Devon Warwick: What are some of the primary pitfalls to avoid when building an inside sales team?

Trish Bertuzzi: I think one of the primary pitfalls is when people view the building of this team as tactical as opposed to strategic. We all know inside sales is an umbrella term. There are many ways you can implement and it’s not just as easy as: I’m going to hire some kids out of college, I’m going to give them a list, I’m going to give them a phone and they’re going to pound that phone and revenue is going to shoot out the other end of that effort. That’s absolutely not how it is nowadays. Things have changed. Inside sales is much more strategic, and it really needs to be approached that way.

Brian Zimmerman: I agree completely with what Trish is saying. In our portfolio companies, it feels tactical early, and when you’re looking at building a scalable model where inside sales fits in that model, it needs to be part of the overall go-to-market strategy and the strategy as it exists.
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“From 2008 to 2010, it was basically a “content bubble” for marketers. All of us in the blogosphere have been riding high; talking about lead scoring, lead nurturing, content marketing, social media, sales and marketing alignment. So much sizzle and sexiness, it’s been a fantastical ride as marketers ate it up. Everyone in the world of marketing had endless new toys to talk about, and talk we did. But now, marketers must live boringly. Not to be a sensationalist, but our survival is at stake.”