In recent years, as the shortage of corporate human resources has become a major issue in the Japanese economy, attention has been focused on “inside sales” to improve the productivity of companies.
Inside sales
is “sales performed inside the company without traveling outside.” In the United States and Europe, the mainstream sales style is “IT-enabled inside sales,” which involves cultivating new prospects and completing negotiations and contracts.
In an era where customers are diversifying and changing daily, how do Japanese companies view inside sales? Analyze the results of the questionnaire and the expected benefits and effects of its introduction.
Reference source:
70% of Japanese companies still don’t know! ? What is inside sales that revolutionizes sales field capabilities Vol.2
Awareness of inside sales
A survey conducted in Japan found that most companies, regardless of the number of employees, have low awareness of inside sales.
Furthermore, it can be seen that almost less than 10% of companies answered that they have already incorporated it into their own company. The surprising result is that only companies with 1,000 or more employees exceeded 10%. It is a sales method that Japanese companies rarely hear of, and even if they are aware of it, it is a rare approach that they have not yet implemented.
“Effects” felt by companies that have introduced it
Inside sales is a field that is poorly recognized and very few companies are incorporating it. Against this backdrop, what are the current impressions of companies that have introduced it into their own sales activities, and how effective are they seeing it?
According to the results of a company survey, many companies seem to feel that the “number of new customers” and “number of projects” have increased. It is also important to note that inside sales are having effects that lead to business results, such as “improving the quality of appointments.”
As shown in the diagram above, one of the reasons for the successful results is that the company conducts thorough “sales analysis to increase the closing rate” through digitalized inside sales.
Unlike in the past, a new sales style is emerging that does not rely on “individualized information” or “long-standing intuition.” Even employees with little experience can acquire the skills in a short period of time by conducting appropriate inside sales based on data, and it seems possible to reduce the time and cost required for human resource development. This will be explained in detail below.
Benefits of inside sales
One of the benefits for companies that adopt inside sales is that the time required to develop human resources is definitely shortened, and business training is faster and more efficient.
Despite feeling that a shortage of human resources is an issue, many companies take two to three years or more than three years to train salespeople, and they train them using analog thinking and methods. There are many.
On the other hand, inside sales requires about six months to a year for job training. By introducing IT tools to visualize information, you can learn sales skills efficiently with less manpower.
This will increase productivity, which is essential for corporate growth, and will enable sales activities that are compatible with the current social situation where telework has increased.
Also, pay attention to the company’s approach to new customers. Companies that have adopted inside sales are approximately three times more effective in approaching new customers than those that have not. For companies that want to discover potential customers, an effective inside sales approach that incorporates digital marketing can be said to be the biggest benefit of implementing it.
summary
Although there are still few companies in Japan that have adopted it, the effects and benefits of in-house sales that make full use of digital technology are likely to become an important element for business growth. It is expected that this will not only improve sales performance, but also improve the efficiency of human resource development and increase productivity.
Reference source:
70% of Japanese companies still don’t know! ? What is inside sales that revolutionizes sales field capabilities Vol.2