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!

2.    While b2b telesales and telemarketing are among the least expensive of all call center services – make sure you find a reputable company to partner with.  It is imperative that they understand your company, your products/services, and your vision for the future.  Outsourced telesales is not an instant fix for poor sales performance, but if you find the right outsourced sales force – your business can benefit ten-fold. Shop and compare among competitive bidders to help ensure that your company will not only be getting the best price, but the best price for services rendered.  Keep in mind that this is not always the least expensive.  As in everything in life – you get what you pay for.

3.    Request proposals from prospective outsourced sales or telesales companies.  A reputable firm will provide you will a full proposal which should include:  target markets and how to attack said markets; a skeleton b2b sales process which should be clearly articulated from start to finish – including call scripts and talk points; a commission structure and how all financials will be handled; a profile of what your potential b2b sales representatives will look like as well as a recruiting strategy; a realistic ramp-up timeline with dates and action items, and finally – goals, objectives and expectations.  Any b2b outsourced sales company that doesn’t provide you with all of the above are most likely not a reputable operator and will cause you more pain than gain.

4.    Make sure that there is some kind of quality control system in place before you outsource your telesales to an outsourced sales force. Look for b2b telesales companies that offer quality control throughout all aspects of the calling process. In many cases, you should be able to check call reports, call volume and monitor random calls to ensure that your campaign script is delivered in the appropriate manner.

5.    Request additional support materials such as campaign reports, past successes and call statistics to confirm the success of your b2b telesales campaign. These services should be included in the cost of your outsourcing contract and should be customized to fit the needs of your company.

If all of the above are covered, you should be ready to begin your outsourced telesales campaign!  Remember, outsourcing is a fantastic way to grow revenue – as long as you partner with the right outsourced sales company!

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 most of our clients choose us as their outsourced inside sales provider, we have also hired representatives that will travel and meet with clients face to face and employ an outside sales model as well.  Like I mentioned earlier, what is best for one client may not be for another and you can rest assured that your outsourced sales model will be specific to your business and your business needs.  While telesales outsourcing – a strictly inside sales model – works for many of our clients, a more consultative and strategic sales approach might be best for you.  As a tactical partner in growing your business we will work closely with you to come up with the most effective sales force outsourcing strategy for you.  Whether it is a simple appointment setting approach or grooming your future “director of sales” we can handle it and take care of all of your sales needs.  Can a middle man do that? Not at Acquirent!  Happy Selling!

Many businesses are unaware that telesales outsourcing options even exist. They do not know that a professional sales company can furnish a completely trained and capable telesales team to sell their products and services alone. These outsourcing companies know how to find top notch sales professionals that have a proven track record of success. They only employ the best telesales agents and they will monitor their progress daily.

There are a number of benefits to outsourcing your telesales force. First of all, you won’t have to employ or train members of the sales team any longer. Secondly, you will not have to provide a telesales team with office space, telephones, computers, or any other office equipment. Telesales outsourcing can provide you with increased sales while reducing your costs associated with day to day operations.

And, you will not be able to duplicate the sales results that the outsourced telesales team will garner. They are a group of highly skilled professionals that know the tricks of the trade when it comes to selling over the phone. You will be immediately impressed with the increase in sales that occurs. This team will be lead by a skilled telesales team manager that will work diligently towards garnering the results that you are looking for. They will also have access to new markets that you may have overlooked before. A skilled telesales team manager will make a huge difference in the amount of sales that you see.

By taking advantage of telesales outsourcing you will also free up a significant amount of your own time that would be spent on monitoring your sales team. You can use this time to your advantage to monitor other aspects of your business. There are a number of reasons why you should be encouraged to outsource your telesales force. Just make sure that you rely upon a reputable outsourcing company when you decide to make the change.

Most people filling in-house cold calling jobs are only doing the job for the time being. This isn’t their careers; it’s a way to get through school, somewhere along the lines of waiting tables or bartending, an easy job to get to pay the bills while they’re pursing their degree.

Are you going to trust the power of your selling force to someone just trying to squeak through school? That’s like handing the intern the keys to the executive office and telling him to take it from there.

What you need from your telesales personnel is sales savvy, business experience, and a professional approach. There really is an art to telesales, one honed through experience. You can only get that level of performance from a professional team. That’s why more small businesses are choosing telesales outsourcing. They enjoy the talent and capabilities of a far more professional and experienced selling team than they’d ever have been able to hire on their own.

Hire in-house, and you’ll suffer recruitment pains, high costs in advertising, and an expensive interviewing and hiring process. You’ll have to spend more on training, especially because turnover is traditionally high. Training investment tends to evaporate as your in-house sales team is continually in and out the door, flying on the whims of the economy.

With telesales outsourcing, you face no hiring costs, and you don’t pointlessly waist time on a lengthy hiring process. The team is already trained, so forget about training costs. Since results are quantified and tracked and the team’s payment is often contingent upon successful sales drives, you can easily measure success and see if the team is up to your expectations. If the outsourced telesales force isn’t paying for itself through increased profits in just a few short months, they aren’t earning their keep. Sales outsourcing should sustain itself if it’s effective, maximizing your profits through growing and expanded markets.

You just can’t get that level of professionalism using your own team. It doesn’t make sense in this global age not to tap the resources of the most powerful selling professionals. It saves you time and money while increasing your sales potential in the same breath.

The collapsing global economy is about survival of the fittest. Those who survive, especially in the small business community, will be the ones who adapt. You simply can’t do business the same as you did even a few months ago. Indeed, staying competitive takes a completely new approach, beginning with sales outsourcing.

If your not utilizing the extended networks provided by outsourced sales professionals, you should be. Your business’s very survival depends on it. Falling demand has flattened the drive of many traditional strong markets. If you are going to compete and continue to succeed in the face of this recession, you’re going to have to tap additional markets and grow your sales potential beyond its current capacity.

But how does a business grow itself at a time when buying demand is shrinking? The answer lies in your sales force. With outsourced sales professionals, you minimize your overhead costs by using the resources of a larger contingency while maximizing your market potential by harnessing the power of an extended sales network.

You lower your operating capital. Marketing, publicity and promotion have their own costs, usually paid expensively by the hour when you use your own personnel. When you use an outside sales team, those services are compounded in one economical fixed cost. Because they are working on a bigger scale, they can provide more resources with lower overhead, saving your company substantially in the long run.

Sales outsourcing allows you to leverage the expertise of a professional sales force. You leave the selling to the professionals, which leaves you and your team with more resources to focus on your core product development.

It also just makes better use of everyone’s time. The various steps of a sales campaign can be very time consuming, and the further the campaign is delayed, the slower the increased profits will trickle in. When you use an outside selling team, you get a head start right out of the gate, expanding markets and increasing your sales at a much faster rate than you’d ever be able to do yourself.

Stay competitive in this increasingly competitive global economy. Success in the face of recession starts with how we do business, beginning with our sales force. Hire an outside professional team, and enjoy the optimized selling power of a team of specialists for a fraction of the cost you’d invest in-house.

You simply enjoy better economies of sale with an outsourced inside sales company. With an outside company, you just have lower direct costs than an inside sales division. Your outsourcing partner has the capacity to offer cost cutting approaches that would otherwise be out of your reach. You can find more favorable markets, have a wide range of market testing services, and also enjoy a wider network of resources. In short, you have lower cost investment but optimal sales performance.

If an outside sales company is worth its invoice, it will pay for its services and then some with the increased sales that result from the wider markets it has the capacity to tap. You not only cut your sales overhead, but you enjoy wider profits. Outsourcing your sales division truly pays for itself.

Chances are, you probably underestimate the cost of your in-house sales division. Keep in mind that your employees must be recruited, trained, managed and equipped with the proper tools. On top of the training and hiring costs, turnover is high. You invest countless training hours, only to see those hours evaporate as your sales staff constantly fluxes. Usually, it’s best to just hand the headache over to a team of outside specialists who already have a qualified and proven sales division in place.

With outsourced sales, you’ll dramatically improve your sales coverage. You’ll get more leads that are strongly qualified; you’ll tap geographical regions more consistently and thoroughly. You’ll wring sales from outside sources, further expanding your market.

Once businesses realize they can minimize the overhead of their sales division with an outside company while expanding markets that increase sales as well as profit, they rarely go back. It just makes the process simpler, which allows your own team to focus better on product development and cost efficiencies.

Minimize your costs and maximize your market with an outsourced sales specialist.

B2b telesales are an important part of many businesses. Whether your company completely relies upon business to business telecommunication for all sales, or if you use the method for follow up calls after a trade show, your company needs to know that they can rely on their b2b telesales force. A successful b2b telesales force is competent and knowledgeable about your products and services and can develop an instant rapport with potential clients over the phone. This is a skill that requires practice and the ability to appeal to a client’s needs. Competent telesales professionals will produce results that are consistent and that fulfill their expectations.

If your company is having a hard time getting the results that you are looking for from your b2b telesales team, consider outsourcing as a solution. Sales outsourcing companies can provide you with a telesales team that can handle all of your businesses to business sales and provide you with the sales results that you want. Outsourcing companies can hire and train a telesales team that will work diligently to attract new clients and garner increased sales for your company. They are also equipped to arm your sales team with the latest in telesales technology and to train them on the most innovative telesales techniques.

Successful b2b telesales representatives need to be extensively trained and constantly monitored to make sure that they are performing at the highest level possible. If you do not have the time or the resources to train and monitor your sales force consider outsourcing. A sales outsourcing company knows how to monitor your telesales team and to make sure that they are on task. They will also assume responsibility for training all of your telesales operators and supplying them with the tools to be successful in selling your products or services over the phone. By outsourcing your telesales force you will not have to worry about hiring or training new sales people.