Outsource B2B Sales

Outsource B2B Sales – Does it Work?

In short, yes it can but like most aspects of business there’s a right and a wrong way! I’m not saying our method is the only way but it’s based on two principals;

1.Minimising the risk to our customer

2.Minimising the risk to the supplier

Readers who are a bit lazy can click on the video below to get a summary

Why Outsource B2B Sales?

The answer to the first question depends on whether you’re a Micro, SME or large organisation.

Micro Business

 

For Micro Businesses it’s often a case of, “I need a cost effective way to acquire new customers” and “When I’m looking after customers who pay the bills, I’m not selling”.

 

 

SMEs

For SMEs it’s often a case of;

1.We have a new product and we need to market test it

2.My best sales person has left and there’s a big gap in their absence

3.We are dependent on two sales people and I’m worried about them joining a competitor

 

 

Enterprises

For Enterprises / Large Businesses, each department is in fact an SME and it’s often a case of;

1.You haven’t the resources to secure new sales people

2.Launching or re-engineering a niche solution

3.Where you can’t wait to recruit and train a new team

4.When you need a low risk model

 

How to Outsource B2B Sales

Think of the task of selling in terms of the sales cycle, in other words the various phases of the sales process and map that process to the task of outsource b2b sales. The sales cycle could work something like this;

1. Suspect (or what’s commonly called in the U.S. as sales lead) – What a potential customer looks like and their characteristics, we’ve covered this here https://www.b2bsell.com/how-to-increase-sales/ in more detail under Target Market
2. Qualified Opportunities – When you’ve made an initial call to a company and they are a qualified opportunity. We’ve covered this here https://www.b2bsell.com/how-to-increase-sales/ in more detail throughout the blog piece
3. Meeting & Discovery – Whether you use traditional discovery and implication type questioning (see here https://www.b2bsell.com/implication-questions/ ) or the Challenger Sales Method covered here https://www.b2bsell.com/5-profiles-b2b-sales-reps/ and here https://www.b2bsell.com/consultative-selling-challenger-sale/
4. Proposal
5. SCOTSMAN Qualification covered here https://www.b2bsell.com/portfolio-item/scotsman-download/ a way to predict what will close and what won’t close
6. WON, QUALIFY OUT, LOST

How to Outsource B2B Sales – Method

1.Select your supplier

2.Take each aspect of the sales process and progressively outsource that aspect as follows;

 

a.Start with a lead generation exercise – Bear in mind that if you’re solution has any level of complexity, the supplier will need to get up to speed and what  better way to achieve this and traverse the learning curve; while earning you highly qualified leads.

b.The supplier to attend a number of sales interviews with you providing the technical input whether that’s face to face or via video conference. It may not be possible or desirable to ever outsource the technical aspect of the sales process.

c.Get the supplier involved in proposal writing

d.Empower the supplier to manage the follow up