Inside sales, reimagined: The unsung heroes of authentic B2B sales outreach
I used to think of inside sales—BDRs and SDRs—as the junior varsity team. The folks you bring in to make a few dials, follow up on leads, and hand things off when the conversation gets serious.
But something shifted.
Over the last few years—especially as the way we sell has evolved—I’ve had to rethink that mindset. And I have to credit part of that to Richard Bliss, a long-time colleague and coach who understands the intersection of digital trust and modern sales better than anyone I know.
During a recent conversation, we both agreed: inside sales is no longer the warm-up act. It’s the main event. When done right, these professionals are among the most highly skilled relationship builders in the entire sales organization.
Let me explain.
The power of a human conversation (that doesn’t sell you something)
At Mercer-MacKay, we’ve supported clients with outsourced BDRs for years—but only recently did I hire them to do outbound work on our own behalf.
We handed them two lists:
- Lapsed clients we hadn’t worked with in years
- Net-new target accounts we’d love to build relationships with
Their job wasn’t to pitch. It was to listen. To reach out with genuine curiosity and say:
“Hey, we saw you downloaded this resource—were you looking for research? Was there something specific we can help with?”
No hard close. No script. Just a respectful check-in that put value at the center of the conversation.
In four weeks, they booked four VP-level meetings—including a president at a major company. Every single one moved to next steps.
And I thought… wow. This is what inside sales should be.
What Richard Bliss says (and why he’s right)
Richard and I got deep into this topic. He’s been working with sales teams for years, helping them build digital credibility and rethink how they engage on LinkedIn and beyond.
He said something that stuck with me:
“Inside sales professionals are the new trusted guides. They use LinkedIn, email, phone—all of it—to open doors without slamming through them.”
Too many teams still treat inside sales like a numbers game. Hit the quota. Make the calls. Send the emails. But modern buyers are smart. They can spot a canned message a mile away. What they want—what we all want—is relevance and respect.
The new role of inside sales in a story-driven world
When we think about B2B storytelling, we often start with brand narratives or thought leadership. But storytelling starts at first contact. That first touchpoint—whether it’s a comment on LinkedIn, a call, or a personalized email—is the beginning of the customer’s experience with your brand.
That’s why I now see our inside sales team as an extension of our brand voice. They’re not just booking meetings—they’re making first impressions, starting conversations, and building trust.
And trust is what turns a lead into a relationship, and a relationship into revenue.
Putting it into practice
The future of B2B sales isn’t about more automation or louder messaging. It’s about smarter, more human conversations—delivered by people who know how to listen first, speak second.
If you’re not treating your inside salespeople as a high-value, strategic asset, you’re missing one of the biggest opportunities in your pipeline.
If you’re wondering how to put this into practice in your own organization, we’d love to share what we’ve learned. Our BDR programs are designed to open doors with authenticity and respect—creating meaningful conversations that lead to real opportunity.
Let’s talk about how to bring that same approach to your business.