A recent Deloitte survey on outsourcing pointed to a projected increase over the next several years. What is driving this across the board is a desire for companies to focus on their core competencies. What was interesting to us as an sales and marketing outsourcing company is the expected anticipated growth of sales and marketing outsourcing specifically of 22%. Why are so many diverse companies, both big and small, turning to outsourcing? Organizations chose to outsource for many reasons, and when asked which objectives were the most important to their outsourcing initiative 87% said reducing operating costs, 73% said improving customer service, and 49% said gaining a competitive advantage.
As an outsourced sales and marketing company we find that the largest area we are able to reduce operating costs for our clients immediately is in our ability to take over your sales recruiting, sales management and marketing management overhead which can run into six figures plus annually (not including staffing the reps). With this headache off your plate you can focus on your core competencies.
The report goes further and talks about some of the areas that are critical to a successful outsourcing engagement that we believe also applies specifically to sales and marketing outsourcing. They are:
- A spirit of partnership between the vendor and the company. This is especially critical when the goal of sales and marketing outsourcing is closed deals.
- Clear service levels
- Strong and joint management of the relationship. This is especially critical in sales and marketing outsourcing which may require pivots, as feedback from the market drives modifications in how the market should be approached.
- Detailed contract terms
- Strong vendor account management team. When outsourcing sales and marketing this should include both a marketer and a sales manager.
- A strong company management team. We strongly recommend that you do not just plan on turning sales and marketing outsourcing on and walking away. Staying engaged on a monthly or weekly basis can help the relationship flourish and generate more leads and closed business for your company. Sales and marketing outsourcing companies are experts in selling but they cannot immediately replace your thought leadership in your product and market.
To discover if an outsourced sales and marketing company outsourcing is right for you please contact us for a quick review to see if our strategies can help.
