Inside sales training develops SDRs, BDRs and tele-sales teams who prospect, qualify and close by phone, email, video and LinkedIn. It covers ideal customer profiles, cold calling, multi-channel cadences, objection handling, qualification and CRM hand-offs to account executives. Bodhih runs it as a 2-day workshop or six 2-hour virtual sessions with live calling labs, customised to the target market.
- Recommended: 2 days in person, or 6 × 2-hour live virtual sessions with live calling labs, customised to your market
- Level: Foundation to Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: SDR training, BDR training, sales development training, cold calling training
Where and how: inside sales training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why inside sales needs sharper skills, not just more activity
Buyers ignore generic calls and templated emails more easily than ever. Raising dial counts rarely fixes a weak opener or a poorly researched message.
Inside sales training focuses on relevance and conversation quality. It also helps reps protect selling time from admin, so each day produces more real conversations.
Salesforce's 2026 State of Sales research reports sellers spend about 40% of their time actually selling.
What participants will be able to do
Research in minutes, not hours
Use a quick account and persona research routine to personalise outreach without slowing down.
Open cold calls with confidence
Deliver a permission-based opener and a relevant reason for calling that earns the next 60 seconds.
Write outreach that gets replies
Write short, specific emails and LinkedIn messages built around a trigger, a problem and a simple ask.
Handle brush-offs
Respond naturally to 'send me an email', 'not interested' and 'we already have a vendor'.
Qualify and hand off cleanly
Capture budget, need, timing and authority notes that account executives can act on straight away.
Run a disciplined cadence
Plan multi-touch sequences, time blocks and CRM updates that keep pipeline data accurate.
Who should attend
- Sales development and business development representatives
- Inside sales and tele-sales executives in SaaS, edtech, fintech and IT services
- Team leads and managers of inside sales pods
- Graduates starting their first sales role
- Offshore teams prospecting into the US, UK, Middle East and APAC
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01The inside sales role and funnelModule 1 · 60 min+
- How SDR, BDR, AE and customer success roles connect
- Key funnel metrics: connects, conversations, meetings and qualified opportunities
- Ideal customer profile and personas
- Activity: diagnose your own funnel numbers
02Smart research and personalisationModule 2 · 90 min+
- Using company news, job posts and LinkedIn for relevant hooks
- The 3x3 approach: three facts in three minutes
- Writing a persona-specific value hypothesis
- Exercise: personalise outreach for five target accounts
03Cold calling that earns attentionModule 3 · 2.5 hours+
- Permission-based openers and the reason for calling
- Voice, pace and tone on the phone, including for global buyers
- Short discovery questions that uncover interest
- Live calling lab with real-time coaching
04Email, LinkedIn and multi-channel cadencesModule 4 · 2 hours+
- Subject lines and short-form email structure
- Connection requests and LinkedIn follow-ups that avoid spam
- Designing a 10 to 14 touch cadence
- Peer review: rewrite each other's sequences
05Objections and brush-offsModule 5 · 90 min+
- Common brush-offs and why they happen
- Acknowledge, question and redirect
- Gatekeepers and assistants as allies
- Rapid-fire role-play rounds
06Qualification, hand-off and CRM hygieneModule 6 · 90 min+
- BANT and need-timing qualification notes
- Booking meetings that actually happen: confirmations and reminders
- Clean CRM logging and activity data
- Personal daily and weekly routine plan
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day workshop helps SDRs, BDRs and tele-sales executives have more relevant conversations, not just more dials. Each rep brings five real target accounts and works them throughout. They diagnose their own funnel, research accounts in three minutes each, build permission-based openers, write short outreach, handle brush-offs in rapid-fire rounds and log clean hand-off notes. The capstone is a live calling power hour, on real or simulated prospects depending on compliance rules, with team leads scoring every call.
Participants can research an account quickly, open a cold call with relevance and write outreach that gets replies.
- 09:30–10:00Hang up or hold on?Energiser
- 10:00–10:45My funnel, honestlyDiagnostic
- 11:00–12:00Three facts in three minutesHands-on lab
- 12:00–13:00Openers that earn permissionSkill drill
- 13:45–14:15Short questions, real interestConcept burst
- 14:15–15:15Email and social message rewriteBuild sprint
- 15:30–16:45Calling lab, round oneRole-play
- 16:45–17:30One change for tomorrow's callsReflection
Participants can handle brush-offs, qualify and hand off cleanly, plan a cadence and perform in a live calling hour.
- 09:30–10:00Brush-off bingoEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Acknowledge, ask, redirectSkill drill
- 11:15–12:00The hand-off an AE can useCase clinic
- 12:00–13:00Designing my cadenceBuild sprint
- 13:45–14:15Meetings that actually happenDemo & practice
- 14:15–15:30The calling power hourSimulation
- 15:45–16:30Call review circleFeedback round
- 16:30–17:30My 90-day inside sales planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 6 × 2-hour live virtual sessions with live calling labs, plus 90 days of team-lead call reviews. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is inside sales training?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, followed by 90 days of team-lead call reviews. It also runs as six live virtual sessions of two hours each, with calling labs. Team leads can add a one-day coaching module.
What activities are included in inside sales training?
Reps work five of their own target accounts throughout. They diagnose their own funnel, research each account in three minutes, drill permission-based openers back to back, play brush-off bingo, design a three-week cadence and finish with a live calling power hour scored by team leads.
How we deliver it
Live calling labs
Where your compliance rules allow, reps make real or simulated calls during the program and receive immediate coaching.
Scripts turned into talk tracks
We help your team replace rigid scripts with flexible talk tracks they own and can adapt.
Market-specific practice
Role-plays reflect your target markets, whether that is US mid-market, UK enterprise, GCC buyers or Indian SMEs.
Team lead coaching kit
Team leads get call review scorecards and a weekly coaching routine to sustain the gains.
Tailored versions
For SaaS and IT services SDRs selling abroad
Focuses on US, UK and European buyers, time zone planning, email-first cadences and meeting quality for account executives.
For tele-sales in edtech, fintech and consumer services
Covers high-volume inbound and outbound calls, ethical closing on the call and regulatory care in customer communication.
For inside sales team leads
A one-day add-on on call coaching, daily huddles, activity versus outcome metrics and building a positive team rhythm.
How we measure impact
Following the ADDIE Evaluate phase, we capture baseline funnel metrics before the program, such as connect-to-conversation and conversation-to-meeting rates. Participants complete a pre- and post-assessment on AssessAll and a scored call simulation. Team leads use our call review scorecard during 30-day check-ins, and at 60 and 90 days we compare agreed funnel metrics with the baseline and recommend focused refreshers for individuals or pods.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is inside sales?
Inside sales is selling done remotely, using phone, email, video calls and social channels rather than face-to-face visits. Inside sales teams may prospect and book meetings for account executives, or manage the full sales cycle for smaller deals. It is common in SaaS, IT services, edtech, fintech and many B2B businesses.
What does an SDR or BDR do?
An SDR or BDR generates pipeline for the sales team. They research target accounts, reach out through calls, emails and LinkedIn, qualify interest and book meetings for account executives. SDRs often focus on inbound leads while BDRs focus on outbound prospecting, though the titles vary between companies.
How can I improve my cold calling skills?
Prepare a short, relevant reason for calling based on research, use a permission-based opener, and ask one or two good questions instead of pitching. Practise handling common brush-offs until your responses sound natural. Recording and reviewing your calls with a coach is one of the fastest ways to improve.
How do you train an inside sales team effectively?
Combine short skill sessions with plenty of live practice, ideally in calling labs. Focus on research, openers, messaging and objection handling, then reinforce with weekly call reviews by team leads. Tracking funnel metrics before and after training shows where coaching should focus next.
Can the program be customised for teams calling US or UK buyers?
Yes. We adapt openers, email styles and role-plays to the cultures and expectations of US, UK, European, Middle Eastern and APAC buyers. We can also combine this with our voice and accent or global client communication programs if your team needs support there.
Is inside sales training suitable for freshers?
Yes, many inside sales teams hire graduates, and this program works well as part of their induction. We cover fundamentals clearly and include extra practice time. For freshers we often add modules on business etiquette, product knowledge and handling rejection with resilience.
How is this different from telephone etiquette training?
Telephone etiquette covers professional phone behaviour such as greetings, tone and call handling. Inside sales training goes much further, covering prospecting research, cold calling, multi-channel cadences, qualification, objection handling and funnel metrics. The two can be combined for newer teams.