The Coming of the InsideSales Revolution
Real revolutions–the ones that definitively change the way we work and live–rarely start in executive board rooms. They almost never start from profit-analysis reports, pipeline review meetings, training agendas, or marketing demographic outlines.
A revolution isn’t about creating a “brand,” or “engagement,” or “measurable metrics” (though in many cases those come later).
It’s not about who has the best “spin,” the best PR, or the best prime-time network ad slot.
It’s about an idea.
An idea, and people that believe in them so strongly that the idea becomes reality.
Revolutions don’t happen by accident. They come because the time, the place, and the circumstance demand it, and the people in the center of it can’t bear the thought that things might remain the same.
So what does this have to do with business, or lead management, or lead generation, or better sales management practices?
Consider this:
According to a 2009 research study done by SKKU and infoUSA in 2009, the number of professional inside sales departments deployed across all industries in the U.S. and Canada was approximately 800,000.
However, that same research study predicted that by 2013, the number would grow to well to over 2 million, a nearly 300% increase in businesses engaging in professional inside sales operations and processes.
Bear in mind, that’s 2 million professional inside sales departments–not just a job count tally (the number of professional inside sales jobs can obviously be extrapolated to be much, much higher).
A 300% increase isn’t a “minor trend,” or a “significant shift.”
It’s a Revolution.
Look, let’s be frank–all of us here at XANT are part of a business. We exist as a company because we provide software and services to our clients to make a profit. If we want to continue making a profit, we have to provide those products and services better, faster, more reliably, and with more value than our competitors.
But one of the driving focuses, one of our clearest, most visible agendas for making our clients happy is focusing on the Inside Sales Revolution.
Inside sales is growing because it is IN FACT revolutionizing the way businesses operate. Technology gives inside sales teams and managers better visibility into what’s working. It’s more repeatable, scalable, and measurable than many outside sales practices. It puts more control of the process back in the hands of those who want it most: sales reps and managers. Technology merged with inside sales means there’s far more ability to track, analyze, report, and ultimately act on what’s working, and push aside the stuff that isn’t.
Inside sales is revolutionizing business because it is a fundamental reaction to the reality of the Customer 2.0. When the power is in the customer’s hands, the ability to see, find, shape, and react to their needs becomes the most important part of a sales rep’s job.
Technology, and the immediacy of connecting with a customer at the exact moment they need you, reach out to you, is the new reality of the 21st century.
We’re in business to make money. But we’re also in business because we have a vision for our clients that makes them better at what they do, because we’ve helped them envision how what they do impacts their own clients.
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