Being too proud to ask for help isn’t just the tragic hubris of Greek tragedy; it is the mode of operating for too many business owners and managers, and one that is more dangerous in hard times than in any others. Many decision-makers shy away from consultative services or even basic reform or restructuring during hard times because in most cases these require an investment – an investment that seems to just add an immediate cost without any immediate benefit and, as such, a drain on much-needed cash needed to ‘weather the storm.’
But some help actually does quick returns and, in fact, can quickly pay for itself. Selling help can get an in-house sales program back on track with new strategies, salespeople, contacts, and leads. In these tough times, couldn’t everyone use a little help with sales? Isn’t now the perfect time to take share away from that pesky competitor once and for all?
Sales help can come in a variety of forms. Most basically, lead generation services and sales consultants can provide leads and set up meetings with hard-to-reach or hard-to-identify target market constituents. These can be enormously helpful for businesses that are able to convert consistently on leads. Of course, leads are only one part of the equation: leads x conversion ratio = sales. Improving conversion among existing salespeople is feasible with the help of sales coaching, or through an outsourced sales team. Help is also available in recruiting, training, and motivating in-house sales teams for those businesses whose size doesn’t justify the expensive infrastructure required to recruit, train, and administer a sales team. And for those companies that would rather leave every aspect of sales to the professionals, outsourced sales solutions are available that handle all aspects of recruiting, training, leading, motivating, paying, and retaining salespeople to keep sales on track.
If they’re honest with themselves, most business owners and decision-makers will realize that they could use a little selling help. What form that help takes – recruiting services, consulting, outsourced sales, lead generation, or some combination of all of these – depends on the circumstances: some businesses need more help than others, or could benefit from help more than others. For instance, businesses looking to expand into new markets benefit immensely from outsourced sales solutions. While not every case has a panacea, one thing is for certain: getting help is a sign of modesty and shrewdness, not of weakness and incompetence and is a step that will allow businesses to refocus on what they do best – growing their businesses through innovation.
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