While we do have clients in the Fortune 500 category, many of our partners are just like you.  By turning to an outsourced b2b telesales model you might be able to solve many of the headaches of running a small business, while benefitting from an upsurge in sales.

First, by switching to an b2b telesales company – you will be partnering with an expert at inside telesales.  If you are like our other partners, you probably lack a clearly defined sales process, sales scripts, and proper objection rebuttals.  We will work with you every step of the way to develop these as well as proper marketing materials.  You don’t start a business without a business plan – and too many small companies start a sales force without a sales plan.  By utilizing a telesales company, you will get this, and it will be yours.

Are your sales representatives in a rut of calling on the same people and same types of businesses day in and day out?  Do they object when you suggest them to try other avenues to close business?  Deals come in all sorts of packages and by partnering with a professional outsourced sales force, you will get to experiment in these new markets.  Outsourced sales forces are experts at lateral thinking when it comes to closing deals and we are oftentimes more aggressive…don’t’ forget, if we are not successful – we’re out of job!  A professional outsourced sales force will be motivated to leave no stone unturned.

If you think you fit into the above category, go ahead – give us a call!  We charge nothing to meet with you – and you might just learn a few things in the process!

Happy selling!

If you are one of the many companies who have decided to move your operation inside, you are probably trying to decide on whether to bring your b2b telesales campaign in-house, or find a company to partner with who will provide you with an outsourced sales force.  If this is the case – consider these seven aspects and ask yourself “am I willing/ready to implement this”?

1)    Proficiency – telesales representatives are not easy to hire.  In fact, many recruiters tout these folks as not only the bread and butter of an organization, but among the hardest to find.  You must be ready to find telesales reps who are not only articulate, intelligent and well-educated – but they should speak with poise and clarity and be able to think very fast on their feet.  In addition, they must have a thick skin and be able to “dial with a smile” day in and day out.  Just because these folks are “inside” does not mean you can cut corners in recruiting them.

2)   Familiarity with product – when considering b2b telesales services, you must be aware that familiarity with your product or service is critical for a successful campaign.  In-house telesales teams have the inside track here – however, if you designate an in-house liaison to act as a life-line for the outsourced sales force, great success can be had.  Make sure you have a plan on how you will keep your inside telesales force “in the know”.

3)   Scripted conversation – not all successful sales people or sales managers are familiar with scripting calls.  A professional outsourced sales force is.  In fact, outsourced telesales companies will tell you that it is the script (and sticking to it) that leads to a successful campaign.  However, not all scripts are created equal!  The script must be carefully designed to evoke a certain response from the client.  The mark of a good caller is one who can work of a script, while still sounding fresh and natural at the same time.  Outsourced sales forces are experts at this and if you do decide to go the ‘in-house’ route, make sure you hire a sales manager with an outsourced sales background who will be able to bring this to your telesales campaign.

4)   Incremental approach – just because the sales process is one that is engaged over the phone, it does not mean it should be handled with any less finesse than an outside call.  Most deals will not be closed in one call.  There must be steps of the sales process and these should be clearly outlined.  Sales representatives should not rush the sale, and yet they should not take no as an answer either.  There is a fine balance and developing the right sales process for a successful b2b telesales force to thrive is critical.

5)   Take rejection in stride – by nature cold calling yields a lot of rejection.  You must be realistic and understand that your sales reps will not close all of their calls.  It is not unusual for a representative to make 100 cold calls in a day and only talk to 5 interested parties.  Keep in mind, they are calling on roughly 10x more prospects than your outside representatives – so keep your expectations realistic and become familiar with the industry standards.

6)   Sales management – this is by and far the most important aspect of an inside telesales force.  Partnering with a professional outsourced sales force will help to insure you have the right management in place (as long as you find the best partner!) for your b2b telesales force.  However, if you are to bring your telesales campaign in-house, you must be sure to find a sales manager who is not only familiar with inside sales forces, but has success managing them.  Inside telesales forces often require more support, more inspiration, and a little more hand-holding than outside sales forces – so make sure you have the right team in place!

B2B telesales services are growing astronomically these days – and the debate on whether to bring them in-house or to outsource is a valid one.  Make sure you do your homework and understand all the nuances of an inside sales force before making the leap, and be sure to consider services of a professional outsources sales force as well.  If nothing else, they might give you a lot to consider!

Happy selling!

Developing a sales process is not always easy.  There is usually a lot of trial and error involved and the learning curve is steep.  However, by letting an outsourced sales force take care of this the ramp up time is significantly less simply because we have all the sales tools and processes at our fingertips.  It is during this sales ramp up period where we learn what sales solutions and sales methods work for you.  Will the model be a cold call to close model?  Will it be an appointment setting model?  Perhaps we will utilize an inside/outside sales hybrid model?  Whatever the case, we will help to define and develop a sales strategy and a sales process.

By hiring outsourced sales professionals you will be giving yourself a head start against the rest of your competition as sales professionals often have ways to fast track sales simply based on previous experience and working with so many other outsources sales models.  Let Acquirent and our B2B sales experience and expertise help increase the sales of your business today!

One good measure of this type of b2b sales outsourcing company is their ability to develop a sales strategy that takes everything from lead generation through Lead Management and all the way to the close. The use of a central CRM system that allows for transparency and constant feedback in the sales process is key.  Outsourced sales services should be experts in this type of reporting, lead tracking and sales process development.  Otherwise, you will still find yourself doing the majority of the work and heavy lifting.

Consultative sales or a consultative sales process is also dependant on this central sales process idea.  Starting with Lead Management, best practices include developing a comprehensive approach to contacting the lead.  Most effective and experienced outsourcing companies will use a combination of touch points to include the phone, physical mail, email and voicemails throughout the sales process.  Lead Management depends on tracking these activities in a CRM and trying to automate as many of the connections as possible.  However, while technology can help in the efficiency of how we contact a lead or prospect and develop them into an opportunity, it can not replace individual b2b sales experience.

Happy Selling!!!!

If your sales team were not performing at their peak potential, would you even be able to gauge their lack of progress? You could comprise a report detailing the number of b2b sales leads that they come up with and compare it to your record indicating how many leads actually garnered a sale. But this equation would only show you how successful your sales team members are at closing a sale after they have a lead. You could also compare one period to the next and see if they are coming up with a steady amount of leads, or if the month to month leads fluctuate.

However, none of this information will be able to demonstrate to you the number of leads that you could potentially be missing out on every month. There are a number of different markets out there that you may have not ever even thought of. How would you find these markets, how would you even know where to look?

A sales outsourcing company specializes in providing these services. They have highly skilled professionals that know the market best. These sales analysts can help you generate new sales leads that will be solid. You can hire an outsourcing company to come in and take a look at what you are working with. They can assess your business, your current sales staff, and then let you know if they will be able to significantly boost your sales, and chances are that they can. They will also only provide you with the most current information when it comes to contacting your new business leads so that you can be confident that you are getting what you paid for.

Sales Appointment setting is also all about sales activity.  In order to increase sales, a company may turn to outsourced sales or a telesales outsourcing company to help them increase their pipeline through sales appointment setting.  Again here, the key to sales success is motivating the sales person to the right goals.  B2b sales outsourcing is only successful when the right goals and targets are set and there is a real partnership in the outsourcing.  You can increase sales through this type of transparent outsourced sales approach.

The key distinction between retail or consumer sales and B2b sales or B2b sales outsourcing is that a business makes buying decisions with a process, with multiple stakeholders and with the business in mind and not on emotion.  While an emotional connection, rapport or relationship is still part of the sale, a sales professional must also be able to find a need, highlight the urgency, develop a position and show some return on the investment.  To Increase sales, a company must provide sales help or sales tips to any young professional transitioning into this type of role.

Another benefit of outsourcing sales is that there is typically some sales training where the new sales executives are provided with formal sales help and sales tips in areas like networking, getting past a gate keeper, using social media to develop leads and sources, needs analysis, rapport building and product positioning.  All of these things are critical to sales success and increasing sales when using an outsourced sales provider.

When evaluating a sales candidate or outsourced sales provider, it is important to probe deeper on these points and make sure the person or company has the skills to understand a business.  How strong is their business acumen and training to help position your product?  Will they have the skill to participate and provide feedback to help with product or program development?  Will they increase sales for your channel and provide an ROI, just like you expect your product or solution to provide to your customers?  In the end, just as your business would evaluate a new product investment; make sure to spend the same level of rigor on choosing your sales professional or sales outsourcing partner.

Most small businesses don’t have many critical pieces of a successful sales infrastructure and culture which in turn can lead to poor sales results.  Small businesses typically don’t have professional sales recruiting and management on staff and this can lead to hiring the “wrong” sales person.  Even if a company hires the “right” sales professional, without proper sales management and culture that individual has a high likely hood of failing.

Through using a full service sales outsourcing force, small business can leverage the sales recruiting, management and culture/environment that many larger organizations are accustomed to having.

One thing that has allowed for or contributed this type of sales outsourcing is hosted CRM solutions and more adoption of technology across the sales function.  More companies are moving to a transparent and hosted CRM for both cost and efficiency reasons.  As a result, companies interested in offloading part or all of their consultative sales process are able to still control the message delivered, monitor progress in the sales cycle and be part of the lead management with their vendor of choice.

In addition, the economic challenges that have faced business over the last 18 months have forced companies to look in all areas for savings and efficiencies.  Where they may not have previously considered their revenue generating sales team as a potential area for review, they must now look at more efficient means of achieving their goals.  Whether you have a sales force that travels the country, meets face to face in a specific geography or uses technology and web based demonstrations to sell your product, there is a b2b sales outsourcing solution to meet your needs.

A large part of vendor selection must be based on that company’s b2b sales experience, client history and what outsourced sales services they offer.  Make sure to look for a company that has a focus and only executes one of these outsourcing models, one that matches your company culture and beliefs and will uphold brand strength and integrity throughout their target markets or verticals.

Some clients think that by outsourcing their sales force, they can wipe their hands free and “poof” – sales ROI will just magically grow.  This is not the case.  Our most successful sales outsourcing relationships are with the clients who work with us to constantly tweak and develop new sales methods and sales strategies.  We have learned the importance of flexibility when it comes to the sales ramp-up period. We are not experts at learning our clients’ products – there is always a learning curve.  What we are experts at are a) finding sales talent (both raw and developed) b) creating sales processes and sales methods and c) managing and tracking the sales process and sales professionals.  In order to enjoy sales success in your outsourced sales campaign, you must be willing to put some skin in the game.  Sales outsourcing should be viewed as a strategic partnership, not a miracle cure.

As experienced b2b sales consultants – we have seen great success and failure and we continue to learn every step of the way.  With each new client we learn more about how to boost sales for our clients and how best to leverage our working relationships to grow sales and impact the bottom line.  Before you dive into outsourcing – make sure you understand that the most successful relationships are sales partnerships.  We look for clients that will work WITH us to ensure the success of their campaign.  We will be instrumental in boosting sales, but you must help us to help you!