As outsourced sales experts we are often asked how we have so much success with our sales representatives. We are, after all, representing a myriad of companies, products and services – so how is it that we manage to have successful sales campaigns in so many different areas?
First and foremost – we believe it begins with recruitment. One of the best gifts we give our outsourced sales clientele is our people. We have prided ourselves from day one in expert sales recruitment strategies. We find sales representatives who not only excel in the field of sales, but who are passionate about sales. It is not unusual for our sales reps to begin in lead generation outsourcing and, over the course of a couple of years, advance to team leader and to eventually be hired directly by our clients. We pride ourselves in finding raw sales talent early – no bad habits to break or egos to contend with – just raw talent and a hunger to succeed. This, we believe, is the first step to success. If you don’t have the right foundation – you will be building a house of cards.
The next step in a successful channel sales outsourcing comes training. We have a stringent seven week training program that delves into the nuts and bolts of sales. Ours is a combination of many different training techniques from soft selling to hard selling, from solution sales to technical sales. Because our outsourced sales representatives all sell for different clients, it is important that they are well versed in a variety of techniques. From there – we rely on our clients to round out the product training. Our reps will be expected to train with the client from a day to two weeks. However long it takes. We are the experts at sales – we are not the experts on our client’s products. This is where the true partnership begins.
The other ingredient for success when it comes to channel sales outsourcing is to keep an open line of communication between our client and the outsourced sales team. Our greatest sales partnerships have grown because of this open communication. Outsourcing sales doesn’t mean you as the client get to wipe your hands clean of all responsibility! We need you and your internal support team to insure success. Making sure there is point person and open lines of communication are imperative to the success of your outsourced sales campaign.
The last – but most important – aspect of a successful outsourced sales campaign is the selection of the right outsourced sales company! Make sure you do your research and look for a company that has a track record of success. Check what sort of industries the company has worked with, the size of the companies they have worked with, the types of products they have sold. All of these aspects are very important to research. Does the company only do lead generation outsourcing? If so – the might not be the right company to take your product to market. Do your homework, ask for referrals and – most important – meet their sales people. If they are a good company they should have nothing to hide. We often say that most of our deals are closed the minute our client’s come into our offices and meet our sales representatives. Do your homework, follow our advice, and your outsourced sales campaign will be sure to find success.
Happy Selling!
