04.08.2013

WILL EXTERNAL SALES REPS DISAPPEAR???

More and more companies rely on internal sales to increase their revenue.

You might think they are doing this to increase their profitability, but that is not the case.  

 

In reality, their customers cause them to make this choice. Customers are busier than ever. They are much better informed than before. They like to establish long-term relationships. They are in a better position to make purchasing decisions that are more and more complex.

 

Also, an internal sales job was historically seen as a stepping stone for someone who wanted to become an external sales rep. Their roles were mainly limited to the generation of leads, making appointments, and the qualification of prospects. This situation is changing, because internal sales reps are now taking charge of the complete sales process as well as the development of business relationships with their customers.

 

In addition to important changes in buyers' behaviour, internal sales reps take advantage of recent technological improvements such as social media and video-conferencing. They also have access to tools allowing them to constantly improve their productivity such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems and dialers. The latter allow an internal sales rep to reach at least five times more potential customers each day than a sales rep on the road.

 

In spite of all these advantages in favour of internal sales reps, it is false to think that external sales reps will disappear anytime soon. You may ask, "Why?" Because the sale of complex solutions involving several decision-makers absolutely requires an intervention by an external sales rep who must visit the customer to discover in-depth their needs, challenges and decision-making process. In addition, today, external sales rep must act as a CHALLENGER in order to really stand out from her competitors and prove her value in the customer's eyes.


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