Outside sales remains relevant in an era where online interactions are thriving.

Outside sales (also known as field sales) is a sales strategy that involves sales reps having in-person meetings with prospects.

Outside sales today complement other practices like inside sales in most organizations. 

In this guide, we will focus on what is outside sales, why it is a much-needed tactic, and how sales teams can effectively use it in their sales strategy. 

Research shows that outside sales reps convert prospects 40% more than inside sales reps.   

Outside sales is a tactic that leans heavily on expertise.

Product knowledge is critical, too. It allows knowledgeable sales reps to impart crucial information to potential customers and answer any targeted questions they might have.  

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“The reason outside sales still exist is because they bring a level of expertise and knowledge that you can’t get from an inside sales team. They know the market, they know the trends, and they know the products better than anyone else. It’s their job to be a subject matter expert on everything from pricing to product features to competitors' offerings. 

In addition, it’s their job to be out there talking with people about what they need and why your company is the best choice for them. They’re also in charge of getting that information back into the hands of their colleagues back at headquarters so that everyone is on the same page about what needs to happen next. It has to happen face-to-face (or voice-to-voice).”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ~ Rengie Wisper - Co-Founder and Designer at Ever Wallpaper 

Outside sales or field sales reps need to keep a close eye on the changing market dynamics – giving sales reps a chance to map out the in-person sales meeting. Here is our guide to prepare you for outside sales and how you can capitalize on it for growth. 

Let’s first take a look at what outside sales is. 

What is outside sales?

 

Outside sales is an important tactic for businesses to reach out to new customers who crave personal connections and human interaction. Outside sales representatives often focus on building one relationship at a time with highly-qualified leads, which makes outside sales a suitable sales strategy for complex, high-ticket products. 

The idea is that reps forge personal connections with each lead, answer their specific queries, and provide personalized information that drives them towards a sale. Outside sales requires much more human input than inside sales, and reps have to nurture their interpersonal and communication skills to succeed. 

When outside sales reps are focusing on one fresh lead at a time, they can empathize with unique problems and better understand a lead’s biggest challenges. This makes converting prospects easier since the sales process has been fully aligned with their individual needs.

Outside sales can be discussed in comparison to inside sales. Both are common sales tactics, but each offers a different set of pros and cons that work best when used in tandem. 

 

Let’s dive into the difference between outside sales and inside sales. 

Inside sales vs outside sales

INSIDE SALES

OUTSIDE SALES

Remote sales

Leads are sought out remotely from an office or home environment

Field sales

Reps travel to meet prospects at their offices and sites

 

Digital communication

Reps connect with leads via digital channels, including phone, email, and social media

 

Face-to-face communication

Reps connect with leads through face-to-face conversations and in-person meetings

Best for low-ticket products

Best suited for selling less expensive and transactional products

Best for high-ticket products

Best suited for expensive and complex products

Fewer decision makers

Targets leads that do not have a lot of stakeholders, which creates a short sales process

Multiple decision makers

Targets enterprise-level leads with multiple stakeholders, which creates a lengthy sales process

What are the six benefits of outside sales?

It might seem counterproductive to spend lengthy periods trying to convert leads when multiple digital sales methods are available. But outside sales have plenty of benefits that outweigh the scattergun approach of inside sales. Hence, many B2B brands are turning to outside sales to close deals with their most valuable leads. 

 

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1. Leverage in-person cues

Meeting with prospects face-to-face has one huge benefit: sales reps can gauge a lead’s interest and steer conversations based on their body language, rapport, and behavior. This is near-on impossible to do digitally, even via video calls. 

2. Establish positive relationships

Consumers (both B2C and B2B) crave human connections. In-person sales meetings can help build positive relationships with contacts, ultimately building trust and loyalty. 

3. First-hand insights

There is no better way for a brand to understand its market than by speaking to people in that market. Outside sales allows reps to talk one-on-one with industry professionals, where they can learn about market conditions and competitors.

 

“Start by identifying your target market and then figure out the best way to reach them. This might involve attending trade shows, conducting market research, or even just networking in your community.”

- Loran Marmes, Owner of Medicate Solutions Team

4. Provides customers the chance to touch and feel a product

Live demos are the most common type of demos for B2B brands. They allow leads to ask personalized questions and discover how the product can help their unique challenges and needs. Being on-site with a lead while they learn how to use a product is an invaluable way to show its capabilities.

5. Increased clarity

Live demos reduce the chance of dreaded connectivity issues when trying to show a product to a lead via video call. There is no lack of clarification or frustrating gaps in connectivity. 

6. Create a personal experience

In an age where most things are done through a screen, it can be refreshing for leads to put a face to a business. Brands that practice outside sales can create a personalized human experience for each prospect. 

5 Challenges with outside sales

Working with people face-to-face makes the sales process considerably more lengthy and unpredictable. The other challenges include: 

1. Optimizing travel time

It can be challenging for outside sales representatives to optimize their travel time when scheduling multiple meetings a day – especially if the meetings are held a fair distance apart. It can be tiring and stressful, not to mention frustrating if traffic or public transport is not as smooth as they had hoped. 

2. Getting past gatekeepers

There are often several gatekeepers that outside sales representatives must pass before securing an in-person meeting. It can be tricky to navigate these gatekeepers and keep up with their questions and queries. 

3. Handling objections 

In-person meetings are a far more significant commitment than a video call or a quick email. As such, leads often have objections about booking a face-to-face meeting that sales reps must handle. 

4. Establishing rapport with prospects

Outside sales representatives need to have exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. The main goal is to build rapport with prospects, which can be challenging to do in just a couple of meetings. 

5. Limited supervision

The dispersed nature of outside sales means it can be difficult to know where reps are and what they are doing at any given time.

5 Skills that outside sales representatives need to succeed

 

Outside sales is an art in itself. Here are five significant skills that every outside sales rep needs to nail their sales quotas.

 

1. Time management

Outside sales reps need exceptional time management skills to optimize their time. They often juggle multiple daily meetings and need to plan travel time accordingly. 

2. Ability to think on their feet

Outside sales reps must make snap decisions and judgments during face-to-face meetings based on something a lead has said or asked. While inside sales reps have the luxury of asking other reps for an answer or even looking it up online, outside sales reps need to have all the information at their fingertips. You do not want your leads thinking that your outside sales reps do not have the answers or are inexperienced. 

3. Exceptional communication skills

Outside sales reps spend most of their day meeting people in real life. So it is crucial to have good communication, interpersonal, listening, and presentation skills for building solid connections with leads. 

Communication skills need not always be verbal. Leads can pick up on your reps’ non-verbal cues and body language. So it is important for outside sales reps to conduct themselves well and be well groomed during meetings and demos. Besides, good communication skills ensure no miscommunication between the reps and leads.

4. Good at handling objections

Outside sales reps have limited opportunity to refer to reading materials or turn to fellow teammates during a sales meeting – making it critical for reps to have good product knowledge and insights on market dynamics while resolving queries or handling objections. It's equally important for sales reps to be well-prepared with a structured sales meeting agenda to ensure that discussions stay focused and productive.

5. Solid networking skills

The success of outside sales reps hinges on their relationships with leads. The stronger the relationship, the higher the chance of a conversion. So reps must have excellent networking skills to find the right people and encourage them to book an in-person meeting. Outside sales reps need to leverage in-person attending forums or conferences and forge relationships with leads. This helps provide a face behind a name when outside sales reps contact a lead to schedule a meeting or a call.

6 Ways to include outside sales in your sales process

 

1. Set clear sales targets and budgets

Outside sales is more expensive to carry out than inside sales because it is time-intensive, but it can be much more lucrative in the long run. Hence, you should ensure your targets have an adequate budget for outside sales. 

It is vital that you set sales targets on an individual and a team level for outside sales reps based on parameters like territory, customer profiles, and the types and sizes of the leads the team is going after. 

2. Steer sales conversations based on prospect behavior

The key to successful outside sales is not pushing your product or service onto prospects immediately.

Instead, take the time to build a rapport with them. This helps set the tone for meetings and puts the prospect at ease. 

Since outside sales meetings are always in person, there is ample opportunity to observe your prospect’s body language and reactions and use this to fuel the direction of your meeting.

Listen to the questions they are asking and frame replies that answer their unique needs. 

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“Focus on the end client. Don't get caught up in thinking about your own organization—think about what value you can bring to the client. If you're selling a product, figure out how it will help solve the problems of the end user. If you're selling a service, figure out how it will help solve the problems of the end client.

Once you've got that figured out, then think about how you can present that information in a way that makes sense to them, and finally, make sure they know exactly what they'll get in return for buying or subscribing to whatever it is that you're selling.”


- Patricia Jones, Co-Founder of Neutypechic 

3. Take objections and rejections in stride

When you are conducting in-person meetings, it is easy for prospects to see your reaction if they object to or reject your offer. It would be best if you kept any irritation in check as this will hamper any relationship-building you have done up until that point. 

Instead, use rejections or objections as conversation starters to understand the customer better so you can alter your sales pitch to meet their needs. 

4. Schedule multiple live demos 

Committing to a product or service can be daunting, especially if it is a high-ticket item. It is natural for prospects to request multiple demos before they invest. So get ahead of the game and offer to do it upfront rather than waiting for your prospect to take the lead. 

How you carry out a demo can influence a prospect’s buying decision. Take the time to answer any questions your lead might have during or after each demo. You must understand the product or service you are selling so you can field questions accordingly. But, it is also crucial to understand your prospects’ pain points and map out how your product or service can address them. 

Research shows that the average time for a typical size deal demo is 30 minutes to one hour. This gives you plenty of time to show how your product or service can benefit the lead and map it to their individual needs. 

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5. Be firm yet flexible during negotiations with prospects

A big part of outside sales is creating solid relationships with leads – even if they do not buy from you immediately. This means not playing hardball with prospects and identifying how you can accommodate their requests over features or pricing.

Some leads might need more features than others, and you must consider this when pricing your product or service for each new customer. 

At the same time, do not undersell your product or service. Stay calm and do not drop your prices in a last-ditch attempt to secure a deal. The goal of an outside sales rep is to showcase the value of what you are offering. 

6. Invest in a CRM 

A CRM can make the lives of outside sales reps easier by bringing together all the data, information, and conversations on each lead in one accessible place. 

Reps can use a CRM like Freshsales to carry out their sales calls, schedule meetings, take notes, store customer information, delegate tasks, track deals, and so on. 

With a mobile CRM, outside sales reps can do all of this while on the move, while workflows let reps automate repetitive manual tasks so they can focus on selling. 

On top of this, the handy lead management function makes it easy to identify and connect with highly qualified leads, and the email management feature helps reps send, manage, and track sales emails from a CRM.

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In conclusion

Outside sales is an important strategy for building and nurturing customer relationships in an increasingly virtual world. Face-to-face sales conversations add a human touch to your business and cement long-term loyalty among your best customers. They showcase your sales team’s expertise and give customers a deeper feel for your products before they buy.

Ultimately, this leads to more targeted conversions, increased revenue from high-value customers, and long-term loyalty. While outside sales is a more time-consuming sales tactic, it will likely create a positive, lasting impact on business and sales.