Inside sales outsourcing. Step-by-step guide to grow revenue fast.
- Published on September 25, 2023
- Updated on August 29, 2024
Table of Contents
Many sales teams find optimizing their sales funnel and improving sales performance to be time consuming and challenging with only an internal teams. But what if you could expand your sales talent overnight by partnering with an outsourced inside sales team? Inside sales outsourcing provides access to sales talent, expertise and efficiencies that allow companies to grow revenue fast.
According to Grand View Research, in 2022, the worldwide market for marketing and sales process outsourcing reached $28.65 billion. It is projected to witness a long term growth at a compound annual rate of 9.4% from 2023 through 2030.
This step-by-step guide will explore when inside sales outsourcing makes sense, finding an outsourced sales partner with the right sales services and strategies, integrating your in-house and outsourced inside sales teams, leveraging data to gain insights, and best practices for monitoring the partnership over the long term.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Access top sales talent and expertise without the costs of hiring in-house. Outsourcing sales provides instant access to specialized skills and knowledge.
- Rapidly scale campaigns up or down through the flexible, pay-as-you-go outsourcing sales model. Adjust to changing business needs.
- Free up your in-house team to focus on complex, high-value activities by outsourcing lead gen and qualification.
- Gain insights into your sales processes and data working with experienced sales outsourcing companies. Continually optimize.
- Reduce costs substantially compared to growing an in-house sales team. Outsourcing sales provides sales talent at a fraction of the price.
- Expand into new markets faster by leveraging an outsourced inside sales team with specialized regional expertise and language skills.
- Find an outsourced sales partner that aligns culturally and has deep experience in your specific industry to ensure fit.
- Mitigate risks like misalignment, lack of control and high turnover by thoroughly vetting providers. Prioritize security in your sales process.
- Develop a tailored sales strategy focused on aligning goals, crafting targeted messaging and optimizing your sales funnel.
- Integrate outsourced inside sales team and in-house sales team deeply through training, collaboration and a unified sales tech stack. Work as one high-performing sales team.
What is Inside Sales Outsourcing?
Inside sales outsourcing involves hiring external sales reps or firms to handle a company’s sales efforts. It can include lead generation, sales meetings, and closing deals. Inside sales outsourcing strategy can help companies generate leads, expand into new markets, and achieve revenue growth while minimizing costs.
Key Stages of Inside Sales Outsourcing
| Inside Sales Oursourcing Stage | Stage Overview | Inside Sales Outsourcing Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Assessing Needs | - Review sales processes, team skills, metrics vs. benchmarks to identify gaps - Pinpoint areas an outsourced team could provide bandwidth, specialization, optimizations |
- Be thorough and honest identifying weak points - Quantify problem areas with data/metrics |
| Finding Partner | - Look for industry expertise, cultural fit, mature sales process, security rigor, training excellence | - Vet multiple providers extensively - Get references to validate capabilities |
| Building Sales Strategy | - Align outsourced team goals to corporate objectives - Craft targeted messaging for each persona - Continuously optimize lead generation and funnel |
- Collaborate with marketing to sharpen messaging - Leverage analytics and win/loss analysis to refine approach |
| Integrating Teams | - Provide extensive training on products, sales process, CRM - Establish procedures for handoffs, communication - Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing |
- Loop inhouse reps into partner onboarding - Motivate team bonding and mentorship - Standardize sales reporting and dashboards |
| Monitoring Results | - Track KPIs like lead response times, conversion rates, deal sizes - Build sales dashboards and hold evaluations - Adjust strategy based on data insights |
- Automate reporting for real-time visibility - Conduct quarterly business reviews - Solicit customer feedback |
| Ensuring Success | - Continuously re-optimize processes and strategy - Plan ahead for expansion into new markets - Proactively retain and train talent |
- Survey reps on job satisfaction - Phase in any in-house team expansion - Celebrate and recognize achievements |
Benefits of Inside Sales Outsourcing
In my experience, inside sales outsourcing strategy can be extremely effective for boosting qualified leads, accelerating revenue growth, and gaining a competitive edge. These are the main benefits of inside sales outsourcing I’ve seen:
- Expanding Talent Pipeline – Recruiting talented outsourced sales reps with the right skills and drive is challenging and time-intensive. Outsourced sales firms make this easier by managing the entire hiring and onboarding process and providing ongoing training and coaching. This gives you instant access to sales talent without the HR overload.
- Increasing Sales Bandwidth – Even the best in-house sales team has capacity limits. Adding supplemental bandwidth through outsourcing sales provides the manpower you need to connect with more prospects and leads in any given day. This expanded reach is a major value driver.
- Enhanced Focus – Handing lead gen activities to an outsourced inside sales team allows your in-house team to focus on higher value activities like closing complex deals. This enables them to excel in their core competencies.
- Flexibility and Scalability – Outsourced sales company can rapidly scale up or down to match your changing sales needs and revenue growth cycles. This agility is difficult and expensive to achieve with an internal sales team.
- Sales Process Optimization – Experienced sales outsourcing companies bring proven sales processes and innovations tailored to your business. This can refine your sales methods for improved conversion at every stage.
- Cost Savings – Compared to growing an in-house sales team, outsourcing provides top talent at a fraction of the total cost. It also eliminates expenses associated with office space, equipment, HR and more.
- Data-Driven Insights – Leveraging the CRM, analytics and reporting capabilities from a partner gives you deeper visibility into what’s working across your sales pipeline. This enables smarter decision making.
In my experience, a strategic partnership with the right outsourced inside sales team can transform sales performance and fuel sustainable scalable business growth. Just be sure to select an inside sales outsourcing partner that aligns with your sales process, company values and objectives. The benefits for your sales goals and bottom line can be immense.
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Risks of Insides Sales Outsourcing
Through out my career in B2B sales I’ve worked with many insides sales outsourcing partners, I’ve seen firsthand some of the pitfalls to avoid. Here are the key risks sales organizations should consider:
- Misalignment on Goals – Perhaps the biggest risk is partnering with an outsourced sales team that is not fully aligned to your business objectives, inside sales process and long-term strategy. This can derail the entire partnership.
- Poor Cultural Fit – Even if sales goals are aligned, a disconnect in work cultures between your company and the outsourced sales firm can impede collaboration and success. Ensuring shared values and communication styles is crucial.
- Lack of Industry Expertise – Outsourced inside sales reps that lack deep knowledge of your industry, product offerings and target buyers may struggle to engage and convert prospects effectively. Most B2B sales processes these days require at least some level of domain experience.
- High Turnover – Some outsourced sales firms have high attrition rates, leading to frequent retraining and onboarding process. This lack of stability can cause inconsistent sales results and relationships.
- Limited Control – Relying on an external partner means less direct control over day-to-day sales processes, activities, and interactions. Close management is required to mitigate this.
- Sales Errors – Just like an in-house sales team, an outsourced sales team can make mistakes that damage deals, relationships with leads or your brand reputation. Tight oversight is key.
- Security and Compliance Risks – Carefully vet outsourced sales firms to ensure they meet security standards for handling customer data and comply with regulations. Don’t cut corners.
The most successful sales outsourcing partnerships stem from thoroughly evaluating prospective partners across these risk factors. Taking the time to ensure a values-aligned, experienced partner with structured inside sales processes in place will pay dividends in sales performance and minimal headaches.
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How to Assess Inside Sales Outsourcing Needs in 3 Steps
Did you know that over 50% of companies see a 10% or greater increase in qualified leads after partnering with an outsourced inside sales team? If your existing inside sales team seems constantly stretched too thin, follow-up inconsistent, or struggling to optimize inside sales processes, you’re not alone. Many sales leaders find themselves seeking to expand bandwidth, skills, and insights. Could an outsourced inside sales team provide the boost your organization needs? In this section I’ll share a 3-step approach to assessing your current sales needs.
Step 1. Evaluate inside sales process and sales performance.
The first step I always recommend companies do is to thoroughly evaluate their existing inside sales process, talent and performance. Based on my expertise, here are the key areas to analyze:
- Lead Generation Tactics – Review current strategies for sourcing new leads. Assess both quantity and quality of leads generated. Identify any weak points in top of the sales funnel activities.
- Sales Workflow – Document your inside sales process (step-by-step) from initial lead outreach to closing deals. Look for areas of friction, inefficiency or gaps in follow-up.
- Sales Tools and Technologies – Examine current sales tech stack including CRM, email outreach software, analytics tools and more. Determine where better automation or integration could help.
- Inside Sales Team Size and Structure – Evaluate if the current inside sales team size and organization provides sufficient bandwidth for ideal prospect engagement. Identify any structural limitations.
- Inside Sales Rep Expertise and Skill Sets – Audit the knowledge, skills and experience level of your inside sales reps in relevant areas like lead qualification, prospecting, negotiating, etc. Pinpoint skill gaps.
- Sales Metrics and Benchmarks – Analyze key performance metrics like call connect rates, meetings booked, sales cycle length, win rates, etc. Compare to industry benchmarks to identify lags.
- Customer Lifecycle Process – Review strategies and touchpoints throughout the entire customer lifecycle. Seek opportunities to optimize for retention and expansion.
This comprehensive evaluation will help you identify the areas where an outsourced inside sales team could provide expertise, bandwidth and capabilities to drive improved execution and results across the key phases of your inside sales process.
Step 2. Identify pain points in your sales operations.
My evaluation process typically includes meticulously pinpointing any weak spots or limitations within the current in-house sales team. Some common gaps you will come across include:
- Insufficient Bandwidth – Often your in-house sales team can get stretched too thin trying to nurture, qualify and progress an overwhelming number of inbound leads. Outsourcing sales can provide bandwidth.
- Lead Follow-Up Gaps – Many teams struggle with prompt, persistent and structured follow-up on marketing qualified leads. This causes slippage in your sales process.
- Overburdened Sales Professionals – Inside sales reps maxed out with existing accounts have a hard time prospecting and engaging new leads. Outsourcing sales can ease the workload.
- Lack of Sales Specialization – Some teams lack inside sales reps dedicated to specific specialties like outbound prospecting, lead qualification or account-based sales. Focused roles drive results.
- Skills and Knowledge Shortfalls – Teams may lack competencies in areas like social selling, sales technology, objection handling, upselling, etc. Training can bridge gaps.
- CRM Optimization Issues – Important sales data on accounts, interactions and pipeline health may not be captured or leveraged effectively in the CRM. Impacts reporting.
- Sales Tech Stack Limitations – Constrained by outdated or disjointed sales communication and productivity tools that impede efficiency.
- Trouble Reaching Decision Makers – Frontline sales professionals often lack the seniority and finesse needed to engage high-level decision makers effectively. Outsourced sales experts can help.
By meticulously diagnosing where your internal teams are falling short across these facets of the inside sales process, I gain clarity on how to craft an outsourced solution that fills the gaps for maximum impact. Addressing pain points is key to alignment.
Step 3. Determine how an outsourced inside sales team can help your sales team improve sales performance.
I’ve found the most successful sales outsourcing engagements stem from matching external capabilities to very specific gaps and pain points in the existing inside sales process. Based on my experience, some areas where an outsourced sales team can provide immense value include:
- Lead Generation – If top of the sales funnel lead generation is a weak spot in your sales process, outsourced sales reps with specialized prospecting skills can focus solely on sourcing and engaging new opportunities.
- Lead Qualification – Outsourced reps can specialize in qualifying inbound leads quickly and consistently to identify those sales-ready opportunities to prioritize.
- Appointment Setting – Dedicated outsourced inside sales reps focusing solely on securing appointments and meetings with prospects can drive more pipeline.
- Account-Based Outreach – Need to penetrate named accounts? An outsourced inside sales team can coordinate targeted, multi-touch outreach campaigns tailored to strategic targets.
- Customer Retention and Loyalty – Outsourced inside sales reps can handle time-intensive tasks like customer surveys, satisfaction assessments and upsell offers to support retention.
- Data Entry and CRM Hygiene – Offloading manual data entry and keeping CRM data clean is a chore well-suited for an outsourced sales team.
- Sales Tools Expertise – Partners with deep expertise in sales technologies and automation can optimize your tech stack and workflows.
These are just some examples of areas where I’ve seen sales outsourcing companies amplify results. The key is maintaining laser focus on the current needs and gaps within your inside sales process first. Then assess how outsourcing specific roles and responsibilities can address those needs for maximum impact.
How to Find the Right Outsourced Sales Team
Did you know that outsourced inside sales teams with deep expertise in your specific industry generate up to 30% more qualified leads? Many sales leaders debating outsourcing sales have one burning question – how do I find the right inside sales partner for my business? With so many providers promising the world, it’s tough to discern who can actually deliver. In this section we’ll explore crucial factors to evaluate when selecting an outsourced sales team to trust with inside sales process.
Key factors to look for in inside sales outsourcing companies
There are several key factors I advise keeping top of mind based on my experience in B2B space. Industry expertise should be foremost – seek out inside sales outsourcing companies with a proven track record of success selling into your specific vertical or market. They will have an innate understanding of your target buyers, common pain points, lingo and value propositions.
Cultural alignment is also crucial. Make sure your values, work styles and communication norms sync up. This promotes collaboration and harmony between your in-house team and outsourced sales team. Analyze the average employee tenure and turnover rates of prospective partners. More tenure indicates satisfied, engaged teams that can become an extension of your sales organization.
Also assess the inside sales process expertise and maturity level of the inside sales outsourcing companies. Those with finely honed training programs, sales methodologies and quality assurance capabilities will drive consistent execution and results. Seek out inside sales outsourcing companies adept at flexibly scaling teams up and down to match your changing sales needs and business growth cycles. Quickly adding or reducing bandwidth is key.
Technically, the inside sales partner should boast strong sales technology including CRM, business intelligence, communication tools and more to maximize sales productivity and insights. Never compromise on data security and compliance – ensure rigorous protocols are in place.
For global needs, choose inside sales outsourcing companies with geographic reach and language capabilities aligned to your target markets. Finally, opt for flexible pricing models based on sales volume rather than rigid contracts. Evaluating outsourced sales firms across these aspects meticulously will pave the way for an effective long-term partnership.
Inside sales outsourcing companies vs freelance sales experts
When evaluating inside sales outsourcing models, companies often weigh using an established inside sales outsourcing company versus hiring individual freelance sales experts.
Inside sales outsourcing companies provide structure, consistency and management. With an outsourced sales company, you essentially gain an entire sales team with coordinated inside sales processes and oversight built in. This enables scalability and continuous optimization. Freelance sales experts offer more autonomy but less cohesion.
Inside sales outsourcing companies invest heavily in training, development and quality assurance. The best firms have robust training programs and use call monitoring and coaching to develop talent. Freelance sales experts are more self-directed learners.
An established outsourced sales company has proven sales methodologies and sales processes derived from years of experience. It can provide best practices honed across countless campaigns. Freelance sales experts have more variable skill sets and approaches.
With inside sales outsourcing companies, you gain sales leaders and managers as partners in strategy. Freelance sales experts execute tactically but don’t provide sales management bandwidth.
Inside sales outsourcing companies offer flexibility in scaling up or down as needs change. Adding or reducing freelancer capacity is more fragmented.
Inside sales outsourcing companies provide continuity and stability with existing trained teams. Freelance sales experts inherently experience more churn and turnover.
Inside sales outsourcing companies sacrifice some agility for structure, continuity, experience and accountability. Freelance sales experts provide more autonomy at the cost of management and consistency. Assessing your long and short term sales needs, your existing sales process and priorities helps determine the right strategic fit.
Importance of cultural fit and expertise in your industry
In my experience managing sales teams and outsourcing partnerships, two critically important factors in selecting the right inside sales partner are cultural alignment and industry expertise.
Cultural fit between your organization and the outsourced sales company will make or break the engagement. Communication styles, work values and norms, collaborative temperament and leadership approaches must align. This enables the two teams to work in harmony. Assess the outsourced sales firms culture to ensure they will mesh well with and feel like an extension of your internal team.
Industry knowledge also cannot be overstated. An outsourced sales team well-versed in your specific market, common pain points, competitor landscape, lingo and value propositions will ramp up faster and sell more effectively. They will intuitively understand your target buyers and tailor messaging and outreach accordingly. Less relevant experience leads to missteps in the sales process, slower traction and require heavy lifting for training.
We once partnered with an inside sales outsourcing firm that had amazing sales talent and inside sales processes but lacked context in our industry. It took nearly twice as long to get them productive. Contrast this with inside sales outsourcing companies deeply rooted in our vertical – we were off and running almost immediately.
Make sure any potential outsourcing partner has sufficient relevant experience and a sales culture aligned with yours. Do not underestimate the importance of these factors. They are the foundation for a relationship built on trust, effective collaboration and accelerating each other’s success.
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Developing an Effective Outsourced Inside Sales Strategy
What separates high revenue growth sales organizations from stagnant ones? A highly effective sales strategy tailored to their business. When bringing on an outsourced inside sales team, developing an aligned go-to-market strategy is crucial. With a thoughtful inside sales process, your partnership is positioned to far surpass revenue targets.
Step 1. Align inside sales goals with broader business objectives.
I’ve learned firsthand the immense value of tightly aligning sales goals and objectives to the company’s broader priorities as DeckLinks has partnered with outsourced inside sales teams. When bringing on an outsourced sales team, taking the time upfront to map the sales process and sales initiatives to overarching business goals amplifies the partnership’s impact tremendously.
Some effective approaches we’ve found include collaborating cross-functionally to understand upcoming priorities from different teams. Are there specific campaigns, features, or business growth targets we can support through sales objectives? Identifying intersections of mutual benefit focuses effort.
I also take care to structure sales incentives and sales commissions such that desired seller behaviors and outcomes are rewarded. For example, if customer retention is crucial, sales compensation plans incorporate renewal or expansion goals. This motivates the right inside sales activities.
Additionally, we orient messaging and positioning around business priorities like security, cost reduction, or flexibility. This resonates with buyer pain points related to key company objectives.
Ongoing communication with executives provides visibility into how sales initiatives map to corporate goals. I review our sales programs quarterly and realign based on any strategy shifts.
With aligned goals, the outsourced sales team amplifies progress across the business, rather than operating in a silo. They become true partners in strategic success. This level of alignment is at the heart of any high-performing sales organization, whether outsourced or in-house.
Step 2. Craft targeted messaging and value propositions.
Messaging and value props are instrumental to our inside sales process success. When we were going through an onboarding process of our outsourced inside sales team, we invest heavily in aligning our messaging and positioning. The time spent gets them selling effectively faster.
We did everything to ensure the team deeply understands our sales process and target buyers – their roles, pain points, and goals. With specific personas in mind, we tailor messaging and use cases that resonate with what matters most to different targets.
Rather than focus on product features, our messaging zooms in on urgent needs the target has and their desired outcomes. We position our solution as the path to addressing those needs. The emotional hook is powerful.
We quantify the value our SaaS platform drives through metrics like time savings, revenue lift, or cost reduction. Proof points sell. We gather these from customer success stories to make the benefits tangible.
Our in-house marketing team provides assets like one-pagers, presentations, and case studies to equip the outsourced inside sales reps with impactful sales tools right off the bat. This content reinforces our core messaging and value.
To continually sharpen messaging, we run A/B tests on email campaigns, call scripts, landing pages to see what resonates most. In our inside sales process, we double down on what moves the needle.
With aligned, insight-driven messaging and value propositions shaped specifically for each target persona, our outsourced sales reps start having sales conversations that hit the mark faster. This rapidly accelerates deal velocity and win rates. It’s foundational.
Step 3. Optimize lead generation and sales funnel management.
I work closely with our marketing team to continually test and refine our lead generation sources and campaigns. We pore over the data to focus budget on the highest converting channels and messages.
Clearly defining marketing qualified vs sales qualified lead definitions and service level agreements for follow-up enable smooth hand-offs to the outsourced sales team.
We implemented defined lead scoring methodology and workflows to focus our sales team on going after the hottest, most sales-ready leads first. This improves conversion rates.
Equipping the outsourced sales team with templates for intro emails, discovery questions and call scripts optimizes their ability to quickly qualify inbound leads.
Analyzing conversion rates by lead source and through each stage of the sales funnel illuminates successes to double down on and underperforming areas needing change.
Dashboards provide real-time visibility into pipeline health and key metrics like call connect rates, meetings booked and SQL rates. Tracking this data enables fast optimization.
Win/loss analysis gives us incredibly valuable insights into why deals are won and lost competitively. We refine messaging, strategy, and inside sales process accordingly.
With a sales funnel fueled by optimized lead generation and managed through data-driven insights and discipline, our outsourced inside sales team is able to deliver phenomenal results. It’s a process of continuous improvement.
Step 4. Leverage data and analytics to gain insights.
I believe leveraging data and analytics is pivotal for developing an effective sales strategy and sales process, especially when exploring inside sales outsourcing. Here’s what you can do to leverage analytics to gain insights and competitive advantage:
- Track lead source effectiveness to double down on highest converting channels and campaigns when assessing potential partners
- Analyze conversion rates by lead source, campaign, inside sales rep to identify optimization opportunities both internally and with the outsourced sales team
- Build sales data dashboards to monitor KPIs and sales funnel health – calls, meetings, opportunities etc. for both internal sales team and outsourced inside sales reps
- Conduct win/loss analysis on both teams to gain insights into why deals close or fall out and adjust accordingly
- Enhance CRM reports to provide visibility into inside sales activities, trends and performance vs. goals across the board
- Monitor sales outreach cadence and connect rates to refine best practices frequency for internal sales team and outsourced sales reps
- Analyze average deal cycle time by inside sales rep, product, and channel to find paths to faster closure
- Use call scoring tools and analytics to identify top performing inside sales reps for training purposes
- Correlate marketing campaign influence to pipeline and revenue to optimize spend and maximize ROI
By leveraging data and analytics to gain insights across both internal and outsourced sales professionals, I’m able to continually optimize strategy, inside sales processes, messaging, and execution to drive sales productivity and revenue growth. The data provides powerful visibility and direction when exploring an inside sales outsourcing partnership.
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Integrating Outsourced Inside Sales Team with In-House Sales Team
Did you know over 90% of outsourcing engagements cite poor integration as a top partnership failure point? Blending any new sales team comes with growing pains. What happens when an unstoppable sales force meets an immovable sales force? Integration challenges. Blending outsourced sales company and in-house teams can feel like mixing oil and water if not approached thoughtfully. Follow these 4 simple steps to turn integration from sales rep tug-of-war to sales force multiplier:
Step 1. Onboard and train outsourced inside sales reps.
I’ve learned the hard way that comprehensive training is truly make-or-break when integrating outsourced inside sales reps with in-house sales team.
I always start by having new outsourced sales professionals shadow our top in-house performers – listening in on sales calls, joining discovery meetings, absorbing the nuance of our inside sales process. This gives them a blueprint for success from day one.
After several weeks of observation, I conduct extensive roleplaying exercises with the outsourced inside sales reps to ingrain our discovery questions, value props and objection handling. I act as a prospect while they practice needs assessment and framing our solution. It accelerates their readiness tremendously.
Equipping them with real examples of sales materials from closed deals allows them to learn from what has worked – proposals, presentations, email templates. I walk through best practices leveraged by our in-house team.
We also do mock presentations and demos with the outsourced inside sales reps to sharpen their skills on articulating our platform’s value, features and differentiators. I provide coaching and feedback to hone their delivery.
While rigorous, our goal is getting the outsourced inside sales reps to emulate the behaviors, knowledge and skills that make our in-house team successful. The training investment pays off exponentially in sales productivity and customer experiences.
Step 2. Establish processes for communication and alignment.
When we first launched our partnership with an outsourced inside sales team, I made sure to schedule daily stand-up meetings. This gave both teams a consistent touchpoint to align on sales priorities, discuss challenges in the sales process, and review the health of our sales pipeline as an integrated team.
Over time, we evolved to also holding weekly sales strategy sessions. This allowed our internal team to provide additional context on broader company objectives to guide the outsourced sales team. Their outside perspective also informed our strategy.
Another critical process was documenting protocols for lead hand-offs, opportunity escalations and sales cadences. Taking the time upfront to eliminate ambiguity in these areas ensured a smooth customer experience. We configured sales stages in our CRM to reflect cross-team workflows.
While responsibilities varied between the sales teams, we standardized sales reporting to maintain transparency into inside sales reps performance, pipeline metrics and goal progress. Providing unified visibility enabled better collaboration towards shared objectives.
With the right sales processes defined upfront and commitment to regular communication, our internal sales team and outsourced sales team began operating as a cohesive sales organization. Leveraging each other’s strengths drove greater performance.
Step 3. Use a robust tech stack to enable collaboration with your in-house sales team.
Effectively leveraging a robust tech stack is mission critical for enabling collaboration with your in-house sales team.
Ensuring both in-house sales team and outsourced inside sales reps use our HubSpot CRM as the single source of truth provides full visibility into pipelines, accounts, conversations and tasks. Real-time data accessibility is crucial.
We use the CRM to automate lead distribution, assignment rules and notifications to streamline hand-offs between the teams. This keeps everyone looped in.
DeckLinks, our sales enablement platform, houses all approved sales collateral, presentations, competitive intel and training materials accessible to all inside sales reps. DeckLinks is integrated with HubSpot which ensures messaging alignment.
Shared calendars, video conferencing, and instant messaging, like Slack, foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among the integrated inside sales team.
Analytics tools provide insights into sales activities, performance trends and effectiveness by inside sales rep, channel and campaign. We course-correct quickly.
By carefully coordinating our tech stack and sales process, in-house sales team and outsourced inside sales reps function as one team. Sales technology, when orchestrated effectively, can make or break the integration.
Step 4. Have your in-house team work closely with the outsourced sales team.
There’s an immense value of having your in-house and outsourced sales professionals collaborate closely together. When we first launched our partnership with an outsourced inside sales firm, I’ll admit I was skeptical about how well they would gel. But by taking specific steps to facilitate integration, they’ve become a seamless extension of our in-house sales team.
One simple but powerful tactic was involving our top performing inside sales rep in the recruiting and onboarding process for the outsourced hires. By contributing to training and getting to know new team members early on, it kicked relationships off on the right foot.
And we didn’t just throw the outsourced inside sales reps in the deep end. Our in-house team provided ongoing mentoring, coaching and training to transfer institutional knowledge and get them up to speed on our inside sales processes. I encouraged our team to take pride in imparting their expertise.
To further this knowledge sharing, I started hosting weekly success-sharing sessions where both in-house and outsourced sales reps take turns highlighting wins and lessons learned. Not only does this build camaraderie, it’s accelerated skills development.
While there were growing pains, the commitment to integration from both leadership and the in-house team has paid dividends. The outsourced inside sales reps have not only improved our sales productivity, but also infused fresh ideas and new approaches that benefit our broader culture and performance.
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Monitoring Sales Performance of the Outsourced Inside Sales Team
In sales, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. But how should sales leaders measure and monitor an outsourced sales team?
Key metrics and KPIs to track
As a sales leader who relies on both in-house and outsourced sales teams, having clear visibility into key performance metrics is essential for tracking results. By continuously tracking and optimizing based on the following metrics, you can gain insights into the sales productivity, health and scalability of both inside sales teams. The numbers don’t lie – leveraging key performance indicators is vital.
Here are the key KPIs I monitor regularly:
- Lead response times – How quickly leads are engaged after entering the pipeline provides insight into responsiveness.
- Lead qualification rates – The percentage of leads that become sales qualified based on ideal customer profile. Highlights inside sales process effectiveness.
- Sales qualified lead conversion rates – The percentage of qualified leads that turn into revenue. Measures proficiency at closing.
- Average deal size – Track any positive or negative trends in deal sizes over time. Impacts revenue expectations.
- Total pipeline value by stage – Illuminates the health of the pipeline and where chokepoints may be occurring.
- Inside sales activities per sales rep – Call volume, emails, demos completed provides visibility into sales effort.
- Win/loss ratio – Analyzing the common factors in won and lost deals identifies inside sales process improvements needed.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) – Key for predicting revenue, profitability and gauging retention levels.
Dashboards and reporting to stay on top of sales activities
As one of the people responsible for growing our inside sales operation, I’ll admit dashboards and reporting were an afterthought early on. Our energized inside sales reps were closing deals, revenue was up – why sweat the details? Well, that hands-off approach quickly caused problems. Without visibility, our outsourced sales team wasn’t aligned on priorities and sales stages. In-house sales team fixated on deals close to closing rather than at-risk accounts needing attention. It was a mess.
So I course corrected. Now every Monday we review the latest dashboard highlighting critical KPIs for all inside sales professionals: lead response times, call connect rates, sales pipeline growth and activity levels. Adding conditional formatting brings gaps to the surface quickly, like deals stalling in later stages. We determine any needed coaching, redistribution of opportunities, or inside sales process tweaks as a team.
Another impactful report parses deals by product line and lead source monthly. We instantly see what campaigns and offerings drive traction so we can double down on what’s working. The reverse is true too – if a product or channel is underperforming, we reassess our approach.
While reporting took us flying blind to guiding with keen insights, it did require getting reps bought in. But framing it through the lens of elevating their individual success helped. Now the team relies on the dashboards to stay aligned, capitalize on trends, and hit goals. The difference is night and day.
Conduct evaluations to ensure desired outcomes
Back when we first started doing inside sales outsourcing, I made the mistake of not regularly evaluating our new partnership with an outsourced inside sales team. After a strong start, I naively assumed the success would continue without oversight. Boy, was I wrong.
After a few quarters, I started noticing cracks. Deals were stalling, sales cycles lengthening, and revenue growth flattening. I realized I had no visibility into the sales process and what was working and what wasn’t.
So I course corrected and implemented quarterly business reviews, sales rep-level assessments, and customer interviews. Digging into the numbers, trends and experiences was an urgent wake-up call. For example, feedback exposed our outsourced sales reps were struggling to convey our solution’s value and differentiate from competitors.
Now assessments are a regular part of our cadence. Outsourced inside sales reps submit recordings of discovery calls for evaluation. Multi-touch campaign effectiveness gets measured. I now have the insights needed to course correct quickly.
While continuous oversight seemed excessive early on, regular evaluations have kept our partnership focused on continuous improvement vs complacency. Assessing what’s working, what’s not, and why has been indispensable for providing the stellar customer experience that drives business growth.
Adjust sales and marketing strategies based on data and insights
Having the humility to adjust sales and marketing strategies based on data-driven insights has been critical to getting the most from our partnership with an outsourced inside sales team.
Early on, we noticed our outsourced inside sales reps were generating plenty of leads, but conversion rates were lackluster. However, my assumptions for why were totally off.
The data revealed their messaging focused too heavily on product features rather than solving buyer pain points. Customer interviews also uncovered scepticism that we truly understood their industry’s needs.
Armed with these insights, we worked closely with the outsourced sales team manager to rework positioning around targeted buyer outcomes and deep industry expertise. We also expanded training on conveying value and discovery questioning.
The results were transformational. Win rates on proposals doubled the next quarter. It reinforced that our strategies can’t be based on gut feelings – the data must point the way.
Now we regularly review assessments of call sentiment, competitive win/loss data, and pipeline stage velocity to surface any patterns. I’m constantly asking questions like “How could this report inform our go-to-market?” And “what changes might amplify this sales trend?”
While not easy admitting strategies need reworking, letting data-driven insights guide our approach has fast-tracked revenue growth. The numbers cut through opinions and egos. I’m now a diehard for analytics-based sales strategy adjustments to keep our partnership on the cutting edge.
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Maintaining Long-Term Business Growth
Maintaining a successful long-term partnership with an outsourced inside sales team requires proactive optimization, business growth planning and talent management. Here are some tips that have helped us:
To optimize over time, we check-in quarterly on ways we can refine inside sales processes, tools and strategies based on the latest sales data and trends. Are there new channels to tap? Do personas or product offerings need realignment? Optimizing is constant.
When expanding into new markets, we ensure the outsourced sales team receives localized training on regulations, buyer nuances, competitive forces, and marketing strategies. Gaining regional expertise accelerates traction.
I work closely with the outsourced sales team’s management to anticipate and plan for staffing needs amid business growth. We balance adding headcount with training and productivity gains. Scaling too fast risks customer experience.
Sustained success requires regularly revisiting priorities, realigning based on market changes, and investing in talent. Staying nimble and forward-looking is imperative.
RELATED POST
Written by Lidia Vijga
The Future of Inside Sales Outsourcing
The future looks bright for inside sales outsourcing as new technologies and strategies enhance this approach.
Artificial intelligence already allows outsourced sales teams to automate administrative tasks and focus inside sales reps on higher value activities. Voice analytics will also provide insights to refine pitches.
Partnerships with freelance sales experts on flexible contracts and affiliate agreements will empower faster expansion into new territories and niches. The gig economy enables scalability.
Outsourced sales firms specializing in complex enterprise deals and niche verticals will emerge. Specialization will drive better results.
As virtual selling becomes more pervasive, outsourced sales firms will leverage live and asynchronous video more and interactive content to create immersive sales experiences.
We’ll see more blended partnerships that leverage outsourced inside sales reps for lead gen paired with in-house closers for complex deals requiring industry expertise.
Integrating emerging sales enablement tech for training, messaging, and inside sales process refinement will improve outsourced inside sales team productivity and coordination.
The abundance of sales data will enable outsourcing sales partners to gain insights faster and course correct in near real-time based on algorithmic recommendations.
The scalability, flexibility and cost efficiency of the outsourced sales model positions it for even greater revenue growth and impact in the years ahead. Exciting innovations are coming!
Conclusion
While assessing options, developing an effective strategy, and maintaining alignment take work, the payoff can transform sales results. I hope this guide provided helpful perspective and best practices as you explore elevating performance through inside sales outsourcing. The opportunity is there to gain a competitive advantage if executed thoughtfully.
FAQs
What is an example of inside sales outsourcing?
Example of inside sales outsourcing is when a company partners with outsourced inside sales firm to handle lead gen and inside sales activities. Outsourced inside sales reps work with the internal sales team, leveraging robust tech stack and business intelligence to improve sales performance and drive business growth.
What companies need inside sales outsourcing?
Companies aiming to improve sales performance, reduce overhead costs, leverage sales experts, and focus on core competencies can benefit from inside sales outsourcing. It’s especially valuable for those seeking to generate qualified leads, explore new markets efficiently, and drive long-term revenue growth.
What are the key steps to successful inside sales outsourcing?
Successful inside sales outsourcing involves choosing the right outsourced sales partner aligned with the sales strategy, setting clear goals, fostering effective communication, monitoring performance and maintaining adaptability to market changes, all while emphasizing lead qualification for sustained business growth.
How to ensure a smooth transition when outsourcing inside sales activities?
To ensure a smooth transition when outsourcing inside sales activities, provide comprehensive training to outsourced sales reps, set clear expectations, and ensure a seamless onboarding process. Collaboration with the outsourced partner, a robust tech stack, and adhering to best practices are crucial for success.
What to look for when selecting inside sales outsourcing companies?
Key factors include industry expertise, cultural fit, tenure and turnover rates, inside sales process maturity, technical capabilities, security protocols, training rigor, and flexible pricing models.
How does outsourcing inside sales affect in-house sales team?
Outsourcing inside sales can complement an internal sales team by freeing up their time to focus on core competencies. It reduces the burden of time-consuming tasks. This collaborative approach leverages the strengths of both teams, ultimately improving overall sales performance and contributing to long-term growth.
About the Author
Our content team of sales, lead generation, and marketing experts provides industry-leading thought leadership on B2B sales and marketing, lead nurturing, and sales enablement strategies. With decades of combined C-suite and VP-level experience, we deliver actionable B2B sales and marketing content that gives B2B companies a competitive advantage. Our proven insights on lead management, conversion rate and sales optimization, sales productivity, and tech stack empower companies to increase revenue growth and ROI.
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