Inside vs Outside Sales: Key Differences for Your Sales Success

By The D2D Experts

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3 Min Read

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Last Updated: September 22, 2023

Summary:

Comparison between Inside Sales Representative at a desk and Outside Sales Representative in the field.

Are you feeling overwhelmed when deciding between inside and outside sales?

Which one truly shines brighter is an age-old debate in the sales fraternity.

But your career path as a sales professional depends entirely on your skills and abilities.

Let’s make it easier for you to decide by the end of this piece.

Want to watch a seasoned pro talk on the topic in detail? Mark Smith, a renowned figure in the D2D sales world, discussed outside vs inside sales in a podcast with San Taggart.

Check out what he had to say here:

Inside Sales: The Digital Dynamo

Inside sales? Think of it as the modern-day warrior of the sales world. These champs connect with customers remotely, using all the digital tools.

From web conferencing and emails to social media, they’re all about that online hustle. Remember the days when phones were the primary tool for inside sales? Oh, how times have changed! It’s all about SEO, ads, and digital campaigns that grab attention and drive action.

Outside Sales: The Field Force 🚗

What does outside sales mean?

Let’s talk about the OGs of sales – the outside salespeople.

These folks are hitting the pavement, traveling near and far to build those invaluable face-to-face connections. But here’s a twist: after sealing the deal, they might switch gears and use inside sales techniques to keep the relationship going. It’s all about versatility, baby!

The Magic of Face-to-Face Sales

Now, we at D2D Experts have a soft spot for field sales. Why? Because nothing beats the power of a face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face meetings have a success rate that’s a whopping 34 times higher than just shooting over an email.

Impact of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in Sales Presentations

A New Dimension to Sales: Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are no longer just buzzwords, especially regarding product demonstrations and immersive presentations.

Inside Sales with a Twist: Imagine conducting a virtual meeting with a prospect. Instead of just talking over slides, you can use VR to give the prospect a virtual “tour” of a product, facility, or real estate property.

This immersive experience can make remote sales pitches much more engaging and impactful.

Outside Sales Gets Augmented: AR can be a game-changer for outside sales reps. While meeting a prospect in person, they can use AR tools to overlay additional information, videos, or 3D models over physical products.

This can be particularly useful for complex products or machinery, where a visual demonstration can simplify explanations.

Inside vs Outside Sales: The Ultimate Showdown: Which One’s Better?

Let’s get to the juicy part by comparing inside vs outside sales.

Game Changer	Inside Sales Squad	Outside Sales Squad
The Playbook	Dialling in from the comfort of an office or home, making connections through calls, emails, and online demos.	Hitting the streets, meeting face-to-face, and sealing deals in real time. Think trade shows, coffee shop meetings, and yes, good ol’ door knocking!
Daily Drills	Building virtual rapport with potential clients while playing matchmaker by linking clients with the perfect product/service.	Building trust, one handshake at a time Scouting for fresh leads and opportunities Owning their sales territory like a boss
Communication Play	The phone’s their best friend and emails? Their secret weapon.	It’s all about that face-to-face magic.
Training Camp	Sharpening negotiation skills with courses like “Introduction to Negotiation” from Yale.	Elevating their “closing” game with industry-specific courses from D2DU.
Skills	Understanding customer needs and pain points Matching those needs with company offerings Being resilient, creative, and resourceful Active listening and top-notch info-gathering	Establishing product credibility – Rocking those interpersonal skills Traveling and embracing new adventures Organizing like a pro and managing time efficiently Tech-savviness for managing sales pipelines, presentations, and demos