For our Meet the Team post this month, we went with an Outsider. The Outside Sales Team works remotely and visits occasionally. We get to see their pretty faces through Skype or Google Hangouts and we talk to them on the phone – but mostly we email. Though far away, they are still integral to our team. As such we are featuring one of more experienced Outside Sales Team members, Larry Beaman.
Oh Hey Larry!
Larry Beaman is celebrating his 5 year anniversary with IZEA today. Like all of our long-timers, Larry has grown into various roles within the company. He started out as our Prospect Lead Specialist, where he set up meetings and calls for the sales team. From there, he moved into a Inside Sales position. Then roughly a year and a half ago, he ventured out of our Orlando office and into the cold of the Windy City, where he is our Outside Sales person for the Central Region.
Larry Fun Fact 1: Prior to starting at IZEA, Larry worked at Home Depot for 5 years. So he’s a handy guy to have around.
Larry Fun Fact 2: Larry is an excellent piano player. He can rock out Adele ballads like a champ. Editorial Note: Representatives for Larry denied our request for video proof.
Outside or Inside?
Having experience on both the Inside and Outside teams gives Larry an interesting perspective. He understands the benefits and challenges that come each selling style.
The Outside sales team develops client relationships differently than our Inside sales team – Outsiders have face to face interactions with their clients on a daily basis, while Insiders build their relationships digitally, through phone and email communications. Our Outside team becomes the face of the company for their clients. Larry loves the personal interaction of visiting with the clients.
The challenge with Outside sales is balancing the clients wants with the Account Managers back in Orlando. Not being down the hall from your AM can cause some difficulties. There is a little more back and forth and sometimes a slight delay in getting an answer. Larry is aware of limitations and strives to manage expectations as to not over promise the client.
Highlights and Tips
Campaign Highlights: Though Larry enjoys all of his campaigns, one of the highlights was working with Tabasco. They were great clients and the whole process went smoothly from start to finish. Can’t beat that!
Sales Tip: Don’t Sell. Yep, you heard us right. Larry doesn’t sell to clients; he provides solutions. He listens to what the client wants and tells them how our services can help achieve their goals. That’s his trick.
