Tips for Cold Calling with Confidence

If there is one thing we know as a professional outsourced sales company, it’s cold calling.   98% of our sales campaigns rely heavily on cold calling so it is extremely important that we get this right for our clients.  Over the past eight years as a sales outsourcing company we have learned a few tips and tricks on how to cold call not only with success, but with confidence.

1)  Wear a headset.  Wireless is best. Having your hands free to take notes, look up information on your computer or simply gesticulate can be incredibly helpful in allowing you to express yourself.

2)  Sit up straight – or better yet, stand.  Is it a coincidence that our best inside sales reps are the ones standing up and sometimes, even walking around the office?  Nope.  Standing and movie will keep your energy up, keep you fresh and keep you going when the going gets tough!

3)  Don’t put the phone down between calls.  Putting the phone down between calls can slow you down and impede your motivation. Keep the energy going by keeping the phone in your hand once you start your cold calling sessions.

4)  Slow down.  One of the marked mistakes of a newbie is fast-talking.  Trust us, after years of training outsourced sales representatives we have learned that nerves and lack of confidence tend to make a first time caller a motor mouth.  It’s okay, just be cognizant of this and make a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly.

5)  Learn from your mistakes. Even the most experienced cold callers have a bad call from time to time.  Don’t sweat it!  Here at Acquirent we record calls so our sales representatives can listen back on a bad call with their sales manager to learn where they went wrong and how to improve.  Remember, there’s always another call – don’t laugh it off and move on.

6)  Be prepared! Whether it be a script, talking points or a flow-chart, make sure you know what you are going to say.  In the sales outsourcing business we have learned that the more prepared our reps are, the better the call goes.  This includes being prepared for potential objections and having your rebuttals locked and loaded.

7)  Stay positive.  Smile and dial!  You can hear a person smiling on the phone.  If you sound positive and happy, your prospect will pick up on that.  Furthermore, it is very important to keep a positive mental attitude when cold calling.  It’s hard work, but remember- it’s a numbers game and you’ll lose more than you win!  It’s all part of the game!

8)  Listen.  As a professional outsourced sales company we have learned that more products are sold by our sales representatives actively listening than pitching.  How will you know what you prospect wants if you don’t listen to them?  Sure – you have to pitch your product or service, but don’t forget to let your client talk as well.

9)  Remember you can’t win them all.  In the outsourced sales world we know all too well that sales is a numbers game.  When you are cold calling, it is very important to stay mindful of this fact and not let yourself get discouraged after a bad streak.  Every “no” gets you one step closer to that “yes” – and don’t forget it!

Cold calling is not easy, we’ll be the first to tell you that.  Having run successful cold call campaigns for many of our outsourced sales clients, we know this.  But if you follow these nine steps you can be sure you’ll be putting your best foot forward and getting the most out of your cold calls!

Happy selling!

Sales Staffing Checklist: Steps in Recruiting the Right Sales Talent

As pioneers of the outsourced sales industry, we have inadvertently become experts at sales staffing as well.  We have always said that our sales representatives are the best, and it’s due in no small part to our rigorous sales staffing efforts.  But we’re not greedy – we understand that knowledge is power and we’ll share a few of our sales staffing secrets with you!

1)  Never stop searching – We are CONSTANTLY on the look out for great sales talent.  The worst time to hire a salesperson is when you need one.  If you do wait, you are more likely to make a rash decision and hire the wrong person.  Just as in the sales cycle, have a full pipeline – ALWAYS.

2)  Clear Job Description – trying to gussy up a job description to lure people in does NOT work.  The secret to sales staffing is to be upfront and honest from the get go.  Don’t sugar coat the fact that your sales person will need to cold call if that is an essential part of the job.  Identify the challenges your salesperson must be able to overcome. These are crucial for filling your talent pool with the right candidates.

3)  The Compelling Ad – this goes hand in hand with #2.  The ad is actually different from the job description.  When sales staffing, the ad should not be just a description of the job, company or the opportunity. Describe the candidate you wish to hire; their attitude, their accomplishments, their goals.  “If you describe it, they will come”.

4)  Source wisely – Big job sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com definitely aid greatly in sales staffing, but you’ll get more of the right candidates if you learn how to use their sites.  In addition, there are other sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, Linked In and Twitter that can greatly help you find the right passive candidates.  Get creative.  Join groups, tweet jobs and encourage others to do the same for you.

5)  Filter, filter, filter - Resumes contain very little information that will help you predict whether or not a candidate will succeed in your particular sales position. Just because someone answered your ad does NOT mean they fit the bill.  The first thing I always look for is an objective statement, then I look at past successes.  They might not have ever worked in “sales” before, but if they were president of their fraternity, started a club in college, excelled in athletics or fundraised – you better believe I’ll give them a call.

6)  Phone Interview – we have saved HOURS of interviews when sales staffing with a very simple 20 minute phone screen.  Because a lot of what we do is actually inside sales over the phone, how people come across on the line is VERY important.  If someone sounds bored or like they just woke up, I’m off the interview within 2 minutes.

7)  Face to Face Interview – this goes without saying.  I cannot imagine anyone hiring a sales representative sight unseen.  We usually sit our candidates with at least two or three of our people.  It’s important that they are consistent and that we all get to ask questions.  Also, keep it to an hour or two.  How one person can interview another for three hours or more is totally beyond me.  Overkill.

8)  Final Interview – This is where you get to line everyone up and see how they match up against each other.  For our business model, this is also where our candidates get to meet the client company.  We save only the best for them.  This is also the opportunity to sell the job to the candidates you want to hire.

Sales staffing is not easy and it takes a tremendous amount of time and resources if you want to do it right.  Hopefully these eight steps will help guide your team in the right direction!

Happy Selling!

Why Sales Staffing is the Hardest Part about Sales

We have said it before, and we will say it again:  sales staffing is the number one reason our clients turn to outsourced sales.  While we do not bill ourselves as a sales staffing firm, it is a major perk our clients get when utilizing our outsourced sales solution.

Recruiting sales people is not easy.  Recruiting great sales people can be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.  Clients who have tried to “go it alone” on the recruiting end usually return to us with their tails between their legs;  “It is so much more time consuming and difficult than we thought!” they lament.  Trust us, we know!  After over six years in the sales staffing arena – we know exactly how difficult it can be.  But, luckily for us, we have what has become a well oiled sales staffing machine that excels at finding, and hiring exceptional sales talent.

But why?  Why is sales staffing the hardest part of sales?

Because once you find the right sales talent – the rest, as they say, is easy.  Finding true sales talent is difficult because a) the best are often not in most of the places people look (like job sites and message boards) and b) competition is fierce!  The art of sales staffing is not unlike making a sale!  You must seek out and find the best candidate AND you must sell them your job.  Simply putting a job description out there on the web isn’t going to cut it these days.  You need to hunt for the right people and you need to make them want you right back.  This is no easy feat.

Being an outsourced sales business means that “sales” IS our business so we have always treated sales staffing as the most important step.  The best sales representatives (even if they are raw talent) can sell just about anything given the right training, so in our minds, it’s IMPERATIVE that we get step ONE correct.  If not, it’s a domino effect of mediocrity down the line.

Has sales staffing got you in a pickle?  Are you sick of hiring average to okay sales people?  Kick it up a notch and give us a call today!  Learn how our outsourced sales business will not only improve your business, but get you the very BEST people for the job!

Happy Selling!

How Does Outsourced Sales Work?

Outsourcing is nothing new, and the term is clearly understood by anyone who owns a business.  Outsourced sales, however, can often lead to some confusion.  First and foremost – you can look at it like this:  sales force outsourcing is – in a way – renting a sales force.  While this might seem odd (many people see their sales force as their company’s life blood) this can be very beneficial to many businesses.

It’s simple, really.  You hire an outsourced sales firm (like Acquirent) and it is up to us to put polished, professional sales representatives in front of your target clients.  Not all outsourced sales forces are alike – some focus on telemarketing, others on lead generation – but we take over the entire sales process.  No need to outsource lead generation – we’ll take care of it.  No need to outsource a recruiting firm – we’ve got you covered.  No need to hire a consultant – we’ll do that too!  We, as the sales experts, will look at your existing sales force, sales processes, sales plans (whatever you have in place, really) and we will look for cracks, flaws, (and most importantly) opportunities and possibilities.

When you are outsourcing your sales force, most likely what you are currently doing is not working – and that will be our first goal:  to find the missing piece.  We will first look at our past experience to see if we have worked with a similar client, product, or industry.  We will apply what we know already and move forward.  Our sales representatives will conduct market research, initial cold calls, highly specified lead generation and the like.  We are highly trained and experienced in building sales processes from scratch – and we will do the same for you.  Our outsourced sales professionals will build scripts, timelines, and a sales process that works for you.  Our sales professionals will do market research and hit the phones running.

Just as you would turn to an attorney for legal advice – you should turn to sales outsourcing for sales advice.  We are the experts.  We live, eat, and breathe sales.  It is our core business and our main passion.  Our office hums with the buzzing of conversations, the ringing of phones, the excited yells of closed deals.

Outsourced sales might be just the answer you need to take your company to the next level.  Give us a call today and find out the many ways we can help you and your sales efforts grow!

Happy selling!

What Outsourcing Sales Will NOT Do For You

There are a lot of articles out there that tell you what sales outsourcing will do for your business, but not many that articulate what it will not do.  While outsourcing your sales force can be a way to maximize results and kick-start a new sales campaign – turning to a sales outsourcing company is not, by any means, a magic solution that will fix inherent problems with your business.  Here are a few things that sales outsourcing experts will not do…

Outsourcing your sales force is not going to make your product work.  When we first began in this business – we did not have the luxury of being choosy.  We we charting new territory and sales force outsourcing was a new field and we were the new kids on the block.  We had to take what we could get in terms of clientele.  Some of our clients, we learned, had products that were not ready to come to market.  We would begin a sales campaign and hit the phones only to learn a product was not ready to be sold.  Bottom line – if you’re product isn’t ready or doesn’t work – we cannot sell it for you.

Sales force outsourcing will not solve inner-company issues and disputes.  In working with a vast array of clients – from large to small, from old to new – we have found that if there is a disconnect among the leaders of the company internally, we suffer.  Some clients would turn to sales force outsourcing to try to solve an inner-company problem – thinking an increase in sales will make everything better.  Unfortunately, more often than not these problems would negatively effect our outsourced sales representatives and the outsourced sales campaign.  What is even worse is when there is a discrepancy at the top in regards to whether to outsource sales or not.  When everyone is not on the same page – our work is hindered.  Sales outsourcing can be a lot of things – but we are rarely the answer to inter-office politics.

Outsourcing your sales force will not, necessarily, lower your costs. While sales force outsourcing and lead generation are often viewed as a cost-cutting measure – we do not like to view ourselves as merely a budgetary move.  We have learned, when it comes to outsourced sales and sales force outsourcing – that you get what you pay for.  We are professionals and believe we are worth every penny we charge our clients.  While we can offer a budgetary break due to the fact that we charge a flat, monthly rate – our services do not come cheap.  In some scenarios – we are the cheaper option.  In others – we are not.  The focus should not be on saving a penny – the focus should be on growing your business and new client acquisition.  And that is what we do.

If you are interested in learning more about outsourced sales – give us a call!  While we cannot do everything -  as illustrated above – we can do a LOT.  Our number one goal and our single focus is to bring you more business as best we know how.  Give us a call today and see what we, as the outsourced sales force experts, can do for your business!

Happy selling!

INSIDE SALES WON’T WORK FOR ME….WILL IT?

Inside sales has gotten a bad rap over the years.  So many people associate it will aggressive telesales people calling them at dinnertime or robotic sales people who have little talent or skill.  Both of these can be true when applied to inside sales, but in most cases – they are not the norm.  When it comes to outsourced sales and marketing, inside telesales is not only the most widely used, but oftentimes the most cost efficient as well .

But that won’t work for me”, you say, “my product needs to be sold belly to belly.”

While we would never negate the effectiveness of a face to face sale, we are here to tell you that inside telesales and inside sales appointment setting are very effective ways to sell – and you might be surprised at how well an inside outsourced sales campaign (now that’s a mouthful!) might work for you.

First of all – the corporate world and climate in which we do business is undergoing a paradigm shift.  People are more connected than ever and the “traveling salesman” is quickly becoming a thing of the past with the increasing sophistication of CRM, web meeting software, and the ability to communicate face to face without actually being face to face.  When you outsource your sales and marketing, one of the benefits you reap is speed to market.  How do we do that? We conduct the sale in the most efficient way possible.  We cold call, we set appointments, we conduct web demonstrations, we close.  That’s, essentially, what we do.  Inside telesales is an integral part of this efficiency.

Contrary to popular belief, not all inside sales representatives are college drop outs or people who could not “make it” in outside sales.  All of our telesales representatives are highly educated, college educated professionals who have incredible skills when it comes to inside telesales.  Many of them prefer inside sales.  They don’t want to deal with expense accounts and frequent flyer miles.  They don’t want to be traveling every week.  They choose inside telesales for a reason – and that reason is to have a work/life balance. To assume that all inside sales representatives are “second rate” is totally and blatantly untrue.

When you turn to an outsourced sales and marketing company you might not realize that you don’t have to hand over your entire sales function to us.  Oftentimes we fill in only a piece of the sales puzzle.  We can begin as a telesales outsourcing partner where our representatives will begin by conducting cold calls to set sales appointments for your outside representatives.  This means less time in the office for your reps, and more opportunity for our reps.  Win/win.  You would be surprised at how much more efficient your outside sales representatives can be if they have a strategic partner on the inside, setting appointments for them.

Inside sales is becoming a more and more necessary function of the sales machine as more companies learn that is is just as effective (if not more effective) and much more cost efficient than outside sales.  Give Acquirent a call today and discover how an inside telesales team can work for you!

Happy Selling!

Top Misconceptions About Outsourcing Sales and Marketing

There is no doubt that deciding to outsource, for most, is not an easy decision.  There are so many things to consider (do I need an inside or outside representative?), so many worries (will I lose control?), and so many avenues one can take (do I go with the large nationwide firm or the boutique firm?).  In order to quell your worries and clear up some common confusion about outsourced sales and marketing, here are the top five misconceptions when it comes to the world of outsourced sales.

1)  I don’t want to build the brand of the outsourcer, I want to build my brand.  A reputable outsourced sales and marketing company WILL build your brand.  Acquirent, for example, acts as a totally transparent entity.  Our inside sales reps will call from your company (from our offices, of course).  They will carry your business cards, they will send our your marketing materials.  There will be no mention of Acquirent whatsoever.  Our job is to build YOUR brand and increase YOUR sales, not our own.

2)  I don’t want to lose control over the sales function of my business.  While, upfront, it might seem that outsourcing is inherent with giving up some control, that is not always the case.  The best outsourced sales and marketing partnerships occur when communication is open.  We work with our clients every single step of the way and the ONLY way we succeed is with their input and involvement.  After all, you are the experts at your product.  Our expertise is sales – working together is the only way to ensure a successful outsourced sales campaign.  We do not make any decisions without your approval.  You’re the driver – we just help to navigate.

3)  I don’t need a full time sales representative.  So many clients come to us saying they only want a part-time inside sales representative or telesales appointment setter.  While there have been occasions where this has worked – it has almost ALWAYS led to the creation of a full-time position.  One of the advantages of outsourced sales and marketing is the flexibility. We can definitely begin with a part-time solution, but be ready to need a full time solution shortly after!

4)  We want to recruit our own in-house sales team.  Poor recruiting efforts are what lead 90% of our clients to us.  So many people have no idea how difficult it is to recruit sales talent until it’s too late and they’ve spent thousands of dollars on efforts that have produced nothing.  Unless you have experience recruiting (successful) sales people – beware of this route!  It is a LOT more costly and time consuming than you think.  By utilizing a successful outsourced sales and marketing company you will not only be gaining their sales expertise, but their recruiting prowess as well.

5)  I don’t need to outsource because I already have a sales team.  It might come as  a surprise to know that most of our clients also have existing inside or outside sales teams.  Just because you already employ sales personnel does not mean you shouldn’t consider outsourced sales and marketing.  We are often employed as a supplement.  Sometimes we provide inside telesales appointment setting representatives who’s sole purpose is to set more appointments for your reps.  Sometimes we work alongside an existing sales team or only work with a specific product or within a certain geographic region.  Just because you have a sales team does not mean you won’t benefit from an outsourced sales and marketing partnership.

Happy selling!

Top Five Things to Look for When Outsourcing Sales and Marketing

While the industry is still technically in it’s infancy – the popularity of outsourcing sales and marketing for either the entire sales process or simple sales appointment setting (and everything in between) had gained a LOT of popularity over the past few years.  Ease of use, speed to market, and industry expertise are just a few reasons why people are starting to lean this way.  But how do you know what company is right for you?  Here are the top 5 things to look for in an outsourced sales and marketing company.

1)   Area of Expertise.  No two outsourced sales and marketing companies are the same.  Some specialize in sales appointment setting, some specialize in a geographic area, some specialize in a specific industry.  Other companies specialize in “feet on the street” and some specialize in telesales outsourcing.  Some companies combine a few of the above.  Make sure the company you are considering has a track record with the type of outsourcing you are looking for.

2)  Training.  Not all outsourced sales and marketing companies offer training to their sales representatives.  Whether the reps will be doing telesales appointment setting or be in charge of the entire sales process they need to be trained.  Make sure the company you are considering has a sales training course.

3)  Recruiting.  How does the outsourced sales firm get it’s recruits?  If it’s by a third party recruiter, beware.  Recruitment fees are not cheap and most likely those fees will be built in to your cost.  Try to find an outsourced sales company with an in-house recruiter.  Not only will you be gaining the benefit of being a part of the recruiting process, but your final bill will reflect it.

4)  Achievements.  Asking about notable achievements is probably the quickest and most surefire way to gauge the success of an outsourced sales and marketing company.  Have clients grown with them?  Have inside sales teams gone from one rep to ten reps?  These are the types of achievements to look for.  If they can’t give you any – MOVE ON!

5)  Client Referrals.  How many clients does your prospective sales and marketing partner have?  Do they have referrals?  Success stories? Will they let you talk to them?  Make sure you cover your bases – word of mouth is still the most effective form of advertising so make sure you get it.  If not, you should be wary of the integrity of the company.

While there are more things to consider when looking to outsource your sales campaign, these five elements should at the very least make sure you are dealing with a reputable company.  From there, it’s up to you!

Happy selling!

TOP 10 REASONS TO CONSIDER OUTSOURCING SALES TO ACQUIRENT

Taking the ‘leap of faith’ to outsource your sales and marketing force can be a difficult task.  There is so much information out there, so many different outsourced sales companies nowadays, and so many routes to consider.  To make life a little easier, we have come up with the TOP TEN reasons why you should consider Acquirent to help give your sales efforts the leg up it needs.

1)  Smooth transition.  Our management team are all former sales professionals who have moved up the ranks from sales appointment setting to managing entire sales divisions.  We understand what it takes to get an outsourced sales and marketing force up and running.  We have built hundreds of sales processes and have working in a myriad of industries.  We will work with you every step of the way to ensure we have all the necessary information to get an outsourced sales campaign off to a running start.

2)  Top notch recruiting.  This is one of the lynchpins that set us apart.  Not only are we experts at developing sales processes, we are experts and finding the talent to execute these processes.  We have an in-house recruitment team that specializes in finding sales talent.  Over the course of a few meetings, we will hone in on the type of person that would be perfect for your sales appointment setting or outsourced sales team and recruit them…for you.

3)  Speed to market.  Most people have no idea how difficult it is to get a sales team up and running.  By utilizing an outsourced sales and marketing company you are getting sales experts. We have brought countless products to market and we already have the management, the SOP’s, and the infrastructure in place to ensure your outsourced sales campaign gets off to a running start.

4)  Thorough sales training.  We are one of the few outsourced sales companies that put all of our sales reps through a vigorous sales training course.  Whether you are starting out at telesales outsourcing or a sales veteran, you will pass through Acquirent sales training.  We cover everything from getting past the gatekeeper, to objection handling to closing the deal.

5)  Excellent sales management.  A team is only as good as the leadership that guides it and we have some of the best sales managers in the biz.  As mentioned earlier – our sales managers are all former sales representatives and not only understand the intricacies of the sales process, but how to motivate and inspire sales representatives.  Outsourced sales and marketing isn’t easy, but our sales managers are top of the line and incredibly passionate about what they do!

6)  100% Adaptable and tailorable.  On of the main reasons so many companies choose us over our competitors is that we offer a completely individualized outsourced sales experience.  No two clients are the same – so why should their outsourced sales campaigns be?  We can start small with one or two reps and grow to a larger sales team, we can begin with doing simple telesales appointment setting and grow to full-blown outsourced sales…we will tailor your outsourced sales and marketing campaign to your needs and your company.  No two are the same. Whether you want “feet on the street” or and inside telesales appointment setting campaign, we can do it all!

7)  Fully transparent and accountable.  One of the biggest complaints companies have with other outsourced sales and marketing companies is the lack of transparency.  We are proud to say that we operate a fully transparent business.  Call recordings, daily call sheets, and (thanks to our sophisticated CRM software) weekly reporting are all available to you to make sure you know exactly what we are doing for you, and how well we are doing it.

8)  Excellent customer service.  Our most successful outsourced sales campaigns are those where we have an open line of communication with our clients.  In every team you will have a team lead that will be available to you during all business hours.  We will always be in communication with you so you never feel left in the dark.

9)  One flat fee.  What many of our clients like about our business is that we charge a flat monthly fee per sales person (plus commission).  This means budgeting is much easier.  The price is dependent on the sophistication of your campaign and experience of your sales representative(s).  Want a simple telesales appointment setting campaign?  That would probably employ an entry level college grad and cost less than a full blown “cold call to close” sales person with 4-5 years of inside sales experience.  The nice thing is – you pay the same monthly fee so your accounting department will be happy!

10)         The proof is in the pudding!  Going from 24 employees to over 45 in six months says a lot.  Our esteemed client list speaks for itself!  Many of our clients are referrals from other clients! Give us a call today and let us tell you first hand how well our outsourced sales and marketing campaigns have worked for them!

As you can see – there are many reasons why you should choose Acquirent for your outsourced sales and marketing needs!! Give us a call today and find out what we can do for YOU!.

Happy selling!

When it’s Time to Outsource Sales

Many companies come to us unsure of when to outsource their sales function.  While we at Acquirent believe that almost any company can benefit from outsourcing all or part of the sales function – we have a few indicators that it might be time for you:

1)  You cannot afford the cost of a full-time sales team.  Sales teams cost money.  Not only is the recruitment of sales people difficult, time consuming and expensive – but the infrastructure, the phones, the computers, the desks…etc often send costs soaring.  By channel sales outsourcing you can often budget better than if you didn’t.  Out sales outsourcing business is billed monthly.  We work out a monthly cost per sales person, and that is what you pay us.  We take on all the risk – you get the reward.

2)   You find the recruitment of sales personnel expensive, time consuming and ineffective.  This is the number one reason that clients eventually find their way into our offices.  Recruiting, in general, is not easy.  Recruiting sales people is much harder.  Recruiting great sales people is harder still.  We have been recruiting great sales people since our inception. We adhere to a fool proof process that produces results.  This is the advantage of being sales outsourcing experts – we have, in turn, become experts at hiring sales representatives.  We have all the tools, the contacts, the experience to recruit the best sales people for you – in a timely and efficient manner.  Did we mention we don’t charge you for this service?  It’s included in the contract.

3)  You do not know how to bring your product to market.  We have experienced this time and time again:  companies who have wonderful products and services, but no idea how to actually sell them.  This is where outsourced sales companies shine.  We  are experts at bringing products to market – it is what we do.  We will do market research, lead generation, develop sales cycles and scripts and we will hit the ground running.  All one needs to do is take a look at our esteemed client list to see the variety of companies with which we work.  You be the experts on your product, and we’ll get them to the right people.  It’s the singular most important function of sales outsourcing.

4)  You do not know what you do not know about sales.  Face it, if you are considering outsourcing your sales function – you don’t know all there is to know about sales.  We have had potential clients come into our offices and give us full-blown presentations about how to sell their products.  While we value their information and ideas, we are the sales experts.  If we weren’t – they wouldn’t be in our offices.  If you are looking at your current sales force and wondering where you are going wrong and have no idea where to begin, it might be time to call on an outsourced sales company.

There’s a plethora of reasons why seeking the guidance of an outsourced sales company might be right for you.  The four above are just a start.  Give us a call today and see if our outsourcing sales business is right for you!

Happy selling!