- Insides Sales Is Not Easy
Let’s face it, most people are not comfortable spending most of their day fielding dozens of phone calls with people who may or may not be eager to speak with them. In between, reps have to juggle numerous tasks, including crafting emails, researching customers, building quotes, entering data and more. They are torn between responsibilities that require substantial brainpower as they engage with prospects and customers and those that are mundane and repetitive. - Hiring Mistakes Happen too Often
Given the wide-ranging job demands, and the too frequent need to fill a job quickly, managers are likely to make some hiring mistakes. Unfortunately, if the wrong person ends up in inside sales, they are likely to burn out rapidly and not stay the course. Even if they tough it out, there are slim chances of success and will most likely become an involuntary turnover statistic. - You’ve Got Competition
While you are challenged to keep a full stable of competent inside salespeople, so are other local companies. As the Internet has increased the opportunities for remote selling and technology has made it more efficient than ever, the demand for inside salespeople has risen. In fact, this sales methodology has been growing three times faster than field sales. Thus, the need for these unique individuals who can work the phones is higher than ever.
If you’re in one of the major hubs for inside sales operations, you likely feel the pain even more. These localities include, for instance, Cork and Dublin in Ireland as well as Barcelona, Spain, where attracting, hiring and retaining phone agents is even more challenging. The result is extended vacancies and the necessity to increase pay and benefits.
What does all of this mean for you? Extended vacancies in critical positions that fuel your business’s success. Seventy-one percent of companies claim that it’s taking them six months or more to fill inside rep vacancies.
Bringing a new employee on board, however, is just the beginning. One-third of businesses say it takes them more than nine months to bring new reps up to speed. That’s a substantial burden especially when you consider that on average an inside sales person stays in their position for less than a year and a half. This short tenure is due to some of the issues already discussed — failure and quitting. It also can be the result of success. Inside salespeople who achieve stellar sales results are often ambitious and thus are likely to look for the next rung on the corporate ladder.
If you work for a company that sells primarily to people speaking the same language, you can do some juggling of responsibilities among remaining reps to ensure coverage of critical accounts and prospects. If your business, however, markets to a variety of geographic regions that require multiple language proficiencies, you have a rougher road to travel. If, for instance, you lose your only rep who speaks fluent French, you have no one left who can cover for them. As a result, key accounts and promising prospects may be neglected for extended periods.
The costs of inside sales turnover can be substantial both in terms of lost business, and to reduce them.
Call us at +1 718-709-0900 (US) or +39 06 978446 60 (EMEA), or contact us online to learn how you can outsource your inside sales and get rapid results.
