Outside sales is the process of going out into the field to sell directly to prospects and customers. These reps travel to meet clients and build relationships in person, whether at the prospect's place of business, at trade shows, conventions, or other in-person settings.
An outside salesperson will:
Have specific goals or quotas to meet
Travel to meet with customers
Prospect or cold call within their sales area
Conduct in-person demonstrations or product education
Enter or update customer data in a CRM system
Many outside sales reps have assigned sales territories Opens in a new windowor existing accounts to nurture. They often use tools such as laptops or tablets and carry digital samples or demos, brochures, and price lists. The in-person connections made during outside sales help reps pick up on nonverbal cues that can make a critical difference in closing deals.
3. B2B sales
Business-to-business (B2B) Opens in a new windowsales involves a business selling a product or service to another business. A wood supplier may sell its products to a furniture manufacturer, or a software as a service (SaaS) company may sell its solutions to a tech company, for example.
The B2B sales cycle Opens in a new windowis typically longer than america phone number list traditional B2C (business-to-consumer) selling since it can involve much higher costs, greater complexity, and more stakeholders. Enterprise sales, Opens in a new windowwhich involves selling to large organizations, may have longer lead times, since selling to an enterprise can be highly complex. A small or midsize business (SMBOpens in a new window) may only have a handful of people who need to sign off on a deal, so it can often close sooner.
To be an effective B2B salesperson, you need to have extensive knowledge of your product or service, as well as your customer's business needs and challenges. B2B sales often requires a consultative approach, where reps focus on understanding the prospect's unique challenges and building long-term relationships. Our State of Sales report Opens in a new windowreveals that 86% of business buyers say they're more likely to buy when reps understand their goals.
4. B2C sales
Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales is when a business sells directly to its customers. When you make a personal purchase at a store or online, that's a business-to-consumer (B2C) sale. Because these deals are usually simpler and less costly than B2B sales, the sales cycle is shorter.
The B2C sales process is simple and effective. A business uses advertising or word of mouth to get customers interested in buying their products. This is commonly associated with the retail industry.
5. Channel sales
In channel sales, companies sell through partners or intermediaries. This is also called partner selling or indirect selling, because the company does not have a direct connection to the customer. For example, you might sell through independent brokers or agents who arrange transactions in exchange for a commission.