Growth is a positive thing. Whether it’s financial or personal, growth means progress. When we talk about the growth of a business, we are referring to the process of increasing the size, revenue, and market share over time. At MarketStar, we are proud of our purpose to “Create Growth”, because over the last 35 years this is what we have done successfully for our clients and our people all over the world. However, the growth we create isn’t about a quick fix and rapid expansion.

Practicing the art of creating sustainableand profitable growth is a combination of expertise and experience. And while it may appear easy on paper, there are numerous examples of companies who could not keep up with their own growth. We often find that organizations focus on intense growth instead of creating scalable processes to sustain that growth in the future. According to Business Harvard Review“today’s medium firms are larger and older than at any other time in the past 35 years; yet an increasing percentage of medium firms incur losses, have lower profits, and have lower growth despite spending larger amounts on experimentation and innovation.” 

See the Buy vs. Build ROI infographic summary here

Despite rapid market changes, looming economic disruption, a continual battle for talent, and increasingly complex product and service offerings, one thing never changes for sales: you must hit your number. In 2023, the mantra tied to revenue is “adapt and evolve if you want to succeed and grow.” 

Engaging the partner channel isn’t as easy as it once was. Partners are more diverse and specialized, margins have thinned, and hard-good solutions are rapidly transitioning from one-time fees (with service contracts) to subscription-based solutions. Those companies who recognize that the partner channel is changing, and embrace the change, will be positioned for success in the coming years. But, those who choose to maintain business as usual, will likely see their channel slip through their fingers. 

The ongoing war in Ukraine caused by the Russian acts of aggression has made the devastating consequences of war a reality for thousands of families. With the frigid winter temperatures compounding the severity of war, we knew we had to do more than stand with Ukraine. The MarketStar Bulgarian team knew something had to be done to help the Ukrainian people.

Transformation is not the easiest task for large businesses. It has been said by MANY enterprise leaders that for their organization to fully transform an old sales model into a digitally driven NEW model, it would take an act of God. Cue the pandemic of 2020. 

Among the numerous lessons of the past three years, one that can’t be ignored is that nothing transforms the way we interact with prospects and customers like the complete disruption of face-to-face contact. Sales was particularly hit hard by “these trying times” – but it also opened a striking opportunity: the opportunity to transform a traditional outside sales team into a digitally driven, blended, inside/outside sales force. 

An influx of sales outsourcing companies in recent years is a sign that many organizations take advantage of this business model as a great way to get the expertise and resources needed to scale, expand into a new market, add specialty roles, or improve your customer's buyer journey.  But the more choices we are presented with, the harder and longer the decision process, and finding the right partner can be the difference between success and failure. To help you make this important decision, here are some key considerations when evaluating potential outsourcing partners.

As you're coming to the end of Q4 and have more and more reports coming your way, a realization of what this year's numbers mean starts to sink in. Your team won't make it. And you don't know why. You hired promising salespeople; your marketing team seems to know what they're doing, and you know that what you sell hits the mark. You can't blame the economy; seeing how well your competitors are doing. It appears like your team is doing the best that they can. Then why are you thinking "why is my sales team not performing?" and "how do I fix this?"

Let's have a look at some potential problem areas and answer some questions to find out how you can turn your underperforming team around.

A "new normal" world with what appears to be a global recession on the horizon, increased cost of living, and 8.20% inflation in the US as of today is not an ideal environment for companies to thrive in.