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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

force de vente sédentaire

English translation:

inside sales force

Added to glossary by David BUICK
Mar 17, 2009 06:53
15 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

force de vente sédentaire

French to English Marketing Marketing / Market Research sales
There must be a better way than sedentary sales force??
Proposed translations (English)
4 +5 inside sales force
4 +3 office-based sales personnel
4 +3 internal sales force
4 +1 site sales force
4 boiler room team
3 non-operating salesforce
3 sedentary sales force / sedentary sales team

Discussion

Michael GREEN Mar 17, 2009:
Assumptions ... IMHO, there is no need to make any assumptions about what this means: it refers to the staff in the office whose task is to support the team on the road - and part of their task is to take orders by telephone, make promotional phone calls, and organise samples etc for the outside sales people. It can include a dedicated telesales team, but the FR term for that is usually "télévente" so I don't think this is necessarily covered by the present case.
It's a perfectly standard sales function, and I don't believe we need to go inventing new terms for it when the EN equivalent already exists.

Proposed translations

+5
3 mins
Selected

inside sales force

That's what we always called 'em

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Note added at 9 mins (2009-03-17 07:02:51 GMT)
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By coincidence, I was interpreting in a meeting yesterday in which the term came up constantly.
Plenty of ghits :
"...an integral member of the Medtronic Diabetes Inside Sales Force..."
http://www.jobster.com/job/permalink/61761900-inside-sales-r...

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Note added at 12 mins (2009-03-17 07:05:43 GMT)
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Or "inside sales team" :
http://www.demandgenreport.com/archive.php?codearti=1162
"7 Strategies to optimize your Inside Sales Team"

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Note added at 14 hrs (2009-03-17 21:09:01 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks - it was an interesting debate, for me at least!
Peer comment(s):
agree Emma Paulay : Yes, you're right Michael.
1 hr
Thank you, m'dear ... ;o)
agree Vicky James
1 hr
Thank you, Vicky
agree Bourth (X) : Google has convinced me
2 hrs
Thank you....!
agree Andrew Mason : As one salesman turned translator to another, I agree, as it seems wider than just the telesales function
2 hrs
Thank you Andrew - and translating is so much more fun, isn't it ! ;o)
agree Jenn Mercer
6 hrs
Thank you, Jenn
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks. Inside wins out over internal by a whisker for my specific context. Pleasantly surprised to have generated so much debate over an apparently simple term once again!"
4 mins

non-operating salesforce

GDT
http://www.granddictionnaire.com/btml/fra/r_motclef/index102...

agent sédentaire = non-operating employee
Something went wrong...
+3
27 mins

office-based sales personnel

I think it means sales people who aren't out on the road but who might sell over the telephone or by mail, etc.

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-03-17 07:57:59 GMT)
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Michael, who has heard of it?? This doesn't mean that it can't be translated based on common sense.
Peer comment(s):
agree Emma Paulay : Yes, it's longer than "sédentaire" but I don't think you can avoid "office-based". Maybe "sales team".
3 mins
Thanks Emma, sales team is better.
agree Karen Stokes : Yes, though I like Emma's "sales team" too.
13 mins
Yes, agree
neutral Michael GREEN : Far be it from me to play the old sales director recycled as a translator, but that's what I am, and I have to say I have never heard or used this term // Well if you haven't heard it yourself, why suggest it as a translation ?
22 mins
me neither, but am assuming it refers to telesales or similar as opposed to travelling sales teams
agree Mario Calvagna : from one ex sales director to another, in my previous career I have heard / used this term many times from many companies. And that was while working as sales director in Britain for a British company. Either this or Bourth's would be my choice
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

site sales force

Though it might depend whether you're talking about the sales force working in a particular place or the entire sales force of a national chain working in each of that chain's sites.

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-03-17 07:59:12 GMT)
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How sedentary is sedentary? They are not "VRP" motoring all over the country, presumably, but do they walk the shop floor or do they sit at a desk with a telephone head set clamped to their ears?
Peer comment(s):
agree Mario Calvagna : in my opinion is sales force that does the selling from the factory/warehouse, not just the staff supporting the sales rep by entering orders, invoicing etc.(i.e. internal sales team). Although I would personally say "ON SITE SALES FORCE"
1 hr
Something went wrong...
1 hr

sedentary sales force / sedentary sales team

These terms do seem to be used, along with sedentary salesman.
Something went wrong...
+3
2 hrs

internal sales force

I think that "internal" both sounds better and gets more ghits than "inside".

"White Papers The company relies on an internal sales force and a network of food brokers to manage sales and promotions, track shipments, and communicate ..."
www.zdnet.co.uk/tsearch/managers sales force.htm
Peer comment(s):
neutral Karen Stokes : I don't think this is the same thing: you could have an internal sales force (i.e. whom you employ as staff) made up of both reps and office-based teams, rather than outsourcing your sales function.
5 mins
Most people would call that an "in-house" sales force.
agree Michael GREEN : I agree, BD - "internal" is a perfectly good alternative // My pleasure : we possessors of the True Word must stick together ...
6 mins
Thanks Michael
agree Anne-Marie Grant (X)
1 hr
Thanks Anne-Marie
agree Andrew Mason : Perfectly valid
5 hrs
Thanks Andrew
Something went wrong...
1 day 1 hr

boiler room team

They just work the phones.
Something went wrong...