I recently sat in on a vendor presentation and let me tell you, it was a disaster from hello.

From the start, the Seller launched into a canned pitch - essentially a 10 minute monologue about their product. She sounded like Billy Mays, the Infomercial king. When I was able to interject, she provided a slightly varied version of her canned pitch. I never received a direct answer to my questions.

Needless to say, I was quite frustrated. Here’s a company with a seemingly good product (at least from what their website suggested) but the seller failed at moving the process forward. After the call, my client commented that he would not evaluate the product because he couldn’t envision working successfully with the sales rep.
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This is the final part of a podcast with Brian Zimmerman on “pitfalls to avoid when building an inside sales team.” You can find the 1st part of conversation here: Common Pitfalls When Building Inside Sales.

(Note: You can read a transcript of the conversation, you can listen to the podcast, or you can view a brief slideshare presentation of the highlights below.)
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Hiring is a Process 

 
Prospecting, prospecting, prospecting… no matter how much we want our “A-players” focused on closing business, building pipeline is still an integral part of any successful sales strategy.

Many Reps equate prospecting with the dreaded cold-calling. Some feel that their tenure has elevated them above the prospecting fray.

Probably more importantly, bells aren’t wrung & club isn’t often achieved for prospecting prowess. It’s no wonder Reps shirk, skirt or under-power their prospecting efforts.
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It is up to us, the Inside Sales Leaders, to address this. Reps need to understand that prospecting is a process; not an event. The once-per-week call blitz is not sufficient. Successful prospecting requires a daily process, a good attitude, and the right tools to be successful.

When you think of prospecting, think of a Swiss Army Knife:

 
Today, Inside Sales leaders are increasingly facing the challenge of managing remote teams. Technology is making managing easier, but coaching remains a challenge.

Many first-line managers wonder:

How in the world am I going coach and mentor my team if I’m not sitting next to them, or in the same city or time zone for that matter?
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Just the other day I saw this question on the AA-ISP message board: