection before the actual sales pitch. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a $2.99 productivity app to busy high school teachers or a $10 million security system to the entire Los Angeles school district—people first buy emotionally, then justify the purchase logically. Even in B2B selling, strive to make an emotional bond.

Decision-makers need to know they’re making a responsible purchase that will strengthen their company; after all, if they fail, their reputation and job are on the line. Reps share a similar struggle; that’s your bond right there

So once more, what is an inside sales rep? Besides salespeople, they’re coaches and trusted friends. They’re tasked with helping customers get clarity on what they need, finding emotional triggers and giving personalized advice. In a true friendship, one speaks openly and freely without the fear of judgment, and this is the level sales reps want to get on when talking with their customers.

The demand for inside sales representatives is growing. And advancements in technology continue to evolve the industry and create solutions to reach customers anywhere in the world.

Important: If you’re wondering about inside sales and outside sales and what reps do for each role, here’s a reminder.

Inside sales representatives typically work in an office environment, making calls and sending emails to potential customers.

Outside sales representatives, on the other hand, spend most of their time meeting with clients in person. Inside sales representatives typically have a larger pool of potential customers to draw from. They also need to be very good at building relationships over the phone and via email. Outside sales representatives, meanwhile, may have fewer potential customers, but they usually have more time to build relationships with each other.

In addition, outside sales representatives can use their in-person meetings to close deals more effectively. Ultimately, both inside and outside sales jobs can be successful if the right approach is taken.

The true meaning of inside sales responsibilities

Learn the definition of inside sales responsibilities.

Before we get into the responsibilities of an inside sales representative, we’ll need to define what we mean by ‘responsibility.’ We mentioned the duties of a sales rep: generate leads, explain the benefits of products, give presentations, hit sales quota, and prepare monthly reports. People often confuse duties and responsibilities or think they’re the same, but they’re not. A duty is an obligation, while responsibility is what you control.

A few examples:

  • As a parent, your duty is to raise your children. It’s your responsibility to teach them good manners, morals, and values.
  • As a student, your duty is to keep the classroom clean. It’s your responsibility to throw papers in the trash, even if the teacher doesn’t ask you to.

As you can see, your duty is something that’s imposed, you have no choice. While your responsibility gives you the authority to give direction, take action, accept tasks, and be held accountable if something goes wrong. You’ll recall that we said it’s your duty to generate leads but your responsibility to go out and hustle (i.e. join a referral network program) to generate new business. Responsibility is all about taking ownership and doing what’s not asked of you. Because this may leave room for a sales rep to miss the mark, we’re going to go through some common inside sales responsibilities and how you can take charge to get the job done right.

What are some inside sales responsibilities?

Provide an excellent customer experience 

So you’re a salesperson, coach, trusted friend, and now … a customer service professional? The list just keeps on growing, doesn’t it?! But yes, good customer service is key to your success. It’s true that sales reps contact prospects to earn their business, while customer service reps work with existing customers to solve issues and answer questions, but think about it—as an inside sales representative, you’re the first person who will provide customer service, and this meeting will set the tone for the entire relationship. The way you handle lead outreach shows them what they can expect when they decide to work with you.

Imagine it’s tax season and you call up H&R Block to get a quote. You call a few different locations, and each one is a disaster. Why? Because of their sales reps’ lack of customer service skills. You get a quote from John, then he transfers the call to Susan, who has no idea who John is; Susan gives you a different quote, you have to call a different H&R Block and start the process all over again. We’ve all experienced this; maybe it wasn’t an accountant but a cable provider or phone company, but we’ve all had someone who pissed us off enough we shook our fists and vowed never to give them our business.

Hence, providing customer service that’s on par with, or even better than, that of a customer service rep is a part of your inside sales responsibilities. When a sales rep can demonstrate empathy, respect, and patience during that first call or meeting, the prospect will assume the entire team will have the same manners as well. At the end of the day, you’re not selling a product so much as an experience that the prospect wants to go home and tell their friends and family about. And if you’re great at it, you’ll find customers who will pay a little more and stay with you longer just because your competitor didn’t treat them as well as you did. When that happens, you know you’ve done your job right.

How to handle rude customers?

Providing a seamless experience to a customer, who will go tell everyone they know about your company, sounds amazing. But we all know that some customers are ready to rumble before they even pick up the phone. Steve Benson, sales expert and CEO of software company Badger Maps, explains three tactics to handle rude customers: detach, disarm, and create empathy

When customers attack Benson he says:

I understand why this is a frustrating situation for you because of ABC, but I don’t feel like it’s appropriate to say that I’m an XYZ person. I’m really here to help you solve this problem and move forward successfully.” 

Benson teaches us to…

1. Detach emotionally: “When I worked in sales, I didn’t take disrespect personally. If a prospect or customer was rude to me, I used to say this immediately.”

2. Disarm their anger: “This line can disarm the prospect by referring to their behavior as ‘inappropriate.’ And No one likes to think of themselves as unprofessional.”

3. Create empathy: “It also helps them see that they are attacking you as a person, which should trigger empathy within them and help them see things from your perspective.”

Make your own schedule (and optimize it)

One of the most exciting things about transitioning from high school to college is choosing your class schedule. Whether you’re a night or morning person, math or a history person, you decide what times and class you want to focus on. As a sales rep, you’ll have the same freedom to create your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Inside sales responsibilities include managing your time effectively as you take control of your own schedule.

How to optimize your schedule?

An optimized schedule is personalized. There’s no one-size-fits-all perfect schedule; just think about what needs to be done each day and rank from urgent to least important. It might be easier, for example, to give each task its own day of the week: warm prospecting on Mondays, cold calling on Tuesdays, presentations on Wednesdays, follow-ups on Thursdays, and meeting with clients on Fridays.

It’s all about experimenting and finding what hours and days you perform best. Your schedule shouldn’t be too rigid; deals can drop at any moment and you need room to move on to new prospects. Nor should it be too relaxed; too much free time makes it easy to get distracted from important tasks. The University of California, Irvine released a study that shows that once you’ve been derailed from a task by an interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on track. Schedules should have a rhythm and a beat to it. 

Beethoven once said, “Nothing is more intolerable than to have admitted to yourself your own errors.” Inside sales responsibilities include owning up to your shortcomings: are you really following your schedule as you should? If not, then it’s your job to self-regulate. Self-regulation means controlling one’s behavior, emotions, and thoughts in the pursuit of long-term goals. If you truly want to bring in the big numbers, you’ll need to make your schedule, optimize it, stick with it and control the impulses that cause you to slack off at work.

Help your co-workers succeed 

Whether you’re a lone wolf, competing against another rep for promotion, or you find yourself in an organization where teamwork isn’t enforced, as an inside sales representative you have to take the initiative to help your co-workers succeed and meet their quotas. You’re responsible for their success, just as they are for yours. After all, you’re all working towards the same goal and can learn from one another. Plus, helping your co-workers gets you noticed by upper management and may just be your ticket to getting better accounts or a senior promotion. This doesn’t mean bootlicking everyone at the company, but it does mean building a strategic relationship with anyone who can possibly get you ahead—especially your managers. 

Think about it. When a salesperson leaves your team, their accounts and big deals in the pipeline get distributed among the remaining reps. If you’re well known as the MVP of the sales team, the one who was at the top of their game and went out of their way to help others, you may just get the pick of the litter when those accounts are distributed.

What are common sales representative duties?

What are common sales representative duties

 When you become a sales representative, some of your duties might include generating leads, making sales presentations, hitting quotas and creating reports. Although your work will be strictly remote, you’ll face many of the same daily challenges that general sales reps face–as well as a few unique ones.

  • Generate leads

Your number-one job as an inside sales representative is to generate quality leads for your company by prospecting. Quality leads give your team its best shot at converting customers and increasing profits. Adding an unqualified prospect to the customer relationship management (CRM) database and hoping to make a sale is like selling a pair of shoes to a person with no feet—it just ain’t happening! But there usually comes a time, a dead season in the business, when every inside sales rep runs out of places to look for leads. They’ve worked every old list to the bones with upsells and follow-ups, and there are no other leads in sight. This is a common reason why many new reps struggle to generate a steady flow of leads. 

Technology forms the backbone of inside sales today, and you’ll find that prospecting software is essential for you to perform sales representatives’ duties. Sometimes, however, you just need to hustle harder. This is where you can build a referral network to find more opportunities. Here’s how it works: you create or join a group of professionals in similar, but non-competing businesses and agree to send each other leads. If you sell parts for a window replacement company, join a referral program with roofers, HVAC technicians, landscapers, and other home service providers—anyone who might meet a homeowner that needs to buy a new window. Ultimately, your job as an inside sales representative is to be resourceful, network, and find your own new leads. 

  • Know the product better than anyone 

You already know that being a sales rep means explaining your product’s benefits and features several times a day. But it also means knowing the product (or service) better than anyone. You bear the pressure of becoming an expert, typically on the job, and unfortunately sometimes without proper training, mentorship, or resources from managers. On top of that, some products or services have an overwhelming smorgasbord of features that leaves inside sales representatives wondering where to start learning.

Let’s keep it real and get to the heart of the problem. Junior professionals are so eager to land a job that they take anything that comes along, often neglecting company culture—the shared values, practices, and attitude of a business. Sadly, it’s all too easy to end up at a company that doesn’t provide the learning you need to become a product expert. This kind of company has the attitude that sales reps should teach themselves, and this sucks away a key ingredient of becoming a great salesperson: passion.

When you have passion and your customer shares your enthusiasm to solve the problem, this energy will show up in your sales performance, letting you naturally build a more authentic relationship. 

As your passion grows, you’ll learn your industry inside and out by attending conferences and workshops, joining online forums, and finding niche groups. Becoming an expert is an ongoing process, and it’s your duty as a sales representative (whether your company gives you the resources or not) to reach that level. But, always strive to join a company that does provide the support, so you have the best chance at success!

  • Give sales presentations

A sales presentation is when you get in front of clients to introduce your product and answer questions. As an inside sales representative, you’ll handle this virtually via a videoconferencing platform. Your presentation will be an entertaining (but informative) speech accompanied by a slideshow or demo, and it will be shaped by everything you’ve learned in past conversations with prospects. It’s not a Cirque du Soleil show, but you want it to be memorable. The challenges ahead? Focusing on the right solutions, creating a well-designed presentation and remaining confident the entire time.

Your audience doesn’t expect you to know everything. Trust us, they don’t. What they’re looking for during a sales presentation are answers to how your product or service solves their biggest 2-3 problems. Address the main problems and benefits in your speech, but don’t memorize it word for word to avoid sounding robotic and rehearsed. Rather, your speech should be like water; it should flow easily and allow room for your audience to enter the conversation. 

Don’t clutter your slideshow with paragraphs of text; your goal is to not get your audience reading, but to provide a visual experience and listen to you. Too much text can quickly distract them and cause them to lose sight of the main points. Last but not least, use your whole body to communicate, including voice, eyes, posture, and hands to convey confidence. Confident presenters become respected authority figures in the sales world, and it doesn’t take acrobatics—just body language.

  • Hit sales quota each month

Meeting a sales quota means closing a given number of customers during a fixed time period to remain profitable. You’ll meet your quota each month by prospecting and prioritizing your time on the right leads. 

Salespeople work in a war zone. They’re under constant pressure to reach their quota, and sometimes have drill sergeants for managers, who berate them if they’re underperforming that month. And even when they hit their numbers, managers always want more, so dealing with supervisors who lack management skills is sometimes a part of the game. As an inside sales representative, you need to know everything about your pipeline, accounts, and deals, and hold yourself accountable for falling short. Learn from the most successful sales reps, who find someone in their department they admire, pick their brains and study their secrets on becoming a quota-crushing machine. Finally, remember that it’s a brutally competitive environment, but this builds character and gets you mentally ready for difficult customers.

  • Prepare weekly and monthly reports

Reports are as essential to sales as water is to fish. Without reports, your management knows nothing about the status of your efforts or what areas you need help in. Junior salespeople often struggle to know what to keep track of. The number of emails made? calls? proposals sent? new accounts? Start with this one: the quality of the contacts in your CRM database.

Contacts are your most valuable asset. These are your potential customers or a bridge to their network of friends (a.k.a. more potential customers). A sales representative’s duty is to get a birds-eye view of the quality of the contacts: Do they fit the ideal buyer, job title, and industry? Are they still fresh and interested? Your report should also include what stage each contact is at in the pipeline; this way, you can monitor over time whether they’re moving forward or slowly slipping out of your sales funnel. This will let you know if it’s time to purge your list. 

These reports can also help you clarify if your prospecting is bringing in quality leads, find holes in your sales funnel, and give you and your management team direction on how to improve.

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Four in-demand sales representative skills to get hired

Writing up a cold email for prospects is the norm for inside sales reps.

You can spot someone who’s worked in sales from a mile away. They’re smooth talkers, charismatic, and captivating speakers that have you listening to topics you don’t even care about. Some are born to sell, while others have spent time honing their craft.

Sales representative skills fall into two categories: hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills

Product knowledge

As we mentioned before, you need to know your product inside and out. Without a deep understanding of the benefits and features as well as common complaints customers have, you’ll struggle when making email pitches, cold calls, or sales presentations. Hit the books, ask for advice, and pore over product manuals like a madman. Always strive to learn more than you knew yesterday. The best strategy is to focus on the number one feature/benefit customers need, learn everything about it, and then move on to the next one.

Sales technology

Sales enablement technology is the bread and butter for inside sales representatives. There are sales enablement tools for scheduling meetings, prospecting, productivity, reporting analytics, and creating sales presentations and proposals. A key part of your skill set is to adapt to changing technology and continuously search for better products to help you sell in less time and with less effort.

Soft skills

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence allows you to understand a person’s feelings, which is the first step towards influencing their feelings about you. Imagine handling a hot-headed customer or manager like a boss, never losing your temper or showing weakness. You always look in control and never embarrass yourself. 

Emotional intelligence also includes:

1. Analysis: you read customers’ faces and listen carefully to their tone of voice for feelings

2. Comprehension: you get the nuances of emotions when communicating; you know the subtle differences between frustration and annoyance and how to respond appropriately

3. Delivery: you know when to use your or the customers’ emotions strategically to sway them into closing the deal

4. Discipline: you know how to tone your emotions down when you’re too excited, or kill your anger in order to remain professional

 Active listening

Active listening is an extremely important sales representative skill during cold calls or presentations;  it’s when you give your full attention to the customer and use body language and feedback to show you’re engaged. Combined with emotional intelligence, it means you’re carefully listening not only to what your customers are saying but to what they’re not saying as well. For example, at the end of a presentation, a prospect may say the price is too high. It sounds like they’re bowing out of the potential deal because they can’t afford your product or service. But listen carefully and remove any rehearsed responses, and you’ll discover an invitation to negotiate the price or create a special package deal that’s worth the original offer. Active listening is all about staying on your toes and finding the right easter eggs to move forward.

Salary for Inside Sales Representatives

 Learn the average base salary for inside sales representatives.

What’s the difference between a base salary and a commission salary?

The simplest type of salary is a base salary, in which your employer pays you a flat fee regardless of sales you make. A commission-based salary is when you’re paid based on the total amount of sales you bring in. Many inside sales representative jobs offer a mix of the two, for example, $60k base salary + 20% commission per sale for the deals you close.

Factors that affect the salary for inside sales representatives: 

  1. Education level
  2. Career connections
  3. Years of experience
  4. Type of industry
  5. Companies you’ve worked for
  6. Past deals you’ve closed

Now we’re going to give you the U.S. salary averages, but you’ll have to do further research to get a concrete figure for your area. 

Starting salary for inside sales representatives

Do you want to know how much you’ll make straight out of college? or transition from another career as a beginner? Take a look at the countrywide averages from the largest employee compensation data companies: Salary, PayScale, and Indeed.com

Average base salary, commission, and bonuses 

CompensationSalary.comPayScale.comIndeed.com
Salary$47,408$44,297$47,625
Commission$15,000$9,858$10,438
Bonus$4,555$3,106$5,300

 

What location has the highest starting salary for inside sales representatives?

Salary.comPayScale.comIndeed.com
LocationSan Francisco, CAHouston, TXTampa, FL
Starting salary$59,402 $56,511$53,906 

 

Salaries, commission and bonuses for senior inside sales representatives

This includes both management and supervisor employees with 10 or more years of experience.

CompensationSalary.comPayScale.comIndeed.com
Base salary$63,023$67,000$70,545 
Commission$24,000$34,000$25,000
Bonus$14,621$15,000$12,000

 

How can you make six figures or more a year?

We think it’s safe to say that everyone in sales would like to make $100,000 or more. Well, the good news is that it’s totally possible—not just for senior sales professionals, but even for young people 2-4 years out of college. You really have to bust your butt and dedicate yourself, but you can reach the six-figure mark by following these tips:

  • Go for B2B sales: In consumer sales, it’s harder to make six figures right out the gate, but in B2B it’s very feasible. Some companies will hire entry-level salespeople with a base salary of around $40k, and with commissions, you could be making $80 – $120k. Make sure to review and compare numbers on sites like PayScale and Salary.com to see who has the best commission rates. 
  • Sell an established product or service: Don’t waste your time with startups or industries that haven’t proven to be profitable. Medical devices, B2B SaaS, and pharmaceuticals have shown to have the most earning potential for B2B sales—and they’re the best industries to find plenty of job openings today.
  • Work in a metropolitan area: The cost of living is higher, but you’ll find that the high base salaries + commissions in larger cities more than make up for it. Back to the chart above, San Francisco, Houston, and Tampa are all great options. Be willing to move or commute if you have to.
  • Find a six-figure mentor: Don’t take advice from the sales rep that’s been at the company for decades but hasn’t made the big bucks. Model yourself after other top earners; see how they cracked the code and follow in their footsteps.

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    This information should not be mistaken for legal advice. Please ensure that you are prospecting and selling in compliance with all applicable laws.

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