inside sales manager business plan

And if (or more likely when ) those goals change over time, you need to regularly communicate those shifts and the strategic adjustments that come with them to your team.

Your sales strategy keeps your sales process productive — it offers the actionable steps your reps can take to deliver on your vision and realize the goals you set. So naturally, you need to communicate it effectively. A sales plan offers a solid resource for that.

For instance, your sales org might notice that your SDRs are posting lackluster cold call conversion rates. In turn, you might want to have them focus primarily on email outreach, or you could experiment with new sales messaging on calls.

Regardless of how you want to approach the situation, a thoughtfully structured sales plan will give both you and your reps a high-level perspective that would inform more cohesive, effective efforts across the team.

An effective sales org is a machine — one where each part has a specific function that serves a specific purpose that needs to be executed in a specific fashion. That's why everyone who comprises that org needs to have a clear understanding of how they specifically play into the company's broader sales strategy.

Outlining roles and responsibilities while sales planning lends itself to more efficient task delegation, improved collaboration, overlap reduction, and increased accountability. All of which amount to more streamlined, smooth, successful sales efforts.

Sales planning can set the framework for gauging how well your team is delivering on your sales strategy. It can inform the benchmarks and milestones reps can use to see how their performance stacks up against your goals and expectations.

It also gives sales leadership a holistic view of how well a sales org is functioning as a whole — giving them the necessary perspective to understand whether they have the right people and tools in place to be as successful as possible.

Sales planning isn‘t (and shouldn’t) be limited to the actual sales plan document it produces. If that document is going to have any substance or practical value, it needs to be the byproduct of a thorough, well-informed, high-level strategy.

When sales planning, you have some key steps you need to cover — including:

• Gather sales data and search for trends.
• Define your objectives.
• Determine metrics for success.
• Assess the current situation.
• Start sales forecasting.
• Identify gaps.
• Ideate new initiatives.
• Involve stakeholders.
• Outline action items.

When putting this list together, I consulted  Zach Drollinger — Senior Director of Sales at edtech provider Coursedog — to ensure the examples detailed below are sound and accurate.

Step 1: Gather sales data and search for trends.

To plan for the present and future, your company needs to look to the past. What did sales look like during the previous year? What about the last five years? Using this information can help you identify trends in your industry. While it's not foolproof, it helps establish a foundation for your sales planning process.

For the sake of example, let‘s say that I’m a new sales director for an edtech company that sells curriculum planning software to higher education institutions. My vertical is community colleges, and my territory is the East Coast.

Once I assume this new role, I‘m going to want to gather as much context as possible about my vertical and how my company has approached it historically. I would pull information about how we’ve sold to this vertical.

How much new business have we closed within it in the past five years? How does that compare to how we perform with other kinds of institutions? Are we seeing significant churn from these customers?

I would also want to get context about the general needs, interests, and pain points of the kinds of institutions I‘m selling to. I’d look for insight into figures like degree velocity, staff retention, and enrollment.

Ultimately, I would get a comprehensive perspective on my sales process — a thorough understanding of where I stand and what my prospects are dealing with. That will ensure that I can deliver on the next step as effectively as possible.

Step 2: Define your objectives.

How do you know your business is doing well if you have no goals? As you can tell from its placement on this list, defining your goals and objectives is one of the first steps you should take in your sales planning process. Once you have them defined, you can move forward with executing them.

To extend the example from the previous step, I would leverage the context I gathered through the research I conducted about both my and my prospect's circumstances. I would start setting both broader goals and more granular operational objectives .

For instance, I might want to set a goal of increasing sales revenue from my vertical. From there, I would start putting together the kind of specific objectives that will facilitate that process — like connecting with administrators from at least 30 community colleges, booking demos with at least 10 schools, and successfully closing at least five institutions.

Obviously, those steps represent a streamlined (and unrealistically straightforward) sales process, but you get the idea — I would set a concrete goal, supplemented by SMART objectives , that will serve as a solid reference point for my org's efforts as the sales process progresses.

Step 3: Determine metrics for success.

Every business is different. One thing we can all agree on is that you need metrics for success. These metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs). What are you going to use to determine if your business is successful? KPIs differ based on your medium, but standard metrics are gross profit margins, return on investment (ROI), daily web traffic users, conversion rate, and more.

I kind of covered this step in the previous example, but it still warrants a bit more elaboration. The “M” in SMART goals (“measurable”) is there for a reason. You can‘t tell if your efforts were successful if you don’t know what “successful” actually means.

The edtech sales example I‘ve been running with revolves mostly around me assuming ownership of an existing vertical and getting more out of it. So it’s fair to assume that sales growth rate — the increase or decrease of sales revenue in a given period, typically expressed as a percentage — would be an effective way to gauge success.

I might want to structure my goals and objectives around a sales growth rate of 20% Y/Y within my vertical. I would make sure my org was familiar with that figure and offer some context about what it would take to reach it — namely, how many institutions we would need to close and retain.

Step 4: Assess the current situation.

How is your business fairing right now? This information is relevant to determining how your current situation holds up to the goals and objectives you set during step two. What are your roadblocks? What are your strengths? Create a list of the obstacles hindering your success. Identify the assets you can use as an advantage. These factors will guide you as you build your sales plan.

Continuing the edtech example, I would use the historical context I gathered and the objectives I set to frame how I look at my current circumstances. I might start by considering my goal of increasing revenue by 20% Y/Y. In that case, I would look at the company's retention figures — ideally, that would give me a sense of whether that needs to be a major area of focus.

I would also try to pin down trends in the colleges that we've already closed — are there any pain points we consistently sell on? I might take a closer look at how we demo to see if we might be glossing over key elements of our value proposition. Maybe, I would use conversation intelligence to get a better sense of how reps are handling their calls.

Ultimately, I would try to identify why we're performing the way we are, the inefficiencies that might be resulting from our current strategy, and how we can best set ourselves up to sell as effectively as possible.

Step 5: Start sales forecasting.

Sales forecasting is an in-depth report that predicts what a salesperson, team, or company will sell weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. While it is finicky, it can help your company make better decisions when hiring, budgeting, prospecting, and setting goals.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, economics has become less predictable. Claire Fenton , the owner of StrActGro — a professional training and coaching company — states, “Many economic forecasters won't predict beyond three months at a time.” This makes sales forecasting difficult. However, there are tools at your disposal to create accurate sales forecasts .

In our edtech example, I would approach this step by trying to estimate how my sales org is going to fare with the specific vertical we‘re pursuing in the time window we’ve allotted.

The method I decide to go with will depend on factors like how many concrete opportunities we have lined up — in addition to elements like the kind of historical data we have handy, how the reps working these deals tend to perform, and the degree of insight we have about our potential customers.

Let's say I consider those factors and decide to run something called a multivariable analysis. In that case, I could start by taking stock of the opportunities my reps have lined up. Then, I could look at the reps working those deals, their typical win rates, and the time they have to close — among other factors.

For instance, I might calculate that a rep working with a particularly large institution has a 50% chance of closing within the window we‘ve allotted. Using that insight, we could attribute 50% of the potential deal size to our forecast — we’d repeat that process with all of the opportunities in question and ideally get a solid sense of the revenue we can expect to generate in this window.

Step 6: Identify gaps.

When identifying gaps in your business, consider what your company needs now and what you might need in the future. First, identify the skills you feel your employees need to reach your goal. Second, evaluate the skills of your current employees. Once you have this information, you can train employees or hire new ones to fill the gaps.

Continuing the edtech example, let‘s say my forecast turned up results that weren’t in keeping with what we need to reach our goals. If that were the case, I would take a holistic look at our process, operations, and resources to pin down inefficiencies or areas for improvement.

In my search, I find that our sales content and marketing collateral are dated — with case studies that don‘t cover our product’s newest and most relevant features. I also might see that our reps don‘t seem to have too much trouble booking demos, but the demos themselves aren’t converting due to a lack of training and inconsistent messaging.

And finally, I find that a lack of alignment with marketing has prospects focusing on unrealistic outcomes our sales team can‘t deliver on. Once I’ve identified those gaps, I would start to hone in on ways to remedy those issues and improve those elements.

Step 7: Ideate new initiatives.

Many industry trends are cyclical. They phase in and out of “style.” As you build your sales plan, ideate new initiatives based on opportunities you may have passed on in previous years.

If your business exclusively focused on word-of-mouth and social media marketing in the past, consider adding webinars or special promotions to your plan.

In the edtech example we've been running with, I would likely ideate initiatives based on the gaps I identified in the previous step. I would start a push to ensure that our sales content and marketing collateral are up-to-date and impressive.

I would also consider new training programs to ensure that our coaching infrastructure is prioritizing how to conduct effective demos. Finally, I would start to work on a plan with marketing to ensure our messaging is aligned with theirs — so we can make sure prospects' expectations are realistic and effective.

One way or another, I would take the gaps I found and find concrete, actionable ways to fill them. I would make sure that these initiatives aren't abstract. Just saying, " We're going to be better at demos," isn‘t a plan — it’s a sentiment, and sentiments don't translate to hard sales.

Step 8: Involve stakeholders.

Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations with a vested interest in your company. They are typically investors, employees, or customers and often have deciding power in your business. Towards the end of your sales planning process, involve stakeholders from departments that affect your outcomes, such as marketing and product. It leads to an efficient and actionable sales planning process.

This step is sort of an extension of the previous two — once I‘ve identified the key issues and roadblocks obstructing my edtech startup’s sales org, I would start identifying the right people to fulfill the necessary initiatives I've put together.

In this example, I would tap some stakeholders in charge of our sales content and marketing collateral to produce newer, more relevant case studies and whitepapers we can pass along to the institutions we're working with.

I would also go to middle management and either offer more direction for coaching on demos or bring in a third-party training service to offer more focused, professional insight on the issue.

Finally, I would connect with marketing leadership to align on the benefits and outcomes we generally stress when pitching the schools we sell to. That way, we can ensure that the institutions we're connecting with have realistic expectations of our product or service that we can speak to more clearly and effectively.

Step 9: Outline action items.

Once you have implemented this strategy to create your sales planning process, the final step is outlining your action items. Using your company's capacity and quota numbers, build a list of steps that take you through the sales process. Examples of action items are writing a sales call script, identifying industry competitors, or strategizing new incentives or perks.

In our edtech example, some key action items might be:

• Revamp our prospecting strategy via more involved coaching and re-tooled sales messaging.
• Revamp administrator and college dean buyer personas.
• Conduct new trainings on demoing our software.
• See our new prospecting strategy from ideation to execution.
• Align with our sales enablement stakeholders for new, more relevant case studies and whitepapers.

Obviously, that list isn‘t exhaustive — but those are still the kinds of steps we would need to clarify and take to structure a more effective high-level strategy to produce different (ideally much better) results than we’ve been seeing.

One thing to keep in mind is that sales planning shouldn't end with creating the document.

You‘ll want to reiterate this process every year to maintain your organization's sales excellence.

Now that you‘re committed to the sales planning process, let's dive into the written execution component of sales planning.

Featured Resource: Sales Plan Template

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Sales Managers: How To Build A Sales Plan

Nov 13, 2023 | Business Growth , Sales Strategy , Sales Training

A well-crafted sales plan highlights the importance of defining key goals, selecting target verticals, and identifying strategic accounts. This article shares insights to guide sales managers and sales professionals in leveraging intelligence, creating decision-maker personas, and building partnerships, while also emphasizing the significance of a personalized marketing plan to enhance their brand and drive long-term success.

When I think of a day in the life of a top sales manager , there’s a common theme. They invest their time in the right sales activities for their team. This focus becomes even more important, because many times they are balancing business development and sales management along with client delivery.

How can you know what steps will move you forward faster, help you build strategic relationships , and accelerate sales results? Having the right sales plan will help you get there.

Key Goals and Milestones to Include in a Sales Plan

The first step I always advise during sales consulting on sales plans is to start by developing a list of your key business goals and milestones. Some specific categories can help keep you focused on what you want to accomplish this year and beyond, including:

• New Client Growth
• Current Client Growth
• Game Changer Goal

Think about what you want your team to accomplish for the year and write it down in three or four sentences. What does your book of business or territory look like at the end of the year? What are a few of the things that you want to accomplish? What are your revenue goals in these key verticals, service lines, and product categories?

Lastly, what’s your game changer goal that stretches you, one that can make a huge difference in your sales team’s success this year? Putting all this on paper will provide the strategic snapshot of what you want your book of business or territory to look like at year end.

Select Verticals to Target

Selecting focus verticals can help accelerate revenue growth. Think of it as selecting a major and then some minors. Verticalization offers significant benefits, even if you have a predefined territory, a predefined book of business, or a predefined service line.

The requirements of business development and client service can be better balanced, especially for those of us that are selling or developing business as we’re doing delivery, if we can hone in on a major and a minor vertical. Just getting traction in one vertical could be your runway to spin off into other verticals if you choose.

Some questions sales managers need to ask themselves when targeting verticals:

• (Example: healthcare may be your major; home health or nursing facilities may be your minors.)
• In which verticals have you already established expertise?
• What verticals do you have a passion for or an interest in going deeper into?
• What verticals will have the greatest opportunities over the next 1 – 3 years?

Identify Target Accounts

What are the top 20 accounts or clients per vertical that you want to build relationships in? Ideally, this is also tracked in your CRM.

Target accounts per major and minor.

Using myself as an example, professional services is my major, and I have three minors– public accounting, insurance, and technology.

Intelligence Verticals

Intelligence is the deep information that we gather through research on our top prospects and clients, and also within our verticals.

• Leadership Vision
• Key Initiatives
• Fiscal Year Goals

What are the trends that will be affecting your majors and minors over the next year or the next three years that you need to pay attention to? What are some of the challenges that this vertical is going to come up against? How can you help your clients and prospects solve those problems with the services and solutions that you provide?

This list is something you can adapt at the account level to help you gather intelligence in a single place. It helps you think strategically as a sales manager and understand how you can help your sales reps move prospects business forward.

A modern seller or a modern sales manager is someone who’s recognized as a differentiator in their prospects’ or clients’ business, and the value of what they sell isn’t recognized without them as part of the equation.

You and your team’s expertise are a significant part of the sales and business development. Investing time in these questions at the vertical level and then at the account level is going to help elevate you in the eyes of your prospects or clients.

Create Decision Maker Personas

For each major and minor, you may have unique decision-maker personas. The next step in your planning process is to compile and analyze them.

• What is the decision maker measured on?
• What are the key challenges facing this decision maker?
• What is happening inside his/her firm / company?
• What will make change difficult?
• What motivates this decision maker?

Do you have captured in a single place the personas of all of your decision makers? I like to think of it as creative writing, but it is truth telling about what is on the mind of your key decision makers. It helps you envision them, empathize with them and ultimately align your expertise to the challenges they’re trying to solve.

Form Partnerships/Alliances

What are your key partnerships and key alliances that you need to build to accelerate growth in each major or minor?

These may be through industry associations, business partners, centers of influence, research organizations, and more. The key is to determine the partnerships and alliances that are the best fit for your plan. Then ascertain where you can commit to an investment, whether that investment is financial or time or a combination of both.

Personal High-level Marketing Plan

Your firm or company may have a marketing strategy, but do you have a sales manager strategy that goes along with it? In my book, The Modern Seller , I talk quite a bit about ambassadors . One of the things that make ambassadors stand out is building longer term loyalty and lifetime value.

To be able to rise above and have a personal brand that’s unique. Having your own personal leadership brand can tie to your verticals and help elevate how well known you are in the marketplace.

What I have here are key areas for you to consider in your personal marketing plan. Choose the ones that align best with your natural skills.

• Social Media
• Events/Forums
• Thought Leadership Content
• Website Blogging & Guest Blogging
• Guest Podcasting

For a deeper dive on how to build your sales manager plan, watch my webinar with The Sales Experts Channel . It’s available on demand.

Create Stronger Sales Plans

Don’t let your competition get an advantage. My sales consulting and sales advisory programs can help. If you want to know how to create a sales plan that truly ignites sales, let’s talk.  Contact me to schedule time for a discovery conversation.

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6 Steps to Create a Successful Sales Business Plan

Written By Michelle Richardson

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How to be a Successful Inside Sales Manager

As inside sales teams have grown in size and sophistication, new challenges arise. Read this to learn about how to be a successful inside sales manager.

Great frontline sales managers are a real differentiator in maximizing the potential of sales teams. This is particularly the case with inside sales which has been the fastest growing segment for a number of years with some research reporting 17% year-over-year growth. These teams are becoming much more sophisticated often selling complex products and services which only a few years ago were being sold by traditional field based reps. It is now common to see inside sales teams sell at the enterprise level, something that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.

The Rise of Inside Sales

The key driver of this shift to inside sales, of course, has been rapid advances in technology. Robust and easy to use virtual meeting platforms, new sales enablement technologies and better sales force automation systems, are all making inside sales teams more productive. Moreover, customers are now much more accustomed to making complex buying decisions over the phone or virtually without ever seeing the sales professional face-to-face.

What this means for sales managers of inside teams is that they are now managing extremely sophisticated sales teams with all of the management challenges that come with that. Compounding these management challenges is the added dimension of selling sophisticated solutions over the phone. So given these challenges, developing highly skilled frontline sales managers for inside sales organizations should be a top priority.

Managing an Inside Sales Team

Of course, there are numerous advantages to managing an inside team, including, productivity, accountability, and coaching opportunities. Inside sales professional who aren’t constrained by the need to travel to visit a prospect or customer can engage in more sales conversations in a fixed period of time than field based sales professional. From an accountability perspective, an inside sales manager can see exactly what his or her team is doing every single day, a level of accountability that sales managers of field based sales teams never have.  In addition, sales managers of inside sales teams have significant opportunities to coach and develop the skills of their teams. Contrast this to the manager of a field based team whose coaching time may be limited to field visits.  

While these advantages are compelling, sales managers face unique challenges when managing a team of inside sales professionals. Inside sales professionals do not have the benefit of living in their territories, and meeting the key influencers and decision makers in person.  Traditionally, face-time in front of prospects has driven deeper understanding of the prospect’s organization and needs, better competitive differentiation, and higher win rates. LinkedIn has leveled the playing field somewhat by enabling inside sales professionals to build rapport more effectively by using information on a prospect’s LinkedIn profile. Nevertheless, inside sales professionals still face significant challenges managing large, complex sales opportunities with multiple decision makers without the benefit of face-to-face meetings.

For a charismatic field sales rep, they can typically work through the rough spots in the sales process by leveraging their interpersonal skills or relationships. For the inside sales rep, there is very little margin for error. The customer can simply disengage without any of the awkwardness associated with doing this in person. This means that sales managers have to be rigorous in following a structured sales process, managing sales pipelines and coaching their reps.

To fully capitalize on these advantages and address these challenges, sales organizations need to focus on developing the skills of their frontline sales managers. In particular, training sales managers on how to effectively manage, coach, lead and inspire their teams.

Written by Norman Behar

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What is Inside Sales? Definition, Skills & Tools for Inside Sales Reps

With inside sales, you'll spend less time with your prospects on the golf course and more time using technology to build relationships through activities like online demos, cold calling , and sales automation practices.

Less fun? Possibly. Highly effective? Definitely.

We've been doing (and teaching) inside sales since 2013. Over the last decade, there’s been a massive shift towards inside sales across nearly every industry. We’ve also seen how inside sales has changed with the rise of new tech like AI . 

Before we dive into the mechanics of how to do inside sales effectively, let’s start with the basics: People buy from people they know and trust. This is even more true with the rise of both inside sales and remote sales , where reps are functioning more autonomously outside of the office. 

Inside sales uses technology to establish and strengthen relationships with prospects, leads, and customers. While selling has changed a lot with the introduction of new sales technology , the core principles are still the same.

So, is an inside sales model right for your business? Or maybe you’re here considering a career in inside sales—either way, I’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know to decide if inside sales is right for you . 

What is Inside Sales? A Brief Definition 

Common inside sales tactics include cold emailing, cold calling, performing demos, and delivering virtual sales pitches to potential clients from inside your (home?) office. In stark contrast, outside sales is when you sell out in the field, through in-person interactions with prospects.

In recent years, inside sales has become one of the most popular sales models, both for selling high-ticket products and for small businesses , as buyers become more comfortable purchasing and collaborating remotely.  

Simply put: Technology is everything for inside sales teams.

Empowering your inside sales reps with a work environment and toolset they need to convert potential customers, is crucial to building a successful inside sales team.

So before you attempt to use inside sales , ensure you understand what you’ll need to succeed. Just like you wouldn’t try to build a house without the right tools (and a contractor who knows what they’re doing), you shouldn’t launch a remote sales team without the tools and processes built for success.

SEE WHY CLOSE IS THE INSIDE SALES CRM OF CHOICE→

What are the Different Inside Sales Roles?

Whether you’re looking to shift your career or decide if building an inside sales team is right for your business, you’re gonna want to understand the different roles on an inside sales team. Keep in mind, the structure of your sales team may look different depending on your company and stage of growth. 

For example, at Close, we don’t have sales development reps or engage in outbound selling ; all our sales reps are inbound, inside sales reps. Yep, it can get confusing because there are both inbound and outbound sales , but either approach can leverage inside selling. 

Now let’s talk about the different inside sales roles: 

• Sales Development Representative (SDR) : An SDR is responsible for the opening stages of the sales process . They find sales opportunities and initiate first contact with leads through calls, emails, or other outreach methods. 
• Account Executive (AE) : Generally used in enterprise or B2B organizations, account executives are responsible for turning qualified leads into customers. They tend to have more in-depth and product-related conversations, such as sales demos or presentations. They may work with accounts for months or years, servicing the customer in some capacity (and looking for expansion revenue opportunities), especially for B2B companies. 
• Inside Sales Representatives : Inside sales reps tend to have a broader role including lead generation and closing deals . They may use a mix of both inbound and outbound sales strategies. 
• Customer Success Managers (CSM) : While not exclusively a sales role, a CSM typically comes in at the end of the sale process to finalize the deal and work with customers over time to cross-sell, upsell, and prevent customer churn. They’re most common in large companies and SaaS organizations. 
• Inside Sales Manager: This position oversees and leads a team of inside sales representatives and is responsible for setting sales targets, tracking quotas, leading sales training, and optimizing the sales process. 

Other common terms used to describe inside sales reps include account managers (similar to account executives) and sales enablement reps who support the sales process 

What Does an Inside Sales Rep Do?

While the exact sales process always varies by company (and industry), in general, inside sales reps will:

• Use the sales tools in their tech stack to gather leads and prospects. 
• Qualify leads using B2B databases , social media sites like LinkedIn, and their own connections. 
• Find decision-makers at that company and authentically connect with them. 
• Use their communication skills to build relationships with prospects through email, video, and phone calls.  
• Use templates and automation tools to nurture those leads through the sales funnel . 
• Collaborate virtually with leads via video conferencing, email, and other digital channels.
• Collaborate with other teams, including customer support and marketing to ensure customers are supported through each step of the sales process. 
• Overcome objections prospects have, negotiate, and discuss pricing. 
• Close sales, often without ever meeting their prospect in person. 

Here’s an example of what an inside sales rep’s average day might look like:

Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between inside and outside sales is where the salespeople work . Inside salespeople tend to work in an office or even at home. Outside sales teams often travel to in-person meetings and work on-site at the prospect's offices.

Inside sales reps rely on technology and virtual meetings to build relationships. Outside sales reps, aka field salespeople, rely on travel and in-person meetings to share demos, explore objections, and build face-to-face relationships.

Here’s a breakdown of the main differences in job descriptions for inside and outside sales reps:

However, there’s another core difference between these two sales models.

With inside sales, the team structure often includes multiple people taking ownership of different stages of the sales process . For example, a sales or business development rep gathers and qualifies leads, while an account executive converts them, then a customer success team manages the onboarding/upselling process.

To be clear, not all inside sales teams use this structure , but it differs from outbound teams, where generally, one (or possibly two) salespeople manage the process from start to finish.

Which Skills Do Inside Sales Reps Need?

An inside sales rep uses a whole lotta technology, including email, video conferencing, phone calls, and social media, to qualify, nurture, and convert leads into customers. This means sales reps need a solid understanding of how key sales tech tools function, the ability to learn new platforms quickly, and an intuitive ability to build relationships virtually. 

Kate Petrone , Senior Account Executive at Close, shares how the skills inside sales reps need to extend far beyond using tools and cold calling:

“One of the most important skills for inside sales reps is the ability to ask the right questions - being genuinely curious. Being a really good listener is equally as important to understanding their current vs. ideal scenario, uncovering their pain points, and helping them discover a better solution.”

Other skills crucial to inside sales success include:

1. How to Do Cold Outreach Effectively 

Cold emailing and cold calling are key skills just about every inside sales rep needs to master. Reaching out to prospective customers via phone or email and fostering relationships helps fill your sales pipeline and increase conversions. Making sure to call at the right time and knowing how to get responses are key skills inside sales reps should foster. 

Dig deeper: 

• 15 Cold Call Scripts + Templates & Examples to Nail Every Sales Call
• 15 Best Cold Email Templates to Improve Sales Email Outreach

2. Product Knowledge

Great sales reps don’t just know the features list of their product or service—they also have a deep understanding of how their product can help prospects solve their own problems.

They should be able to explain how their product works in detail, including explaining workarounds, integrations, and the nuances of key features. It’s a major bonus if your sales reps can somehow use your product or service in their day-to-day responsibilities, making them go-to product experts.

• Five Strategies to Increase Product Knowledge
• How to Build Fluent Product Knowledge and Improve Sales Success

3. How to Navigate Objections 

Objections aren’t the end of the world, they’re just speed bumps along the road to closing a sale. Customers naturally have questions, doubts, or concerns, and being able to navigate these obstacles with finesse is what separates the pros from the rookies. It's like the ultimate game of verbal chess, where you anticipate moves and counter with charisma and deep insights. 

• Objection Handling 101: Your Guide to Overcoming 40+ Sales Objections
• Our Best Sales Objection Templates (Free Download)  

4. Use AI Strategically 

If you can use AI the right way in your sales process, you’ll supercharge a few specific areas of your selling capabilities. You can now significantly automate and scale activities like sending cold emails, getting AI call transcripts with next steps, follow up email management and more.

Use these tools in a sloppy way, and prospects will think you’re a robot. Replies and email opens will plummet. So how do you properly leverage AI in sales today? Think of AI tools like interns that can deliver a solid first draft and generate notes — but you’ll still need to take the time to review and personalize their suggestions. 

• AI in Sales: How Artificial Intelligence Can Help You Close More Deals
• How Generative AI Will Change Sales

5. The Art of Negotiation 

Negotiation is the art of finding that sweet spot where both you and your customer feel like winners. It's like a friendly game of tug-of-war where you’re kindly smiling as beads of sweat drip down your forehead while ensuring your prospect feels valued and satisfied. It's a delicate balance, and mastering this art is essential to being successful as an inside sales rep. 

• 12 Sales Negotiation Strategies & Skills For Your Team to Win
• Never Split The Difference (book) 

The Inside Sales Process: A 5-Step Model to Closing More Deals

The inside sales process can vary by industry and target audience, but it’ll generally follow the same overall structure. For example, B2B inside sales has a longer sales cycle and spends more time on lead qualification than B2C, however, the steps in the inside sales process are virtually the same.

In general, the inside sales process follows these steps:

• Find Prospects : Sales rep uses digital sales technology to find qualified leads. This may include offering downloadable resources or using databases or social media to find prospects.
• Qualification : Leads are further qualified to ensure they match the company’s ideal customer profile based on location, company size, and industry.
• Outreach: Depending on your sales model, reps may reach out to leads directly via social media or cold emailing or calling, or create drip campaigns to nurture leads and wait to reach out more personally.
• Pitch: Once the lead is qualified and has expressed interest, the sales rep reaches out to make the pitch. This may include a demo or presentation, generally delivered virtually, that speaks to the customer's needs .
• Close the Deal: After objections are handled, the inside salesperson works to close the deal. This may include offering discounts, adjusting the onboarding process, or adding additional features.

The inside sales model generally focuses quite a lot on up front lead generation and qualification efforts to maximize the ROI on time spent with prospects, rather than diving straight into a pitch for every cold lead that lands in your CRM. 

Two of the top benefits of choosing an inside sales model are a faster sales cycle and major scalability. Inside sales is also more cost-effective since it uses technology (like a CRM), to track sales tasks and automate sending notifications and qualifying leads.

4 Must-Have Tools for Successful Inside Sales Teams 

You’ve probably noticed one thing about inside sales: this process uses technology a lot. Whether it’s sending an email, hosting a video conference, or automating tasks, inside sales reps need the right tools.

Here are our picks for the must-have sales tools every inside sales representative can use to excel in their role:

• Calling Software (or a CRM with Built-in Calling Feature): Between cold calling and follow up calls, phone conversations are one of the most consequential time investments for inside sales reps. To make those calls more effective, inside sales reps should use a telephony tool that can call, track, and record calls. This is a core feature of any serious inside sales CRM (like Close). 
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: Speaking of CRMs, this is a must-have! The best CRM software provides an overview of all your sales activities , so you can stay on top of managing your pipeline. The right CRM should integrate with your existing tools, make sales management easier, and generate reports. Ideally, your CRM throws in a dash of automation for good measure (and sales rep sanity).
• Email Tracking: The right email tracking software lets inside sales professionals see when an email is opened, whether files are downloaded, and notifies you when it’s time to follow up. 
• Reporting Tools & Dashboards to Track Performance: To build a successful inside sales process, you need to keep a close eye on the metrics that matter. But, just tracking all the data points in a cute little dashboard isn’t enough, you need the ability to generate these reports quickly—and use the data to make meaningful improvements in how you’re selling.  

Close offers sales reps all these features, plus workflow automations, a ChatGPT plugin, and a whooooooole lot more. Watch our quick 10-minute demo to find out if we’re the right CRM for your team. 

Want to Thrive at Inside Sales? Keep Learning

It's no stretch of the imagination to say that inside sales will play an outsized role in the future of sales. The path to success here is in learning how to sell to people the way they want to be sold to. 

Field-heavy sales organizations like Coca-Cola and Oracle are shifting sales responsibilities from field-based reps salespeople towards inside salespeople and digital self-service channels.

To be a sales leader today, you gotta be willing to embrace technology and invest meaningful time upfront in learning about your target customers.

Ready to take your (inside) selling to the next level? Try all our best free sales tools today.

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Inside Sales Manager

• Certifications
• Related Topics

What Is an Inside Sales Manger? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Inside sales managers develop and implement strategies to set the inside sales team up for success. This position focuses on providing training, tracking metrics and identifying leads to support inside sales representatives in meeting their goals. Here’s what to know about an inside sales manager’s needed skills, salary and how to become one.

What Is an Inside Sales Manager?

An inside sales manager oversees the work of inside sales representatives who employ techniques by phone and email to market products and services to prospective customers. The inside sales manager uses their sales background to guide team members in winning over customers and hitting their quotas.

What Do Inside Sales Managers Do?

Leading an inside sales team, which sells to prospects over phone and email, an inside sales manager is responsible for recruiting potential employees, onboarding and training new sales representatives, monitoring sales metrics and setting benchmarks for individual and team success.

Inside Sales Manager Responsibilities

• Manage inside sales representatives’ daily activities.
• Track metrics to make data-informed decisions about inside sales strategy.
• Recruit, hire and onboard new inside sales representatives.
• Devise and implement training programs.
• Set individual and team goals.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities of Inside Sales Managers

• Conduct research.
• Collaborate with the marketing team.
• Interview job applicants.
• Identify sales leads.
• Conduct performance reviews.

Inside Sales Managers Within a Company

The inside sales manager is in charge of a team of sales reps within the larger sales department. They are often supervised by a sales director.

Importance of Inside Sales Managers

Inside sales managers provide their direct reports with tools, training and other resources to help them build profitable customer relationships. Inside sales teams are becoming increasingly important to companies because they are cost efficient and easy to scale up.

What Skills Are Needed to Be an Inside Sales Manager?

Qualifications to be an inside sales manager.

• Sales and marketing experience.
• Understanding of effective sales strategies and how to teach them to others.
• Ability to track key sales metrics.
• Understanding of how to set individual and team quotas.
• Experience using data to inform decisions and team strategy.
• Ability to identify ideal sales leads.
• Familiarity with sales tools and software.

Inside Sales Manager Prerequisites

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Sales training and certifications.

Inside Sales Manager Hard Skills

• Conducting research and analyzing data.
• Training sales reps.
• Lead prospecting.
• Using tools and software.

Inside Sales Manager Soft Skills

• Strong leadership skills.
• Communicating with customers.
• Strategic and analytical thinking.
• Collaborating within a team and across departments.

Tools and Programs Inside Sales Managers Use

• CRM software such as HubSpot and Salesforce.
• Sales prospecting tools such as Leadfeeder and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Platforms like Gong and Clari for analytics insight.
• Communication and collaboration platforms like Zoom, Slack and Google Workspace.

How to Become an Inside Sales Manager

Inside sales manager education and experience.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in a field like marketing or business administration is typically part of the path to becoming an inside sales manager. This position also requires around five years of experience working in inside sales or another relevant area. That experience should include one to two years handling some management-level responsibilities.

Inside Sales Manager Certificates and Courses

• 20 Top Sales Training Programs and Courses to Know
• Certified Inside Sales Professional
• Certificate in Virtual Sales
• Accredited Inside Sales Manager
• HubSpot Academy Online Sales Training

Inside Sales Manager Career Path

An inside sales manager typically begins their career working as an entry-level inside sales representative. They can go on to become a sales director or could shift into a marketing position.

Inside Sales Manager Salary and Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects more than 41,000 yearly openings for sales managers from 2021 through 2031.

The full compensation package for an inside sales manager depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average inside sales manager salary.

Careers Related to Inside Sales Manager

Related sales jobs, companies hiring inside sales managers, related sales careers.

Inside Sales Manager Professional Goals

Getting started as a inside sales manager.

• What is a Inside Sales Manager
• How to Become a Inside Sales Manager
• Certifications
• Tools & Software
• LinkedIn Guide
• Interview Questions
• Similar Job Titles
• Work-Life Balance
• Professional Goals
• Inside Sales Manager Resume Examples
• Inside Sales Manager Cover Letter Examples

Track Your Goals with Teal

Log your goals and career aspirations on an ongoing basis to keep career groth front of mind with Teal.

Why Every Inside Sales Manager Should Have Goals

Different types of career goals for inside sales managers, revenue growth and sales mastery goals, customer relationship and retention goals, team development and coaching goals, strategic leadership and operational efficiency goals, personal branding and network expansion goals, what makes a good career goal for a inside sales manager , career goal criteria for inside sales managers, revenue-driven objectives.

• Set Quarterly Sales Targets
• Develop Key Account Strategies
• Track Conversion Rate Improvements

Leadership and Team Development

• Implement Team Coaching Plans
• Enhance Sales Process Mastery
• Drive CRM Adoption & Proficiency

Customer Relationship Excellence

• Implement a CRM Optimization Plan
• Develop a Customer Feedback Loop
• Enhance Client Retention Strategies

Process Optimization

• Implement CRM enhancements
• Develop dynamic sales scripts
• Refine lead scoring models

Log Your Wins Every Week with Teal

12 Professional Goal Examples for Inside Sales Managers

Enhance sales process efficiency, develop advanced product knowledge, cultivate a high-performing sales team, master crm and sales technologies, expand key account relationships, increase sales revenue targets, improve sales training and development, foster a collaborative team environment, implement data-driven sales strategies, achieve personal professional development, enhance customer retention rates, lead a successful product launch, career goals for inside sales managers at difference levels, setting career goals as an entry-level inside sales manager, setting career goals as a mid-level inside sales manager, setting career goals as a senior-level inside sales manager, leverage feedback to refine your professional goals, utilizing constructive criticism to sharpen sales strategies, incorporating customer insights into professional development, capitalizing on performance reviews for goal precision, goal faqs for inside sales managers, how frequently should inside sales managers revisit and adjust their professional goals, can professional goals for inside sales managers include soft skill development, how do inside sales managers balance long-term career goals with immediate project deadlines, how can inside sales managers ensure their goals align with their company's vision and objectives.

What is a Inside Sales Manager?

More Professional Goals for Related Roles

Fostering client relationships, driving sales growth and ensuring customer satisfaction

Driving strategic partnerships and market opportunities for business growth and expansion

Driving business growth and revenue through strategic sales leadership and client relationships

Driving sales strategies, fostering client relationships for business growth

Driving revenue growth, forging key relationships, and leading high-performing sales teams

Driving revenue growth, steering team performance, excelling in competitive markets

5 Inside Sales Compensation Plan Examples That Will Motivate Your Reps to Win Revenue

One of the most motivating factors for sales reps is their sales compensation, and it can help companies attract and creating top sales talent. Inside sales research from ZS and Reality Works found that 40% of large technology companies plan to increase their inside sales headcount. However, the sales talent space is extremely competitive and simply hiring new sales reps, even if they are all-stars, does not guarantee a significant growth in revenue for your sales organization. Instead, one of the most effective ways to motivate sales reps to be their best is to provide them with the right compensation plan.

Common Sales Compensation Challenges

Many organizations face the same challenges when creating a sales compensation plan:

How to Set the Right Sales Quota

The ZS and Reality Works study found that 79% of tech companies and 90% of non-tech large companies use quota-based sales compensation plans. In order to properly utilize a quota-based comp plan, you must find a delicate balance. Q uotas that are too aggressive will lead to high turnover or a lack of motivation. If quotas aren’t high enough, reps just will simply not be driven to be their best.  Accurate quota setting requires reliable sales forecasts and detailed activity reports. To make accurate sales forecasts, you must track the right predictive analytics. Use your activity reports and opportunity analytics to predict sales pipeline and set accurate quotas.  

Sales Compensation Balance of Base vs. Bonus

Comp plans need the right weight of base vs. bonus. Base salaries are important to provide reps with a sense of their security (they won’t get evicted if they have a slow month). Commission, however, is what drives most sales reps. A bonus needs to sufficiently inspire reps to sell at their best. Placing a cap on a rep’s bonus will correlate with a cap on their motivation to sell for your company. In sales, the sky should be the limit.

The Rising Cost of Hiring Reps

Good sales reps are in high demand, and companies looking to hire them face a lot of competition, especially for reps with track records of success. One way to give yourself a competitive advantage is to create a compensation plan with great rewards. Without a competitive comp plan, great reps will surely land elsewhere.

A result of this extremely high competition, many companies hire reps with less experience, often right out of college. Therefore, companies need to know how to structure compensation plans that appeal to less seasoned reps.

In order to overcome the challenges associated with creating compensation plans, we’ve compiled some of the best compensation plans designed for various roles. Whether you are hiring outbound SDRs with no sales experienced, or heavy hitter AE’s, these comp plans will help you motivate all your reps to be top-performers on your team.

Outbound SDR Sales Compensation Plan Example

Sales development reps (SDRs) are reps that are tasked with lead generation and appointment setting. They almost never actually close deals, instead they hand deals off to account executives. SDRs are often fresh out of college. As a result, they look for plans that offer a lot of structure and security. Our joint webinar with OpenView Venture Partners reveals some tips that can help you structure compensation plans that are ideal for SDRs.

Keep Compensation Simple for Development Reps

In order to keep comp plans simple for reps that are starting in sales, we recommended separating comp plans into three sections:

• Base : The regular amount that reps see in their paychecks that is unaffected by performance
• Bonus : The additional amount reps receive based on meeting various goals.
• Kicker : Any additional bonus that is tied to closed won deals or competition

Sales Compensation Base Vs. Bonus

Since SDRs are concerned about meeting their basic needs, 70% of their total compensation package is the base and 30% is the bonus.

How to Calculate the Bonus

When calculating the bonus, many of OpenView’s portfolio companies are using a 40/60 rule: 40% of the bonus is tied to appointments set and 60% is tied to actual opportunities. Another powerful way to motivate SDRs is by offering a kicker (extra pay) for opportunities they drove that actually end up closing. This motivates reps to not simply source opportunities, but source great ones.

Inbound Sales Rep Compensation Plan Example

Inbound reps (sometimes known as lead qualification reps or marketing qualification reps) are tasked with following up with leads that call as well as leads that fill out contact forms or download content.  

Like most sales comp plans, compensation plans for inbound sales reps should be comprised of a base and a bonus. Like SDRs, 60-70% of an inbound sales rep’s total compensation plan should be base salary, with the remainder making up the bonus. Inbound sales reps, like SDRs are often early career — my first sales job was as an inbound sales rep. They will usually want to have a large enough base salary to pay rent (whether a particular month is fruitful or not.

Where inbound sales rep compensation plans differ from comp plans for outbound SDRs is how bonuses should be structured. Here’s what we recommend:

Accepted Opportunities- Tie 65% of an inbound sales rep’s bonus should be derived from accepted opportunities. It’s key that these opportunities are all “accepted” by sales. That way it helps account executives provide oversight into opportunity quality. The last thing you want is inbound sales reps handing unqualified opportunities over to sales.

Opportunity Revenue- 25% of the bonus should be tied to revenue that actually closes. We like doing this because it further incentivizes inbound reps to source high-quality opportunities and gives them a stake in your company’s wins.

SLAs- Finally, 10% of the bonus should be tied to hitting SLAs. These are the activities that are expected of inbound sales reps and should be clearly outlined in their comp plans. Some vital SLAs for inbound sales reps might include responding to every inbound lead within five, following up with every inbound lead at least eight times and more.

Account Executive (AE) Sales Compensation Plan Example

Account executives (AEs) are inside sales reps that are tasked with closing deals. One of the most important differences between comp plans for AEs vs. comp plans for SDRs and inbound sales reps is that AEs comp plans should have a greater emphasis on commission. As a general rule 50% of an AEs salary should be base and 50% should be bonus. So if a an inside sales rep’s base is $56K, that rep’s on-target earnings (earnings when at 100% of quota) should be $112K.

Bonus Threshold

A bonus threshold is a good way to simultaneously motivate reps and cover costs for your company. It means that reps aren’t paid out a bonus until they hit a certain % of quota. For example, you might decide that AEs should hit at least 80% of their quotas before being paid any commission.

Never Put a Cap on Commission

One of the most important things about AE comp plans is to never put a cap on commission. Why on Earth would you want to punish a rep for hitting 300% of her quota? In sales, the sky should be the limit.

Ramping Quota

You can’t always expect newly hired AEs to come out of the dugout hitting home runs right away. A ramp quota can keep reps from getting overwhelmed. A ramp quota can scale as reps become better at their jobs. As an example, if a rep’s full quota is $1 million a year, they’d normally be expected to drive around $83,333 each month. But to help them ramp up, you could set their quota at $20K for the first two months, $40K for months three and four $60k for month five and then full quota at six months and beyond.

SaaS Rep Compensation Plan Example

SaaStr Founder Jason Lemkin revealed an innovative SaaS comp plan he used at EchoSign. He started out using a pretty standard comp plan with a high quota, base salary, and commissions that equated to 8-11% ACV. However, he noticed some problems including:

• Not enough incentives to stay (i.e. poor retention)
• The relatively low commission didn’t inspire reps to stay with customers. Instead they were leaving the moment the contract was signed. This didn’t lead to a customer-centric sales organization.
• Mediocre reps were making too much while A-players weren’t making enough

As a result, revenue per lead fell dramatically. He was able to devise a new comp plan with the goals of maximize revenue per lead, maintaining simplicity and retaining A-players. Here is what his new inside sales compensation plan for SaaS reps looked like:

• Competitive Base Salary – However, reps are required to cover their entire base salary including benefits before they are paid any bonus.
• Double Bonus- After covering base salary and benefits, reps then make 2x as much in Commission.  This leads to ACVs of 20-22%.
• Payment Upon Receipt of Cash, Not Contract E-Signing .  This inspires reps to really take care of the customers and ensure that they receive fantastic experiences.

Lemkin was able to use this plan to reward his top reps and turn sales into a revenue center (laggard reps were no longer eating up sales resources). The real beauty of his plan is that new reps became highly motivated to perform at peak performance, since they saw those top performing reps driving in with M6 convertibles. However, resources were never being wasted on reps who weren’t paying for themselves. And mediocre reps would end up simply leaving the organization. For more information, we highly recommend reading Lemkin’s article .

For more ways to structure sales compensation plans that help reps win, check out our eBook!

About the Author

ABOUT ALAIN PINEL

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9 hot AI jobs you can get without knowing how to code

• Jobs in the booming AI sector that don't require coding expertise are on the rise.
• Recruiters say companies want employees with soft skills who understand the tech and its use cases. 
• Here are nine  AI jobs that don't require programming skills, from policy analysts to sales engineers.

Companies are jostling to hire highly coveted AI talent as the sector grows — and they're not just looking for people who know how to code.

While many AI-related jobs posted on Indeed and LinkedIn are for software developers and machine learning engineers with advanced degrees , some don't require a technical background. Organizations want to use AI tools in their workflows to boost productivity, save time, and make more money — but they also need workers who can link the very technical side and the business side.

"Companies are desperate to get people figuring out AI for their organizations," J.T. O'Donnell, a career coach at Work It Daily, told Business Insider.

That's leading to a whole new subset of roles in the emergent tech sector . While some of them can be more undefined — "A lot of the jobs have the term AI in it as they try to figure out what to call you," O'Donnell said — others are easier to understand.

Business Insider searched job sites for such positions that didn't require programming skills and also consulted Alex Libre, principal recruiter for Einstellen Talent, a service that matches job candidates with generative AI startups, about which non-technical roles in the industry are in demand.

Here are nine AI-related jobs you can get without knowing how to code — and how much Libre says they typically pay. Salary estimates vary based on the company's size and how much experience a candidate has.

AI product manager

Companies are looking to hire professionals who can bridge the gap between technical AI development and business acumen. Product managers familiar with AI can help do just that.

They're "the key people responsible for bringing AI products to market, which is a lot harder than most people think in a world full of businesses run by people who don't really understand AI," Libre, the tech recruiter, told BI.

Salaries typically range from $120,000 to $400,000 a year.

AI ethics specialist

The need for ethics specialists is expected to grow as AI evolves and becomes a greater part of people's lives.

"They're responsible for ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in an ethical, responsible, and transparent manner," Libre says. "These should be viewed more as risk mitigators than ethicists, frankly."

Demand for ethics specialists, he says, will become increasingly important in healthcare , finance, and government — industries where the stakes of deploying AI are high because the tech could have major societal consequences if not used properly.

AI ethics specialists can typically make between $90,00 and $150,000 annually.

AI sales engineer

Sales engineers at AI companies who understand machine learning can use that knowledge to sell the most relevant tools to other firms.

Ideal candidates combine a deep technical understanding with "strong sales and communication" skills to demonstrate value to potential clients.

"As AI continues to advance and become more widely adopted, the need for skilled AI sales engineers who can articulate the business value of AI will only continue to grow," Libre says.

Sales engineers can make anywhere between $100,000 to $200,000 a year.

AI business analyst

Companies new to AI may wonder just how and where to deploy the technology. That's where analysts can help.

Employees in this role are responsible for "analyzing business processes" and "identifying areas" where AI can help "drive efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve outcomes," the recruiter says.

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Success in this position requires a combination of corporate savviness, strong communication chops, and technical understanding.

AI business analysts can earn between $80,000 and $150,000 annually.

AI data annotator

AI models only produce useful outputs if they're trained on high-quality data. Data annotators play a critical role in that process.

Annotators are tasked to label and categorize vast amounts of information to train models to be "accurate, consistent, and free from biases."

"While these roles may not require advanced degrees or technical skills, they do require a keen eye for detail, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently," Libre says.

Data annotation jobs — many of which are part-time or contract-based — pay between $40,000 to $80,000 a year on average, the recruiter says.

Prompt engineer

Want to make a living getting AI chatbots to sound more human? A job as a prompt engineer may be the job for you.

Seen as one of the hottest jobs in AI, prompt engineers develop queries on the back end of AI models to ensure they produce desirable outputs. Doing the job well requires a deep understanding of how models work, and solid communication and collaboration skills.

"You need to have a strong understanding of how humans actually think to interact effectively with these machines, however counterintuitive that may sound," Libre says.

Prompt engineers can make anywhere between $100,000 to $180,000 a year.

AI product designer

AI tools need to be simple, intuitive, and engaging. Product designers help make that possible, as they're responsible for creating the user interface of AI tools and making them enjoyable and easy to use.

But the job is "much harder" than "simply making things look pretty," Libre says. They must possess a "deep understanding of user-centered design principles" and an "understanding of the capabilities and limitations of AI" and its models.

"AI designers typically have to focus more on function than form," the recruiter says.

AI product designers typically get paid between $90,000 to $250,000 a year.

AI policy analyst

Expertise in public policy may help you land a job as an AI policy analyst.

People in these roles work on regulations that govern the technology's development and deployment. According to job listings, understanding AI's capabilities, societal impacts, and legal issues is required.

Anthropic is hiring a policy analyst responsible for making its AI comply with global regulations, offering a base pay of up to $260,000 a year . A nonprofit focused on emerging technology is looking to fill a similar role for an analyst who will conduct research into policy proposals around AI , among other tasks, for up to $95,000 annually.

Sector AI specialist

If you know how to apply AI to your workflows, you may be able to get a job as an AI specialist.

At its core, specialists use AI to automate tasks and deliver better results. For instance, a recruitment firm has a job posting for an AI marketing specialist role for a candidate who would automate and optimize email programs using the technology. A senior presales AI specialist listing says the software company is looking for a candidate who could develop strategies for selling its generative AI products.

Even the Biden administration wants AI specialists to steer the technology toward responsible use. A specialist for the CIA can earn between $64,957 to $172,075 per year deploying machine learning techniques to the federal agency's data collection efforts.

Watch: AI expert explains how to incorporate generative AI into your business strategy

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