B2C sales. B2B sales. Direct sales. Outside sales. Channel sales. We see a lot of buzzwords in the sales industry when it comes to having a solid, targeted sales approach. We know that working with businesses can be different from working with consumers.
But when the rubber meets the road, as a salesperson, does the type of sales position really matter? At the end of the day, isn’t a sale a sale?
While there are some great things that all great sales reps have in common, there’s no universal sales type. These variances may seem minor when reading a job description, but they can make a difference… and a sales rep may be better suited to one style over another.
A great way to illustrate this is to look at Direct Sales vs B2B sales.
What’s the difference between Door to Door and B2B sales reps?
In the Telecom industry, this is an interesting distinction that we deal with all the time. And there are places for both.
B2B is an abbreviation for ‘Business To Business’ sales. Direct sales, on the other hand, is a type of Business To Consumer (B2C) sale where salespeople proactively reach out to consumers directly to make their sales offers.
While both are sales processes, with a lot in common, we’ve found that there are 2 things that separate B2B and Direct Sales reps. These should be considered for future sales reps who are interested in which type of sales position they may be best suited for.
What are these 2 differences?
#1: Structured vs Adventurous Personality
How do you feel about structure?
Do you like being able to anticipate the events of the day? Make a routine? Are you organized? Have a professional attitude and attack every day with discipline?
You may be a good fit for a B2B sales position. B2B is a competitive marketplace. Customers are in high demand, and it’s a narrow, targeted market. It requires patience, diligence, and a professional stick-to-it-iveness that suits organized and methodical sales professionals.
But if that doesn’t sound like you…
Are you adventurous?
Do you enjoy not knowing what to expect when you start your workday? Do you like taking the world by storm moment-by-moment? Are you enthusiastic and ready to face the newest challenge at a moment’s notice?
You may be a great fit for a direct sales job. Direct sales is far more open as far as opportunities than B2B sales… after all, you aren’t limited to working with another companies’ schedule, and your customers are everywhere!
With more opportunity, a less structured approach actually allows a door to door sales rep to move where the sales are.
Neither approach is better than the other… unless they’re trying to make the approach work for the wrong sales style.
#2: Speed Of Play
How fast do you like to move?
B2B sales is, by nature, slower than B2C sales. First off, all business is done in that traditional 9-5 window, and even within that availability is limited based on your customers’ schedules.
It’s also a longer sales cycle. Since the market is so competitive, your customer has several buying options to research and choose from. The turnaround is slow, and requires and extremely patient approach with a lot of relationship management.
It’s a reasonable, manageable pace for the type of sales rep who likes to have a method and put in dedicated effort to a single process. It’s usually the type of sales that pays a reasonable base salary in order to encourage cultivating of those relationships. Slow, steady, and somewhat safe. (At least for sales.)
Direct sales, on the other hand, is like a sales rollercoaster.
You move fast. You have to move fast. It’s the type of uncapped opportunity, uncapped commission environment that lends itself well to the type of hungry sales rep that doesn’t like to sit still for too long.
If you like the challenge of setting your own earnings and making your own opportunities, you may just thrive in a direct sales environment.
It’s all about the consumer.
Really, the type of sales style that should be used all depends on the type of customer that’s being targeted.
Here at Solcomm, we do both B2B and Direct B2C sales. Our sales reps are ideally suited to work with our customers, whether they are cultivating a long-term business relationship or venturing forth to find new, satisfied customers every day.
If you need a crack sales team to make inroads for your Telecom product, learn about how Solcomm can deliver the results you need, regardless of the consumer you need to target.
If you are looking for a great career in direct sales, be sure to learn more about the opportunities at Solcomm.