How to Outsource Successfully

How To Outsource: A Cheat Sheet for Small Business Owners

Are you feeling stuck? Have the past few months been challenging for your business due to the global economy, resulting in decreased revenue? Are you fresh out of ideas on generating new leads and reaching your sales targets?

Market fluctuations are common in business, but the stress and anxiety they bring can be overwhelming. Running a small to medium-sized (SME) business is no small feat. To run a successful business, you must juggle multiple functions, including marketing, sales, operations, and finances. These functions are defined as follows:

Marketing

Marketing refers to how customers are informed about your products and services through adverts and other communication channels.

Sales

Sales involve convincing the customer to make the purchase and facilitating the actual sale of the product or service.

Operations

Operations ensure that the product or service is delivered and fulfilled.

Finance

Finance is concerned with the organisation’s financial well-being by keeping a check on the equitable use of financial resources.

With limited resources, business owners often prioritize other functions and undervalue the importance of marketing and sales activities for business growth. Most business owners cite expensive hiring costs for an in-house sales team and time as scarce resources as reasons for a lack of investment.

How Outsourcing can help with these functions

What if we told you that outsourcing your sales could help you save on costs and increase revenue for your business? In this blog post, we’ll share some low-cost, high-return tips that can help your business thrive.

So, what does outsourcing your sales mean for you? Outsourcing your sales and marketing functions has become increasingly popular. It involves hiring an external or third-party company to handle your company’s sales and marketing process, including lead generation, appointment setting, and closing deals. This arrangement allows you and your business to focus on core competencies, such as providing outstanding products and services, while leaving these functions to experts and specialists.

In today’s highly competitive economic climate, outsourcing sales and marketing functions has become an increasingly popular alternative for SMEs as it saves costs, improves efficiency and productivity, and increases sales and revenue, thus giving your business a competitive advantage.

Here are some benefits of outsourcing your sales:

It allows your business to sell products and services to previously unexplored prospects.

A sales and marketing agency has a team of sales professionals who are trained and experienced in generating leads, closing sales, and increasing revenue. This can save your company time and money that would otherwise be spent on recruiting, training, and managing an in-house sales team.

It gives you access to an even wider network of potential customers.

A good, outsourced sales and marketing agency will typically have established relationships with key decision-makers in the target market and will be able to leverage these relationships to generate leads and close sales. This can be particularly beneficial for SMEs that may not have the resources or expertise to develop these relationships independently.

It provides you with access to the latest sales technologies and techniques.

A good, outsourced sales and marketing agency will be up to date with the latest sales technologies and techniques and will be able to use these to increase the effectiveness of the sales process. This can result in higher conversion rates and faster sales cycles, which can translate into increased revenue for the company.

It allows you to focus on core business activities.

Outsourcing your sales can free up your time and resources, allowing you to focus on your core business activities. By delegating your sales activities to a specialised outsourcing company, you can ensure that your sales process is in good hands and that you’re able to devote your time and resources to other critical business activities.

Outsourcing sales functions can be an effective strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to achieve their sales targets. However, outsourcing sales processes may present some challenges that need to be addressed.

Here are some of the challenges and suggestions on how to overcome them:

Maintaining Control Over the Sales Process and Quality Control
One of the major challenges is maintaining control of the sales process and ensuring quality control. As a business owner, you may worry about losing control of your brand, messaging, and overall sales and marketing strategy.

OS Solution: To overcome this challenge, choosing an outsourcing partner that understands your business and goals is essential. Set clear expectations and guidelines with your outsourcing partner and have regular performance reviews to ensure that your expectations are met.

Communication Challenge
Effective communication is vital when outsourcing sales and marketing functions. It’s important to be able to communicate your brand messaging and goals clearly to the outsourcing partner, and the outsourcing partner must provide regular updates on their progress.

OS Solution: To overcome communication challenges, it’s important to establish clear lines of communication from the onset. Work closely with your outsourcing partner to schedule regular check-ins and set up a system for reporting and feedback. Cultural Differences Posing a Challenge: The process may involve working with partners in different countries or cultures. Cultural differences can present challenges in communication, work styles, and expectations.

Cultural Differences Posing a Challenge
The process may involve working with partners in different countries or cultures. Cultural differences can present challenges in communication, work styles, and expectations.

OS Solution: To overcome this challenge, choosing an outsourcing partner with experience in your industry that is aligned with your organisational culture is essential. Keep regular communication and collaboration between the company and the outsourced team for alignment. Remember, working with a diverse team gives your business a competitive edge.

Outsourcing sales and marketing functions can be a great way for small to medium-sized businesses to save time and money while growing their revenue. However, choosing the wrong outsourcing partner can be costly and damaging to your business. So, we’ve discussed some benefits and described some challenges with outsourcing functions, and now we can discuss how to go about selecting your outsourcing partner. We’ve put together a list of “Red” flags and what we call “Green lights”, to consider when deciding on which agency to partner with.

Some Red Flags to look out for:

• Lack of experience: If an outsourcing partner has no experience with the functions, you need outsourced, it could be a red flag. Look for a partner with some track record in the services you need.

• Poor communication: Effective communication is essential for a successful outsourcing partnership. If your potential outsourcing partner is slow to respond to your messages, misses deadlines, or fails to keep you informed about their progress, it can be a significant red flag. Look for an outsourcing partner with a reliable and prompt communication system. If an outsourcing partner doesn’t communicate effectively, regularly, or transparently, it can lead to misunderstandings and mistakes.

• Lack of transparency: Transparency is crucial when working with an outsourcing partner. Not being transparent about their processes, pricing, or communication can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Look for an outsourcing partner that is open and honest about their methods, pricing, and communication channels. If an outsourcing partner isn’t transparent about their processes, pricing, or performance, establishing trust and managing the partnership can be difficult.

• Lack of Flexibility: A good outsourcing partner should be flexible and adaptable to your changing needs. If they are rigid in their approach or unwilling to make changes to their strategy, it can be a sign that they are not a good fit for your business. Look for an outsourcing partner that is willing to adjust their approach based on your feedback and changing business needs.

• Questionable Ethics or Practices: Finally, be wary of outsourcing partners that engage in questionable ethics or practices. If they use spammy or unethical tactics to generate leads or manipulate data to make their results look better, it can be damaging to your business’s reputation. Look for an outsourcing partner that operates with integrity and ethical standards.

Green Lights to Look for in Your Outsourcing Partner:

• Strong communication and Collaboration: A good outsourcing partner should be able to communicate effectively, regularly, and transparently and show a willingness to work together to address challenges and optimise results. A good outsourcing partner should also be interested in building a long-term partnership with your business, rather than just completing a one-time project. They should also be proactive in suggesting ways to improve your processes and achieve your goals.

• Expertise and Industry Knowledge: You should also consider outsourcing partners that have expertise and industry knowledge relevant to your business. This includes understanding the unique challenges and opportunities facing your industry, as well as having experience in sales and marketing tactics that are effective in that industry. Outsourcing partners with relevant expertise and industry knowledge can offer valuable insights and guidance that can help grow your business.

• Customizable Services: Another important green flag to look for is an outsourcing partner that offers customisable services. Every business is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach to outsourcing may not be effective. Business owners should look for outsourcing partners that offer tailored solutions that can be customized to their specific needs, goals, and budget.

• Transparent pricing: A good outsourcing partner should be transparent about their pricing, billing processes, and any additional costs that may arise.

• Technological Capabilities: Finally, you should consider outsourcing partners that have strong technological capabilities. This includes having access to the latest sales and marketing technologies, automation tools, and analytics software. Partners with strong technological capabilities can provide valuable insights, streamline processes, and improve efficiency, resulting in better sales outcomes for your business.

Overall, outsourcing sales can be an effective strategy for businesses looking to scale their sales efforts quickly and efficiently. By partnering with a specialised sales agency, businesses can leverage the expertise and experience of sales professionals, access new markets and customers, and focus on their core competencies. By keeping red flags and “Green” lights in mind, you’ll be able to select an outsourcing partner that can help you achieve your sales goals and grow your business.