Event: Inside Sales Conference 未来のセールスのかたち“インサイドセールス Japan 2018

What is "inside sale" and how it has been adopted in Japan? Check out the latest stage of inside sales in Japan as leading companies shared their tips and practices at the "Inside Sales Conference | The Future of Inside Sales" at Toranomon Hills, Tokyo on December 5, 2018 below.

Inside Sale vs. Field Sale

"Inside Sales" refers to the process of "selling" while being "inside" a company. Traditionally, sales people have to travel to meet customers (coined as "field sales"). Yet with the increasing adoption of technology such as web marketing, online conference, it is possible to conduct a complete sale process without going anywhere.

Inside sale is much cheaper than field sales (i.e.: no fee for travel expenses) and more convenient to manage (i.e.: easier to manage workers when they stay inside a company). Yet, as humans tend to make decisions on emotions more than logic, field sales are still necessary as they are able to establish trust, rapport, and customer-facing support.

An ideal sale cycle would look like this:

1. Marketing: Identify important clients through different channels (web marketing, events, etc.) and pass information to inside sales
2. Inside Sale: Conduct the first conversation through phone or email, and hear information such as prospects' problems, challenges, etc. If a prospect wouldn't need a customized solution then inside sale could close a deal immediately, or else pass to field sales
3. Field Sale: Meet up with customers and engage in more detailed conversations, follow up with proposals, etc. 

Essentially, inside sale and field sale are the two processes that must come hand-in-hand.

Now let's dig in the latest trends in inside sales in Japan. Here are the notes that I took from the Inside Sales Conference. For details on each session and its panelists, please click on the Japanese title. (All sessions were conducted in Japanese)