Every B2B company needs a sales team. There’s no better way to get your product or service in front of potential buyers. However, there are numerous ways to staff this critical function.
How your B2B company deploys sales and marketing will vary based on your marketplace, solution type, sales cycle, budget and other factors.
Numerous options to staff your B2B sales team
Popular B2B sales models include:
- Hiring sales reps directly
- Relying on a distributor network
- Outsourcing sales to a third-party firm
- Taking a hybrid approach that blends these options
Each method has pros and cons. For example, hiring a sales team directly gives you more control, but also adds costs for equipment, training, salaries and benefits.
Outsourcing, on the other hand, can provide more flexibility and make it easy to scale up during periods of high growth, but requires finding a trusted, experienced partner.
Look for collaboration and experience in an outsourced sales resource
Typically, outsourcing sales and marketing means working with an external partner who can handle the hiring, training and day-to-day management of one or more B2B sales professionals. Some organizations choose to outsource directly to contract sales reps who work independently, but this requires more oversight to coordinate each individual’s activities. Working with an outsourced B2B sales firm or lead generation company that has multiple sales reps on staff can provide greater efficiency.
Your outsourced sales partner should excel at activities such as:
- Sales prospecting and cold calling across a variety of industries and company types
- Generating new leads and appointments with B2B decision-makers
- Nurturing cooler opportunities until they’re sales-ready
- Capturing and sharing data and insights on your marketplace
- Representing your brand ethically and professionally
- Working collaboratively and transparently with you
When should you use an outsourced sales team?
Your B2B company’s current situation will also influence your decision. Depending on your goals, you may choose to:
- Use an internal sales team exclusively
- Supplement your in-house resources with outsourced talent
- Outsource all your sales and marketing activities
Outsourcing is a great option in scenarios like these:
- Industries with seasonal demand or fluctuations in the sales cycle
- Startups that need to gain traction in the marketplace without adding headcount
- Companies of all sizes who want fast momentum to penetrate a new market, establish a new sales territory or launch a new product
- Creating a sales lab to test and refine a new approach quickly
- Before making the commitment to hire, train and manage an internal sales team
- To focus the internal sales team on specific activities (such as closing) without losing focus on top-of-the-funnel tasks like cold calling, prospecting and lead generation
At Volkart May, we have three decades of experience as an outsourced sales team partner to leading B2B brands around the country. Contact us to discuss how we can support your sales goals.