Important Positions: Outside Sales

Photo courtesy Ariane Gaul, Pompage-Expert

How does the outside sales position impact your portable restroom business? A hands-on approach increases revenue while expanding your territory and driving repeat business. Field representatives require slightly different skill sets than internal teams. Learn why this role is integral to your team and what makes a great candidate in part two of our series on important portable restroom positions.

Portable Restroom Outside Sales: The Face of Your Business

A field representative hits the streets to drum up business, interacting with potential and existing customers face-to-face. They know your portable restroom rental service inside and out. More importantly, outside sales reps understand your ideal target market, from senior construction managers to event management professionals.

Unlike inside sales teams, field agents aren’t tied to a desk. Rather, they spend their days visiting customer locations and following up on leads. However, during the pandemic, many outside reps learned the art of hybrid sales. They’re back on the road but have a new appreciation for web conferencing tools and continue to meet virtually when clients prefer.

Your outside sales team doesn’t just make one sale and walk away. They check with first-time clients to ensure the initial delivery and setup went smoothly. And outside salespeople nurture relationships, often stopping by just to chat. During follow-up conversations, your sales representative may answer offhand questions while smoothly gathering intel that could lead to a repeat sale.

Responsibilities of Field Sales Representatives

Outside sales agent duties and responsibilities vary, depending on the size of your portable toilet business and needs. Typically, they must meet quotas for a certain number or dollar amount of sales each month or quarter. But a lot happens before and after they make a sale.

Outside sellers for portable restroom companies can:

• Generate and research leads
• Develop in-person and virtual presentations
• Build comprehensive customer and lead profiles
• Attend industry events and conferences
• Upsell services and products
• Design and implement a sales strategy
• Maintain a record of sales activities
• Provide sales forecasts to management
• Share client feedback with the appropriate teams

Top Skills for a Portable Toilet Salesperson

When hiring a salesperson for your business, finding one with outstanding interpersonal skills is crucial. Sure, they should be able to hold conversations with a wide range of personalities and job titles in various industries. But, outside sellers should also be capable of reading people, like knowing when to stop talking and how to actively listen.

Top salespeople are problem solvers who recognize what customers or leads are dealing with and offer solutions. Self-motivation and a personal drive are vital for field sales employees, who often work on commission. Plus, they need to be technologically competent and know how to use customer relationship management (CRM) programs, sales presentation software, and forecasting tools.

Boost Your Sales Workforce

Field sales representatives help you connect with new leads and customers. They bring their expertise to your portable toilet business and learn everything there is to know about your company, rentals, and clients. In addition, today’s outside sales employees are also digital savvy and can pivot from in-person to virtual interactions.

Looking to Take Your Portable Restroom Business to the NEXT LEVEL? Download our FREE Guide: “Your Guide to Operating A Portable Restroom Business.”

Thinking About GETTING INTO the Portable Restroom Industry? Download our FREE Guide: “Your Guide to Starting A Portable Restroom Business.”