Historically Sales looked for lower cost staff to offload cold calling, lead qualification and general sales support activities to Inside Sales reps.

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Inside sales has been the high-growth area of sales and lead generation since the market crash of 2008 when companies scaled back travel and high cost positions in favor of a new generation of sales people, a high velocity business model, and leveraged affordable technology that companies rent instead of buy.

FORBES: Latest Inside Sales Research Shows it's All About the Leads

Also worth looking at is a summary of industry best practices and tips for an inside sales rep or manager, as well as a quick overview on the processes related to Lead Management.

FORBES: 5 Disruptive Essentials of a High Velocity Sales Model