Demand for inside sales representatives—also known as business development representatives—is hotter than ever. More medtech and B2B companies realize the vital role these professional sales prospecting and lead generation specialists play in the overall sales cycle.
But, with COVID-19 continuing to disrupt the economy and leading to record worker shortages, it’s harder than ever to hire and train an inside sales force. Many businesses are on the hunt for individuals with virtual selling and remote calling skills, giving qualified candidates the upper hand in the market.
One smart way to meet your lead generation goals is with outsourced inside sales solutions.
What are outsourced inside sales solutions?
Inside sales reps form the backbone of a successful sales organization. These key players specialize in sales prospecting, outbound calling, lead generation, appointment-setting and inquiry qualification—all without leaving the office!
An outsourced inside sales solution simply delivers these important lead generation services through an external partner. The outsourced inside sales company manages the hiring, training and day-to-day oversight of the business development team. They also take on the time and expense of sales infrastructure—everything from purchasing top-of-the-line headsets and equipment, to establishing data security, to implementing technology for tracking campaign progress.
Outsourcing with an experienced partner creates an efficient and cost-effective way for leading medtech and B2B companies to handle your ongoing lead generation efforts.
Benefits of outsourcing inside sales
There are many reasons to outsource some or all of your inside sales function to an experienced partner like Volkart May.
Eliminate overhead and capital expenses. Working with an outsourced inside sales company means you can take advantage of top-notch lead generation and sales prospecting capabilities without paying for expensive infrastructure. There’s no capital expense for equipment, and no overhead for salaries and benefits.
Maximize the internal team’s productivity. How does your current sales force spend their time? If they’re like most, they’re struggling to keep up with generating leads, nurturing qualified opportunities, closing deals and managing required paperwork. With an outsourced inside sales team, your sales reps focus on what they do best: closing deals. Your outsourced partner provides a steady stream of qualified leads and takes care of market intelligence, database updates and other time-consuming (but essential) business development activities.
Scale up or down quickly. With an outsourced inside sales service, you can easily scale up and down as your needs require—and be confident in the results. There’s no need to scramble to hire and train (or consider layoffs) when call levels fluctuate. It’s the perfect solution for seasonal demand, new product launches, territory expansion or other important needs.
Tap industry best practices and experience. Getting new inside sales reps hired, trained and up-to-speed takes time—time that could be better utilized for cold calling, prospecting and generating qualified leads for your medtech or B2B organization. Working with a professional outsourced inside sales team means from day one, you tap into the knowledge and experience of your chosen lead generation partner.
Three factors to evaluate inside sales solutions
Finding the right inside sales solution matters. Every B2B and medtech company will employ your own approach.
Outsourcing provides a great option that helps established companies meet demand and enables startups to launch quickly and competitively. Whatever your need, you can use outsourced inside sales solutions for all your business development and lead generation needs. Look to these firms to add capacity to an internal team, handle a short-term special project or for ongoing sales activities.
As you evaluate outsourced partners, consider these three factors:
1. Experience
Many call centers bill themselves as outbound calling specialists; few understand the nuances of the B2B and healthcare sales processes. Look closely at the overall experience of your potential inside sales partner, and ask smart questions.
- Do they have experience in complex sales cycles like those of healthcare, technology or insurance?
- Have they worked in regulated industries?
- Can their callers engage decision-makers at all levels of the organization in peer-to-peer conversations?
An experienced team drastically reduces training time and boosts results. With the right match, you’ll execute outbound calling campaigns sooner and generate more leads.
2. Referrals and references
When researching prospective inside sales solutions, ask for referrals and recommendations from your peers. Look for case studies where companies solved challenges similar to yours. Ask potential inside sales or lead generation firms to provide customer referrals; a trustworthy inside sales group will gladly share this information. Spend time speaking to these references to learn more about their experiences working with the company.
3. Collaborative process
Transparency between your medtech or B2B company and an outsourced inside sales partner is critical. After all, you’re trusting these lead generation professionals with your most important asset: your brand. Find out all you can about their inside sales process.
Look for details about:
- Onboarding and campaign development
- Inside sales rep training
- Metrics and reporting
- Technology integration
- Data security and privacy
- Account management and ongoing communication
An outsourced inside sales partner is just that: a partner. The best inside sales firms operate as an extension of your own company, which means that trust and reliability are required.
Volkart May brings more than 30 years experience providing inside sales expertise for leading B2B and medtech brands. Contact us to schedule an in-depth capabilities presentation and find out what sets us apart in the market.
