Over the last few weeks we have been witness to a major standoff in the US over their debt situation and at the same time the economic growth numbers are less than impressive.  Rather, the conversation now is will the US slip back into recession and if that is the case, what happens to us here in Canada.  We may be reaping great rewards selling our natural resources to other foreign markets but in provinces like Ontario where manufacturing and innovation are the base, a lagging US market poses big challenges. Startups may not have the staff to cover all areas of a business and this is when they should consider to outsource part-time services to an external firm.

Given this uncertainty, many firms look to outsource their work utilizing part-time services to help manage cash flow more effectively.

These traditionally are:

• IT
• Legal
• Accounting

One area that is not outsourced as often but should be something to look at more closely is sales.  During a downturn a firm must continue to invest in revenue driving activities, if anything to be set for when the market comes back in the US or to at least begin looking at other international markets for their products.  Part-time sales and marketing assistance is an area we specialize in and services include:

• VP and Director of Sales and Marketing
• Sales representative
• Marketing manager
• Social media manager
• Sales prospecting with social media

The fee structure for the majority of these services, including ours, is a per day fee as a base.  With respect to the sales functions, there is generally a commission paid on sales success.  This will vary based on the size of the deal.

All of these services can be performed in such as manner as to be a seamless extension of a company so that the prospect doesn’t know that the part-time individual is not an employee.   In our case, at the beginning of an engagement, we are set up with a company email address and business cards.

The long and short of it is, with uncertainty in the market and if cash flow is a concern, look to hire some part-time assistance to continue your business on its growth trajectory.   In business to business sales at least, building a sales funnel and closing business takes 3 to 18 months in almost all cases depending on complexity of sale and dollar value.  Don’t wait for the market uncertainty to end.  Get some professional assistance and get going!

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