I feel like this is an age-old question since the invention of telesales.

For people who come from retail or door to door, face to face, in-person selling mode, they generally think that is harder than selling over the phone.

In this mode:

• You are face to face with rejection
• They can see your nervousness (especially when you are new)
• You don’t have a script to rely on
• You feel that getting hung up on is way easier than getting rejected in person
• You may have to deal with different, unpleasant seasons of weather

The Perspective of Telesales Professionals

For people who come from call center, over-the-phone type telesales, they think that it is harder than selling in person.

In this mode:

• You can’t see the other person, which means you can’t read their body language or facial expressions
• You must be an amazing listener
• You have a lot of things to manage at once on the computer/desk
• You get hung up and yelled at a LOT – things people wouldn’t say in person

The Trade-Offs

While most people who sell over the phone will say it’s harder, they will usually be quick to say that they wouldn’t want to sell face-to-face and deal with that pressure and rejection in person.

To me, the advantages of one are the disadvantages of the other, and vice versa.

The Advantages of In-Person Sales

In retail sales, you do not usually have scripts and guides to help (although you could). But the biggest advantage is that you are face to face. You can see that prospective customer. 70-93% of our communication as humans is non-verbal. We convey a lot of information without saying a word.

When you sell in person, you have the advantage of that 70-93% of data coming your way (assuming you actually pay attention and aren’t just on autopilot). Which means you can say something, then watch how they respond physically. Do they make a face…like doubt, worry, concern, happiness, before they even say anything? Do they cross their arms and shut down, or open up and lean forward? Is their energy giving off curiosity vibes? Or stress, worry?

If you are in retail and think that telesales is easier…then next time you talk to a prospect imagine keeping your eyes closed the whole time and getting no feedback other than what you hear them say.

My Journey in Sales

For me, I started out in-person. My first real sales role (not that I realized I was in sales) was as a mortgage loan officer. My boss’s one rule was as soon as someone calls, pre-qualify them, then get them into the office or go meet them as soon as possible. Don’t try to do anything over the phone. Get in front of them, build rapport and trust face to face.

After that season of work, I went to help people avoid foreclosure. I applied the same rule – as soon as they called off the mailer, get in front of them as quickly as possible. Then after that first meeting, I would work with them over the phone.

Then in 2006 I got the Director of Operations role (because I still didn’t realize I was in sales, plus they already had a Director of Sales). Less than a year later the Director of Sales left, I became VP of Sales and Ops, and had to figure out how to fix the sales process and team and save the company. I had no idea what to do – because the company was focused on doing EVERYTHING over the phone, as a call center, to help people who were behind on their mortgage.

The Shift to Telesales

It stood against everything I had been taught. “No way you can do any of this over the phone” was what my mind wanted to say. Of course, the founder CEO didn’t share my limitation, so we got to work on figuring out how to make it successful. After about 3 months of being involved and getting on the phone as the final closer if needed, I realized that I could sell anything over the phone.

Moreso, I learned that to be successful over the phone you have to have an extremely high ability to listen to what is said and not said. What you hear and don’t hear. What is obvious and what is ‘in between the lines.’ Like someone who loses one of their senses (maybe their vision), other senses will get heightened (like their hearing).

Conclusion: Which is Harder?

Back to which is harder – telesales or in-person. Both are hard, and both are easy. Over the phone is hard because you must listen, but you do have lots of tools (like scripts, internet, managers) you can rely on without your customer knowing. In person is hard because they will be able to easily tell if you know what you are talking about, but you can easily pick up on what they are feeling but not saying.

After all my time in telesales, I have said for years that if you are a face-to-face salesperson, with the advantage of 70-93% of our communication being nonverbal, and you still can’t sell, then you are really bad at sales. To me in-person sales is like T-ball for kids, where the ball is in one place, and you just have to hit it (no timing involved).

Having recently gone into a retail, consultative sales environment, I do acknowledge there is a lot to in-person sales that makes it challenging. I know there is no easy sales mode, especially when someone is new. But once you know your process and product, if you still aren’t successful, I feel like sales is not for you. That goes for any/all sales modes.