Recent studies have found that in the world of sales, outside sales are still the dominant style, but inside sales are growing at a faster rate.
A Movement Towards Inside Sales
Many companies are hoping to transition to an inside sales-based approach, and experts predict this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. Currently, outside sales makes up over 70% of sales revenue, while inside sales makes up just under 29%. These numbers, however, are expected to change, and quickly.
In 2018, inside sales is expected to see a 2% bump, and large companies have stated that, on average, their goal is to shift to a 40/60 split on inside and outside sales. This would be a more than 10% increase in the number of sales revenue earned through inside sales, which would greatly impact the current American sales climate. Business owners and sales professionals may want to consider how this trend will impact them, and whether a shift towards a more inside sales focused system would better suit their companies or careers.
Improved Alignment and Collaboration
Inside sales has shown to be a key component for smaller organizations, which were found to utilize inside sales reps for nearly 50% of their sales. Smaller organizations were also found to take advantage of the outbound sales development role more than larger organizations. This data helps show that many companies are using inside and outside sales together to make a unified salesforce, rather than one in conflict or in competition with each other.
A salesforce that leverages both inside, outside, and sales development prospecting roles in unison will have a sales team that is able to be more efficient and unified in its efforts to find quality prospects and close deals. Trends show that more companies are looking to share the sales process more evenly between sales departments and make use of the specialized sales prospecting role in order to maximize their resources and technology and to help their inside and outside sales departments work together.
Remote Sales
Another growing trend to take note of in the sales world is that today, with all the technology available, outside sales reps are spending almost half of their time selling remotely; this is nearly a 90% jump since 2013. This trend has coincided with a massive increase in the amount that companies are spending on sales technology solutions, and shows the ways in which technology continues to blur the line between inside and outside sales.
In addition to focusing more on sales technologies, companies say their primary purpose for inside sales is now to create a system that helps foster a full partnership between inside and outside sales. This desire, as well as a focus on the sales prospecting role and an investment in new sales technologies, helps create a more unified and strategic partnership between inside and outside sales. If you’re looking to capitalize on the talent in your sales team, you should take note of these trends and see how you can better unify, support, and focus your inside and outside sales teams.
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