Inside Sales Research Articles

Unlocking B2B buyer intentions to purchase: Conceptualizing and validating inside sales purchases

This study focuses on understanding the purchase decision-making process of B2B buyers in the context of inside sales. While many studies have explored this topic in a B2C context, there has been little attention given to the unique features of B2B inside sales. To address this gap, we developed and empirically validated a buyer's intention to purchase (BIP) model that integrates the B2B purchase decision-making process and buying behavior theories. Using PLS-SEM analysis on data collected from 126 B2B buyers, we found that trust in sellers and connection flexibility are crucial factors in determining buyers' intention to purchase. Specifically, these factors influence the purchase intention via appointment and contact willingness during different phases of the B2B purchase process. Additionally, our multigroup analyses suggest that buyers' demographic and firmographic attributes affect the purchase decision-making process in different ways. By identifying different groups of buyers and their distinctive needs and preferences, our findings inform more effective approaching and selling strategies. This study contributes to both academic and sales practices by providing critical insights into the factors that influence the B2B inside sales process, which ultimately improve sales performance.

Internal Sales Management of Heating Materials and Heating Systems

Software - M3, Microsoft office dynamics 365 and Microsoft excel. The whole work deals with three types of categories HS (Heating System), PHS (Process Heating System) and HM (Heating Material). All these categories consist of many products. The heating system requires 3 to 6 weeks to be manufactured. The process heating material needs 3 months to be manufactured. The heating materials are usually kept ready for the orders. There are two types of sales- the field sales and the inside sales. The field sales take care of the getting orders from the customers. The inside sales takes care of the internal information of the customer, invoicing, and order confirmation. The inside sales also look after the payment process and order placement. Firstly, a PO is sent from the field sales regarding the customer and the order requested. As mentioned, customer master and financial based works are taken over by the inside sales. The customer master is used to check whether the customer is new or old, whether to accept the order and to also check whether payments can be made. All the information is uploaded in a M3 and Dynamics 365 software and an invoice is being created. The invoice is sent to the technical team. When the technical team confirms the order then the information is sent to the design team and the delivery date is finalized. Then the order is confirmed by the inside sales. The production is started after confirmation. There is a separate team for assembly. After confirmation the inside sales proceed with payment methods.

Inside sales managers’ utilization of cultural controls as part of a sales control portfolio to enhance overall sales performance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to extend sales control research to inside sales. Aside from a few notable exceptions (Conde et al., 2022) much of the sales control literature has focused on a single control mechanism rather than a sales control portfolio perspective. The authors add multiple layers to Conde et al. (2022) by capturing secondary operational data and manager interviews to access sales control theory in practice. Design/methodology/approach With operational data from a Fortune 100 financial services company and sales manager interviews, the authors present evidence that managers apply a portfolio of controls to ensure sales agents’ overall performance. Findings Findings support that cultural controls have a greater influence on overall performance than a focus solely on process and outcome controls. Inside sales managers can generate better results when they focus on creating an employee-centric culture rather than controlling sales agents with formal sales controls. Originality/value This study extends sales control research by examining inside sales managers’ formal and informal sales controls. Historically, inside sales had sales leaders balance a myriad of sales controls grounded in strict oversight. With a few notable exceptions, the limited inside sales control research provides the opportunity to display an inside sales manager’s need to jointly focus on operational results and sales outcomes, illustrating the importance of cultural controls compared to other sales process and outcome controls. This research considerably extends sales controls research by focusing on inside sales.

The effect of inside sales and hybrid sales structures on customer value creation

As business-to-business (B2B) sales become digital and multichannel, firms develop inside sales (IS) channels to serve customers and combine such channels with outside sales (OS) and distributor channels in new sales structures. Although IS may offer gains, extant research lacks empirical evidence on their effectiveness in customer value creation when used independently – discrete structures – and in combination with OS and distributors – hybrid structures. This study aims to assess the value creation performance of IS in discrete and hybrid structures. Results from regression estimations of 13,210 B2B customers over two years in a single-firm research design unveil how IS increase value creation when used independently; yet, using IS together with OS or distributors in hybrid structures, decreases performance. IS are more effective in historically less valuable customers and less complex sales processes. This study advances knowledge on multichannel IS structures’ effectiveness in value creation, helping sales managers allocating resources across channels.

Toward a contextualized understanding of inside sales: the role of sales development in effective lead funnel management

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a contextualized understanding of how business-to-business (B2B) firms use the sales development function for efficient and effective lead funnel management.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a qualitative field-study approach and interviewed 13 people from eight firms. While software as a service (SaaS) firms are the most prevalent application context for the sales development function, the authors also included respondents from non-SaaS firms to develop an in-depth understanding of the contextualized nature of the sales development process.FindingsSales development processes can be applied in outbound prospect-focused, outbound account-based, inbound prospect-focused and inbound account-based lead management contexts. The sales development processes of lead research, engagement and handover vary depending on the nature of the lead management context. These processes are supported by the appropriate design of organizational, technological and people platforms.Practical implicationsThe authors explain how sales development as a form of inside sales can support effective lead funnel management in B2B firms through technology-enabled lead research and nurture processes designed to prepare customers for meaningful conversations with field sales.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus purely on the sales development function as a form of inside sales. They explain how the sales development processes relating to lead research, engagement and handover are conducted in four distinct application contexts to qualify leads for the outside salesforce.

Inside sales social media use and its strategic implications for salesperson-customer digital engagement and performance

The nature of inside sales has shifted, increasing in autonomy, importance, and scope. Moreover, buyers are changing their preferences from face-to-face interactions to virtual-based relationships, leading to a future full of opportunities for inside salespeople using social media. The practitioner literature suggests that inside sales represent the sales business model of the digital era and a distinct strategic selling approach. While there has been a recent surge in theoretical research on inside sales, extant research fails to explore how and why inside salespeople uses social media as a critical tool. Research on social media use in sales has neglected to consider the growing role of inside sales, where sellers lack the opportunity to meet with customers face-to-face and must routinely rely on remote communication to interact with customers. As such, we use a grounded theory approach to investigate the “lived experiences” of inside salespeople at the intersection with social media in sales. Emergent from our findings is a framework depicting: inside sales strategic social media use → inside salesperson-customer digital engagement → inside sales performance. We also find that firm digital technology resources serve as enablement factors that shape the effects of the social media strategies that inside salespeople use.

Bringing theory to practice: Examining the role of pay for performance, intrinsic motivation, and culture on sales agent tenure

ABSTRACT Demographic changes in the United States increased diversity among employees and sales agents. Hispanics, the largest minority group, are expected to account for the majority of employment growth over the next several years. Yet, little is known about how this group’s intrinsic and extrinsic sales motivation affects tenure. Using operational and earned incentive secondary data from 615 inside sales agents from a Fortune 100 financial service company with multiple locations throughout the United States, we examine the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on inside sales agent tenure, as well as the moderating cultural influence of Hispanic inside sales agents. Overall, inside sales agent retention is positively affected by increased intrinsic motivation and negatively affected by extrinsic motivation. Cultural differences among inside sales agents did not moderate either relationship, demonstrating the similarities of psychological needs for autonomous motivation that transcends cultures. We discuss the value of these new findings to both the literature and practice, along with implications and limitations.

A new perspective on sales outcome controls: an inside sales perspective

PurposePrevious sales control research has limited the definition of outcome controls exclusively to sales outcomes in an outside sales context. In addition to sales outcome controls, inside sales managers use phone operational outcomes to influence inside sales agent performance, supporting the need to expand the broader definition of outcome controls. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the need to bifurcate outcome controls into two distinct variables: sales and phone operational controls. Researchers know little about the application of sales outcome controls beyond sales-only outcomes, which, in turn, limits the definition of outcome controls.Design/methodology/approachThrough the utilization of survey, secondary operational data and sales manager’s feedback, this paper demonstrates that the definition of outcome controls needs to be divided into two distinct areas, sales and phone operational controls for inside sales agents, which, in turn, acts collectively to impact an inside sales agent’s job performance and satisfaction.FindingsThis research demonstrates that inside sales managers depend on both sales and phone operational outcome controls to drive sales agent performance, varying in degrees by industry. Even as inside sales managers focus on creating an employee-centric autonomous motivational work culture, the overarching controlling factors associated with phone operational outcomes dampen an inside sales agent’s performance and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, as the first sales control research to examine an inside sales context, this study provides support to further study sales controls in an inside sales context. This research can be enhanced by examining business-to-consumer inside sales environments, behavior controls, greater sample size and additional work outcomes such as turnover and tenure.Practical implicationsThe findings have important implications because they can help practitioners understand the effect that both sales and phone operational outcomes have on sales agent performance. It also illuminates the need for inside sales managers to be less controlling in their focus on phone operational outcomes, as such a practice has a negative influence on key sales agent job outcomes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to triangulate multiple data sources to illustrate the need to evaluate both sales and phone operational outcomes as broader components of sales outcome controls. The study of sales controls in a different sales context suggests that sales management controls may differ by sales context, opening the door to extend the vast sales control literature beyond its current context of outside sales.

Incentivizing of inside sales units — the interplay of incentive types and unit structures

Although companies are increasingly deploying inside sales units, knowledge is scarce regarding how to effectively incentivize them. In addressing this neglect, this study draws on network theory to scrutinize how various unit and individual financial and non-financial incentives affect inside sales units’ performance. In addition, the authors examine the contingent roles of two unit-level network measures, density and centralization. Using data from 366 salespeople working in 118 inside sales units, the authors empirically test the predicted relationships. Results reveal that unit incentives are positively related to unit performance, whereas individual incentives notably have a negative relationship with unit performance. Results further reveal that both density and centralization influence the incentive–unit performance relationships. Overall, findings indicate that the effects of various incentives in the inside sales unit context differ from those in other contexts, resulting in important implications for managers.

How lead generation can be the link between marketing and sales through the customer experience? A case study of Talentia Software Italy

Digitalization is the use of digital technology to adapt and grow a business model. Businesses use digitalization to create value-producing opportunities through the information they collect from customer interactions by optimizing their marketing and selling processes. Potential customers have changed the way that they research and select products and services, so companies must respond and adapt. Competition has increased so creating win-win customer relationships is even more important today than ever before. Due to the uniqueness of the contemporary digital economy, brands may need to redefine what profit means for both company and consumer. The Customer Lifetime Value Analysis is the potential value of all future profit that an individual customer will generate over the life of potential customer compared with the benefit expected for both parties. First of all, the premise of the paper considers the process of scouting for new and potential customers value for money and value for time are highly relevant for brands. The most important recommended methods are Advertising (it helps to offer a message that not only hits on brands target customers, but also showcases the value brands can offer them); Networking and referral (to pick up customers with the highest retention rates; what is more, referral customers tend to purchase more over time and in turn become a source of additional referrals); Create an agreement with “host beneficiary” (another business with the same target customer will use their database to promote another one business); Strategic alliances (while a host beneficiary relationship is generally a onetime or short-term commitment, strategic alliances can sometimes last for many years). Then, the aim of the paper is to demonstrate the relevance of the role of the Business Developer through Lead generation. It is more profitable if brands take the approach of using live chat services, direct help options with customer representatives present to solve any incoming query. This works by increasing engagement on the customer level and increases brand word of mouth promotion for more leads and better business development. Moreover, the paper analyses the roles of the Demand Generation Manager, Inside Sales Representative and more are at the core of Business Development. The methodology used in the paper is a descriptive empirical analysis. After a view on the important variables about business development analysis, lead generation and customers experience, the Authors describe the strategies adopted in the case history (Talentia Software Italy). This empirical analysis aims to confirm the validity of the concept that confirms a really and strong relation between lead generation attitudes and marketing sales.

Inside sales agent’s sales activities influence on work outcomes and sales agent tenure through autonomous motivation

Purpose Previous sales research remains limited to analyzing the influence of sales activities with sales agent tenure. To date, research on this subject has focused on the downstream direct or indirect impact of sales activities to sales performance, failing to consider whether sales activities impact a sales agent’s tenure. This paper aims to assess the effect of sales activities on sales performance and sales agent engagement on sales agent tenure through the lens of autonomous motivation to better understand sales activities as an overall sales process antecedent Design/methodology/approach Through the utilization of secondary sales operational data, this research demonstrates the influence of sales activities on multiple sales agent outcomes, while depicting the importance of sales managers creating an autonomous motivational climate. Findings This research demonstrates the direct relationship between sales activities to job engagement and sales performance. However, sales activities have a negative relationship to sales agent tenure, which require a sales manager to create an autonomous motivation to mediate the relationship between sales activities and sales agent tenure. Practical implications Organizations are provided with sample methodology and analysis to better determine how a culture grounded in autonomous motivation mediates sales activities and can be a catalyst for improving sales agent tenure. Then, provide a better understanding of the effect of actual sales activities on important sales department work outcomes. Originality/value The model is the first to test holistically the influence of sales activities on sales performance, sales agent engagement and tenure jointly by using actual secondary operational data. This study provides a glimpse of the real world balance a sales manager must consider between climate and activities. Plus, this study takes initial steps to study sales agent engagement, an under-researched construct in sales research.

The utilization of online sales forums by salespeople as a mesosystem for enhancing sales-activity knowledge

Purpose Through the use of netnography, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the interaction of 192 inside sales agents who collaborate within discussion forums to create communities of practice (CoPs). Drawing on situated learning theory and inside salespersons’ discussion forums, this study showcases how inside sales agents use CoPs to better their sales activity knowledge. This paper discovered how inside sales agents reach outside their organization to seek information within their mesosystem to positively impact sales activity knowledge outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This study used the use of netnography to follow the online community from afar, observing and capturing the essence of interaction without intruding on the conversation. Data from two inside sales professional discussion forums, 192 inside sales agents, produced nearly 67,161 words or 496 double-spaced pages. Findings This research demonstrates the power of CoPs. Inside sales agents seek information outside their company, within their mesosystem, to gain knowledge to improve sales activities. As boundary spanners, inside sales agents are not restricted, but rather, proactively find ways to consistently keep learning. Practical implications Organizations can and should implement internal CoPs to allow the exchange between sales agents in a more controlled matter. Furthermore, sales managers should proactively seek extern CoPs and introduced them to their organization as supplemental training. Originality/value The use of netnography is limited in sales literature. The research provides support for the use of netnography as it provides researchers firsthand access to multiple sales roles. This unadulterated access provides sales researchers the opportunity to study the many facets of sales, with pure, genuine data.

The business-to-business inside sales force: roles, configurations and research agenda

PurposeThis study aims to explore the changing nature of the inside sales role and the individual capabilities required for success. Additionally, it examines the influence of organizational structure on inside sales force capabilities. Although business-to-business firms are investing heavily in inside sales forces, academic research lags behind this evolution.Design/methodology/approachUsing a two-study qualitative approach, the authors examine contemporary inside sales forces’ responsibilities and operational configurations. Study 1 uses a cross-industry sample of sales leaders and professionals to examine roles and responsibilities. Study 2 used the second sample of sales leaders and professionals to explore the impact of various organizational configurations.FindingsThe study identifies important differences between inside and outside salespeople in terms of job demands and resources; inside salespeople’s greater reliance on sales technology and analytics than outside counterparts; and existing control systems’ failure to provide resources and incentives to match with inside salespeople’s increasing strategic benefits and job demands. The study also explores four distinct inside–outside configurations. The differences among these configurations help to explain the distinct benefits and costs of each configuration regarding the company, customer and intra sales force processes, which, in turn, determine inside salespeople’s strategic benefits and job demands.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for research on the evolving roles and capabilities of the inside sales force; antecedents and consequences of firms’ choice of inside–outside sales force configurations; and the impact of technology and the inside sales force. They propose a research agenda that includes a series of specific future research questions.Practical implicationsThis study informs managers of the unique role of the inside sales force and how it differs from their outside counterpart. The results inform managers of the issues inherent to various inside sales configurations, helping them determine, which configuration best addresses their customers’ needs.Originality/valueThis research provides a detailed, updated account of the differences between inside and outside sales forces and the benefits/costs of major inside–outside sales force configurations. Drawing from job demands-resources, organizational structure and strategy-context fit theories, the authors develop research propositions about the underlying structural differences of inside-outside sales force configurations; how these differences drive the inside sales force’s increasing strategic benefits and job demands; and organizational choice of inside sales force configurations. A research agenda is then presented.

Value of Inside Sales Reps in the Presence of Outside Sales Rep in Business-to-Business Selling

Many business-to-business (B2B) selling situations involve outside sales (OS) representatives (reps) interfacing with customers and inside sales (IS) rep largely supporting OS reps. Put differently, OS reps are linchpins, while IS reps generally have auxiliary roles. Perhaps for this reason, the economic value of IS reps for the B2B IS-OS selling process has received little systematic investigation. The authors propose an approach that quantifies the incremental value of IS using observational data that are commonly available in organizational customer relationship management systems. By leveraging observed hierarchies in customer–IS–OS relationships, the authors establish an identification strategy that reliably quantifies the incremental effects of IS reps for generating customer sales. In the application of the proposed approach to field data, they use cross-customer variation to estimate the sales effects of IS reps and exploit the heterogeneity within IS rep collaborations to estimate the sales effects of IS–OS dyadic characteristics. The incremental financial impact of an IS rep for each customer ranges from $1,100 loss to $2,800 gain relative to every $10,000 customer sales.

Internal and External Factors Impacting Inside Sales Employee Turnover

This research summary for practice looks at the factors impacting employee turnover in Central Florida sales organizations. Surprisingly compensation is not the factor most recognized by participants in my research study. Flexibility and dynamics were most important and included discussions along scheduling to key performance indicators.

The role of lead management systems in inside sales performance

Understanding how the use of IT influences the performance of inside sales is imperative, yet there is a lack of research in this area. This study empirically validates a conceptual model based on the Technology-Task-Fit theory, capturing the impact of lead management systems (LMS) on inside sales performance through the following mediators: task characteristics (call quantity and lead follow-up intensity), selling behavior (adaptive selling), and salesperson characteristics (technical and salesmanship skills). Using PLS-SEM on 108 responses collected from sales professionals, our analysis shows that the use of LMS in inside sales affects performance via improving salespeople's adaptive selling and lead follow-up intensity, technical and salesmanship skills; together these variables explain over a half (55%) of the variance of sales performance. Our findings aim to inform academics and practitioners on the key enablers of inside sales performance and IT usage approaches that can optimize marketing output in the inside sales industry.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? AN INNOVATIVE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODULE TO PREPARE TOMORROW’S INSIDE SALESPEOPLE

Inside sales is a fast-growing sales profession, with the increase in inside sales positions skyrocketing beyond outside sales positions. Unfortunately, instructors lack the resources to adequately prepare students for inside sales careers. This study provides an innovative, short-term module that introduces the topic of inside sales, differentiates it from outside sales, and prepares students for an inside sales career through a novel role-play activity. Findings indicate that students experienced actual and perceived learning via the role play. Further, students who experienced the module were more likely to view inside sales as a desirable career than those who did not.

Hybrid sales structures in the age of e-commerce

Sales organizations continue to exhibit meaningful changes in their structures during the e-commerce era. This article examines the impact of Internet technology on the evolution of sales organizations and identifies key components underpinning a successful hybrid sales structure. A comprehensive review of sales organization studies leads to the derivation of a hybrid sales structure model, as well as a series of key recommendations pertaining to the organization and sales performance. These findings establish a platform for further research into the hybrid sales structure. The transition from a reliance on traditional, outside sales forces to a concomitant use of inside sales personnel produces hybrid sales structures that can accommodate online buyer–seller interactions and also leverage technological advances in sales automation and business intelligence to boost sales performance.

BRAND VALUE AND MARKETING WELLNESS OF DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS

A cardinal objective of marketing is to create value for customers and to capture value from customers in return; and building strong brands facilitate the achievement of this objective. Strong brands win customers’ preference through the assurance of value. The focus of this study is to examine the association between brand value and marketing wellness measured in terms of new product success, sales growth and market share. The study utilised data collected from sixty-six (66) respondents comprising of branch managers, marketing managers and inside sales officers of deposit money banks using a structured questionnaire. The P(r) was employed as the test statistic. All the statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS version 20.0. The study found positive and statistically significant correlation between brand value and all the three indices of marketing wellness considered in the study, with marketing share showing the strongest link with brand value. The study thus concludes that brand value influences marketing wellness and recommends that banks that seek marketing wellness measured in terms of market share, new product success and sales growth should build strong brands that consumers will hold in high repute and that also assure value for consumers. JEL: M31, M20 Article visualizations:

How Crm Performs Inside Sales Activities In Itc Companies: A Case Study Of Fincons Group, Italy

The aim of this paper is to take a case study of the Fincons Group and examine the in depth activity of the Inside Sales Department. The study presents Fincons Group, which is an IT Consulting Company. Its offices are based in Italy, Switzerland, and England. They are organized into Business Units and are offering concerns to all the different stages of IT applications as well as complex innovation programs. It explains the activities of the Inside Sales Department, specifically the Inside Sales. In detail, Marketing Analysis and Strategy, Marketing Management, and Marketing Research and Metrics have been considered useful to present to the management the guideline for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of customer relationship management programs. Thus, its aim is to optimize the sales process. This study also deals with CRM Salesforce, which is the IT tool used for customer relationship management. In this case, it is possible to analyse the CRM by going over its list of information. Thus, the aim is to give the guideline to quantify the value of customer relationships. In conclusion, the paper highlights the idea of “Holistic CRM”. Specifically, it emphasizes the need for a cross-functional, process-oriented, and calculated approach that positions CRM at a strategic level where business should take precedence over technology.