Growing your business is difficult and there are always hundreds and hundreds of decisions to make. One consideration is engaging outsourced lead generation services to grow your revenues and build your mindshare in the market.
Hiring internally is always an option, however the process can be costly. Employee benefits are now at all-time highs, if you don’t have the management structure and infrastructure in place it may be hard to manage your sales person. Sales in any B2B company typically take 6 to 18 months to materialize. So knowing this and then committing to a full time salary is a big investment.
Outsourced lead generation services is an attractive alternative. Obviously it is one we recommend. We list a few core reasons to consider when searching for a lead generation services provider:
Human Capital
Hiring a salesperson, particularly if you are not in sales or don’t have a background in it, can be difficult. The process takes time and then there is an onboarding process which takes internal resources. There is always the worry of what will happen if the person leaves.
An outsourced lead generation services provider can be an advantage because they are likely to have redundancy within the organization. Should a sales person assigned to your account decide to leave, the company will have a ready pool of experienced sales people to replace him so that there will be no disruption to your business operations.
Financial Resources
Hiring a sales person full-time when you know your sales process can take from 6 to 18 months requires a solid investment. On top of that, you have to provide employee benefits and spend on gadgets such as laptops and phones as well as sales enablement software.
Getting outsourced lead generation services provides you with an opportunity to pay a fixed amount per month for a dedicated resource most likely on a part-time basis which makes it more cash flow friendly. If you are new to the business, you may not have a lot of sales in the beginning. An outsourced lead generation services provider can help you identify target markets, test different sales tactics and do the necessary follow-ups.
Methodology and Process
Most outsourced lead generation services companies will already have a sales process and methodology they follow to drive success. This will most likely include the sales infrastructure aspect (sales CRM), a model outlining the steps to close a sale, as well as a methodology to follow when undertaking outbound campaigns or social selling. They are also adept at measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) and adapting strategies to drive the best conversion rates.
Proven Track Record
Particularly when you are selling something that is relatively new to the market, you need to invest in a resource that has a proven record of driving results in a similar environment. Taking a person who has done corporate B2B for years but has no experience in startup sales can be problematic. Why? Well, there are no resources, leads are not coming in and it takes a significant amount of grunt work to get the flywheel spinning. There are a lot of people who are great salespeople but they simply don’t excel at this aspect of the process. Using a firm that specializes in early-stage sales and understands the work involved will drive more success as they understand the messaging required and are familiar with the level of heavy lifting needed to get things off the ground.
If you are a startup and in need of B2B sales outsourcing assistance, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to see if we can help. Alternatively, if you are simply looking for a source of excellent sales and marketing information, please feel free to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Twitter.
