Outside, Inside, All-Sides of Sales

I have been a sales professional for over 8 years. For a good part of my career I was an Outside Sales Representative. My first outside sales gig gave me a territory in the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver. The autonomy was great and so was being able to meet and engage with clients every day. Trust me, I saw some amazing places and things but it wasn’t all nice. Having navigated in and around the mountains through rain, sleet, and snow, I wore my road warrior badge proudly. My car was my (not so neat) office and the road my foe. I’m sure many of you can relate.

Until coming to Treeline, Inc., I never really considered being an Inside Sales Representative. Preconceived notions drove my hesitance. My idea of an inside sales role meant taking a step down in my career. My days would consist of hard starts and hard stops, a call center feel and the color beige, meaning boring. Not that there is anything wrong with call centers or the color beige, it’s just not my type of environment. Many of you will think the opposite and feel inside sales is better and that’s ok. We all decide where we want to be for our own reasons but I hope we also take the time to be open and not limit ourselves from opportunities that could add value to the advancement of our careers.

The notion of an inside role, to me, meant taking a step back in career advancement and earning potential. I thought being inside meant “junior” and advancement meant moving to the outside or field roles. That might be, however, keep in mind it’s not the case for everyone. Different industries and companies offer their own sales and career advancement processes. As for my other notions, I found some companies are more flexible than I thought including flexible work days based on your commute and family needs. Call centers and the color beige. was I wrong! More and more companies are creating more stimulating office environments including community spaces for a bit of leisure and even a game of table tennis to clear the mind. Many of us might not have been aware of these great work environments because perhaps we always saw one side rather than All-Sides of Sales.

Since I started my sales career, I was on the outside sales track and I really didn’t have a desire to change that. However, I started looking in and I found my fit as a Consultant (Inside Sales Representative) with Treeline, Inc. I was hesitant at first at strictly being inside but once I learned more about the company, I was hooked. I realized the company’s purpose, culture, employees, and environment was exactly what I had been looking for. I am in a space where I can perform at the top of my game and still learn from the best in my industry. On top of that, I have amazing income potential. As I continue on my path, it is clear my goals will come to fruition but had I not taken that step to look at the All-Sides of Sales, I would not be as successful or happy as I am today.

Lesson learned: be open to All sides of sales to find the right fit. What’s so great about my epiphany is I get to practice it every day. At Treeline, not only do we specialize in all sides of sales, we help our candidates objectively evaluate different perspectives, opportunities, or roles to produce the most positive results. In conclusion, Inside or Outside are decreasingly becoming less qualifiers for many. Have the skills, aptitude and attitude, we can all be that All-Sides sales professional. Why limit ourselves?