Why Outside Sales is More Relevant Than Ever in a Digital-First World
A little more than 32 years ago, the iconic film Glengarry Glen Ross (based on an award-winning play of the same name) came out. Lauded by critics as one of the 90s’ best films, it depicts how the behavior of an office of real estate salesmen devolves from unethical to criminal when faced with the imminent threat of losing their jobs.
The film is a masterclass on sales. It’s a masterclass on everything you should absolutely never do in sales, more precisely. The characters could not be a worse representation of the profession. But exaggerations tend to be memorable teachers. And in this case, the gross exaggeration of salespeople provides a playbook on how to sell (and be a good person) if you do the exact opposite of what they do.
Thins have changed drastically since the 90s. SQOs, funnels, conversion rates, etc., dominate the modern world. Nearly everything can be done digitally. Optimized remotely. But not outside sales.
These terms and this environment cloud what really matters. Relationships and people. While you’d hopefully never come close to the antics presented in the film, you could get swept up in chasing your number and lose sight of this.
That’s why I love outside sales. In the face of digital selling, of scaled outreach programs and automations ad nauseam, in-person relationships can never be replaced.
No digital tool will replace the power of face-to-face connections and the trust they build. Outside sales plays a pivotal role in closing complex deals, across industries from construction supply to medical devices. Here’s why having the skills of an outside salesperson matters now more than ever.
Trust Is Built in Person
Let’s say you close 1 in 50 prospects that came from cold digital outreach. Probably a pretty decent rate. A good outside salesperson can close 1 in 10 cold prospects pretty easily. No, it wouldn’t likely happen on the first visit. But after just a few more you’d be shaking hands on a deal. Why? Because you got to know them. See their reactions. Pick up on cues. Have a watercooler-esque conversation that took you from being a random stranger to becoming an acquaintance with a shared passion or hobby. Built some trust.
People buy from people they trust. Emails and Zoom calls may be the norm, but they lack the personal touch that outside sales reps curate. Shaking hands, walking a job site, or seeing challenges first-hand and demonstrating how your product solves them creates a bond that digital interactions simply can’t replicate.
Outside sales reps are positioned to assess customer needs in the moment and adapt their pitch accordingly. This personal interaction builds something that a competitor who doesn’t show up at their door can never match. Rapport.
The salesmen in Glengarry Glen Ross look at people as numbers on a card from a magical Rolodex (that’s kind of like an analog CRM to those of us without some grey hair). They try to lie and cheat their way into deals and ultimately fail when all they had to do was good old-fashioned relationship building. Doing that from the start would have never left them in such a precarious position.
Complex Sales Need Nuance
Some deals can’t be closed with an e-signature after a chatbot interaction. In industries with long sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, or other complexities, nuanced conversations are key. Outside sales reps excel at navigating these complexities because they know people. And people are complex by nature. They know how to engage people and how to overcome objections.
A well-prepared rep can turn a lukewarm lead into a loyal customer by tailoring their approach to the challenges they see. Being in person lets you analyze their environment and react to any of the innumerable factors present. That’s a level of finesse no algorithm can deliver. The reps in the movie only had tricks and smoke. A bit of nuance and preparation with their current leads would have gone a long way in protecting their employment.
Human Insight Beats Data Alone
Data-driven decision-making is critical, but raw numbers don’t tell the whole story. Outside sales reps combine data with human insight, spotting opportunities or red flags that might not appear in a contact record or Zoominfo profile. A prospect can be showing every kind of digital intent, but at the end of the day, it’s an incredibly limited dataset.
One rep keeps emailing and calling a prospect without taking the hint. The other shows up and immediately gets the context that while they were searching for products in your category, they don’t have budget right now. One of the reps will call on them at a better time. The other will say the prospect is unqualified and potentially have annoyed them to the point that the prospect added them to the DNC list.
Leading, Not Following
Professional salespeople aren’t trying to take orders. They don’t simply follow up on leads handed to them. They roll up their sleeves and make things happen. They are resourceful. They make their own leads. Their physical presence sets them apart. When competitors are content to rely on email follow-ups and automated drip campaigns, their willingness to show up speaks volumes. It tells customers, “You matter enough for me to be here.”
They show up and deliver value. They visit hundreds of sites just like this one. They share how others in the category have overcome challenges. Maybe their product is the solution. Maybe it isn’t, but they know what worked for somebody else and happily share it.
They turn conversations that weren’t going to lead to a direct sale into new opportunities. They uncover hidden needs or generate referrals they’d never have found behind a desk. In short, they make their own opportunities happen by not waiting on anybody else. They’re proactive and do the hard work others aren’t willing to do. The salesmen in the film thought the secret to their lives’ woes was hidden by these new, fresh leads they weren’t allowed to have. The real secret was staring them in the face the whole time. All they had to do was look in the mirror and get to work.
Outside Sales + Digital Tools = Unstoppable
I say all this without the intent of disparaging digital tools. Quite the opposite in fact. But they are just that: tools. They are not a replacement for the skills of a professional salesperson. They are an enhancer of said ability. The future of sales isn’t about choosing between digital and traditional methods—it’s about combining them. Outside sales reps armed with the right tech become unstoppable. They use the hard-earned skills they’ve developed in the field and use digital tools to take themselves to new levels.
Outside sales remains a cornerstone of industries where relationships and trust drive success. The reps who combine in-person connections with technology will not just stay relevant—they’ll dominate.
To paraphrase Glengarry Glen Ross’ iconic line, “Pick that coffee up. Coffee’s for closers.” Get out there and make your own luck.
__
Dillon Baird worked in outside sales for more than a decade before founding RepMove.
