In-Person Sales Generate 3x Higher Conversions Per The CROs of Toast, Splunk, Brex and Slice

"I can’t think of any start-up I work with that shows up enough in-person. At least do more of it."

In B2B, it’s easy to assume that virtual selling has completely taken over. Zoom is efficient, email is scalable, PLG and self-serive remains the goal for many. Hyrid and work-from-home made it the default paradigm for many in B2B sales.

But if you listen to many top CROs in SaaS—like Jonathan Vassil of Toast, Christian Smith of Splunk, Loren Padelford of Slice, and Sam Blond CRO emeritus of Brex—they’ll tell you that in-person selling is far from dead. In fact, it almost always increases the conversion rates of deals. And for vertical SaaS in particular, it can be critical.

• Toast closes 80% of its deals out in the field, in person.

• Slice does much of the same.

• Splunk is very enterprise and its CRO also sees 3x the conversions when they show up in person.

One of a bunch of learnings from our latest CRO Confidential deep dive:

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1. In-Person Selling Builds Trust Faster

Christian Smith, CRO of Splunk, emphasized that building deep, long-term relationships is much harder to do remotely. Splunk’s enterprise sales strategy relies heavily on its install base, and Smith pointed out that in-person meetings are critical for strengthening those relationships.

“Many organizations haven’t course-corrected back to in-person engagement post-pandemic,” Smith said. “If you can meet with customers face-to-face more often, you’ll have a real competitive advantage.” In Splunk’s world, where deals are complex and relationships are everything, showing up in person signals commitment and builds trust in ways that virtual interactions simply can’t match.

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2. Field Sales Drives Higher Conversion Rates at Toast

Jonathan Vassil, CRO of Toast, shared a similar perspective but tailored to Toast’s unique market: restaurants. Toast’s sales model relies heavily on field reps who own their territories and immerse themselves in the local restaurant ecosystem. Why? Because restaurants are a dense, hyper-local market where face-to-face interactions drive results.

Toast has an 80/20 split between field sales reps and inside reps, with field reps owning specific geographies.

Vassil noted that in-person interactions consistently lead to higher conversion rates. For example, Toast’s field reps don’t just sell—they become trusted advisors to restaurant owners, helping them navigate everything from POS systems to operational challenges. This hands-on approach has been a key driver of Toast’s growth, and it’s a lesson for any SaaS company targeting SMBs or other high-touch markets.

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3. The Power of Vertical SaaS: Lessons from $100m+ ARR Slice

Loren Padelford, CRO of Slice, took this concept even further. Slice serves independent pizzerias, a market where trust and relationships are everything. Padelford explained that Slice’s sales process is deeply rooted in understanding the unique needs of pizzeria owners—many of whom see their businesses as extensions of themselves, not just operations.

“In vertical SaaS, you’re not just selling software—you’re selling trust,” Padelford said. Slice’s reps don’t just show up with a pitch, they spend months building relationships, understanding the customer’s pain points, and demonstrating how Slice can help them run their businesses better. This approach has helped Slice scale to $100M+ in ARR, proving that even in a digital-first world, old-school relationship-building still works.

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4. Brex: The Data Doesn’t Lie—In-Person Selling Converts 3x Better

Sam Blond, former CRO of Brex, brought hard data to the table. At Brex, they measured conversion rates for deals closed virtually versus those that included in-person meetings. The results? Deals with in-person interactions had a 3x higher likelihood of closing.

Blond explained that this wasn’t just anecdotal—it was tracked rigorously in their CRM. If their average virtual conversion rate was 15-20%, in-person meetings pushed that to 45-60%. Why? Because showing up in person signals to the customer that you’re willing to go the extra mile. It’s not just about the pitch—it’s about demonstrating that you’ll go above and beyond to make them successful.

Blond also highlighted how Brex’s San Francisco location made it easier to meet customers in person. For startups in dense markets, this can be a huge advantage. But even if travel is required, the ROI of in-person selling often justifies the cost—especially in competitive deals where your competitors are sticking to virtual-only strategies.

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5. Social Proof and Local Ecosystems Matter

Both Toast and Slice have leveraged the power of local ecosystems to drive sales. For Toast, this means field reps who are deeply embedded in their territories, building networks of referrals and recommendations. For Slice, it’s about becoming a trusted partner to independent pizzerias, helping them compete with giants like Domino’s by providing not just software but also services like group buying and marketing.

This kind of local penetration creates a network effect that’s hard to replicate. When one restaurant or pizzeria owner sees their neighbor succeeding with your solution, they’re much more likely to give it a try themselves. It’s a strategy that works particularly well in vertical SaaS, where markets are often tightly knit.

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6. The Hybrid Approach: Meeting Customers Where They Are

All four CROs agree that in-person selling doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing strategy. The best sales teams are flexible, adapting their approach based on the customer’s preferences and the deal’s requirements. Some customers prefer virtual interactions, while others value the personal touch of an in-person meeting. The key is to put the customer at the center of your strategy and meet them where they are.

Sam Blond noted at Brex that for many in B2B, most reps only want to meet in person for the big, halo deals. You may need different DNA if you want typical SaaS B2B reps to get out there in-person other than for the big halo deals.

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How to Leverage In-Person Selling in Your SaaS Business

If you’re looking to incorporate in-person selling into your strategy, here are a few takeaways from Toast, Splunk, Slice, and Brex:

1. Prioritize High-Value Opportunities: In-person meetings require time and resources, so focus on the deals where they’ll have the biggest impact. In B2B, this might mean enterprise accounts, key renewals, or high-potential upsells. But Toast and Slice show that sometimes, almost all deals need to be in-person.

2. Invest in Field Sales: If your market has geographic density, consider building a team of field reps who can own their territories and act as trusted advisors. This is especially effective in industries like restaurants, retail, or healthcare.

3. Balance Field and Inside Sales: Not every deal requires an in-person meeting. Use inside sales to cover less dense markets or smaller accounts, and reserve field sales for high-density or high-value opportunities.

4. Leverage Social Proof: Encourage your field reps to immerse themselves in local ecosystems and build relationships that go beyond individual customers. This can create a network effect that drives referrals and accelerates sales.

5. Be Strategic About Travel: In-person selling doesn’t always mean you have to be on the road 24/7. Use data to identify the accounts where face-to-face interactions will have the greatest ROI, and focus your efforts there.

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The Bottom Line

In-person selling isn’t dead in the Age of AI —it’s a competitive weapon. Whether you’re selling to enterprise customers like Splunk, SMBs like Toast, niche verticals like Slice, or startups and enterprises both like Brex, meeting face-to-face can help you build trust, close deals faster, and create lasting relationships. The key is to be strategic, balancing the efficiency of virtual interactions with the power of in-person connections.

I can’t think of any start-up I work with that shows up enough in-person. At least do more of it. Do it for real, and you’ll see results.