Introduction

As a business owner or corporate executive, you must ask yourself, how can I turn over my company’s sales to an outside firm?  Sales is my lifeblood; it’s the company’s family jewels. I can’t possibly let someone else develop, manage, and run with it, or can I?

Who will own the relationships with the clients? Will I lose control? What happens if something goes wrong?

Industry experts acknowledge that business process outsourcing has become a standard business practice. Outsourcing functions like logistics, administration, IT, payroll, etc., can save you as much as 20%.

Total Solution Delivery

Are you tired of interviewing sales candidates due to turnover? Are you frustrated because forecasting and reality have nothing in common? Are you concerned that your salespeople are selling less, discounting like crazy, and losing clients faster than they bring new ones? By partnering with Sales Focus Inc., you can do what you do best and allow a results-proven company to do what they do best.

The outsourced services market grew to well over $500B in 2002, with an annual growth rate expected to reach 15%.  Business Process Outsourcing makes up over half of all outsourcing dollars spent in the market.  Sales Outsourcing makes up approximately 15% of the total outsourcing revenue with a 30% annual growth rate!

More and more companies, both large and small, are looking for outsourcing providers who can bring value by;

• Reducing the “Cost of Sales”
• Increase the Speed to Market
• Improved Productivity of Existing Sales
• Reduce the Turnover Rate
• Increase Client Acquisition and Satisfaction
• Shorten the Sales Cycle

In studying some of the most productive sales teams in various industries, key principles, beliefs, skills, and practices become apparent with those of the top tier. Here we will examine what choices and decisions you need to make in choosing your Sales Outsourcing provider so your company can focus on success.

1. What is Sales Outsourcing?

It is the transfer or development of sales resources, including all overhead expenses, such as recruiting, payroll, insurance, commission management, equipment, training, and management responsibilities to an outside organization.  The outside organization, the outsourcing provider, is responsible for managing the sales team to meet corporate expectations and achieve results.

 2. What is causing an increase in demand for Sales Outsourcing?

“Sales Expertise” – Engineers and financial or operations-type professionals launch many organizations.  They can grow a business to a certain level based on their expertise, but to achieve their next level of growth, they need to look outside the organization to find sales & marketing guidance and direction.

“Keeping a Focus” – Many large organizations have existing sales teams. If you burden your existing sales team with new products, new geographies, or new targets, they will lose their focus!  An alternative channel, such as a sales outsourcing organization, allows a focused sales effort on a particular market segment or product.

“Tactical Revenue” – Sales Focus’ Sales Outsourcing solutions range from advisory services to inside and outside sales teams focused on developing Tactical Revenue Plans that will help companies quickly achieve the next level of growth.

“Cost of Sales” – If an organization looks at the true cost of building, supporting, and managing a sales force, they would be surprised.  Many companies can’t tell you the true “cost of sales.”  Sales Outsourcing offers clients a “fixed” cost of sales solution.   Sales need support, including management, recruiting, training, marketing, commission management, etc. The average cost of sales outsourcing is lower than developing your own sales team because we bring the support team with us!

“Speed to Market” – Another factor is time to market; it’s much quicker for an outsourcing provider to have a well-trained and managed sales team out the door making and closing business than organically growing a team.  Outsourcing providers are constantly recruiting, have Sales processes in place, and can produce results with “feet on the street” in 45 days or less.

3. How does a business know it’s time to look at sales outsourcing?

If an organization needs to roll out a new service or open a new territory, Sales Outsourcing solutions provide a much quicker solution and allow their existing sales team to maintain their focus. Or, if you currently don’t have a sales force in place and decide it’s time to grow. Or if a company has experienced one or more of the following problem areas: Stagnate Growth, High Turnover Rates, High Loss Ratio, or Low Margins.

4. How large or small can a company be to implement Sales Outsourcing?

Most small and mid-sized companies require assistance in generating tactical revenue strategies.  Large organizations and  Fortune 500 companies also need the speed and flexibility of sales outsourcing, where they can launch a sales force in new territories under 45 days and have the ability to scale the project at a moment’s notice.  Large organizations with existing sales teams must keep their salespeople focused and not introduce too many new products or change direction too quickly.  Sales Focus can the demands of a changing economy.

5. What differentiates Sales Outsourcing companies?

 Sales Outsourcing is still a growing industry becoming increasingly crowded with new competitors.  It’s important to verify that the organization has successfully developed and launched several sales teams.  The Sales Outsourcing provider should clearly understand vertical industries and know how to differentiate between selling products and services. They must also possess strong sales organization development capabilities and have their sales processes well documented along with a solid launch process to get the team moving quickly.

 Conclusion

In today’s super competitive environment, building a successful sales force depends on a partnership mentality between the company and the provider.

The Business Owner should expect;

• Rapid Market Share Acquisition
• Exclusive Representation of Product or Service
• Fixed Cost of Sales
• Flexibility of Sales Staff
• Industry Knowledge
• Manageable Service Level Agreements
• Quality Sales Professionals
• Documented Sales Processes
• Predictable Forecasting Tools

On the other side of the table, the employer is responsible for providing the tools and support necessary to give a motivated and talented sales team the means to turn their hard work into results.  The common denominator among successful companies is that they are process-driven and always FOCUSED ON SUCCESS!