Avoid Overpaying For Lead Generation Companies In 9 Simple Steps [CHEAT CODES]

Based On Analysis Of 200+ Meetings Between Buyers And Sellers In The CloudTask Marketplace, I've Identified 9 Steps That Help Reduce The Risk Of Overpaying For The Wrong Provider.

Following These Steps When Outsourcing To Lead Generation Companies, Sales Agencies, And Sales Freelancers Will Help You Avoid Blindspots And Ensure Consistency In Your Research So You Can Compare Your Options Apples-To-Apples And Choose The Provider That's The Best Fit For Your Needs.

Checklist

1. Clearly define the performance results you require for your campaign
2. Clearly define the criteria you want to use to define a qualified lead for your campaign.
3. Clearly define the required characteristics you want your ideal provider to have.
4. Gather basic details about providers to ensure they align to your requirements before you request to meet with them.
5. Get clear on the process and timeline the provider will use to setup and launch your campaign.
6. Get clear on how the provider will build the prospect list(s) that will be used to achieve your campaign goals.
7. Get clear on how the provider will build the sales sequence(s) that will be used to achieve your campaign goals.
8. Get clear on how the provider will track, share, and continuously improve performance to meet or exceed the performance results you require.
9. Get clear on their payment terms, warranties, and cancellation process.

What To Do Before The Interview

Complete these steps with your internal team before you request to meet with a provider. You need to clearly communicate this information upfront to all providers you interview.

#1 Clearly define the performance results you require for your campaign.

1. What’s the minimum amount of revenue you need to generate from the output of this campaign over 12-Months in order to make this investment make sense for you? (Regardless of the cost of the service)?
2. What’s the minimum Annual Contract Value (ACV) you need leads to convert at in order to make this investment make sense for you?
3. How many Deals Won does your team achieve from the output of this campaign over 12 months in order to make this investment make sense for you? (Answer to Question #1 divided by Answer to Question #2)
4. What’s the minimum estimated # of Discovery Meetings that need to be generated over 12-Months in order for your team to be on track to hit your Deal Won target?
5. What’s the minimum estimated # of Connects with contacts on your prospect list over 12-Months that need to be achieved in order for your team to be on track to hit your Discovery Meetings target?
6. What’s the minimum estimated # of Target Accounts you need to attempt to engage with over 12-Months in order for your team to be on track to hit your Connects target?

(Need some help coming up with your numbers? Try using this Outbound Sales KPI Calculator)

#2 Clearly define the criteria you want to use to define a qualified lead for your campaign.

1. In which Job Function(s) should a contacts operate in order for the lead to be considered qualified?
2. What Seniority Level(s) should a contact hold in order for the lead to be considered qualified?
3. In which Country/Countries should a company be based in order for a lead to be considered qualified?
4. In which Industry/Industries should a company operate in order for a lead to be considered qualified?
5. How many Employees should a company have in order for a lead to be considered qualified?
6. How much Annual Revenue should the company have for a lead to be considered qualified?
7. List any other criteria you want to use to define a a lead that will be considered qualified.

#3 Clearly define the required characteristics you want your ideal provider to have.

1. What type of tasks do you need the service provider to perform for your team?
2. Which best describes the primary KPI you will use to measure the success of their service?
3. What Geographies do they need to be able to cover?
4. What Languages do they need to be able to support?
5. What type of case studies do they need to be able to provide?(For example, How important is experience selling a specific product/service type, how important is past experience selling into a specific target market, etc.)
6. What Price Range so their services need to fit into??
7. Are you absolutely opposed to certain pricing models (ex. Monthly Retainer, Pay Per Performance, etc.)?

#4 Gather basic details about providers to ensure they align to your requirements before you request to meet with them.

1. Provider Name
2. Web Page URL
3. What service(s) offered by the provider best align to the type of tasks you need the service provider to perform for your team?
4. What geographies does the provider cover?
5. What languages does the provider have the ability to support?
6. What’s the Price Range for their entry point service offer?
7. Does the provider have any Case Studies published that you deem relevant?

What To Do During the Interview

Use these questions to ensure consistency and completeness in your interviews so you can compare your options apples-to-apples (and add any other questions you see fit).

#5 Get clear on the process and timeline the provider will use to setup and launch your campaign.

1. How long should we expect it to take for you to set up and launch our campaign?
2. What tasks/deliverables should we expect from you during the setup and launch of our campaign?
3. What specific resources or information do you need from us in order to complete the setup and launch of our campaign?

#6 Get clear on how the provider will build the prospect list(s) that will be used to achieve your campaign goals.

1. How many contacts will you work per month on my campaign?
2. Do you create a whole new list each month or do you rollover unconverted contact?
3. What tactics will you use to build the prospect list for my campaign?
4. How will you ensure the contacts on the prospect list for my campaign meet my requirements?

#7 Get clear on how the provider will build the sales sequence(s) that will be used to achieve your campaign goals.

1. What channels will you use in the sales sequence for my campaign?
2. How many touches per contact per month will use in the sales sequence for my campaign?
3. How will you create and improve the sales scripts for my campaign?
4. What do you need from me in terms of resources (marketing copy, visuals, flyers, etc.) to create the most effective sales sequences for my campaign?

#8 Get clear on how the provider will track, share, and continuously improve performance to meet or exceed the performance results you require.

1. What numbers will you be targeting each month (lead indicators) to ensure we're on track to achieve my campaign goals?
2. If numbers for my campaign are below plan how will you go about getting them back on track?
3. How will you share performance reports with us?

#9 Get clear on the provider’s payment terms, warranties, and cancellation process.

1. How much will it cost me to run this campaign with you? (One-time fees, Recurring Fees)
2. Do you charge an onboarding fee and, if so, how much is it?
3. Do you charge any additional fees I should be aware of and, if so, what are they?
4. If you don't deliver on one or more of the expectations we discussed, how will you compensate us for that?
5. If I want to cancel service, how do I go about doing that?