The Revenue Marketer’s Guide to Inside Sales

I am an inside sales rep. There, I said it! I am not ashamed of it. I do not consider myself an outsider to the sales team. I play a pivotal role in acquiring customers. And I am not alone.

A recent lead management study shows hiring for inside sales outpaces outside sales representatives by a 15:1 ratio. However, the role of inside sales is still viewed as not being very glamorous and has historically been described as a necessary evil by organizations all around the globe. Whether outsourced to a third party firm, or managed internally, it is loosely defined by the group or department it rolls up to.

There are many different names used to designate this role, including sales analyst, sales development, market development, demand generation, and lead generation. The responsibilities bestowed upon the role also vary. We are telemarketers, lead qualifiers, cold callers, hunters for the almighty lead, and a grunt to the rest of the sales/marketing organization. Most of us have skin as thick as steel – a necessary trait, as we play a numbers game and get hung up on constantly. The formula for success is simple: You must call X many prospects to obtain Y many leads to close Z amount of business. Simple theory, but think about the last time you received the dreaded cold call from one of us. How many times did you answer and even give us the time of day, much less any insight into your pains and challenges? Yet, we play a pivotal role in the growth of the company.

Traditionally, the inside sales rep has found a home within either sales or marketing, with little cross-over between the two. But times are changing – and Revenue Marketing™ is driving this change. One of the key elements to becoming a Revenue Marketer™ is to align sales and marketing, but where do you start?

In steps the “Inside Sales Team”! Applause, Applause, Applause!!!

Here is where inside sales can play a pivotal role. How? Well, we’ve already built a good relationship with sales, learning their sales process, language and pitch. And we’re working with marketing, reading digital body language from marketing-driven campaigns and tracking prospects’ progress through the buyer’s journey.

So in a perfect world, inside sales is perfectly positioned to bring sales and marketing together in beautiful harmony…

Sorry, I was daydreaming for a second there. In the real world, the transition to Revenue Marketing is not going to happen overnight. Sales people can be tough and marketers can be out of touch with sales goals.

However, the one common thread is that they both put their trust in the inside sales team to get things done. We make sure that we connect with all the leads that marketing has created, document our progress, and vet out qualified opportunities for sales so they can concentrate on closing. We are the engine that drive’s revenue for both sales and marketing. So give us our day in the limelight!

The Revenue Marketer’s Guide to Inside Sales