As mentioned above, the process includes calling up the customers over phone or getting in touch over the Internet via email or chat but it also means taking calls from customers who call in. An Inside Sales Professional is imparted product training, fact finding techniques, overcoming rejections and using the database for storing customer details for future use. This is a pretty lucrative job if one hones one's skills and work passionately.

You might feel it is cold calling but there is a difference here. The Inside sales person is trying to establish a relationship with the customer and the focus is on quality and not quantity.

Inside Sales

The very first question that pops in a Inside Sales agent's mind is "How many times do I call my prospective client before giving up?". This is a very important question as the answer is going to decide the after-effects that the sales team is going to face. Too few calls might end up losing the customer and too many might drive the customer away. Needless to say it is a waste of time and money.

Getting over the ‘narrowing down' mindset

Most agents try to tick off prospective clients with a few phone calls as they want to get to the next customer hoping that this one will prove profitable. This mindset often leads to disqualifying potential leads. A recent survey showed that most companies make ‘few calls' and give up easily.

Here are a few tips to get the most of your Inside Sales calls

Break-up the calling process - Make prospective calls during business hours to when the admin team is available to take the calls and do the phone ‘tailing' before 8.30 am and after 4.30 pm i.e. past normal business hours so that the admin dept has left for the day. The other trick is to catch the executives on certain holidays where most of the staff has an off but executives are clocking hours.
Do your homework - Put your best research hat and do all the research before you call the prospective client. That won't waste his and your time and you will get good information in less time.
To the point email - When you draft an email to a prospective client, make sure it establishes a relationship and does not sound ‘cold'.
Use latest tools and technology to assist you in your calling.

Conclusion

Before winding up, one more important tip is  to have a lead nurturing strategy in place before one makes those phone calls. The reason being at first attempt, most prospects are going to show little interest. Hence they need to be stored for future calling and nurtured. Experience shows that prospects come back to you after a period of months or even years just because you nurtured them we

Retailers Forum magazine, the leader in wholesale merchandise has spent thirty years in the sales industry and agrees that having a plan ahead of time will make your sales efforts pay off.