Overview

Many B2B companies are still skeptical about considering outsourcing for any part of their sales function which they consider as a core competence. The reasons for this anxiety are many and sometimes quite valid; these are just few –

• Loss of control/accountability.
• Confidentiality risk.
• Internal sales team building cannot be supported.
• Supplier issues like not finding the right one, constant change and knowledge transfer issues etc.
• No clear cost-benefit.

However, when done right outsourcing some or all of your lead generation efforts can provide significant impetus to your sales pipeline, while also being more cost effective.

Having the right partner is the key to a successful outsourced lead generation program. Here are the key things to consider when thinking of outsourcing your lead generation services –

• Have clear set if objectives and prioritize them.
• Look for a partner with Industry experience, caliber, and solid testimonials.
• Spend time with your partner agency discussing and aligning sales strategy and the sales process with your target prospects- clarity in the sales process is key.
• Definitely try a pilot of at least 3-4 months before making a long-term contract, or before locking down the process and targets.
• Look for Long-term partnerships, and do not plan for short-term engagements.
• Put in place tracking & reporting systems for campaigns performance and quality of leads generated.
• Run periodic experiments, and use the information you gain from face-to-face meetings (wins and losses) to see if the target prospect personas, product/service positioning, and the sales process can be improved.
• Track ROI very clearly.