Sentence:  Speak with friends who work at the firms you are interested in to try to get the skinny on the corporate culture. With any luck they may volunteer to become your "<WSD>inside salesman</WSD>," talking up your strength to those in a position to hire new employees. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Someone employed within the organization of a prospective buyer who serves (whether for good motives or not) as an advocate for a seller's product or service.