In your opinion, what are the differences in skill sets between inside sales representatives and outside sales representatives? And which sales department do you think is the most important to a business?

both of them ( indoor , out door) are the same important .

in out door sales , you must be a gentle man / men in dealing with persons , know how to handle the clients.

in in door i preferred to be a woman as he has a high ability to call huge number of clients.

Appreciate you invitation ,

In my opinion , both of them important , because all of them represent the business and they are our frontage and handle our repetition.

Regarding to skills , they should have the same skills , but the indoor sales should be more :

• Creative.
• Listener.
• Patient.
• Flexible.
• Able to solve problems.
• Able to answer questions.
• Smart.
• Groomed.

Why, clients who come to our showrooms ,is convinced in our products\\services , and he\\she chose us and came by his\\her legs  ,so we need to treat him accordingly and do not let him\\her go without paying money.

Outside Sales

A job in outside sales generally suits self-starters. If you work better independently than with a set schedule and team, this may be the field for you. Also be aware that as an outside salesperson:

• You Manage Your Own Schedule: You're responsible for making and keeping your appointments. You're also responsible for reminding your client to meet with you. One delayed or canceled appointment can offset your entire day, as you must often travel to meet with your customer.
• Your Workplace Changes Daily: Regardless of the weather, traffic delays or car troubles, you must be resourceful, motivated and dedicated enough to travel to your appointments. You should also be able to adapt to new environments and people easily.
• Your Appearance Counts: Some days you may not be in the mood to greet new faces. But for those working in outside sales, you must always look -- and be -- ready to schmooze no matter how you feel.
• You Are Your Own Daily Supervisor: No matter who your boss is, you need to look after yourself to ensure you stay focused. Outside-sales jobs may be more prone to distractions than inside-sales jobs, because you don't have anyone looking over your shoulder.

Inside Sales

If you prefer working a set amount of hours per day in an office, you may be better suited for inside sales. Just remember that as an inside salesperson:

• You need to be on-call.
• Your Product Is Your Word: You should also be able to obtain new business on cold calls, without having a physical prototype of the product you're selling, where applicable, or a visual to further explain the product. You need to be articulate on the phone and be able to give the customer a good enough description of the product to gain his business.
• You Work in an Office: Your workplace is a definitive place you visit daily; you don't have to travel to meet with clients. Working in an office may entail office politics and collaborations with peers.

The Tools of Both Trades

Whether you choose inside sales or outside sales, the following tips will help you get your clients' business:

• Know your product well.
• Keep learning by attending conferences and studying your trade.
• Be an ethical salesperson, and work to keep your customers loyal.
• Hone your listening skills.
• Keep a log of common customer questions and concerns, and develop solutions for these so you may respond to your customers on cue.
• Learn how to manage your time effectively.
• Learn from your peers and take advantage of networking opportunities.                                                                                                                                                                                              so both of them is important for business 

the main difference between them are,

• in inside sales rep case  the customer is coming to your place and you must treat them accordingly.
• but in outdoor sales rep case you must go to the customers place and make them to buy your product/service.

According to my knowledge both are important roles but the outdoor sales force will bring more business to the company than the indoor sales force, as the indoor sales force accessibility towards the customer is limited.

Both represent the company and both should be on equal bases of professionalism, the indoor sales should be very well mannered and hospitable the outdoor sales should be a people person and easy going and a very good negotiator.

I think both departments are important to the business, in some cases the outdoor sales becomes more important due to the nature of the company business and vise versa.

It s the Sales acumen in a person which helps him/her to hone skills as per the situation and customers requirement.

However fundamentals do not change for systematic selling dialog.

1.Three driving principles 

2.Five Selling Skills.

3 Driving Principles in Sales are:

Focus on the Customer.

Persuade through Involvement.

Earn the Right to Advance.

5 Selling Skills are.

Initiate

Probe

Present

Summarize

Close

thank ms/Nisreen Ahmad for invitation

my opinion same as mr  AMMAR KHADAM ALJAME and i can`t add more he said 

I think in a organization like this u cant say this department is more important then this they all work in coordination.Its simple u cant ignore anything otherwise the whole building will collapse u knw wht i mean.The inside sale rep backup the outside sale rep.If inside sale rep is not working up-to the capacity the system will freeze and vice versa.On the other hand if u see the skills set they have there is large difference inside sale rep are just trained to handle all the office work while outside sale rep are trained to convince the target customer(selling skills),understand the product info and also to perfectly acquire the ability to excel.

I can,t add more than MR. OMAR SAAD