Program Overview
Automated inside sales tools have created new efficiencies by enabling business development representatives to reach more customers without in-person meetings or travel. However, volume alone does not create success. Sellers must deliver value in every interaction. Richardson’s Consultative Inside Sales Training provides a proven framework designed specifically for phone-based and virtual sales conversations. By taking a consultative approach, sellers learn how to connect quickly, uncover needs, position solutions, and secure commitments — all while maintaining engagement in shorter, high-pressure conversations. This program prepares inside sales teams to connect effectively in both inbound and outbound calls, gain a deeper understanding of customer needs, position tailored solutions that differentiate, resolve objections with confidence, and ask for commitment to advance opportunities.
For Who
Sales Professionals
Format
Virtual instructor-led
Instructor-led
Digital Learning
Blended Learning
Duration
1-Day ILTWorkshop; Two 4-hour VILT Workshops, Pre and Post Digital Learning
Why Consultative Inside Sales Matters
Inside sales is more cost-effective and efficient than ever, but customers today are pressed for time. Without face-to-face interaction, it’s easy for them to disengage. Sellers have only moments to establish credibility.
The consultative approach keeps customers engaged by:
- Offering relevant insights early in the call.
- Demonstrating an understanding of customer challenges.
- Earning the right to ask questions that uncover needs.
- Building trust through empathy, rapport, and value delivery
Program Framework
Richardson’s Consultative Inside Sales framework acknowledges that the moment of truth is in the dialogue. It equips sellers to navigate customer biases, apply psychological principles, and maintain confidence throughout the conversation.
The framework includes six key stages:
- Prepare: Systematically plan for each call with a clear objective.
- Connect: Open calls with presence, credibility, and rapport.
- Understand: Use questioning and listening to uncover customer needs.
- Recommend: Position solutions in a compelling, tailored, and persuasive way.
- Commit: Ask for the business or the next step with confidence.
- Act: Follow up flawlessly to build credibility and ensure customer satisfaction
What Sellers will Learn
In the training program, participants will learn how to:
- Prepare efficiently for outbound and inbound calls.
- Engage customers quickly to increase the likelihood of meaningful dialogue.
- Explore customer objectives, challenges, and decision drivers.
- Position solutions customized to customer needs.
- Add value through cross-selling opportunities.
- Resolve objections with a structured, customer-focused model.
- Inspire action to close the business or advance the sale
Example Training Module: Connecting with an Inbound Call
The video below is from the Consultative Inside Sales Training program on our Sales Performance Platform. It demonstrates an ineffective example of the skill of connecting with an inbound call with coaching insights.
Learn more about Richardson AcclerateTM by clicking here.
Expected Business Impact
Organizations that complete the Consultative Inside Sales Training program gain:
- Differentiation: Stand out from competitors by continuously bringing value in every call.
- Faster Sales Cycles: Close more profitable opportunities more quickly.
- Cross-Selling Growth: Expand the depth and breadth of solutions offered.
- Consistency: Build quality assurance through a repeatable sales process.
- Coaching Impact: Establish a shared language and best practices that improve coaching sessions
Connection to Richardson’s Portfolio
Consultative Inside Sales complements Richardson’s broader portfolio of consultative and Challenger-based training solutions. The program leverages the Six Critical Skills — presence, relating, questioning, listening, positioning, and checking — as the foundation of successful dialogues
It is reinforced through the Accelerate Sales Performance System, ensuring sellers not only learn but sustain new skills through ongoing practice, coaching, and measurement.
Richardson’s Consultative Inside Sales Training equips phone-based sales professionals with the consultative framework and communication skills needed to succeed in today’s virtual sales environment. By mastering how to connect, uncover, recommend, and close over the phone, sellers build trust, shorten cycles, and expand value in every conversation.
FAQ: Inside Sales Training
Q. What is Richardson’s Consultative Inside Sales Training?
A. It’s a program designed specifically for phone-based and virtual sellers, teaching them to connect quickly, uncover needs, and position solutions using a consultative framework.
Q. How long does the training take?
A. The program is typically delivered as a one-day workshop (live or virtual), with pre- and post-learning on Richardson Accelerate™. Flexible digital-only and blended options are also available.
Q. Who should attend this program?
A. Inside sales teams, BDRs, and account managers who engage customers primarily by phone or virtual channels.
Q. What skills will participants gain?
A. Skills in connecting with customers, uncovering needs, resolving objections, positioning solutions, and asking for commitment.
Q. What business results can organizations expect?
A. Shorter sales cycles, increased differentiation, cross-selling growth, and a consistent sales process across the team.
Q. How does this program connect to other Richardson solutions?
A. It builds on the Six Critical Skills and serves as a stepping stone to more advanced consultative and Challenger-based programs.
