The Evolution of Inside Sales | The New Normal Post COVID-19

THE BEGINNING

As a long-term leader and a lifetime learner of the world of inside sales, I have both watched and participated in the evolution of this challenging, yet exciting industry. From call centers to the maturation of appointment-setters, to the progression of full sales-cycle quota-carrying sales representatives, the inside sales industry has played a dynamic, critical, and evolutionary role in which we engage customers. 

In the late 2000s, the traditional landscape of inside sales, from a North America perspective, shifted as a result of two specific phenomenons; 1. The maturation of telesales technologies and 2. The great recession of 2008. 

TELESALES TECHNOLOGIES

From a technology perspective, nearly 60% of the buyer’s journey is executed through their own web-based research. The buyers today, more than ever, have greater access to company information, access to product user-groups, and infinite and immediate access to customer reviews. In fact, numerous publications suggest that nearly 75% of buyers prefer to engage in virtual interaction vs face-to-face…SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT. Not only has technology benefited the buyer, but it has also transcended the way in which inside sellers go to market. Inside sellers have the unique ability to find, qualify, and execute transactions with buyers who are not only local but global. Just as buyers have access to infinite information, now does the seller. With the use of technology, inside sellers now have the ability to attract specific personas, track their interaction, market to them, and drive personalized content.

THE GREAT RECESSION OF 2008

The great recession of 2008 is commonly classified as the most severe economic and financial meltdown since the great depression of the 1930s. In turn, at this very moment in time, everything changed. Consumers now wanted financial flexibility, with an emphasis on saving vs spending. Buyers now wanted simplicity and discretionary thrift and as a result, the world of inside sales changed as we knew it. It is at this juncture where I observed a number of larger firms divest in their field sales strategy, only to invest in their inside one. For me, this is the point where I decided I would make a life-long career of it.

VIRTUAL SELLING

According to a recent Forbes article, many organizations are augmenting their sales efforts through the process of virtual sales. Essentially, virtual selling is the process in which both a consumer and seller interact and execute business transactions in a remote environment. As this happens, the virtual infrastructure of remote selling has evolved, giving sellers transparent information, a basis for algorithmic selling, the ability to drive sales automation, all while driving personalized content through a disciplined sales model and the ability to leverage data and metrics for consumer insights.

THE EVOLUTION OF INSIDE SALES: THE NEW NORMAL POST COVID-19

As mentioned, the world of inside sales has really evolved over the past 10-15 years. Consumers were already shifting from in-person meetings to virtual. In fact, over the past 5-years, inside sales organizations have grown by nearly 300%, a rate much faster than the growth of field sales. This phenomenon has been expedited by capabilities and tools that track interactions, giving inside sellers better analytics and predictability of customer intent. Despite the evolution, what we weren’t prepared for, what no one was prepared for was the novel coronavirus pandemic. Ultimately, global lockdowns forced field sales into inside sellers. According to a recent LinkedIn article titled, “The inevitable change: Post-COVID-19 Sales Roles,” customer visits will likely not return to their normal level. With that said, the impact won’t only change field sales models, but it will forever change the inside sales landscape as well. In many ways, inside sales leaders expected a continued evolution of virtual sales, however, COVID-19 has merely expedited it. My top projections for the evolution of inside sales post COVID-19 below:

• Inbound calls into contact centers will increase
• Digital and marketing touchpoints with the consumer will play a larger role
• Technology investments, particularly from a training and performance management standpoint will augment
• CRM advancements
• Continued evolution from field sales to digital and inside sales
• A rebalance between video and telephone calls
• A resurgence of a collaborate inside/outside sales models where both groups support the same set of accounts
• Increased sales analytics
• Dedicated inside sales teams will continue to increase
• Training and onboarding will change
• Increased consumer/seller relationship building
• Acceleration of e-commerce
• Personalization through artificial intelligence
• Flexible office hours and work accommodations as employees will expect the option to work both from home and in the office
• Inside sales will become a more desirable profession vs field-based selling ;)

For more information, please feel free to engage me via LinkedIn or through the American Association of Inside Sales Denver Chapter.