Industrial Sales: How to Move from an Inside to an Outside Sales Role
Transitioning from an inside sales role to an outside sales position could be an exciting opportunity to grow your career in industrial sales. Outside sales roles typically offer more freedom, direct client interaction, and the thrill of closing deals in person. However, they also require a different skill set and oftentimes the ability to be comfortable with a commissioned pay structure.
For anyone who is considering making a move, I hope you find the information below helpful.
I talked with three industrial recruitment experts at GRS Recruiting—John Rachel, Andy Marsh, and Matt Loczi—who shared actionable steps to help inside sales pros successfully make the leap to outside sales.
1. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and Embrace Rejection
John Rachel’s Advice:
"Look for opportunities to cold call, even if it’s over the phone. Push your comfort zone and get comfortable with rejection."
"Make it a personal goal to capture a new customer, even if it’s outside your primary job responsibilities. Track the steps you take to nurture a lead all the way to a purchase order."
Learning to embrace rejection is essential in outside sales. Rachel emphasizes the value of cold calling to prepare for the emotional ups and downs of the role. If your current position doesn't involve prospecting, find ways to experiment—whether by calling dormant accounts or upselling existing clients.
The more comfortable you become with rejection, the more equipped you’ll be for the demands of outside sales.
Rachel also recommends tracking your progress with a new customer. Develop habits like nurturing leads, following up consistently, and documenting milestones on the way to a purchase order. This practical experience demonstrates your ability to drive new business—critical for success in outside sales.
Another pro tip? Read books that hone relationship-building and sales techniques. Rachel suggests resources like How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham to sharpen your skills in communications and closing deals.
2. Gain Exposure to Outside Sales Through Ride-Alongs
Andy Marsh’s Advice:
"Ask to make customer visits with the outside sales team. Get exposure through ride-alongs."
Gaining real-world exposure to outside sales can accelerate your transition. If your company has an outside sales team, express your interest in accompanying them on customer visits. Ride-alongs will give you insight into how field reps interact with customers, manage accounts, and negotiate deals.
Not only does this exposure help you develop essential skills, but it also shows initiative. Companies value employees who seek growth, and participating in ride-alongs demonstrates your commitment to learning the ropes of outside sales.
3. Make Your Intentions Known Early and Often
Matt Loczi’s Advice:
"If you’re serious about outside sales, jump sooner rather than later—make your intentions known early and often."
Loczi emphasizes the importance of proactive communication. If outside sales is your goal, share that ambition with your manager or leadership team.
“The longer you wait, the more likely it is that you’ll develop a reputation as an ‘order taker’ rather than an ‘order maker,’” says Loczi.
Letting your company know about your career aspirations can also help you get aligned with relevant opportunities as they arise.
4. Emulate the Best and Add Value from Your Current Role
"Find the best outside salesperson at the company and emulate them."
"Even if you’re inside, you can still sell out and up. Everyone in a company is a salesperson."
Identify top-performing outside sales reps in your organization and learn from them. Observe how they close deals, manage relationships, and maintain resilience. Emulating their approach gives you a clear picture of what it takes to succeed in outside sales.
Loczi also stresses that adding value starts from wherever you are. Just because you’re in an inside role doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to the company’s sales efforts. Upselling products to existing customers or identifying new business opportunities are tangible ways to demonstrate your sales skills. These efforts won't go unnoticed and could make leadership more inclined to give you a shot at an outside sales role.
The Grass isn’t always Greener
If you follow the advice above, you may ultimately decide that Inside Sales is a better fit for you than Outside Sales. That doesn’t mean you can’t advance in your career. Inside roles are a vital part of industrial sales operations and successful teams depend on them to advance. We’ll touch more on growing and advancing your Inside role in a later blog.
If you’d like to speak with someone at GRS about your career or aspirations, please feel free to email me directly at blee@grsrecruiting.com. I’ll set you up with the best person on our team based on your product knowledge/background.
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Betsy Lee is the Director of Marketing for GRS Recruiting. She has over 12 years of experience working directly in the recruitment industry, developing marketing strategies that attract top talent and equipping recruiters with the tools and training they need to succeed. A small-business advocate, she loves helping companies grow and take their teams to the next level. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsyroselee/
Betsy writes about #recruiting #sales #industrialsales #executiverecruitment #smallbusiness
#professionalgrowth #highperformanceteams and more.
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