Should you outsource Lead Generation so that your sales team (or you) can focus on closing?

I wanted to write a post about the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing lead generation and sales Vs utilising an in-house resource...

A Competitive Marketplace Needs Proactive Lead Generation

All companies need leads and it's certainly never a wise strategy to rely on in-bound leads, as these aren't always easy to come by. It’s a competitive market out there and consumers these days are definitely spoilt for choice. As a result, and in order to maintain growth and market share, we all need to be constantly selling and promoting our services. Therefore, proactive lead generation will always be an integral part of growing a business. Yet admittedly, this isn't always easy when you're busy running a business and tending to the 'day-to-day' - Those sales calls always get put to the bottom of the pile.

Advantages Of Outsourcing Lead Generation

• Your direct sales team can focus on closing the deal face-to-face
• Sales-ready prospects delivered to your in-box
• No hand-holding, babysitting or training required
• No paid sick days, holidays, commissions, pensions and other hidden costs
• Prospect and lead targets will be identified and qualified for you
• Possible leads are well managed and not missed or overlooked
• A dedicated and experienced team at your disposal

Week In, Week Out Commitment

Business growth is dependent on connecting with people and building genuine relationships. To cultivate these relationships and to open doors requires discipline and dedication. New business prospecting has to be consistently worked on every week without fail, week in and week out. Many business owners struggle with this, as it’s another thing they have to juggle alongside running their business and living their busy lives.

We All Use Specialists and Experts

When we look at our daily lives, it is clear that we all use specialists and experts and that we outsource much of what we need. If our homes require electrical work or plumbing, we call in the experts, if our car needs a service, we use a garage. We don’t make our own clothes, we buy them from a shop. We do this because these 'experts' know what they are doing and most times they can do it more cost effectively, more efficiently and well frankly, better than we can.

If we look at this model and transfer it to business, it makes perfect sense to choose the right experts to help with the various elements of running a successful business. You're likely to consider outsourcing HR, IT and Accounts, so why not Sales?

A Dedicated Team At Your Disposal

By outsourcing to the right business development agency, you will have a dedicated team to take care of all the hard-work for you. An experienced Business Development or Lead Generation agency will be experts at what they do and have the requisite skills to not only grow your customer base but to also locate and target the right prospects for your business. Utilising an outsourced team also means that you won’t have to spend time and money training or managing an in-house team - not to mention paying them for holidays, sick days and commissions. A good Business Development agency should be self sufficient and although they should work with you to fully understand your business and your ideal target audience, they should only involve you as much as you want to be involved.

Business development agencies know how to target the right companies and the right individuals, they know how to do this because they are experts in this and it’s what they do. They are already comfortable and experienced in the practices and processes that are required to cultivate and grow a customer base, they will know what works and what doesn’t. They will be able to target prospects accurately and more effectively and will also be able to cultivate prospects into warm leads and in turn meetings, which ultimately means that your sales team (or you) can focus on converting 'sales-ready' prospects which are far more likely to result in a sale. (Just think of the hours and ￡￡￡￡ this alone will save!)

Disadvantages Of Outsourcing Lead Generation

OK, so I did say I would also look at the disadvantages of outsourcing lead generation and sales so here are some of the objections that I am aware of. I would welcome a conversation with anyone who has these concerns as I'm confident that our bespoke, client focused approach to strategic lead generation eliminates all of these concerns.

Outsourcing Lead Generation Concerns

• Potentially less control over targeting and lead quality
• You cannot customise to your way of doing things
• Competition for generating leads is not created within your sales team
• How can they be as passionate as you are about winning new business?
• It’s hard to know how to choose the right business development agency

So it really boils down to whether hiring a business development agency will improve both the quality and quantity of your leads or would you be better off employing a permanent member of staff to fulfil this role? With 12 years in business and many happy customers, we are confident that our proven resource is an effective solution for many businesses looking to grow their sales pipeline.

Call us to discuss the options of outsourcing Sales

If outsourcing lead generation and prospecting is something you are considering or if you are debating taking on a sales person, why not speak to the experts at Magnetic Business Development. Our dedicated team will work relentlessly on your behalf to secure new business meetings, tenders, pricing enquiries and places on rosters and supply chains. Our work is transparent and results are shared on a weekly basis. Why not give us a call today 01323 345000 or meet us for a coffee to discuss the possibilities of outsourcing your sales function. www.magneticbd.co.uk [email protected]

OK so admittedly, the cake doesn't have too much to do with this post however I thought it might catch your attention and also make a nice change from the work related images and info-graphics we usually see in our feed...