Till one point, field sales meant going out to the market, finding prospects, following up, and closing the deal. Over time, the sales process became more complex and needed a team to work inside the office to collect leads, make the first contact, and even sell. With more people making purchases online, many companies have moved to sell from the office.
Yet, outside sales or field sales is significant for companies that have complex or high-priced products. No matter what business you are in, as long as you need to reach out to customers, you will need a field sales strategy that works. It brings us to the question – how do you find one, and why can’t you just depend on online or virtual sales?
Let us explore these answers.
Field sales or outside sales is a type of sales process where the reps go out in the market and sell directly. Field sales reps identify prospects, make contact, pursue leads, and ultimately, close the deal. Many companies still depend significantly on on-field sales, while others have achieved a perfect balance of field sales and inside sales.
Now let’s see why it is essential for companies.
Benefits of Field Sales
Even though companies are selling without meeting their prospects, field sales remain a core strategy for making sales. Field sales made up 72% of the sales force in 2017, while inside sales accounted for 28.8%. If you are missing out on field sales, you are losing a significant chunk of customers.
But why would you depend on on-field sales when you can sell using the phone or the internet?
Here are a few reasons to consider.
1. Field Sales Help You Sell More
The inside sales team in your office may be making more pitches, but the field reps are closing more deals. As it turns out, field reps are able to convert leads to customers 40% of the time. In contrast, the inside sales team close deals only 18% of the time.
The outside sales team also achieves their quotas more compared to inside sales. Statistics show that 65% of field reps attain their quotas, which is 10% higher than the inside sales team.
So, if you want to sell more, consider hiring some field sales representatives with the right skills.
2. Presentations and Demos make Better Impact on Customers
Field reps can utilize several methods to sell, like samples, demos, and displays. These visual methods engage prospects better and encourage them to take action. Humans are attracted to visuals and process them 60,000 times faster than written text. As a result, field reps make a better impact on prospects compared to inside sales.
On the other hand, the inside sales team may use pictures, videos, and phone calls to sell. These methods may be effective but don’t have the same impact as physical presentations or displays.
3. Field Reps Build Strong Customer Relationships
Your outside sales reps are always meeting clients face-to-face and initiating interactions. They spend time nurturing leads and aligning your products with the prospect’s pain points.
Face-to-face conversations are more effective than communication via text, emails, or phone. While conversing with clients, your reps can show their emotions and friendliness, which are missing in a phonecall or email. Conversing face-to-face also eliminates the chances of misunderstanding and creates better engagement.
As a result, your field reps can build strong relationships with your customers. When you have good relations with customers, you can provide better customer service and convert them to loyal customers – who are ready to spend more on your products and services.
4. It is Ideal for Businesses that have Complex Sales Cycles
Not all products can be sold online or through the phone. There will always be some products that need a lot of attention, service, or installation. For instance, you will always need to meet your prospects in-person when you sell medical equipment or on-premise software.
For this reason, field sales is ideal for complex sales processes and specialized products. Inside sales, on the other hand, works for simple products that team members can sell without spending much time or effort.
Field sales is also necessary for some industries and customers. You will need to meet your prospects face-to-face if you sell to other companies. B2B sales often involve presentations to the client and cannot be done through emails or phone calls.
Some customers, like doctors and professors, are used to meeting field reps. You must have seen how many medical representatives visit a doctor during a day! Thus, always keep field reps for such cases, as changing your approach may hurt sales.
5. Field Reps are an Effective Source of Customer Data and Feedback
Field reps are the people meeting clients and spending the most time with them. During the interaction, a field rep will try to discover the pain points of prospects and special needs, if any. They will also be the first person to find out if the customers are having any problems.
It makes field reps one of the best sources to gather customer feedback and customer information. Based on the insights given by field reps, you can refine or develop your product to suit client needs better. You can also determine the top and common customer problems and take timely action to solve them.
[Also read: 15 Smart sales closing techniques with scripts and examples]
Why You Need Field Sales?
Unless your company offers simple products or has a short sales cycle, you can benefit a lot from field sales. However, field sales management is crucial to drive max results from your team’s efforts. Most companies have moved to a hybrid model combining inside and outside sales for optimum results.
When your field reps hit the market, consider empowering them with a reliable field sales solution using LeadSquared Mobile CRM for field sales. Your field reps will be able to improve their performance and sell more with the new mobile capabilities. With more transparency and real-time insights, it’s going to help you get better conversions.
