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

Abstract

Purpose This 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/approach Using 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. Findings The 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/implications The 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 implications This 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/value This 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.

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

“…B2B inside sales agents are subject to hybrid control systems (Sleep et al , 2020). The notion of hybrid control systems historically references the balance between behavioral and outcome sales controls (Onyemah and Anderson, 2009).…”

“…Thus, the focus and application of sales outcome controls remain limited to the delivery of sales results (Mallin and Pullins, 2009; Panagopoulos and Dimitriadis, 2009; Miao and Evans, 2014; Katsikeas et al , 2018) rather than related to any operational outcomes. The rationale for this consistent research application lies in the fact that researchers have mostly examined sales controls in an outside sales context, not considering the different responsibilities and accountabilities of an inside sales agent (Sleep et al , 2020). Therefore, inside sales agents are evaluated on their sales outcomes, as well as their phone operational outcomes.…”

On salesperson judgment and decision making

“…Three recent trends in professional selling have underscored why JDM is increasingly relevant to sales scholarship. First, the selling environment has become much more complicated, characterized by more knowledgeable customers, elevated competitive intensity, more demanding cross-functional coordination, and an increasing pressure to be efficient (Sleep et al 2020 ). Second, the availability of observational data (e.g., customer relationship management [CRM] data, artificial intelligence [AI] platforms, recommendation technologies for sales calls) has greatly improved, allowing researchers to study JDM from a much more dynamic, realistic, and real-time approach.…”

“…Fourth, their decision-making context is highly uncertain, ambiguous, and constantly changing. Finally, these contextual elements also vary by the sales force structure and the nature of the sales roles (e.g., Sleep et al 2020 ). For example, before the COVID-19 pandemic, inside salespeople did not generally have much in-person interactions with customers, while field salespeople did.…”

Running With Your Hair on Fire: Lessons Learned From Transitioning a National University Sales Competition From Face-to-Face to Virtual in 16 Days

“…Research could compare different forms of technology, assess positives and negatives associated with the different technologies, and look at other areas such as cost and training time across various technologies. In the same context, future research could also analyze the effectiveness of virtual sales calls compared to face-to-face calls (Sleep et al, 2020).…”