How an inside-outside approach can increase your effectiveness with customers

By Todd Brodersen

Inside and outside sales reps have a great passion for the business that they generate. There is an immense pride derived from satisfying the needs of the customer while creating value in the marketplace. We attend sales trainings, read industry materials, strive to better ourselves in hopes of becoming more valuable to our customers, and consequently, more successful ourselves. All of these efforts and methods are great for self improvement. However, they can be undermined if we do not add a simple, but vital piece to the equation. That piece is partnership.

Our job is one that requires us to partner with many people. We must identify and work with the manufacturer reps in our territories. We partner with the decision makers and staff members of the practices we call on. We spend time honing these relationships in order to stay top of mind and have an edge over our competitors. Sales jobs can be very solitary. People often think that since you talk to customers all day you have a very social job. That is only a partially true statement. When you are the salesperson, it is you alone that can make or break the interactions that you are having with customers. You are in control of your communication style, the information that you can present, and the way that you represent the company that you work for. You are almost controlling your own smaller version of the company that you work for. What if you had someone that could promote you and your abilities when you weren’t present? Wouldn’t it be great to have some of the initial leg work in a new account done before you ever spoke to them?

Allies
Inside reps and outside reps that cover a common territory or list of accounts have the ability to make their own jobs easier by becoming each other’s allies. Many companies try to foster this type of work environment for their reps. I have worked with many distributors and manufacturers in our industry. Even within the companies that are supportive of this rep-to-rep collaboration, it is only a small percentage of the reps that have truly figured out how to partner. This is not to say that inside and outside reps do not work well together. In many cases there is a “co-existence” in the practices that they both serve. There are times that the inside and outside reps will rely on one another to complete something for the other. Transactions, delivery of information, and follow-up on an item or situation are activities that happen daily in many territories.

Truly partnering is different from using someone as an assistant when you need their help. Truly partnering with your sales ally means understanding the basics. Most of the “basic” info is assumed to be common knowledge by one side or the other. The truth is, we cannot assume that our working partner knows anything about what we are doing. The information that an inside and outside rep MUST exchange in order to be more successful starts with the most basic. Where will you be or what clients will you be speaking with today, this week, or month? What will your main topics be with the majority of these clients? What sales goals do you have for this week, month, quarter? This is an effective foundation for a healthy increase in communication and success for both. The customer also gains respect for a team that is obviously in support of one another, versus one that doesn’t even seem to be connected. Regularly exchanging basic information gives you a chance to see the other person’s capabilities. There are no more assumptions made by either party. Many people think that they have to keep most of the basic information to themselves. There are no secrets in the basic information. You are not giving up any top secret sales strategies. You are not discussing each other’s compensation plans. The basic information should be exchanged and used for you to become a team and duplicate yourself and your efforts within your own customer base.
Treat your sales ally as your customer. Be respectful, helpful, and cordial. Do what you say you are going to do when you say that you are going to do it and hold your partner to the same standard. Many of us work together but know little about one another. This simple information exchange will allow you to build upon the foundation in order to create a greater knowledge and respect for one another. This doesn’t guarantee that you are destined to become best friends, but it does give you a chance to have someone else that you can count on when it comes to servicing your customers.
There are many sales programs out there that companies can use in order to determine what should be focused on and when it should be focused on. Most of these programs do not discuss or promote the collaboration between reps. If a customer has a chance to interact with a company that focuses on what they are going to need versus what the company wants to sell, and they have the message delivered from an inside rep and an outside rep that respect and promote one another, customer loyalty goes through the roof. A supportive environment from the customer perspective is more valuable than saving a penny by shopping around. Tag-teaming a sales situation from the perspective of the customers’ needs is the best sales situation to be in. Being involved in a partnership with an ally that you can rely on to assist in carrying the message you are trying to deliver is what makes truly successful salespeople. Those that cannot see the value in partnering and sharing information for the good of the customer experience will never make it to the top of the sales ladder.

Todd Brodersen has more than 16 years of experience in the animal health industry, specifically in executive level sales and marketing management. Todd has first-hand knowledge in conceptualizing and implementing best practices in sales, marketing, distribution and procurement. Todd operates Same Page Consulting, Inc. out of his hometown of Omaha, Neb.