FAQs

Outsourcing describes the process by which a company transfers specific business functions to experts from an outside entity (referred to as a supplier or vendor). Generally, both parties enter into a contractual agreement that allows the supplier to operate on the company's behalf as it relates to the specific tasks outlined in the contract. The largest part of outsourcing, known as Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), is comprised of seven business functions: human resources, procurement, finance and accounting, customer management, logistics, sales and marketing, and training.

MarketStar is the world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing. Having represented hundreds of the best brands over the last 20 years, MarketStar is a proven expert at developing successful sales and marketing programs that keep pace with client demands and changing market forces.

The term "offshoring” is sometimes compared and contrasted with outsourcing. Outsourcing is the movement of internal business processes to an external company whereas offshoring is the movement of internal business processes from one country to another. Companies subcontracting in the same country would be outsourcing, but not offshoring. The confusion of these two terms occurs when a company subcontracts a business unit to a different company in another country. In this case, it would be considered both outsourcing and offshoring, although most people refer to this motion simply as offshoring.

MarketStar is unique because it's one of the only sales and marketing outsourcing companies that has operations across the globe. Whether in Chile, China, or California, a company can outsource part or all of its sales and marketing to MarketStar and be assured MarketStar will deploy a consistent business model.

Although each outsourcing scenario is different, the main objectives of outsourcing are to: (1) improve business efficiencies, (2) save time to market and (3) save and control costs. Therefore, if a company is evaluating various outsourcing options and the solution doesn't meet the above objectives, outsourcing may not be the best option.

In many cases, outsourcing does save money and time. If a company were looking to expand operations into another market or launch a new product, for example, it may be faster and less expensive to outsource the deployment to a supplier that already has the tools and resources in place. In addition, a company that lacks relevant expertise in a specific market may greatly benefit from leveraging resources from a supplier with the knowledge readily available.

One of the most attractive aspects of outsourcing is the ability to control costs. If a company were to hire an additional sales team in-house, both fixed and variable costs are incurred. Often the final price tag is not known until well after the money is gone. By outsourcing the sales support to a company like MarketStar, the final price tag is known before the team is ever deployed and the ability to forecast cost and return on investment is very manageable.

Contact MarketStar directly by e-mail or by phone at 800.877.8259 to learn more about outsourcing.

Outsourcing has always been a part of business. Even in the early days of modern commerce, companies that manufactured and distributed their own products and services still relied on outside companies such as mail couriers, print houses and telecommunications companies to support common business functions.

By the 1970s, outsourcing as we know it gained popularity. Certain suppliers began specializing in business processes common to all businesses; in turn, these suppliers offered their people as an outsourced service. (This is known as Business Process Outsourcing or BPO). Forward-thinking companies, both large and small, began outsourcing non-core business functions to suppliers, and despite market skepticism, these companies actually realized significant market advantages. Within a few years, outsourcing became a common business practice across the United States.

During this same period of time, various public groups voiced concerns about how outsourcing (and especially offshoring) would damage the local labor market. In addition, these groups cited other problems such as poor service quality and high staff turnover rates as reasons outsourcing was hurting the economy instead of helping it. Despite these perceptions, companies continued to outsource.

In recent years, enough outsourcing companies have a track record of high quality service and results that most of the stigma attached to the term "outsourcing” is gone. In fact, MarketStar, with 20 years of experience and a focus on localized outsourcing (which helps bolster the local labor markets), continues to provide exceptional results for clients like HP, Cisco, Verizon, Whirlpool and Microsoft. Without question, MarketStar is the trusted choice for sales and marketing outsourcing.

The global outsourcing industry eclipsed $460 billion in 2007 and U.S.-based companies are responsible for 60 percent of that total. Nearly 95 percent of all companies consider outsourcing, and an estimated 73 percent of U.S.-based companies currently outsource at least one major business function to a third-party supplier. Ironically, 83 percent of all jobs outsourced by U.S.-based companies stay within the United States. (This type of outsourcing is often referred to as domestic outsourcing).

Within the outsourcing industry, sales and marketing outsourcing is growing at a rapid rate. Established in the early 1990s, global sales and marketing outsourcing is now a $166 billion industry, according to published industry reports. Experts estimate sales outsourcing will continue to grow at an annual rate of 6.1 percent through 2010, reaching as much as $197 billion by the end of that year.

MarketStar is a leader in domestic sales and marketing outsourcing and has been responsible for significant sales growth for hundreds of clients over the last two decades. Currently, MarketStar provides various sales and marketing functions for clients such as Cisco, HP, Verizon and Whirlpool. If you would like to speak with someone at MarketStar to determine if sales and marketing outsourcing is right for you, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

(Sources: IDC 2007, Gartner Research 2006)

The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering costs, leveraging another company's expertise or to make more efficient use of technology, capital, labor and/or other internal resources. Other reasons include speed to market, ability to access additional markets not previously accessible to your company, and a litmus test comparison against internal resources. According to research, nearly 95 percent of companies have considered outsourcing and an estimated 73 percent of companies in the United States currently outsource a major business function to a third-party supplier.

To determine if outsourcing is right for you, MarketStar recommends you collaborate with industry experts. Dave Forsberg, MarketStar's Executive Vice President of Business Development and a 15-year veteran of sales outsourcing, would be happy to discuss your outsourcing options. He can be reached by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

(Sources: IDC 2007, Gartner Research 2006)

The decision to outsource is both strategic and budgetary. If a company is looking to outsource, the key decision makers must clearly define the factors most important to them before they begin the search for a company to fulfill their needs.

Once the criteria is set, a company will most often issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to a shortlist of suppliers, soliciting both a proposal and a price from each supplier. Once the suppliers have responded to the RFP, the company will then rank each supplier based on their preset criteria and make a final decision. Some companies will choose the most cost-efficient option, but in most cases, a greater focus is placed on quality of service. After all, the supplier will be representing the company's brand!

Over the last two decades, MarketStar has helped hundreds of clients fulfill their sales and marketing outsourcing needs. From Apple to Zenith, MarketStar has deployed more integrated field, phone and Web-based sales campaigns in the CE/IT industry than any other company. If you are looking for expert advice on which outsourcing companies could best serve your needs, contact Dave Forsberg, MarketStar's Executive Vice President of Business Development. He can be reached by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120. 

One popular type of outsourcing is sales outsourcing, which is defined as the practice of using an external company, known as a supplier, to transparently represent a brand during the selling motion to customers. This motion is differentiated from telemarketing in that it requires direct recruitment of sales personnel with specific backgrounds for each sales program. It also typically involves face-to-face relationship selling and training, whereas telemarketing uses generalist sales representatives with limited product expertise who rely on a script for message delivery.

It should be mentioned that not all sales outsourcing models deliver the same value. For example, some sales outsourcing companies are heavily focused on activity-based metrics, do not assume a shared-risk contract with the company they represent, and use a shared-rep model (which means each sales representative represents multiple brands at any one time). On the other hand, the best sales outsourcing companies are quota-bearing and take accountability regarding sales results rather than sales activities only. In addition, they use a dedicated-rep model, which means each sales representative only represents one brand for the duration of the supplier contract. This model yields stronger product experts, reduces competitor conflict and provides a more seamless extension of a company's brand. Even though the price is typically higher with a dedicated-rep model than a shared-rep model, the value and ROI seen by companies who use it is much greater.

To learn more about sales outsourcing, turn to MarketStar. For two decades MarketStar has deployed highly qualified dedicated sales specialists to represent the world's most admired brands in retail, business-to-business, and direct-to-consumer channel selling motions.

Contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120 to learn more.

In today's world of fast-paced transactions and rising costs of doing business, companies around the globe look to industry experts to control costs and more quickly capture market share. For 73 percent of U.S.-based companies, this search results in engaging a third-party supplier of outsourced business functions. If done correctly, companies that outsource core business functions, such as sales and marketing, improve business efficiencies, save time to market and control costs.

For example, if a company were looking to expand operations into another market or launch a new product, it may be faster and less expensive to outsource the deployment to a third-party supplier of sales and marketing that already has the tools and resources in place. In addition, a company that lacks relevant expertise in a specific market may greatly benefit from leveraging resources from a supplier with the knowledge readily available.

One of the most attractive benefits of outsourcing is the ability to control costs. If a company were to hire an additional sales team in-house, both fixed and variable costs are incurred. Often the final price tag is not known until well after the money is gone. By outsourcing the sales support to a third-party company like MarketStar, the final cost is known before the team is ever deployed and the ability to forecast return-on-investment is very manageable.

To learn more about the benefits of outsourcing your company's sales and marketing, contact MarketStar directly by e-mail or by phone at 800.877.8259 and asked to be transferred to Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development.

(Source: Gartner Research 2006)

With operations in nearly 30 countries on five different continents and with employees in nearly every time zone, MarketStar has career choices to fit your lifestyle. Whether you are looking to advance your career, reenter the workforce or want to supplement your primary income working weekends, contact MarketStar to help you find the appropriate career opportunity to match.

Visit MarketStar's careers Web site online or e-mail MarketStar's Career Placement Services department.

With 2,500 employees worldwide and new jobs opening daily, MarketStar offers a wide variety of career choices for business professionals both within and outside the state of Utah. In fact, the number of Utah-based employees was eclipsed in 2006 by the number of employees outside the state of Utah.

To learn more about career opportunities specific to your location, lifestyle and career objectives, visit our careers Web site online or e-mail MarketStar's Career Placement Services department.  

MarketStar has access to more than 2,000 different localized job boards and career placement centers across the United States. MarketStar also attends over 20 U.S.-based career fairs and college campus recruiting events every year. Depending on the season and current job openings, MarketStar broadcasts career opportunities using the above resources.

To view the most current MarketStar job openings for your area, go online or e-mail MarketStar's Career Placement Services department.

If you have recently applied for a position at MarketStar, congratulations! That's the first step to launching yourself into an exciting new career.

All submitted job applications go through a thorough review and screening process by our Human Resources and Recruiting departments. Because MarketStar reviews more than 1,500 applications per month, MarketStar's recruiting director would kindly ask you to be patient during this process. In most cases, MarketStar will contact all applicants within two weeks of a position being filled.

If you have questions about the status of your application at any time, do not hesitate to e-mail MarketStar's Recruiting department or call 800.877.8259.

MarketStar's Recruiting department is always happy to assist job applicants during the application review process. If you received a phone call regarding a MarketStar job application, please call 800.877.8259 and ask to be transferred to the Recruiting department or to the person who called you.

If you are unable to obtain the right information over the phone, please e-mail our Career Placement Services department. You can expect a response within two business days.

Although not required, it is often helpful for job candidates to speak with a current employee with a similar job title as the job for which they are applying.

Please contact our Human Resources department by e-mail or by calling 800.877.8259. A Human Resources representative will assist you in obtaining contact information of a current employee within your area of interest.

MarketStar has got you covered! Aside from market-competitive salaries, MarketStar offers all full-time employees multiple healthcare plan options that are tailored to meet the needs and circumstances of each employee. In addition, MarketStar provides many other employee perks including a stock purchase plan, tuition assistance, life insurance and 401k matching, to name a few.

View a complete list of employee benefits.

MarketStar's culturally diverse employee community is home to more than 2,500 employees worldwide. With a special emphasis on family and promoting a healthy work-life balance, MarketStar succeeds in developing a positive and productive work culture.

If you would like to speak with someone directly about working at MarketStar, please e-mail our Career Placement Services department and a Human Resources representative will respond to you within two business days.

MarketStar is the world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing. With operations in nearly 30 countries and with over 2,500 employees working in nearly every time zone, MarketStar provides scalable sales solutions for retail, business-to-business and direct-to-consumer manufacturers. In fact, MarketStar has delivered over $15 billion in sales growth for clients such as HP, Verizon, Cisco, Whirlpool and Microsoft.

MarketStar is headquartered in Ogden, Utah, USA and has been in business for two decades. MarketStar is currently part of the Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), the largest marketing communications company in the world. For more information about MarketStar and its services, e-mail our general information center.

Since its inception in 1988, MarketStar has been focused on providing sales and marketing support to brands around the globe. MarketStar is a world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing, providing multi-country support for companies like Cisco, RIM BlackBerry and Intel.

Alan Hall, MarketStar's founder, recognized a market need for specialized sales professionals who could influence the sale of complex technology products in retail stores. Over the next several years, Hall developed a replicable outsourcing model that changed the face of sales and marketing outsourcing forever. Although MarketStar's services have increased in breadth and depth, MarketStar's core offering has not changed. MarketStar is—and will continue to be—the world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing.

For more information about MarketStar and its services, e-mail our general information center.

MarketStar has nearly 30 core product and service offerings. Consequently, MarketStar has many departments and divisions that may be able to answer your questions.

For general business questions, please contact Kelly Taylor, MarketStar's Director of Corporate Marketing, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116. For specific inquiries regarding how to leverage MarketStar's services to help accelerate your sales and improve your market position, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

Absolutely not. One core tenant of MarketStar's business model is the ability to customize and scale each program to match the needs of its clients.

MarketStar has a suite of client services, managed by our Channel Strategy and Enablement Group, which are designed specifically for small and emerging businesses. In fact, MarketStar currently supports more than a dozen start-up and emerging businesses with sales and marketing support—from project-based contact center solutions and pilot sales programs, to creative marketing support and sales readiness training.

To learn more about how MarketStar's services can help grow your company, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

As one of Utah's premier companies and a leader in sales outsourcing, MarketStar is a trusted source for sales outsourcing expertise and knowledge.

Our marketing department would be happy to provide you with information and materials to complete your project. Please contact our Corporate Communications Manager Valleen Nye by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5683.

In 1988, Alan Hall started TempReps, a project-based sales outsourcing company. The name was later changed to Technology Advancement Corporation (TAC) to encompass a greater number of services. Over time, the company outgrew its name and rebranded itself as MarketStar in 1998. Despite the name changes over the last two decades, MarketStar has kept the core part of its business intact. With a continued focus on providing people and knowledge to accelerate sales for our clients through a variety of channels, MarketStar remains the market leader in sales and marketing outsourcing.

For more information about MarketStar, contact Kelly Taylor, MarketStar's Director of Corporate Marketing, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116.

As the world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing, MarketStar maintains global deployment capabilities and solutions for every major market around the world. With a local footprint in nearly 30 countries, MarketStar offers strategic sales execution around the clock. In fact, in a matter of weeks, MarketStar can deploy an entire international sales program to match your company's global requirements.

In 2005, MarketStar launched operations in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. This included countries such as China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Korea. In addition, MarketStar recently made significant investments to expand its reach in Central and South America, with local deployment in countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Costa Rica.

To learn more about MarketStar's global capabilities, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

The short answer is yes. MarketStar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Omnicom Group, a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: OMC). As such, MarketStar contributes to and benefits from the steady positive growth of the Omnicom stock. Since its inception, Omnicom has seen positive gains and is now the largest marketing communications company in the world.

MarketStar is a member of the Diversified Agency Services group (DAS) within Omnicom Group, and this affiliation allows MarketStar to best serve its clients, employees, and the community.

For additional information on MarketStar's partnership with Omnicom Group, please contact Valleen Nye, Corporate Communications Manager for MarketStar, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5683.

Beginning in 1999, MarketStar's assets were purchased by Omnicom Group, the largest marketing communications company in the world. Although MarketStar maintains its own management and corporate structure, MarketStar management works with Omnicom to forge the strategic roadmap for MarketStar.

MarketStar operates as a subsidiary entity of Omnicom Group. For employees, the Omnicom relationship provides additional financial stability, robust benefits and access to Omnicom's employee stock purchase program.

For more information, contact Kelly Taylor, MarketStar's Director of Corporate Marketing, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116.

MarketStar has been accelerating client sales for two decades. In 1988, with a vision to change the face of sales support for the IT industry, Alan Hall founded what is now known as MarketStar.

MarketStar is the world leader in sales and marketing outsourcing with 2,500 employees and operations in nearly 30 countries around the globe. MarketStar has delivered more than $15 billion in sales growth for its clients and currently supports the best brands in the IT, CE and Durable Goods industries.

For more information about MarketStar, contact Kelly Taylor, MarketStar's Director of Corporate Marketing, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116.

MarketStar's corporate headquarters is located in Ogden, Utah, just 30 minutes north of Salt Lake City. MarketStar also occupies four other U.S. facilities located in Salt Lake City (2), Atlanta and Raleigh. (View contact information for these offices.) Outside the United States, MarketStar and its affiliates control operations in nearly 30 countries.

In addition to office locations, MarketStar's field-based employees are located across the United States and in locations throughout Europe, Central and South America, Canada, and APAC.

For questions regarding MarketStar's global capabilities or to contact one of MarketStar's offices, please contact Kelly Taylor by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116.

It's actually quite simple. For immediate response, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, directly by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120. Usually, Forsberg will be able to give you a quote right over the phone. For more complex projects, Forsberg will provide you a comprehensive proposal outlining the products and services that best serve your needs and circumstances. (For general pricing inquiries, you may also e-mail our corporate headquarters.)

By contacting MarketStar, you will quickly learn why MarketStar is the leader in sales and marketing outsourcing. MarketStar is a performance-based culture and routinely develops successful pay-for-performance plans for clients. With every plan, MarketStar will share in the risks, as well as the rewards, of the client engagement.

MarketStar is known for providing sales support to companies of every size. MarketStar is a sales department if you don't have one, and provides more sales horsepower if you do have one. Every day, MarketStar develops proposals, coverage models and ROI forecasts for businesses around the globe. Whether you are looking for sales resources to fulfill short- or long-term sales needs, MarketStar can scale its programs to match.

Contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120 to receive a price estimate for MarketStar's services.

Unlike other sales outsourcing companies, MarketStar has the breadth and depth to custom fit a solution to match the needs of any-sized company. From project-based pilot programs to fully dedicated sales deployment, MarketStar has the flexibility and scalability to meet your needs.

Coupled with MarketStar's Channel Enablement program, MarketStar's Contact Center is the ideal solution for companies seeking temporary phone-based sales support. MarketStar also manages a national team of field-based assisted selling representatives, all of whom can be deployed at a moments notice to transparently represent your brand in every major market and in all key retail outlets across the United States.

To learn more about how MarketStar can service your company's short term sales needs, contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120.

Companies looking to expand operations across oceans and country borders usually face legal, cultural and operational challenges. Many companies rely on consulting firms, independent contractors and brokers to overcome these challenges. At MarketStar, all your global deployment resources are under one roof. With over 250 years of combined leadership experience in sales outsourcing and local operations in more than 20 countries around the globe, MarketStar is a great compliment to any global expansion strategy.

Contact Executive Vice President of Business Development Dave Forsberg directly by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5120 to learn more about how to make global sales outsourcing work for you.

Since the company began in 1988, MarketStar has been focused on delivering sales results. All of MarketStar's services are centered on accelerating client sales—from geodemographic analysis and market research, to customer profiling and sales management. MarketStar offers a comprehensive sales solution that is scalable, cost-competitive and custom-fit to meet the needs and circumstances of the client.

Contact Dave Forsberg, Executive Vice President of Business Development, by email or by phone at 801.786.5120 to learn more about MarketStar's services.

Yes. MarketStar's marketing department has a creative services division. These services are usually offered in concert with MarketStar's sales outsourcing services, but they can be provided to clients on an as-needed basis.

If you have media, Web or print needs, contact Kelly Taylor, Director of Corporate Marketing, by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5116.

MarketStar has over 1,000 representatives who support 80,000 VARs and solution providers every year. If you have a specific request for one of our representatives, please e-mail MarketStar directly. Usually, your e-mail will be routed to the appropriate team and responded to within two business days.

Due to local statutes and privacy laws, MarketStar is unable to provide contact information for its employees via the internet. Please contact MarketStar directly at 800.877.8259 to locate the name and contact information for a specific MarketStar employee.

MarketStar has a local presence in every major market in the United States with additional operations throughout the world. If you would like to speak with someone at corporate headquarters, please contact MarketStar's Corporate Communications Manager Valleen Nye by e-mail or by phone at 801.786.5683.

For all other requests, e-mail MarketStar's general information center and your request will be routed to the appropriate office or department.

MarketStar honors local statutes and privacy laws related to employee records. Nonetheless, MarketStar maintains an up-to-date record of all current employees and would be happy to assist you in finding a particular individual. Please e-mail MarketStar or call 800.877.8259 and a representative from Human Resources will field your request.