Inside Sales Vs Outside Sales - Which One Is For You?

I think at some point in our salesperson lives, we've all been confronted with making the decision of whether or not we want to be in either inside or outside sales. I wanted to address this issue based on my own experiences in order to stimulate your thinking when deciding on which direction you want to go. I have worked on both sides of the sales world in several different endeavors, and usually did pretty well either way. So, to start off, I want to define both concepts as I see them before I deal with the positive and negatives of each.

According to Wikipedia, sales are defined as "the activities involved in providing products or services in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity." There are all types of methods that exist today besides inside and outside sales, but that is the focus of this article so I won't stray from the subject matter at hand.

Basically, with inside sales the customer comes to you at a fixed location of business. The opposite holds true with outside sales. You travel to the customer's residence or place of business. The following is a comparative list of the differences of the two concepts. Though it may not be as complete as it could be, I have covered the critical differences for the purpose of this article.

Inside Sales

--- the customer comes to your business

--- the only travel involves driving to work and then home

--- sales involve products or services, or both, and the sale of an extended warranty sometimes comes into play, and sometimes these warranty issues get handled at store level

--- you usually work a fixed schedule and your place of business has fixed hours of operation

--- the customer comes to you at anytime during hours of store operation and in most cases without an appointment

--- you are usually compensated with an hourly wage or salary depending on your position in the company

Outside Sales

--- you go to the customer's residence or place of business

--- you are constantly traveling to and from an office or place of business and in some instances, out of town

--- sales involve products or services, or both, and the sale of an extended warranty sometimes comes into play

--- your hours are flexible and do not normally involve a schedule, despite the hours of operation of your main office or headquarters

--- you see the customer at a time that is convenient to them as a scheduled appointment

--- you are usually compensated on a commission basis once your sales training period is completed

There may be other differences as I mentioned, but for the sake of this article, I'm going to elaborate on these six that I have listed. Hopefully, this will give you some food for thought when trying to choose the direction you want to go.

Critical Difference #1:

In inside sales, the customer comes to you. You never get to leave the store unless you take a break or go out to get your lunch. In most cases, you're only given a 30 minute lunch break, so you usually end up either bringing your meal back to the store (and hopefully get to eat it without interruption), or you bring a lunch from home or "brown bag" it as it's often called.

With outside sales, you spend the majority of your day away from your office or headquarters. Your time is basically your own, depending on your scheduled appointments, so you can take your breaks and your lunch whenever you see fit, or when your schedule permits. In some cases, outside sales people will brown bag a lunch and find a park or a spot on the side of the road to eat. But most of the time, you are in the fast food line or at a restaurant possibly entertaining a client for their business.

Critical Difference #2:

In inside sales the only traveling you generally do is from your home to your place of work and back when your workday is over. With outside sales, you are always driving from one place to another. You usually start your morning at the office, schedule your appointments, and then you're out of there until your day is finished. In some instances, when you are in territory sales, you travel out of town and stay overnight in hotels and motels.

Critical Difference #3:

It's almost an identical comparison on this one except for the fact that inside sales (specifically in retail) oftentimes involve going out to the customer's house or business to touch up or repair an item that was purchased from your store. Major warranty issues in the retail industry wind up being handled at the manufacturer's level, depending on the item. And the manufacturer usually informs you that it's up to their discretion as to whether they repair or replace the item for you.

Critical Difference #4:

Inside sales is a very predictable animal in the fact that you follow a weekly and hourly schedule. Unless you are salaried and in management, you show up for your shift and then stop for the day based on the schedule prescribed by your supervisor or manager.

It's totally the opposite with outside sales. Your hours are flexible and based on the appointments that you have made for each day that you work. And herein lays another critical issue, namely efficient time management and scheduling. When you're traveling from one appointment to another, you need to be aware of variables here that are non-existent in inside sales (e.g. weather and road conditions, stopping for gas or lunch, etc.). These are variables that you take care of either before or after work, or during your lunch break when you're employed in inside sales.

Critical Difference #5:

Inside sales rarely work on an appointment basis. Whenever a customer walks into your store, and it's your turn to help someone, consider that an appointment. That is why I have always referred to that as an opportunity, not an "up" or a turn on the sales floor. Not so with outside sales. Your sole existence is predicated by that customer or client's desire to meet with you at their convenience and on their turf. Just remember that with outside sales you could be meeting with a client at the crack of dawn or late at night. Your inconvenience is what creates convenience for the customer.

Critical Difference #6

This is the major point of the six issues, and lots of times the determining factor between staying inside and going outside. With inside sales, one of the positives here is that you know that every payday you're getting a check, and you can assume what the amount is going to be. The negative side of this is that's what the paycheck will always be. Some people see this as a security issue to offset the negative, but the only way your income will grow is if you keep climbing the ladder to management. And believe me, that is not for everybody.

With outside sales, the positive is that there is no limit to your earnings, unless your company puts a ceiling or a cap on those earnings. If they do, that's not a company you want to stay with. The negative side to commission sales is that you get what you put into it. There will be paychecks that put you on top of the world. And then there will be paychecks that make you wonder how you're going to get through until the next one. It's sort of the feast or famine syndrome here. Real Estate and auto sales are the first two types of jobs that come to mind in that area.

My best experience in outside sales was in the advertising world. I was an account executive in a couple of printed publications, and also for a local television station. In advertising, your money is made by the contracts you sell and the length of those contracts. Standard contracts are 3-month, 6-month, and annual. I always considered the 6-month and annual contracts to be my bread and butter or my staple income. Any 3-month contract to me was icing on the cake. An interesting note here is that the shorter the length of the contract, the more difficult it is to renew them.

No matter what outside venue you choose, it will require a tremendous amount of due diligence on your part. You have got to be very good at time management and rigorous when it comes to maintaining your appointment schedule. The rule of thumb in sales is that the client keeps you waiting, not the other way around. Is this inconvenient? Sometimes it is. Deal with it. If you're going to make it in outside sales, it is a necessary evil.

Over and above everything else I have mentioned prior to this point, before you even consider a career in either inside or outside sales, you have got to know that you have the mentality and the skills to succeed at this. Believe me, there are some people out there who think they can be a salesperson or an account executive. But in about 90% of the cases, they're better off with a shovel in their hands.

This trade requires talent, and very few people out there have that talent. You have to be able to deal with the highs and lows, so if you have the tendency to snivel when your ego gets bruised, sales are not for you. When you get kicked to the curb, you have to be able to get up, dust yourself off, and go get another one. If you can't see yourself doing this, sales will never be your cup of tea.

Be very careful in your decision making process. If you want security, stick with inside sales. But if you can handle a little risk, and are willing to invest effort, the rewards can be astounding in outside sales. As always, please feel free to e-mail me your comments and questions at no1nyyfan@yahoo.com and I will respond to them as quickly as possible. Happy selling!

http://en.wikipedia.com

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Outside of the Bible, What Is the Most Important Piece of Christian Literature Printed Today?

In my position with the Witt Company, I communicate with church professionals every day. Recently, many of you have stated that the size of your congregations have been "holding steady" while some have said, "we are getting a little smaller" so I started doing some research. I wanted to find some valuable information to help you build your congregations. I was fortunate to discover a book written by Yvon Prehn and called her. She is based here in Southern California. Yvon was very gracious with her time and she granted her permission to share some terrific information with you that I am presenting below. In the coming weeks, I will share more of her wisdom designed to help church professionals in various ways. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

First, let me ask a question: Outside of the Bible, what is the most important piece of Christian Literature printed today? One answer may surprise you; it could be your church bulletin!

Yvon Prehn wrote in her manual Toolkit For Church Communicators (excerpts reprinted with permission) that the church bulletin is, for some people, the first piece of Christian literature they have ever seen and is usually the first thing a new visitor will read about your church.

New Visitors Come Hungry

Yvon goes on to say that everyone has a spiritual vacuum inside and they come to church looking for a way to fill it. They will read anything that you give them.

Does Your Church Bulletin Present the Right Message?

What does your church bulletin say to them? George Barna says that 91% of "unchurched" people believe churches are not sensitive to their needs. Yvon wondered where they got that idea? Could it be you tell them that in your church bulletins? Many times, bulletins are filled with terms only familiar to regular visitors. They talk about events and meetings without explaining them, just assuming everyone knows what you are talking about. Sometimes, they don't even talk about what is going on in your service that morning.

What Should You Put in Your Church Bulletins?

Producers of the bulletin should look at it through the eyes of someone unfamiliar with how a church operates. As you seek new members and try to connect with them, Yvon suggests some tips to keep your bulletin up to date but not to lose your church's personality or traditional values.

Welcome People

Few bulletins start out with a WELCOME! It should be right up front and before the order of service. Make in genuine and "reflect the tradition of your church."

Please Give an Order of Service

A visitor has no idea what to expect.

Acknowledge Both Visitors and Members in the Announcement Section

Some of the best bulletins welcome visitors and then give essential details such as bathroom locations, nursery info, even an invitation to have coffee after the service where they can meet and ask questions. In a section such as "church news," accommodate visitors by saying something like: "Below are the various events hosted by our church in the coming weeks. Everyone is invited to these functions and we hope you will attend. If you need more information, please call the contact numbers listed with each activity."

Do You Encourage New Visitors to Become More Involved?

Your bulletins should pull back first time attendees by suggesting that they attend a small group or social activity, even an event for their children.

Don't List Events That Are Closed to Newcomers

Let regular visitors and members know about "closed events" in a verbal announcement and at the start of your small groups attended by active attendees. If you must list closed events, label them as such.

Include the 5 W's: who, what, when, where, why

Who is putting on the program? What is going on? Where will it be located? What time will it start and end? What is the cost? Is child care provided?

Repeat the Information (Event) for Several Weeks

Remember, no one will see the information as often as you do. Because of school and work obligations, many regular attendees cannot attend every week. Repetition is important. Marketing experts tell us that people need to see something 6 times before they remember and respond.

Have a Place for Testimonials and Always Include a Gospel Presentation

Yvon has been recommending for years that every bulletin put in a short piece about how someone came to trust Jesus as their Savior. Here is one that ran at Christmas:

"In the midst of the gifts and goodies we are all enjoying at this time of year, remember the message of Christmas is that God came to Earth in the form of a person-Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus grew up and not only became the greatest teacher and miracle worker the world has ever seen but he died a unique death. In His death, Jesus was not a victim of evil men. Jesus willingly gave up His life and died on the cross so that He could pay the penalty for our sins. His death was His choice and His story does not end with His death. Jesus rose from the dead after three days and by doing that, showed that He was God!

When you believe that Jesus died for our sins and accept the forgiveness He offers us, and decide to follow Him, Jesus promises to forgive us and give us eternal life. If you would like to have your sins forgiven, if you would like to be at peace with your God; if you would like to live forever, tell Jesus you are a sinner and you need His salvation. Ask him to come into your life and be your Savior and Lord. After you do that, please read the Bible to learn how to live as a Christian. Talk to God daily in prayer. Go to church and get to know other followers of Jesus and grow in your faith."

A lady decided to include a brief gospel presentation like this in her bulletin and reported to Yvon that one of the men in her church had to go to prison for a time. To keep him in touch with the church, she sent him the bulletin regularly. He wrote her later and thanked her and said it made him feel that he wasn't forgotten and he had even led several inmates to the Lord in prison. By including a gospel message, the eternal destinies of men were changed by her bulletins.

I was moved by Yvon Prehn's inclusion of testimonials and her good ideas to build a strong, user-friendly, church bulletin that I hope will help you build your congregations.

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