What to Look for When Outsourcing B2B
Sales — How to Select a Provider
Cautiously

Unsurprisingly, if you want to generate more sales, you typically need more salespeople.

But, it doesn’t always make sense to hire in-house sales reps. Whether you need to save time and money or support rapid growth, outsourcing your B2B sales is often the best decision.

Outsourcing work to an external company is becoming more and more common every year. In fact, 66% of businesses in the U.S. outsource at least one department.

And outsourcing isn’t slowing down anytime soon. 70% of companies plan on outsourcing even more work to outside agencies and companies.

If you want to increase sales, cut costs, and save time, all while growing your business, then you’ll want to make sure you find the right vendor to outsource your sales.

However, finding the right outsourced sales company is no easy task.

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know to find the perfect vendor for your company.

Let’s dive in.

What is B2B Sales Outsourcing?

So, what exactly is B2B sales outsourcing?

B2B Sales Outsourcing is a process where businesses outsource the sales and marketing functions of their companies to third-party professionals. Simply put, it’s when you hire an outside company devoted to B2B sales to do it all for you.

B2B Sales Outsourcing can be an excellent way for businesses to save time and money. By outsourcing your sales and marketing tasks to professional experts, you can 80/20 your business growth.

This can allow your business to focus on your core strengths while letting specialists handle the more difficult selling, marketing, and lead generation tasks.

By taking advantage of a sales outsourcing partner, businesses can reap all these rewards while still retaining control over key in-house decisions affecting their company’s success.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring an Outsourced B2B Sales
Company?

Shorten Your Sales Cycle – Less Prospecting. More Opportunities.

The first thing to keep in mind when considering outsourcing your sales is that you’re hiring experts in their craft. Generating leads is what these companies do all day.

Outsourcing your sales processes can help your business shorten its sales cycles, leading to more productive and profitable selling.

It’s one of the quickest ways to optimize your entire sales process.

When you outsource your prospecting and contacting process, your business can free up valuable time and resources so your team can focus on other areas that need their attention.

Outsourced sales efforts also let your business target a wider range of potential customers, as well as convert leads into paying customers faster.

With a full flight of sales experts working for your brand, you’ll be able to generate new opportunities for your company that you wouldn’t have had access to on your own.

Reduce Your Expenses – Less Overhead. More Margin.

Hiring an outsourced B2B sales provider can help you cut costs.

By reducing your expenses and overhead, you’ll be able to increase your margins for your business, giving your profits room to grow.

Think about the 80/20 principle.

By focusing 80% of your time and energy on the 20% of tasks that make your brand unique and successful, you’ll be able to reach your goals much faster.

This allows you to maintain a higher level of productivity and make more money. In addition, outsourcing can also save you time and money by automating sales processes that you would have otherwise had to work through manually. This is an easy win to increase the efficiency of your team.

Outsourcing can also improve your relationships with customers by freeing up your team’s time so they can provide a more consistent customer service experience.

Outsourcing your sales process will allow you to focus on your core business rather than dealing with the day-to-day demands of prospecting within your sales funnel.

Expand Your Market Share – Less Testing. More Scaling.

According to Tenbound’s 2022 Survey, 73% of companies saw better performance from their outsourced sales team than their internal sales team.

A dedicated sales team can help you multiply your market share while you focus on scaling your business.

Testing and optimizing your sales processes is time-consuming and costly if you are unsure of what needs to be fixed in your campaigns. As a result, it’s often pushed to the side as not-that-important.

However, if you want to improve your sales process, you have to run A/B tests.

By outsourcing the selling process, you can scale your business quickly without worrying about the logistics of selling. A professional sales team will take care of the sales process for you, which frees up your time so you can focus on business growth.

Additionally, outsourcing allows your business to reduce its marketing costs since your team is freed from prospecting, generating leads, and closing deals. This cuts down on wasted resources so you can invest more money into taking your business to the next level.

There are plenty of other benefits to hiring an outsourced B2B sales force to generate leads and close deals, so it’s worth considering if it would be a good fit for your business.

What Should You Look for When Outsourcing B2B Sales to Generate Leads?

Are you ready to hire a B2B sales company?

Just hold up a minute!

Before you pick the first B2B sales company you come across, you need to make sure you take a look at these crucial five factors:

The Sales Team’s Location

What do you hear all the time in real estate?

“Location, location, location!”

Well, that’s not the only time you should be thinking about location. You also need to consider it when hiring a B2B sales agency.

The reality is that it’s much harder to convince someone to do business with you if there’s a communication barrier. If your company targets large businesses in the U.S., then you need to ensure your sales team can speak fluently, so your prospects have no trepidation about working with your company.

Another factor is cultural differences. Simple colloquial phrases can lead to big misunderstandings that hamper or halt the purchasing decision. Rapport is everything when it comes to generating sales. When you’re culturally similar, it’s much easier to make a sale.

That’s why you should partner with sales teams based in your target country. This is especially true if you’re going after North American decision-makers.

You also need to consider how unified a sales team is—especially when it comes to geography.

A company’s location impacts how efficiently a sales team can generate leads. If your sales reps and your prospects are working in significantly different time zones, it can be hard to respond within the recommended five minutes. By having a sales team available when your prospects are responding to your outbound campaigns, it’s more likely that you’ll be able to fill your funnel with qualified leads.

The Business Development Reps’ Average Years of Experience

Once you’ve narrowed down the sales company’s location, it’s time to figure out just how experienced they are.

One of the easiest metrics for determining expertise is finding out how long they’ve been in business.

Not only should you look at the company’s age, but you should also ask about the average years of experience among sales reps.

You may only have a few salespeople from a team devoted to your company, so you’ll want to ensure that you know the average number of years of experience across reps.

The Outsourced Sales Companies’ Industry Specializations

Next up, you should consider industry specialization.

If you’re in the tech niche and a sales agency has only worked in healthcare, you may want to keep looking.

Outsourcing can provide a cost-effective way to increase sales and reach new customers. But… if you aren’t picking an agency with industry expertise, they may struggle to reach your targets.

Plus, outsourcing with sales experts can be a great way to beef up your sales team or expand your customer base by working with a company that has the resources and knowledge in your industry to help you succeed.

When choosing an outsourcing partner, consider their overall industry experience and the types of services they offer. This will help you access the resources you need to grow your business and reach new customers.

Before you choose an outsourcing partner, remember to evaluate their credibility and track record before making a decision. Look at case studies of any clients they’ve had in your niche. This will help you get the most out of your partnership and your investment.

The Lead Generation Tools Used

Next up, you’ll want to take a look at their tech.

Outsourcing lead generation can greatly reduce costs and save time, but you should ensure the agency uses quality tools.

The three main types of lead generation tools are databases, marketing automation, and telemarketing software. Let’s take go over what you should be looking for.

Databases – Lead databases have come a long way, and the details in the databases can have a huge impact on your lead generation success. Information like buyer intent, keyword surges, and technographic specifics can go a long way in building out targeted marketing messages. Discuss the data that the outsourced sales agency will be using to fuel your campaigns.

Marketing automation – In today’s digital world, automation is a necessity. However, not all marketing automation tools are created equally — some are smarter and more reliable than others. Consider discussing the capabilities of the marketing automation tools each sales agency employs to get a feel for the sophistication of their campaigns.

Telemarketing software – Contrary to popular belief, cold calling is still an effective lead generation strategy, but it can be more expensive than email marketing. The best way to track the effectiveness of cold calling is through tracking calls. Working with a sales agency that provides metrics on their calling efforts can help determine if calls are producing results or if the strategy needs to be adjusted.

It’s important to select the right type of lead generation tool for your business. Email marketing is versatile and can be used to generate leads from both new and existing customers. It’s also great for nurturing leads towards a purchase.

Telemarketing is best for generating new leads, but it may not be as effective with existing customers. It’s important to choose the lead generation method that will workbest for your business goals.

Using a two-pronged approach with telemarketing and email marketing is usually thebest way to create an effective sales process.

The Sales Processes Implemented

Wondering how to improve your sales process?

One of the best ways is to hire a B2B sales company whose entire business revolves
around sales. Outsourcing your sales process to a sales team can save your business
time and money since they’re so heavily invested in the space.

Several different sales processes can be outsourced:

• Cold calling
• Email campaigns
• LinkedIn campaigns
• Lead capture form
• Webinars

Outsourcing your sales processes can save you a ton of time by automating certain parts of the sales process.

Automated processes make it easier for businesses to track progress. It also helps them review results regularly so they can improve their process. This often leads to higher conversions.

77% of marketers who use automation software have higher conversions than those who don’t use automation tech.

Automation also makes it easier for business owners to focus on other aspects of their business instead of spending most of their day trying to make another sale.

Businesses can also benefit from outsourcing even if they only need help with a specific part of their sales process.

For example, a business might outsource its email campaigns to a third-party provider to increase its open rates and overall engagement. Or, they might outsource lead capture forms to a marketing and design team to improve conversions.

By outsourcing certain aspects of the sales process, businesses can free up valuable resources that they use elsewhere in their business. This lets them grow faster and reach their goals more quickly while simultaneously reducing costs associated with marketing and sales operations.

When outsourcing B2B sales, it’s essential to look for companies with excellent reputations and a proven track record. That way, you can be sure that you’re working with reliable partners who will help your business grow.

How Do You Cautiously Select an Outsourced Sales Provider?

So, you’re finally ready to hire a B2B sales provider?

Before you do, you should make sure you follow these six steps to ensure you don’t get
locked into a contract that may harm you:

1. Identify the Gaps in Your Sales Processes and Sales Goals

Before reaching out, you should do an honest assessment of your own company.

Several gaps in your sales process likely need to be filled in. By first identifying what these are, it will increase your chances of success when outsourcing sales.

Selecting an outsourced sales provider is a big decision, and it’s important to ensure all the pieces of your puzzle are in place before making a choice.

By identifying the gaps in your current sales process, you can ensure that you choose the right company so you both get the most out of the relationship.

Some common areas that usually need to be addressed include:

• Your market research
• Your buyer personas
• Your sales tools
• Your sales enablement materials
• How meetings are scheduled
• How deals are closed

By filling these gaps in your sales process, you’ll increase the chances of success when outsourcing sales.

2. Research Outsourced B2B Sales Services and Providers

When choosing an outsourced sales provider, it is important to research and select a company you trust. There are a variety of options available, so make sure you take your time to do some homework. It will pay off in the long run.

There are several different types of outsourced sales services, so it is important to choose the right one for your business. Depending on the type of business, certain services may be more applicable than others.

For instance, if you sell software products, you may want to consider using an outsourcing sales consultant who specializes in helping you connect with potential customers in need of better software.

There are several factors to consider when selecting an outsourced sales provider, including pricing, industry specialization, quality of service, and total experience. By doing your research ahead of time, you can make sure that you get the most out of your relationship and investment.

3. Make a Shortlist of Outsourced Sales Agencies that Fit Your Needs

Remember, before you put an outsourced sales agency on your list, you should ensure
they’ll be the right fit. Take into account your brand’s needs and goals.

After all, the whole point of hiring a sales agency is to help you achieve your business
objectives.

Here are a few tips for making a shortlist:

1. Research the different agencies and their services. You can easily do some research online. You can also check out industry publications to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Evaluate each agency’s approach to sales automation. Is their automation infrastructure sophisticated enough to handle your company’s complex sales processes?
3. Consider compatibility. How well does the sales agency integrate with other parts of your business (such as marketing, customer service, or inbound sales)? Is the team experienced working with partners outside of your organization?
4. How are leads vetted and qualified? You want to make the most of your and your prospects’ time. Discuss how leads move through the sales funnel and how those leads are deemed ready to book an appointment.
5. Review pricing structures. There are a variety of pricing structures that an outsourcing sales service could use, from pay-per-lead to a monthly subscription. It could be helpful to speak with several sales agencies before deciding on the pricing model that fits you best.

4. Schedule Meetings with Potential Providers

Once you’ve got your shortlist ready, it’s time to schedule meetings.

Picking the right outsourced sales provider can be daunting, but one of the best ways to vet prospective companies is to schedule regular meetings with them. Speaking face to face (in-person or over Zoom) with potential providers is a highly effective way to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses.

By meeting with potential agencies, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which provider is the best fit for your business. You’ll find out much more than you would by simply looking at their website.

When selecting an outsourced sales provider, it’s important to consider factors such as price, quality of service, team size, and location.

However, it’s also important to remember that not all providers are created equal. You must select a provider compatible with your brand and mission statement.

By scheduling regular meetings with potential sales providers, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which aligns the best with your company’s vision.

5. Ask Every Potential Vendor These 9 Questions

You’re finally in a meeting with potential providers.

Now what?

The key is to hone in on the right questions.

It can be easy just to ask anything random that comes into your head.

But this isn’t the time to wing it. You need to have a set of key questions ready to ask before you start the meeting.

Here are nine questions you should ask every potential vendor:

1. Do you have experience generating leads and closing sales in our industry?
2. Have you ever sold products or services similar to ours?
3. What does your entire sales process look like?
4. How do you measure sales success?
5. Are you able to support us as we scale up (or down)?
6. What tools and tech do you use?
7. How do you utilize automation within your sales process?
8. How do you price your services?
9. Do you have case studies to show you have relevant experience?

Remember, your outsourced sales vendor will most likely represent your company for a long time. You need to make sure you fully trust them when it comes to your sales process.

6. Ask for References or Read Reviews to Guide Your Decision

Before you choose your outsourced sales provider, consider asking for references and reading reviews or testimonials.

It’s one thing to have case studies to show they can do the work.

It’s another to hear from real clients to see what they have to say about the agency you’re about to hire.

Selecting the right outsourced sales provider can be incredibly challenging. There’s always the risk that you end up hiring the wrong one. But, by asking for references or reading reviews, you’re dramatically reducing that risk and increasing the odds you make the right decision.

References provide you with firsthand knowledge and reassurance of the provider’s skills. On the other hand, reviews can give you a snapshot of how the provider has performed for clients in past projects.

By combing through these vital resources, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about who you should partner with.

Are You Ready to Fill Your Sales Pipeline and Rev Up Your Revenue?

So, are you ready to outsource your sales team so you can grow your revenue?

When you hire an experienced B2B sales team, you’re better able to position your company to grow and increase profitability.

Outsourcing your sales team is one of the best ways to scale up quickly and take advantage of new opportunities for finding leads.

The best part is that if your goal is to ramp up your sales efforts, you don’t need to be an expert in every aspect of the sales process. An experienced B2B sales team will handle all the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on growing your business.

Choosing a B2B sales vendor that’s right for your company can be a challenge in today’s landscape. But, hiring a trusted outsourced B2B Sales Team can help grow your company’s revenue by increasing leads and closing more deals.

At Martal, we employ an exclusively North America-based team of expert B2B sales representatives. Over the years, we’ve partnered with hundreds of brands to automate their sales processes and grow their revenue.

If you’re a tech company looking for a trusted B2B sales vendor to ramp up your sales, reach out to Martal today.