Sean HuckstepImagine this: it’s 11 AM. Your appointment with a prospect that is a 40-minute drive from your home office has canceled. They sent you a text when you were about 20 minutes away, telling you that they’ll have to reschedule for next week.
You’re only about ¼ of the way to quota and you need to hit your numbers this month. Otherwise, you have been warned that you will be put on a plan.
Historically this area hasn’t been worked very well by people in your office because of the long commute. You don’t have another appointment lined up until later in the afternoon because you knew how long of a drive this would be. You are now presented with a choice. Do you stay in that area that you are currently heading to, or do you turn around and spend more time in the car driving back to the office?
If you’re in field sales, you’re probably faced with choices like this on an almost daily basis. But in this line of work, “Time is Money” so you need to spend your time wisely in order to generate as much business as possible. Here’s how to avoid situations like this using great sales tech, but first we have to define it.
What is outside sales?
The difference between inside sales and outside sales is clear: Inside sales reps typically sell right from their office or home desk. Outside sales reps, on the other hand, travel and broker face-to-face deals. While outside sales reps likely have an employer with physical office space, these salespeople are meeting with prospects at trade shows, conferences, and industry events.
2 Tips to be a success in outside sales
- Invest in the right sales tech
- Stay optimistic
#1 Invest in the right sales tech
Of course, there’s a lot you can do without technology, but the quickest and most efficient way to manage your outside sales efforts is with the right tech.
If you’re going to invest in working in this field, then fully work it. With the right technology you should be able to:
- Map your territories. Plot 20-30 contacts in the surrounding area and take the quickest routes to them or contact those that are near current/new leads.
- Help you clover leaf. After you approach your mapped territories, take the time to meet the neighboring businesses and the decision makers in those businesses. Create these leads in your CRM and plot them on a map. Take note of the interesting and important conversations that you have with the gatekeepers. Figure out how you could get business to progress with those companies.
- Set appointments and plan days ahead of time.
There is really no excuse to take an off-day just because things aren’t going the way that you planned them to go. Sales tech provides you with options to adapt and thrive in any situation. You should always have a Plan B and C, or at least an optimistic attitude that’s willing to adapt on the fly. Not to brag about ourselves, but SalesRabbit is built to make that adaption easy and make sure reps and managers always have smart options in the field.
#2 Stay optimistic
Outside sales can be an extremely challenging job. That’s no question. So staying optimistic has to be a choice you make.
As Alexander Graham Bell said: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Sometimes your appointments won’t out the way that you’d hoped, but there are still opportunities to get stuff done, as long as you’re determined enough to look for them. Often all it takes is a willingness to adapt, and that’s the first major step towards a successful day.
Are you in outside sales? Tell us about it!
If you’re in outside sales chances are this all resonated with you. If so, do you have any advice for other reps trying to make it in the outside sales world? Drop them down below! We’re always looking to adapt and learn as much as we can about the sales world. And even if you aren’t familiar with outside sales, were these tips helpful to you? We want to hear from you.
