Pondering On How Business Intelligence (BI) Can Uplift Your Sales Team?

Recently updated on December 4th, 2024 at 11:26 am

Inside sales vs. outside sales are used differently by business sales teams. Regardless of whether these teams work independently or in a mixed environment, they require information to help them track performance and increase sales. The key to identifying these teams’ strengths and opportunities is to understand their differences and similarities. Business intelligence (BI) tools can provide business-critical benefits for both inside and outside sales teams, regardless of your company’s financial health.

Key Distinctions Between Inside And Outside Sales

When it comes to inside vs. outside sales, there are some key distinctions to be made.

Processes of sale

The main distinction between inside and outside sales is whether the transaction takes place in person or online. When sales representatives (reps) convert leads to customers online, this is known as inside sales. Outside salespeople are focused on closing deals in person, which means they frequently travel to trade shows, conferences, and other networking events to meet with potential customers.

Skills That Are Required

Although the sales cycles of inside sales reps and outside sales reps differ, the majority of the skills required are the same. Both types of salespeople must be able to use email and customer relationship management (CRM) software, as well as communicate effectively over the phone. Inside sales and outside sales roles, however, require different skills due to the nature of their interactions with potential customers and how they build relationships.

Inside sales reps, for example, must be extremely knowledgeable about their products in order to respond to customer questions on the spot. They should also be tech-savvy so that they can virtually connect with potential customers. Outside sales reps are distinguished by the fact that they are responsible for managing their own schedule and appointments, both of which are typically held outside of their office. Outside sales reps must keep a close eye on appointment times to ensure that they consistently and on time meet the needs of their customers.

Benefits of Business Intelligence for Sales Teams

Some businesses are taking a hybrid approach with their sales teams. Regardless of whether inside sales reps and outside sales reps work independently or in a blended environment, they both require tools to help them confidently use their business data and become truly data-savvy. Furthermore, they both require excellent sales tools, such as dependable business intelligence software.

Sales Teams Can Benefit From Data-savvy Tools.

All sales teams require tools to assist them in becoming data-savvy. In today’s business climate, for example, online sales are becoming more popular. Customers are shopping online more, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when their purchasing habits changed as a result of the lockdown.

Many outside sales reps were forced to start selling online in this situation. Inside and outside sales teams both require data analytics tools to help them stand out in the face of these unprecedented changes.

Inside and outside sales can benefit from business analytics tools because it provides them with useful insights, such as:

• Understanding the profitability of your customers
• Monitoring the performance of a channel
• Profit margin analysis by product and/or service
• Recognizing customers who are losing interest
• Revenue can also be generated with the help of reliable sales data. Data can be used by leadership teams to find sales revenue and to share insights with sales teams in order to increase sales.

Reliable Business Intelligence Tools

Sales analytics software is one of the best BI tools on the market. This tool isolates sales data so that sales teams can access specialized BI reporting in order to make quick decisions and increase sales. This sales analytics software can be very powerful and visually appealing, making it useful for any member of your sales team.

Wrapping Up

Sales leaders, for example, can review custom sales metrics and KPIs using BI dashboards. They can also use BI tools to identify new cross-selling opportunities and measure lost sales. Leadership can coach sales teams in the moment to ensure that they are building relationship sales and driving ownership with this level of flexibility.

To achieve their objectives, sales teams in all roles rely on interdepartmental communication. BI tools can help you communicate more effectively about your company’s sales health. Furthermore, it simplifies results by providing sales teams with a single source of sales data.

To learn more about how BI intelligence can benefit your inside and outside sales teams, get in touch with the PathQuest® team.

Published on: 14 May 2021

Author

John Bugh

John Bugh is Chief Revenue Officer for PathQuest, responsible for the strategic direction, planning, vision, growth, and performance of the company’s marketing, branding, and revenue streams.

As a seasoned professional with over 35 years of experience in executive sales, marketing, and operational leadership, John has worked to build high-performing leadership-teams that have a demonstrated track record of accelerating growth, increasing revenue, establishing sustainability, and improving profitability.

He is an avid life-long fan of the NY Yankees and loves to snow ski with his family whenever he has the opportunity!