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As businesses seek more cost-effective alternatives without compromising sales effectiveness, outsourcing inside sales emerges as a viable solution.
In this article, we will explore what inside sales outsourcing is, the sales operations it takes over, and how an outsourced inside sales team can help you achieve your goals more efficiently and affordably.
By understanding the potential advantages of outsourcing to an inside sales team, you can make informed decisions that will drive growth, enhance sales performance, and position your company for long-term success.
What Is Inside Sales Outsourcing?
Inside sales outsourcing is a business strategy that involves hiring an external sales team to handle the sales process remotely rather than managing it in-house. Typically, the outsourced sales team works from a remote location, using digital communication and video conferencing tools to connect with potential customers and conduct product or service demos.
They may also use various sales technologies and software tools to streamline their sales efforts and improve sales performance, including:
- Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms to manage leads, track customer interactions, and analyze sales data.
- Sales engagement platforms, such as Outreach, Salesloft, or Yesware, to automate and optimize sales outreach and ensure efficient communication with prospects.
- Marketing automation software such as HubSpot and Marketo to assist them in lead nurturing and tracking marketing campaigns.
- Sales analytics and reporting tools, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Power Bi, or Domo, to gain valuable insights and reports into performance and sales pipeline management, track key metrics, and make data-driven decisions.
It’s important to note that there is a difference between inside sales reps and sales development representatives (SDRs). Inside sales teams are responsible for the entire sales process, from lead generation and qualification to negotiation and closing deals. On the other hand, SDRs primarily focus on lead generation and qualification, passing qualified leads to the inside sales team for further engagement.
(If you want to know more about outsourcing your SDR roles, our comprehensive guide on outsourcing BDR and SDR roles delves deeper into the benefits, costs, and best practices.)
What Are the Services of an Outsourced Inside Sales Team?
Here are several inside sales services that outsourcing professionals can handle for you while you sit back, relax, and reap the benefits:
Lead generation
Through targeted prospecting activities such as market research, database analysis, and initial outreach techniques (including cold calling), the outsourced inside sales experts identify potential customers (whether B2C or B2B leads) and qualify them based on your ideal customer profile. This way, they generate a consistent flow of high-quality leads, enabling you to focus on closing deals rather than spending excessive time on lead-generation activities.
Lead qualification and nurturing
Once leads are generated, outsourced inside sales teams engage in follow-up activities such as phone calls, personalized emails, and targeted outreach campaigns to further qualify leads and build relationships. This personalized and persistent approach helps establish trust and credibility with prospects, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Appointment setting
The outsourced inside sales team acts as a liaison between your company and the prospect. Since they understand your prospects’ needs and know how to position your products or services to them convincingly, they can qualify the prospective customers’ level of interest and buying potential.
Once a lead has been identified as a qualified opportunity, outsourced inside sales teams coordinate and schedule sales appointments between these prospects and your sales representatives.
Sales pipeline management
Outsourced inside sales teams meticulously track and update opportunities, monitor sales activities, and ensure accurate data entry in the CRM system. By maintaining a well-organized and up-to-date sales pipeline, you can get better visibility into the progress of each opportunity and, consequently, make informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively.
Sales support and administration
Having valuable support in sales administration and related tasks results in a more organized and optimized sale process. The outsourced sales experts will handle various sales documentation, order processing, contract management, and other administrative functions. As a result, your sales representatives can focus more on revenue-generating activities and building customer relationships.
Customer engagement and upselling
Beyond lead generation and initial sales, outsourced inside sales teams excel in customer engagement and upselling efforts. They proactively reach out to customers, gather feedback, address concerns, and offer additional products or services that align with their needs. This customer-centric approach aims to maximize customer lifetime value and foster long-term relationships.
Reporting and analytics
When outsourcing to sales experts, they will also provide reporting and analytics services, including analyzing key metrics and conversion rates. With the help of these comprehensive reports, you can assess your sales strategy and performance relying on real data rather than gut feeling, identify areas for improvement, and continuously refine your sales processes to adapt to changing trends and needs.
How Can Inside Sales Outsourcing Help Businesses Grow?
Maximizing sales success and revenue growth are the main goals of every business. Partnering with an inside sales outsourcing company or a staffing firm that specializes in finding outsourced inside sales professionals can get you closer to achieving these goals. Below, we list some benefits of working with a strong outsourced inside sales team that will help your business grow.
1. Improved sales process and efficiency
Outsourced inside sales teams often bring industry best practices and streamlined processes to the table. With their deep understanding of effective sales methodologies, they can optimize the sales process, improve sales efficiency, and implement sales automation tools and technologies.
By leveraging these resources, your outsourced sales team can help your business enhance productivity and close deals faster, resulting in revenue growth and improved overall sales performance.
2. Market expansion and lead generation
Outsourced inside sales teams bring a broader market perspective and the necessary resources to penetrate new regions and target audiences. They have the expertise to identify and engage with potential customers in different geographical areas, opening up growth opportunities beyond your business’s existing reach.
3. Enhanced focus on core competencies
Outsourced inside sales teams take over the responsibility of several sales functions, including lead generation, qualification, and nurturing, allowing your internal sales team to focus on delivering value to customers and enhancing customer service.
4. Access to specialized expertise
According to Sales Management Association (SMA), new sales reps take more than 11 months to be fully productive. Outsourced inside sales teams already have extensive knowledge and experience in specific industries, markets, or sales techniques. This enables you to tap into their deep understanding of target markets, buyer personas, and practical sales approaches and gain a competitive edge in the market from day one.
5. Scalability
As your company experiences periods of growth or fluctuations, your outsourced team can quickly scale up or down to align with these changes. This scalability ensures you have the appropriate sales resources in place to seize growth opportunities and respond to market dynamics while effectively managing your sales operations and supporting sustainable growth.
6. Cost efficiency
Recruitment costs, salaries, bonuses, and employee benefits can place a significant financial burden on companies, not to mention all the investments in infrastructure and training to build and maintain a high-performing sales force. According to a Deloitte study, reducing these costs makes outsourcing one of the top reasons 57% of companies choose external vendors to handle some of their operations.
Outsourcing your inside sales eliminates the overhead costs of an in-house sales team. Savings can be made on all the expenses associated with salaries, benefits, office space, and equipment. By outsourcing, you can strategically allocate the resources saved into core areas that drive business growth.
Final Thoughts
An outsourced inside sales team is an extension of your company dedicated to prospecting, qualifying leads, setting sales meetings, and ultimately winning new business on your behalf. This strategic decision lets you offload these sales functions while saving money. More time, effort, and resources can then be allocated toward focusing on the core competencies of your business.
Near can help you build a reliable, experienced, and result-oriented inside sales team that will deliver high-quality services without straining your finances. By partnering with us, you can gain access to highly skilled sales talent with exceptional English communication skills from Latin America who charge lower rates than their US-based counterparts (up to 70% below the US market).
Fill out this form to get a list of pre-vetted sales professionals, and let us help you build your inside sales team within 21 days. We only charge a fee once you make a hire.
