Carve a career in Inside Sales

Abhay Gupta

Inside sales is a term that has been thrown around a lot these days but what exactly is it? Do you have a natural flair for sales and want to make a career in it? Are you the person who hates going on field and prefers staying indoors while working? Then you have come to the right place. In the below article, we shall be shedding light on a career in inside sales and what it has to offer.

What is Inside Sales?

Inside sales refers to any type of sales that is handled remotely. In the past decade, inside sales has come to be the dominant sales model in B2B, tech, SaaS and a variety of B2C industries. An inside sales model involves high-touch transactions over the phone and mail. Due to the advancement in tech, inside sales reps can give presentations, conduct demos and perform major functions that were traditionally handled by field reps.

Inside Sales career path

The typical path involves spending their day on phones and very rarely out in the field. It's the modern way for the salesperson who strives for the feeling of closing big deals and cashing commission checks.

 The entry level role for this field is sales development representative. This role involves prospecting leads, creating opportunities and setting up meetings for closures. The best sales reps go on to become Account Executives who spend their time in meetings with potential prospects and closing deals. After learning how the sales teams function, top-performing account executives move into leadership roles like sales manager or sales director.

 The most successful of them go on to become sales VP's once they get their MBA degree. Top notch VP's then get promoted to Chief Revenue Officers who are responsible for leading sustainable revenue growth.

Salary

As per Glassdoor, the average salary for an inside sales rep is Rs 3,09,588 year, including the profit sharing, bonus, and commissions.

An entry-level Inside Sales Representative with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of Rs2,52,135. An early career Inside Sales Representative with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of Rs3,04,026.  A mid-career Inside Sales Representative with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of Rs4,09,317.  An experienced Inside Sales Representative with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of Rs4,87,957.

Skills required to be an inside sales rep

If you want to move ahead in the field of inside sales, then these are the skills you need to be proficient in.

●       Sales

●       Customer Relationship Management

●       Account Management

●       Communication

●       Negotiation

●       Subject matter expertise

●       Customer Relations

●       Customer Understanding

●       Compelling Storyteller

 You can opt to learn these skills by working as an intern, attending workshops or taking online courses.

Inside sales has turned the traditional concept of a career in sales on its head. A career in sales today means flexibility and transparency. It's never been a more exciting time for the profession. By having the experts look at where sales has been and where it’s likely going, it’s clear to see the future leaves plenty of room for innovation, education, and talented salespeople.

 Make the most of modern innovations by learning sales from the best of the best.

The writer is Co-founder & COO, Board Infinity