As we all know, the type of business we're in has a huge impact on our lives. Whether it's whether we hang out with similar people, or even how dressed up we have to be for work! In this article, you will learn more about what outside sales are and why understanding them is so important.

Sales jobs can come from anywhere - from being a manager for a large company to being an insurance agent. One thing is certain: most sales jobs revolve around making sure that something gets sold! 

What is outside sales?

If you're a salesperson, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term 'outside sales' is cold calling or making phone calls from home. In some cases, this may be true but it's not always the right approach.

Generally, outside sales involves anything outside of regular hours spent in an office at your employer's location as opposed to meeting customers on-site as part of a field sales team. 

This could include going to trade shows and expos, doing seminars or attending networking events. Some people even consider online businesses that have no physical store locations as being 'outside-sales'. 

However this usually only applies if you're doing transactions with customers directly and not just promoting products/services for a company whose main office and retail store is elsewhere.

But outside-sales is about more than just closing a sale over the phone or online. It requires you to be able to pitch products and services, develop new relationships with clients and follow up on leads. 

Sometimes it even involves developing your own leads (e.g., by cold calling/emailing businesses who don't currently use your company's products).

This is not easy because of the sheer amount of time you'll spend doing it – especially since most companies don't want you spending too many hours per week following up with potential customers who may not need your products (i.e., this would be considered 'cold calling'). 

So in order to make it work for you it's important to set aside a specific time to do it as well as create your own leads.

If you don't want to deal with chasing down leads, many companies hire 'inside sales' people who will handle this task for you and give you only the ones that may be suitable for your company's products or services. 

This means it mainly involves reaching out to existing customers to develop new business with them. However, since outside-sales work is generally commission based, it can also mean earning extra money if you're good at it.

The most important thing about outside-sales is that the work itself doesn't have an end date – once clients are closed they become regular customers of your company who will need more/services over time which means it's an ongoing process.

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Inside And Outside Sales

Many of the same qualifications needed for an inside sales position apply to outside-sales (i.e., excellent communication skills, confidence etc.), but you'll also need to be able to work under pressure and on your own most of the time. 

If you're self-motivated and can come up with plenty of creative ways to market company products/services then outside-sales may be for you. 

Even if you don't like talking to lots of people, this line of work is perfect since it allows you to control how much time you want to spend doing it or who you want to do it with.

In general, working in outside-sales gives individuals a lot more freedom because there aren't many restrictions on when you can deal with customers (e.g., you're not chained to your desk at 9-5 Monday to Friday). 

However, this flexibility does come at a cost since you won't have the same support or access to company resources that inside sales reps get.

So if you're looking for more independence and want to work on commission, outside-sales is definitely worth considering. But even if you don't think it's for you, it's important to know what exactly outside-sales entails so next time someone mentions it in conversation you'll be able to tell them just how 'outside' outside-sales really is!

Outside Sales Tips For Success

1) Know Your Numbers

The foundation of an effective sales process starts with knowing exactly where you stand. You need to know what you need to achieve each month or each year, and then figure out the strategies that will allow you to achieve those goals. 

This means understanding your accounts receivable, knowing how many hours it takes for you to close one deal, determining which deals are most likely not going to close - whatever information you need in order to make yourself better.

Know your numbers, and make sure the people you work with know them, too. Sharing information helps everyone to stay on the same page and to be successful together. Always strive for excellence, not just average or mediocre results.

2) Ensure Your Pitches Are Credible 

Every pitch you make should begin with credibility; meaning that it should be clear to whoever is listening that you are well informed about their company's operations, what they need at this point in time, where their weaknesses are so far as their advertising is concerned - all of the factors which might affect your ability to provide a solution for them. 

Having credibility means having knowledge at your fingertips so that when questions come up about why the client needs your services, you can provide answers. 

3) Watch Your Clients' Budgets

Businesses are constantly trying to do more with less. Companies are forced to find ways of saving money by cutting back on travel, reducing advertisement budgets for print media or online marketing campaigns, and bringing in sales teams that offer cheaper alternatives to the products they're currently using. 

When this happens, it's your job as a sales representative to come up with creative solutions that allow your customers to save money while still getting what they need from you. 

If you can't help them save money without hurting their business growth, then there is no point in helping them at all - so know who your clients are and keep track of cuts to their budgets. 

4) Create an Action Plan

Have a plan for your day that will get you where you need to get, but be flexible enough to allow opportunities to present themselves along the way. 

Have a list of all of your potential leads for the day, and figure out exactly what it is going to take in order to close each one - this means knowing which of your products or services they are interested in, but also being prepared with backup options so you can provide an alternative if the lead doesn't seem amenable to persuasion at first. 

It also means researching each lead before meeting with them so that you know how best to demonstrate how your product will benefit them based on what kind of company they are running.

5) In order to be successful, you have to learn how to take risks

Not the kind of risks that could put you out of business or into serious debt, but calculated risks that might allow you to make that next sale. For example, if a lead doesn't want to attend a sales meeting at first, send them information about your company and wait a few days. 

After a day or two has gone by with no response from them, call them up and try talking directly to one of the people who is going to make the final decision on whether or not they purchase your services. Maybe all it takes is one individual in their office who is interested in giving you a shot.

6) Keep Track of Your Time

It's easy to lose track of time when you're talking on the phone or working with a client, so make sure that you have someone in your office who can keep track of what you're doing every second of the day. 

This person should record how much time is spent between activities as well as documenting where each phone call went and noting which emails were sent. 

Make sure that this person has uninterrupted access to you whenever they need it, but also ensure they understand that their job is not to bother you unless there is an emergency. 

Being able to rely on them will give you more confidence during days when everything seems like it's against you and know that they'll be there to help you keep track of what needs to be done.

Conclusion

Today, many businesses depend heavily on their sales force to push products through distribution channels and into the hands of customers. 

These distribution channels can include everything from online platforms like eBay or Amazon Marketplace, to stores that carry your product on their shelves, to actual trades shows and vendor booths.

In the past, many sellers would sell from a small store or kiosk in a mall. These days however, it is more likely that they would take their products to large trade shows or events where people interested in learning about their product can come by and talk with them directly. 

The reason why this type of selling is called "outside" sales is because these sellers are usually going outside of businesses owned by other companies in order to get the sale made! 

In fact, most times when a seller refers to "going out," it means that they're going out into a consumer's life instead of just selling within the walls of their own business.

Some sales representatives may even found their own business in order to develop sales. This can sometimes result in huge success because all of the seller's time is focused on selling! 

However, this does require much more work than inside sales where you could be working with established internal teams (like your company's employees) or even coordinating your efforts with 3rd parties like wholesalers and brokers.

Although sales may seem very similar to inside sales, it requires a different type of skill set in order to make an effective sale. 

Because the conversation is not taking place within the walls of their own business' building or even within an office, sellers must speak with people around them that are not necessarily interested in what they're selling at that moment. 

The goal for these sellers isn't necessarily to sell on the spot, but rather to determine if their product is something that they would want to buy some time down the line.

The important thing for sellers to remember is that it requires a lot of skill and knowledge as well as patience and dedication! 

You may not necessarily be used to having cold calls with people who don't necessarily need your product at that very moment, but it's also a great opportunity for you to build lasting relationships with new clients and customers!