MarketStar Blog

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 their 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. 

These are interesting times. The global economy is facing the possibility of a recession, and businesses are searching for ways to cut costs, streamline operations, and maximize efficiency. This past year we have seen companies like Netflix, Snap, Wayfair, and Tesla all cut costs by halting new hires and laying off portions of their workforce. Many of these same tech giants are changing the ways that they reach new customers and take care of existing customers because of the economic instability attached to a looming recession.

But it's not all gloom and doom. Economic headwinds can provide an opportunity for bold moves. When the competition is contracting and recalibrating, there are some time-tested levers that can lead to explosive growth. One such lever is outsourcing.

As of 2022, 92% of the United States' total population has internet access. That translates to over 305 million users. Whether their intent is to find information, entertainment, or to connect with others, one thing is certain- today's customers live online. And with a reported 40,000 Google search queries per second, it looks like they are pretty active. This creates an ocean of opportunities for organizations to utilize their online presence and leverage a plethora of tools and channels to spark curiosity, capture leads, and nurture them throughout their buyer journey.

Sales as a Service is growing in popularity year by year with an increasing number of executives seeing the enormous value that Outsourced Sales bring to the table. The high cost of living combined with the long and costly recruiting process, expensive industry turnover, and a future that isn’t very predictable are only a few challenges faced by many organizations today.

Back in the late 90s, an American software designer, Alan Cooper, developed a concept that changed and redefined how today's marketers and sales teams target and interact with their buyers. "To create a product that must satisfy a diverse audience, logic might tell you to make it as broad in its functionality as possible to accommodate the most people. This logic, however, is flawed.  The best way to accommodate a variety of users is to design for specific individuals with specific needs." This Cooper's statement led to the invention of a concept known as "Buyer Persona" which proves to be the most crucial step in targeting and engaging with the right prospects. Researching and finding out who your current as well as ideal buyers are and whom your product value proposition resonates with will help you define the right parameters for attracting viable leads and retaining your audience.