4 Things to Think About When Considering Sales Outsourcing

An outsourced sales team works on behalf of your company to prospect, qualify, and nurture leads with the ultimate goal of scheduling sales meetings and closing deals. A B2B appointment setting company is responsible for prospecting, building a sales pipeline, and scheduling sales meetings, but they don’t actually deliver the pitch. They simply pass off appointments to your team; this allows you to still have some control over the process and focus only on qualified leads who are ready to have a conversation.

If you’ve done some thinking and have decided that outsourcing sales makes sense for your business, make sure you put some thought into the decision. There are questions you should ask yourself to make sure you choose the right partner, and if you don’t, outsourcing could turn into quite the disaster.

Here are four things to consider before outsourcing B2B appointment setting to ensure your program is as successful as possible.

Everyone likes the idea of sales outsourcing; someone to handle prospecting, cold calling, and all of the other tedious tasks you don’t have time for sounds pretty nice. But, as to be expected, something like this is going to cost you. Ask yourself the following questions before you outsource inside sales:

• What is your budget for a sales outsourcing program?
• What things are important to you in an outsourced sales program? You don’t want to pay for something you don’t need
• How much of a sales pipeline will they build you?
• How many qualified appointments can they guarantee?
• Realistically speaking, how much will they actually contribute to your revenue?
• How many dedicated team members will be working on your program (sales reps, data analysts, professional copywriters, etc.)

If you know what you’re looking for and what a partner can deliver, you’ll be able to make a more informed, cost-effective decision.

When looking at different companies to partner with, one of the top things you should look at is capabilities. When deciding to outsource sales, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is placing more emphasis on cost than capabilities. When you choose the low-cost option, you sacrifice so many other things—expertise, top-notch technology, and the ability to execute.

Before partnering with an outsourced inside sales company, be sure you know the following:

• Your needs and what you expect them to deliver. What kinds of sales appointments are you looking for? Do you want more project work or more long-term contracts? Are you targeting a specific niche market? How much are you looking to grow over the next six months? Over the next year? Knowing the answers to these questions and clearly communicating them to the companies you’re considering will help you make a decision.
• What are the capabilities of the companies you’re looking at? Once you know your needs and you’re confident in expressing them to potential partners, look at the capabilities of each company you’re considering. What tools do they use to set B2B sales appointments? For example, if you’re looking for janitorial leads but you only want to target schools, does the sales company have the capability to do this? Can the team create messaging for you specifically targeting educational facilities? Knowing this type of information will help you choose the best partner for your specific needs.

Inbound marketing is important, but the other side of that coin is outbound marketing, and it should be taken just as seriously. Every business needs B2B lead generation; and even if you think your company is doing just fine, you’re missing out on new business opportunities if you’re not focusing on sales.

With a B2B appointment setting program in place, you can build a sustainable sales pipeline for your HVAC business that consistently generates high-quality leads. A common myth about B2B appointment setting is that it’s just glorified telemarketing. But B2B appointment setting is much more than just cold calling; it’s prospecting, writing email marketing campaigns, designing sales materials, and nurturing leads until they’re ready to buy. With a B2B appointment setting, you’ll always be the top choice for anyone looking for HVAC services in your market.

Once you know the cost, capabilities, and level of transparency a partner can provide, don’t forget to look at the deliverables included in the program. Deliverables for a B2B appointment setting program might include:

• A certain number of appointments
• A list of qualified prospects in your target market
• An email marketing campaign
• Landing pages to include in emails and increase leads
• Marketing assets to give sales efforts a boost
• A client results portal for insight into your program
• Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly check-in meetings (know which one you prefer)
• LinkedIn connections with key decision-makers in your target market
• Team members (sales development representatives (SDRs), marketing experts, etc.)
• Tools (databases, CRM technology, email marketing technology, etc.)

What is your budget and what deliverables are the most important to you? Knowing this will help you to make an informed decision about an outsourced sales program.

Whether you’re outsourcing your entire sales process or investing in a B2B appointment setting program to get more meetings for your sales reps, sales outsourcing saves you both time and money. At Abstrakt Marketing Group, we’re B2B lead generation experts, and appointment setting is our bread and butter. We know how to build sustainable sales pipelines and grow businesses, and we’ve been doing it for more than ten years. Our programs include everything from cold calling to email marketing campaigns to professional landing page design; plus, we provide you with insight into your program via our client portal.

Are you interested in learning how B2B sales outsourcing can help your business succeed and increase sales? Schedule a meeting today.