Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales: How to Structure a Sales Team

Inside or outside sales? It's often argued these two strategies are at odds with one another.

But, in today's market, the two roles are blending — and both have become a vital part of sales organizations.

所以，是lines really blurred? Is inside sales just sales as usual? Wondering which go-to-market should you choose?

让我们探索内部销售与外部销售方程式，并研究每个人如何适应现代销售团队。

内部销售是什么？

Inside sales refers to the process ofselling remotelyvia phone, email, and other digital channels, instead of face-to-face. It’s popular in the B2B space, particularly in SaaS and tech industries.

According to 2019 data, out of the 5.7 million professional salespeople in the U.S., approximately 45.5% are inside sales professionals. Outside sales reps represent 52.8%.

What do Inside Sales reps do?

内部销售代表与潜在客户远程合作，指导他们完成销售过程，以确保他们找到足够的产品或服务，以帮助客户解决他们的问题。

内外销售活动

Key responsibilities of an inside sales rep include:

• Demonstrating superior product knowledge to answer customer questions and inquiries
• 与潜在客户建立关系以建立信任和融洽关系
• Nurture leads with the goal of converting them to customers and managing referrals from existing customers
• Reaching their monthly quota goals
• 结束客户交易
• Reporting on relevant sales data

由于内部销售代表通常不会面对面与潜在客户相遇，因此他们利用手机，电子邮件，video, and virtual meetings to connect with potential customers.

他们的日程安排更可预测，并且他们经常对每天完成的活动数量（例如，通话数量，预定的会议，已发送建议）的目标。

If you're interested in becoming an inside sales rep, you'll need to have a deep understanding of your product. Unlike an outside sales rep who can give an in-person demo, inside sales reps need to have the ability to explain the functionality and value of their product to customers during acold call, if need be.

Another perk of inside sales is that it's a better fit for salespeople or teams functioning remotely:

外部销售代表做什么？

Outside sales reps spend most of their time traveling to meet with clients, connect with prospects, and nurture relationships.

The2021 Xant.ai report发现外部团队再进行25％的电话和超过50％的电子邮件活动。

他们经常在行业活动，会议或演讲活动中出售。这种类型的销售职位非常适合那些喜欢管理自己的时间表和独立工作的人。

卖家内部和外部的工具是如此相似（例如，CRM，电子邮件，社交媒体），实际上不再有内部与外部销售。

It's all sales.

内外销售统计

早在2017年Xant.ai进行了研究并发现大型组织（收入> 5亿美元）由现场销售代表主导。

Small organizations with revenues below $50 million, on the other hand, had the highest percentage of inside sales reps at 47%.

HubSpot’s2021 Sales Enablement Survey, which surveyed over 500 sales leaders, shows how much things have changed in just five years.

该研究表明，有68％的销售负责人表示，他们将在2021年采用混合动力或完全遥远的销售模式。

In fact, most leaders (63%) believe that virtual meetings can be as, if not more, effective than in-person meetings.

最后，我们发现在2020年过渡到远程工作销售的销售领导者中有64％达到或超过了他们的销售目标。

With this in mind, the research would suggest that sales teams should have a combination of inside and outside sellers as each structure can prove beneficial depending on the company’s goals and priorities.

Inside Sales Team

要创建一个内部销售团队，您需要一些关键角色：

• Sales development representative (SDR) –有资格领先。
• 客户经理（AE） -Closes deals.
• Account manager –管理客户关系。
• 客户成功经理 -Oversees customer support.

The rule of thumb when it comes to your sales team is to have one SDR for every two to three AEs.

Should you outsource your inside sales team?

To decide the best setup for your company, you’ll have to do an evaluation of where your company currently stands.

If you’re a startup or a small business, you may want to outsource your inside sales team and keep your overhead costs down. If you’re a larger company, however, having an in-house team may be a better investment.

Now, let’s say your sales team is currently focused on acquiring new leads instead of closing deals. Sales reps spend a lot of time connecting with prospecting, nurturing relationships, and qualifying leads.

可能值得将内部销售团队外包，并让您的内部团队专注于已经有资格和购买的潜在客户。

尽管外包有许多好处，但仅适用于合适的供应商。首先，您需要一个对您的品牌，产品和消息传递有清晰了解的供应商。

Your vendor should also be transparent about:

• 他们的销售过程
• What they’ll deliver (pipeline building, number of qualified leads a month, etc.)
• 进度报告

内部销售与外部销售工资

To retain top talent, companies need to pay market value for salespeople.

Glassdoor reports that the average base salary for an inside sales rep in the U.S. is $43,712 in 2021. For an inside sales account executive (AE), the base salary is just under $80,000.

The Bridge Group reportsthat as of 2021, the average sales development rep (SDR) earns a median base salary of $50K.xant.aireports that average on-target earnings for SDRs rose 3% from 2018 and now rests at $90,434.

通常，销售负责人相信外部代表会带来更多的经验，因此他们要求更高的基本工资。

根据我们2017年的数据，拥有大多数外部销售代表的公司的基本工资比内部销售额高36％。有趣的是，外部销售的OTE仅高9.2％。

OTE should be an indicator of expected earnings, so inside sales positions actually earn relatively close to the same amount as outside sales.

Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales Quota Attainment

According to 2021 data from The Bridge Group, only 66% of reps reach quota attainment each year.

有趣的是，外部销售代表的平均配额比内部销售代表高10％。Spotio.

而且，虽然销售人员获得100％配额达成肯定还有很长的路要走，但这并不是乏味的结果。

While salespeople are sometimes assigned territories based on specific roles (inside/outside), companies often allow inside sellers to close smaller value deals on their own — and support the outside seller when working on key strategic accounts.

内部和外部卖家之间的更好的协作和沟通，市场和销售以及提高的生产率（多亏了AI）将在未来大大提高销售业绩。

内部与外部销售模型

So here’s a breakdown that will help you visualize the structure of an inside versus outside sales team.

内部销售模型

• Sales rep connects with prospects, leads, and clients using digital channels.
• 专注于获取潜在客户。
• 更快的销售周期（<90天）
• Costs less and is more scalable

Outside Sales Model

• Sales rep travels to meet client face-to-face.
• Focuses on nurturing and converting leads.
• Slower sales cycles (>90 days)
• Costs more and is less scalable

Finally, when choosing a sales organizational structure, you'll always be at the whim of your customer. How do your customers prefer to be contacted? How do they allow you to close a deal? Can you close a $1m deal over the phone? Only your customer can decide that.

我不认为有必不可少的现场销售模型有特定的垂直，行业或产品。当然，有一些行业有现场销售模型。但是,这并不意味着它的the optimal sales model in the current market.

今天的买家正在变得越来越精明。由于他们在亚马逊和其他网站上购买更多供个人使用的商品，因此他们自然会希望该模型在B2B环境中也可以无缝地工作。

You must be ready to meet them with a solid digital sales model — and this means including inside sellers on your team.

There really is no manual when it comes to inside and outside sales. Companies are trying different models, testing various organizational structures to make sure they find the right fit for their product, buyer, and market. Find what's right for you.

编者注：该帖子最初发表在2020年4月and has been updated for comprehensiveness.