Author: Ayandola Ayanleke

If you want more information on how a part-time/freelance team can help with your inbound sales, please click here.

With more businesses investing in inbound sales strategies because of their cost-effectiveness and higher ROI, small businesses with limited budgets should seriously consider hiring a part-time sales team. Although it might seem daunting at first, with the right inbound sales strategy and part-time sales team, you can still effectively attract, nurture, and close deals. 

Unlike outbound sales that require actively seeking out customers, inbound sales focuses on drawing in potential customers to seek you out by engaging them and providing them with valuable content. 

The key to inbound sales for small businesses is optimising your resources so leads don’t slip through your fingers, and you can definitely achieve this with a remote team. In this article, we look at five practical ways to execute inbound sales successfully, even if your team isn’t working full-time. 

How to Execute Inbound Sales with a Part-time Sales Team

1. Utilising Sales Tools

Some of the best inbound sales techniques - part-time team or not - include leveraging technology to work smartly. Considering your part-time sales team has limited hours, you need the right tools to handle repetitive aspects of your process while you focus on the essential parts.

Therefore, consider using automation to track leads, send follow-ups, and schedule calls. CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce help keep customer interactions organised, while chatbots and email automation ensure no question/enquiry goes unanswered. 

With these tools, you get to spend less time on admin tasks, and more on implementing the actual sales process. After all, work is no longer about working harder, but smarter.

2. Structured Sales Process

A part-time sales team can quickly become overwhelmed or miss opportunities if there is no structure in place. To prevent this, you need a step-by-step sales process. 

You must ensure you clearly define each stage of the process so team members know exactly what to do next in the sales cycle. Use CRM workflows to keep everyone aligned, even if they’re working different hours or in different locations.

A well-organised structure prevents leads from falling through. It also improves efficiency and makes your remote sales team much easier to manage.

3. Prioritizing High-Intent Leads

We have different types of leads; some are high-intent because they are ready to buy. While you shouldn’t completely give up on those who aren’t, focusing on the former might be a better use of your time since you have limited time. 

Lead scoring is an essential aspect of a good sales strategy, whereby you rank prospects based on engagement, behaviour, and fit. For instance, if someone downloads a price guide or requests a demo, they’re more likely to convert than someone who just browses your site. 

Direct your team to focus resources on these high-intent leads first. This way, you can close more deals while still nurturing cold prospects.

4. Optimising Team Collaboration and Communication

One of the most effective sales strategies for part-time teams is a well-optimised communication system. 

You must make sure your communication structure works like a well-oiled machine. Use collaboration, communication and project management tools such as Trello, Monday.com or even Google Sheets to keep communication flowing and ensure work flows smoothly. 

You need to also set clear expectations on response times and assign specific tasks so that everyone knows their responsibilities. Small businesses cannot afford a disorganised team; establish a process that maximises your limited hands and working hours. 

5. Creating Evergreen Content

Although your part-time sales team can’t be available 24/7, your evergreen content can. 

Content that drives one-time campaigns or seasonal sales is great, but you will do much more with blogs, FAQs, and video tutorials that work round-the-clock attracting prospects even when your team is offline. 

A good way to manage a remote sales team is to encourage content that attracts and nurtures prospects without constant manual effort. So, focus your effort on valuable resources that stay relevant over time and help warm up leads before your team even speaks to them. 

For more information on AMAKA’s Fractional Teams, please click here.