1)   Attitude is everything – As outsourced sales professionals, we know that attitude can make the difference between a win and a lose.  Do you think Rudy would have ever gotten on the field if he had a bad attitude?  No way!  It’s the attitude of a team that makes it great and will eventually lead it to victory.  The same goes in the world of outsourced sales.

2)  Envision the win.  One thing we tell all of our sales representatives before an important call or meeting is to envision the win.  You must first see success and success is then more likely to follow.  Successful athletes like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan are documented to envision victory before it happens.  They envision the baskets or touchdowns and use the power of their mind to set the reality in motion.  It works the same in sales as well!

3)  Motivate, motivate.  A team without a great leader is nothing at all.  You can have the best athletes together on one team and if they do not have a great leader, they will not be successful.  Same goes for outsourced sales. As outsourced sales professionals, we know that sales management is an integral part of a successful sales campaign which is why we hire only the best.  We motivate our representatives to do their very best, and we keep them hungry and driven to seek out that next win.

4)  Practice makes perfect.  Even the most raw talent can go wasted if not for practice.  No matter how great of an athlete you are, practice is key.  There is no substitution for working on your craft – and the same goes for sales.  In our outsourced sales business, we have daily meetings to address issues that need working on, weekly goal meetings with sales managers, and sales training seminars to make sure our sales skills stay sharp and ahead of the curve.

5)  Strategy can make up for skill. The best team does not always win, but the most strategic usually will.  In a triathlon, for example – a race can be won or lost in the transitions.  You might not be the best biker, runner or swimmer – but you can still win  race based on transitions.  When it comes to sales – we look for the most strategic way we can win more clients for our companies.  We think outside the box and look for unique ways we can get the inside track.

6)  Change plays mid-game.  When something isn’t working, it’s time to try something new.  A football coach will often call a time-out to change strategy mid-game, an as outsourced sales professionals, we will too.  We track our progress and the success of our sales efforts and if we don’t see results in a realistic time frame, we’ll change tacks and try something new.

7)  Consistency is key.  There is nothing more frustrating than an inconsistent sports team.  Play great one game, horrible the next.  What gives?  When it comes to sales – consistency is key.  You must show up every day with your A game, consistently.  Only then will you be a true success.  If there is one thing Tiger woods is – it is consistent (and we mean on the golf course).

8)  Be hungry for the win.  If there is one glaring similarity between athletes and sales professionals it is the need for competition.  Both of these groups thrive on competition and rise to the occasion when it’s presented to them.  If you don’t want the win bad enough – either on the field or in the office, you’re probably not going to get it.  It’s as simple as that.

9)  Victory is short lived – you must work to stay on top.  You don’t get to the Superbowl after winning one game – no, you must win many and you must win against the very best.  Same goes in outsourced sales.  Competition is fierce out there in the business world and sales has some of the toughest trenches out there.  You must fight to stay on top and remember never to become complacent!

So there you have it!  Is your sales team a true team?  If not, maybe you should take a trip to the nearest sporting arena and learn a few things!

Happy selling!

Outsourcing – first a foremost is often referred to as ‘subcontracting’.  This is defined as “the economic process in which a particular company moves or goes resources designed to fulfill certain tasks, to an external company, through a contract. This is especially true in the case of the” outsourcing of specialized companies.”  Outsourcing is a generic term that can be applied to any area of business from recruiting to accounting.  Outsourcing sales, however, is the outsourcing of the sales function.  In our business – this can take shape many different ways from lead generation outsourcing to appointment setting to closing deals.  Our outsourced sales representatives can support an existing sales staff or take over the sales function completely.  Despite having a very specific focus, sales force outsourcing here at Acquirent can take many shapes.

Most people when they hear the term “outsource” assume that a portion of a company’s function (for example, customer service) will be performed overseas.  While many very large companies are “outsourcing” to India and Europe in order to remain competitive by cutting costs, our business is done completely stateside.  While we can be a way to cut costs while still growing a business, slashing the bottom line is not our #1 goal.  Our #1 goal is to grow your business through sales.  Assembling sales teams, developing sales processes and closing deals are what we do best.  Our services do not come cheap – but when it comes to outsourcing sales – you more often than not, get what you pay for.

Our outsourcing sales professionals are just that – professionals.  You will not have to worry about your clients being on a merry-go-round of confusion as they talk to representatives who are merely following a script.  We believe robotic sales people are the kiss of death to a sale.  Our representatives are more than simply outsourcing lead generation telemarketings.  Our outsourced sales representatives are sales experts who have learned from us the nuances of taking a sale from cold call to close over the phone.  Oftentimes you do not get this level of professionalism when dealing with “outsourcing”.

Most importantly – when dealing with Acquirent as your outsourced sales company – you will be getting more than just a subcontractor.  You will be getting a strategic partner.  We will be with you every step of the way as we – together – formulate a sales strategy and plan to get the most out of your sales outsourcing campaign.  Beginning with outsourcing lead generation we will expand to develop sales cycles and processes and will be your right-hand sales partner every step of the way.

Don’t let your preconceptions about ‘outsourcing’ mar your view of professional sales outsourcing.  We might be the best decision your company ever made!

Happy Selling!

2.  Don’t send literature if you do not have to: “Send me some information” is often just a brush off to get you off the phone quickly and rarely (if ever) does it mean your prospect will read it.  Too many prospectors accept this as a way to get off the call.  If you want to get the most of your telesales appointment,  you want to find out why your prospect is asking for information and if they are a true prospect. Getting the most out of telesales phone appointments does not translate into “send me some more information”.

3.  Make sure your telephone etiquette is up to speed:Chewing gum, eating, music or television blaring in the background, talking to other people, sounding bored or using zero inflection while you’re on the phone are all ways to turn your prospect off and reduce the chances that you can have a productive conversation.  If you want to set a successful sales appointment – sound articulate and enthusiastic, and don’t forget to smile!

4.  Use your listening skills: Remember the old adage that you have one mouth and two ears and to use them proportionately?  Prospects will tell you everything that you need to know, if you ask the right questions and shut up.  Listen actively so that you’ll hear what your prospects’ are really saying. If you want to set a sales appointment, listen to what your customer needs!

5.   Do not project your fears onto the prospect:  “Mr. Smith is in a meeting” or “Mr. Smith is not available right now” does not mean Mr. Smith doest not want to talk to you.  Do not fall into the trap of reading negative meaning into statements made by gatekeepers and/or prospects. Take these statements at face value, assume they are true and call back.  The average sale is closed after more than 5 cold calls.

6.  Ask Good Qualifying Questions:  This is most arguably the most important aspect of setting a successful sales appointment over the phone.  It is critical you gather information about your prospect. Make sure that you have great qualifying questions ready to ask that will tell you what you need to know. Divide your questions into “Need to Know” and “Nice to Know” categories. Make sure to ask all of your “Need to Know” questions first.  Good questions will equal more sales appointments.

7.  Be Prepared! When sales appointment setting over the phone, you have about 10-30 seconds to grab your potential clients interest.  A professional wouldn’t go into an important meeting with a top customer and wing it, yet that is exactly what far too many sales reps do when they get on the telephone.  Because the phone is less “threatening” people think it is “easier” and then they fumble and trip over their words.  Make sure you prepare and don’t get caught in this trap!

8.  Ask for what you want! Do not be afraid to ask for what you want!  Too many reps get cold feet when it comes to asking for the sale or the sales appointment.  You must eradicate this fear!  Have your goals for the call clearly outlined (as in #1), and have a fluid way to work the final “do we have a deal” part of the call into the conversation.  Do not get caught in the web of overselling when sometimes, all you need to do is ask for what you want.  Try it, you might be surprised.

9.  Do not create objections where not exist:  Have a good call opening and be clear, concise and articulate.  Otherwise, you will not instill confidence in your prospect and they will have an objection before you even begin.  Anything that you say to a prospect that does not resonate deeply with them will create an objection. You want to be prepared with a good call opening and good script that will create interest so you don’t get the old, “I’m not interested”.  Creating interest creates a successful cold call which will lead to a successful sales appointment!

10.          Leading with value:  Remember to look at the call from your prospects’ point of view.  Think “what is in this for them” and make this your focus.  This what will gain their attention and show them you care about what is the best avenue for them, and not just looking to set a sales appointment.  Always lead with the value if you are looking to increase your sales appointments.

Happy Selling!

Outsourced inside sales was traditionally thought of as lead generation function or sales support role.  Today, telesales outsourcing refers to a larger segment of the market where a company can outsource all or part of their sales staff and leverage a professional inside sales team to represent their brand.  Part of making this transition, often involves some sales consulting that can help change the sales process or stages for a particular product or service and leverage modern technology.  The use of electronic signatures, flash video, email marketing and other online tools can speed up a sales cycle and allow one person to cover a larger territory.

This type of outsourced inside sales team can also sell consultative or enterprise level solutions using the right approach.  Telesales outsourcing is more than just a telemarketing lead generation house.  It is a total sales solution for cold call to close sales.  Sales force outsourcing is not a good fit for all businesses or products, but can be an effective way for a company to leverage the professional sales skills of a telesales outsourcing company while focusing on their own core business.

Happy Selling!!!!

While we do most of the work, there are several elements from your end that must be in place to run a successful outsourced sales campaign.  Sales force outsourcing – while by nature “passing the buck” – requires a lot of cooperation from you as well.  To run a successful sales campaign you must partner with us – not simply hand over the reins to us.  If you are looking to completely disconnect with your sales force, then we are not for you.  However, if you are looking to partner with us – and work with us – our outsourced sales and marketing solution could be just what you are looking for to grow your sales revenue.  Here is what we like in an outsourced sales client to get up and running smoothly:

1)    A product:  It sounds funny, but we have entertained a lot of companies who are looking for an outsourced sales campaign actually have products “in development”.  If we are going to sell your product or service for you – it is a LOT easier if it is developed.  Selling a product that is not ready is not good for anyone.

2)   Training:  While we are experts at developing sales cycles and outsourced sales campaigns, we are not experts in your product or service.  If you are looking at using an outsourced sales firm, be prepared to train our outsourced sales person (or persons) either at your facility or ours.  Product knowledge is key to run a successful sales campaign, so getting our sales rep up and running will require your help.

3)   A contact:  when we choose a company to work with, we are choosing a partner.  the nature of our business is a strategic outsourced sales partnership.  Therefore, we need to have a contact person within your organization with whom our sales managers and our outsourced sales team can connect with on a daily or weekly basis to answer questions, and stay current.  This person should be dedicated and responsive.  To often we have had clients that just fall off the grid – and this does not yield a good sales partnership.

4)   Enthusiasm! Just like anything – enthusiasm always adds that extra boost to  our outsourced sales and marketing campaigns.  If you and your company are enthusiastic about our strategic sales partnership – it translates all the way down the li

With these three elements – we can get your outsourced sales campaign up and running and start growing your business for you!  Outsourcing your sales force to us isn’t handing over the baton, it’s engaging in a firm handshake to help each other along. Remember, salesforce outsourcing requires YOU to be successful!

Happy selling!

According to Wikipedia:  Sales Outsourcing is the practice of having an external company become a virtual sales force for you – because we (mostly) focus on an inside sales model – we can work for any company.  It is differentiated from value added resale in the usage of a “shared risk” model—that financing model requires both the client and the sales entity to invest in the actual sales program – it is this “shared” risk that makes sales outsourcing really work.  If the client company puts some “skin” in the game, they become a strategic partner and not just a beta test. This is differentiated from telemarketing in that it requires direct recruitment of sales personnel with specific backgrounds for each sales campaign, as opposed to the generalist sales rep (where the sales rep may represent many companies) popularized in telemarketing – this is one area that we cannot stress the importance of enough.  B2B sales recruitment is not an easy feat.  When you are outsourcing a sales company, you are also finding a partner in recruitment. Finding and identifying top sales personal is a full time job in and of itself, and many outsourced sales companies have a dedicated sales recruiter whose sole purpose is finding and hiring top sales talent.

Sales outsourcing firms provide accountability regarding all sales results and activities while representing the brand of the client – our inside sales representatives are held to daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals based on both ACTIVITY and PRODUCTIVITY.  All of this information is meticulously kept up-to-date in our CRM system which is then used to report to our clients with whatever frequency our clients see fit. For the end-customer, it usually appears as if the client sold the product themselves rather than the sales outsourcing firm – most sales outsourcing firms who are performing sales channel development act as a transparent.  Meaning, the outsourced sales team will carry the business cards, email, and persona of the client company.  The B2B sales outsourcing company is the recruitment, management and execution team.  The outsourcing sales firm is, in essence, an extension of the client but is responsible for all operations associated with direct sales activities (often receiving sales engineering and initial product/service training support from the client.) – We are what we like to call “Strategic Partners” – because you are the “experts” on our product, you will train our representatives (along with one of our managers) and we will give you valuable market research and, best of all, increase sales.

The key reasons many companies look to outsource sales are:

1. Speed to market; – we recruit great sales people FAST and have all the necessary tools to get a sales team up and running
2. Improved ROI as opposed to building or extending an internal force; – building a sales force is expensive, utilizing the tools of an outsourced sales firm is almost turn-key
3. Ability to access markets unavailable to client; – we have vast sales experience in numerous industries and verticals and can leverage those relationships for you!
4. Improved systems and process to better capture a marketplace; – we stay on top of sales trends and software for you and utilize the latest sales tools
5. Providing a litmus test to compare internal sales resources – our inside sales team will be on the front lines and will report valuable market research back to you
6. Test a new product/service without distracting current in-house sales team  - leave your people to what they do best, and let us test out a new product or market so that you don’t loose ground.

Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion that surrounds outsourced sales.  Outsourcing sale is a fantastic way to grow your business.  Contact us today for more information!

Happy Selling!

An outsourced sales force can take many different shapes and sizes depending on the specific b2b sales environment for your product or service.  Most providers will tailor your b2b sales experience and strategy based on your input and provide a turnkey solution.  Keys to sales success in this type of a cradle to grave outsourced sales force is total accountability and transparency so both the vendor and client can work together to change direction, messaging and integrate marketing support and activities.  Recruiting sales professionals is often part of this turnkey type solution.

Another way of boosting sales is to consider b2b sales lead generation in support of your sales force.  Often the sales roi for your existing sales infrastructure can be improved with better efficiency and the roi can increase if the sales professionals spend more time where they are productive.  In this model, your top sales person can spend more time in front of a qualified prospect and focus on closing sales in tough times.  Developing a sales strategy where the two teams or sales professionals can integrate their activity and work as a seamless team is key to sales success.  The use of a unified CRM platform is crucial in this blended approach.

In both instances, sales in tough times are possible and can build a foundation that will increase results even more when the economy turns around.  Sales methods can be developed and deployed on a smaller scale in this environment and ramped up when needed down the road.  IN the end, a b2b sales outsourcing company can be great addition to your sales strategy and a great long term partner if chosen carefully and set up strategically.

Happy Selling!!

Not all business owners and entrepreneurs come from a sales background, so your sales naïveté is not your fault.  This is why the sales and marketing outsourcing industry exists in the first place.  By utilizing an outsourced sales model or a sales force outsourcing you are not only getting experts in the field of sales but you will shorten your ramp up period significantly.  Sales outsourcing companies already have systems and tools in place to help develop, test, and execute sales plans and processes.  We will be with you every step of the way.  First, we will help to identify your target market and generate targeted lead lists.  It might not even be what you think it is.  We will utilize our past experience and relationships to determine the “lowest hanging fruit” and work up from there.  Secondly, we will determine if you should utilize and outsourced inside sales model, a more strategic outside sales model or something in-between.  Next – we will build out a CRM (customer relationship management tool).  From there, as your sales consulting experts, we will develop a very specific sales process which will include generating probing questions, web demonstrations, proposal development, price offering options and negotiation parameters (all of this on an as needed basis, of course).  As your outsourced sales experts – we will be with you every step of the way to fill in all the blanks.

When we are finished, you will have a thorough and tailored sales process that we will then execute.  Sales is not as easy and straightforward as simply hiring a qualified and likable sales person to throw out into the world.  If that is your answer to your sales problems – you are in for a tough lesson, and one that so many of our outsourced sales clients had to learn the hard day.  Put yourself ahead of the curve and call a sales force outsourcing expert like Acquirent today and solve your sales headaches before they begin!  Happy Selling!