A company’s outside salesperson is in charge of bringing in revenue. He or she works outside of the office, meeting with potential customers in their stores or other locations. Outside salespeople are typically assigned to a geographic area and are expected to find new customers as well as increase sales for existing customers.
An outside salesperson must keep up to date on his or her represented products or services as well as the clients’ industry in order to make and increase sales by meeting with business people. Outside salespeople are likely to attend industry workshops in between client meetings and sales calls. Salespeople are usually required to attend company meetings on a regular basis.
A sales manager is usually in charge of outside salespeople. Each outside salesperson is assigned a sales territory by the manager. Each salesperson’s main goal is to meet the manager’s sales quotas, or expected amounts. Salespeople aren’t expected to convert every sales lead into a new customer or to increase the value of each existing customer’s purchase. They are expected to achieve a sales percentage that the sales manager, as well as the owner or president of the company for which they work, deems reasonable.
A common outside salesperson task is to visit retailers in their stores. Many outside salespeople work for wholesalers, which are in the business of supplying products to retailers. The salesperson usually meets with the retailer’s owner or buyer, bringing product samples and pricing information with them. Salespeople must have a friendly demeanor and a thorough understanding of their products. Understanding their clients’ needs is critical to achieving outside sales objectives.
Many outside salespeople’s job descriptions include cold calling. The salesperson typically has a list of potential clients in his or her area and calls them. This contact is classified as “cold” because there is no sales lead, only a name on a list. The goal of a cold call is to schedule a meeting with the buyer or owner to discuss products and, hopefully, close a sale.
When an outside salesperson receives appointments as a result of cold calling, he or she must be prepared. Preparation for a sales call includes choosing products that the customer is likely to need before gathering relevant product information for the potential new client. Brochures and catalogs are common informative materials that outside salespeople use as supporting information when selling products to customers.