Inside Sales usually involved the sales made over the telephone; also known as telesales. Nowadays, inside sales also take place within the internet, with email, chat, skype and any other internet communication method out there. Outside sales, however, are when a salesperson is offering or closing sales outside the office; usually meeting face to face with decision-makers.

Inside sales today are growing at a fast rate, winning over outside sales, even when getting paid less than later.

Outside salespeople are more outgoing, need interaction with clients and work better independently rather than at their desks or with a team. Inside salespeople are more likely to work a set number of hours per day, on their desks and work with a team.

How do Outside sales Differ from Inside Sales?

• Their Sales Tools

Tools used by outside and inside sales differ mostly on the technology used. While outside salespeople need cars, GPS, cellphone, a laptop that shows presentations, budgets, and contracts, cellphones, etc. an inside salesperson’s tools are mostly software.

• Flexibility

Managing their own schedule is something Outside sales reps have to do to get the job done. If an appointment gets canceled or is taking up more time than expected, it can throw your day out of whack. You also have to dress the part because you will be creating a visual impression of your potential client.

When it comes to inside sales reps, you can see more flexibility in their time management because a lot of companies have opted to have remote jobs or people working from home. While they also have to manage their time, they don’t have to dress to impress; pajamas are fair game.

• Prospect Numbers

Because the inside sales team works back to back, they can reach far more customers than those reached by an outside salesperson in a day. An outside salesperson can meet up and talk with an average of 4 clients per day, while an inside salesperson can reach 100.

The main thing to focus on is not quantity but quality. You may be reaching 100 potential clients per day but how many are actually converting? An outside salesperson might meet 4 a day and get 1 conversion for his company.

• Sales Cycles

Inside salespeople see shorter sale cycles because they do not require to meet their potential customers in person. Due to the fact that they are expected to reach high volumes of potential customers a day, their cycles can tend to be more complicated to fulfill.

Outside salespeople undergo intense preparatory work and this is why they are likely to foster stronger and long-lasting relationships with their clients.

• Costs

Can you guess this one? Yep, outside sales are much more costly than inside sales because outside reps not only have higher based salaries and commissions, but their companies often have to pay for their vehicle’s depreciation cost, food, gas, cellphone bill, and even their outfits, sometimes.

These are the most important differences between both inside and outside sales. What you need to asses is which of these will work best for your company.

Images are taken from: inc.com