A Complete Guide to Field Sales

What is Field Sales?

Did you know outside sellers make up 52% of all sales people in the United States?

Field sales is a type of selling where sales people are mostly in-person, meeting with customers on a day-to-day basis.

Whether you're new to field sales or an experienced professional looking to learn something new - the goal of this guide is to help provide additional information around field sales teams and the potential career opportunities.

Field sales refers to selling activities conducted in-person, directly engaging with potential clients at their location, rather than remotely or digitally.

It typically involves  travel, face-to-face interactions, and a deep understanding of customer needs. Think of when in movies  you saw the traveling salesperson going door-to-door. You can read more about the differences between inside and outside sales teams here.

Who has Field Sales Teams?

Field sales teams are common across almost all industries. Most frequently enterprises with thousands of employees have large field sales teams.

Some industries with greater than average concentration of field sellers include:

• Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices
• Commercial Insurance
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
• Technology (Software and Hardware)
• POS Software
• Manufacturing and Industrial Equipment

These companies rely on field sellers to communicate value, demonstrate products, and build trust that translates into long-term business relationships.

Types of Field Sellers

Field selling generally falls into two main categories:

Transactional (Volume-Based) Field Sales

These field sellers focus on a high volume of transactions, often managing many customer interactions in short sales cycles. Common in industries like consumer goods or smaller-scale B2B products such as POS systems. Transactional field sellers must excel in interpersonal skills and be fearless in the face of rejection..

This type of field sales requires expert in-person communicators. Many of your leads are "cold knocks" that require you to walk in cold and meet prospects for the first time to try and sell them your product. It's a great sales training ground for developing future leaders.

Enterprise Field Sales

Enterprise field sellers manage complex, high-value deals with longer sales cycles. They typically handle fewer accounts but engage deeply with multiple stakeholders.

Most of the in-person meetings are flying to different teams within the same customers to work on learning their business and executing a consultative sale. Enterprise sales reps are often very high paying jobs that are constantly on the road.

Recommended Technology for Field Sellers

The best field sales teams equip their

• Salesforce: A leading CRM platform providing comprehensive management of customer relationships, pipeline tracking, and detailed reporting.
• HubSpot: Another CRM platform designed for SMBs. Often the first CRM companies use with very clean interfaces and easy to use platform.
• Badger Maps: A route optimization and mapping tool that helps field sellers efficiently plan their visits, save travel time, and increase customer meetings.
• Myko: An AI-powered voice-to-CRM tool that helps field sales reps update Salesforce effortlessly using voice commands, significantly reducing administrative burdens and improving data accuracy. You can learn more about Myko's field sales solution here.

Integrating these technologies can streamline your sales process and increase your team's efficiency dramatically.

Opening an Initial Meeting with a New Account

Your initial meeting sets the tone for the entire relationship. Follow these best practices:

• Preparation is Key: If you have time, try and do some quick prep. Understanding if your company has ever interacted with them before, and if not, what type of industry/business are they.
• Lead with Value: Start the conversation by discussing insights relevant to their business, not your product. The faster you are able to show your expertise to the customer the faster you gain trust.
• Listen Actively: Ask open-ended questions to understand their goals and concerns better, demonstrating genuine interest in their success.

Best Practices for Field Sellers

Success in field sales goes beyond merely closing deals. Consider these essential practices:

• Organization and Planning: Utilize scheduling tools and maintain an organized calendar to maximize your time in the field.
• Effective Communication: Practice speaking to others cold. Make jokes to cashiers and others before you start the job, to get comfortable sparking conversations in interesting ways.
• Continuous Learning: Read blogs, take advantage of any training programs your company has, and try and shadow other reps in the field if you can.

Managing a Field Sales Team

Training, training, training. The faster you can train your sellers initially in best practices the better they will be able to hit the ground running.

Plus if you use a tool like Myko, new sellers will have detailed notes and conversation history about accounts in their territory. Increasing re-touched closed-won

• Set Clear Goals: Define measurable objectives and regularly communicate expectations clearly.
• Leverage Technology: Use CRM analytics and performance tracking tools to monitor productivity without micromanaging.
• Provide Support and Training: Regularly invest in professional development to ensure your team remains motivated and skilled.

Career Paths for Field Sellers

Field sales provides a strong foundation for numerous rewarding career paths, including:

• Sales Management: Overseeing and mentoring a team of sellers.
• Account Executive or Strategic Accounts: Managing high-value enterprise accounts even moving to field sales roles specifically for enterprises.
• Sales Operations or Enablement: Optimizing processes, implementing tools, and enhancing team efficiency (less common but possible).
• Executive Leadership: Many successful CEOs and senior executives begin their careers in sales, benefiting from deep market understanding and relationship-building skills.

Field sales is an exciting career offering significant opportunities for growth, satisfaction, and advancement. Mastering these elements can help you or your team become exceptional field sellers.