Inside sales have exploded over the last few years. The sales industry as a whole has only somewhat been able to keep up with the hiring and training needed to ensure they have good sales reps doing the best job possible. Lauren Bailey discusses training for inside sales with John Golden.
In this expert sales interview, learn about inside sales training topics, such as:
- How technology has influenced inside sales
- Hiring for inside sales
- How to create an empire
- A specific tactic called the pause game
Inside Sales and Technology:
Over the last number of years, we’ve seen a lot of changes because of technology. People are getting more and more accustomed to communicating virtually, both their business lives in personal lives. This increase in technology has contributed to and bolstered inside sales. However, it is not solely responsible for it. Many contributions have to lead to the success of inside sales. One contribution is the acceleration of product life cycles. Companies have had to become quicker and react faster to consumers. How long we’ve been using technology, and our familiarity about the buyer’s journey, has also helped boost inside sales.
Inside Sales Hiring:
The vast majority of companies are still competing for the same 12 inside sales skills. The labor force is shrinking and inside sales are growing at a rate 10-13% faster than field sales. There is a huge demand and a shrinking supply. The typical hire historically has been someone with a conventional mold. Someone that was a college graduate, with two years of sales experience, played competitive sports, etc. However, as companies have shifted, they have also changed their profile of an ideal hire. As a company, onboard the hire that can be molded and has the attitude and personality that you need. This will perhaps make your training objective more intensive, but ultimately you will end up with a more well-rounded employee.
Building an Inside Sales Empire:
There are several steps for training new sales hires to create a successful inside sales team.
Step one is making sales training a priority. Often, companies don’t hire a sales trainer, or they don’t spend a lot of money to get a good one. However, it’s one of the best revenue generators for a company. A good sales trainer is practically invaluable and will pay for themselves relatively quickly.
The Pause Game:
One of the tactical techniques for training salespeople is to use call recordings. It’s similar to how a sports team reviews plays before going out onto the field. It gives the salesperson an opportunity to slow down the exchange and get into the mind of the client. “It’s not that sales reps don’t know what to do, it’s that they don’t know when to use it,” said Bailey. “It forces the reps to get into the mind of the customer.”
About Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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