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Considerations for Outsourcing Sales Lead Management

Inside Sales Lead Management Featured Article

Considerations for Outsourcing Sales Lead Management
 
July 29, 2014

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  By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor
 


While most companies have a very complex sales process, every sale, whether it’s for a book or a jet plane, starts with a lead. Companies employ a variety of strategies to gather leads, and they have more options today than ever, thanks to social media. Eventually, however, regardless of how they prospect, someone will need to get on the telephone eventually.


Most organizations have a decision to make when it comes to lead management: to assemble their own inside sales team to gather leads, or to outsource the process. While there is no “right” answer, and no “one size fits all” model that works for every company, there are some plans that need to be formulated before a company should consider outsourcing. These include setting expectations, sourcing lists, putting in channels of communication between the outsourcer and the company, and measuring success.

According to Laney Dowling, writing for the blog Sales Prospecting Perspectives, there are always common themes in the questions that are (and should be) asked before company chooses an outsourcing partner. For starters is the question of how many leads a company should expect to see per month (the answer is between eight and 12 leads per full-time inside sales rep), and where you should get your lists from (that depends on whether you want a broad list with high volume or a very targeted list with fewer prospects).

But it’s also critical to evaluate the channels of communication between the outsourcer and your sales teams, and this means that technology and software solutions must come into play. If sales leads are being cultivated but not shared in a timely way, then money is being wasted. It may come down to your CRM solution.

“With the sophistication of CRM integration options out there, it is an easy process to transfer information back and forth,” writes Dowling. “You just need to figure out the information that is most relevant to you when looking at metrics and data with your outsourced team, and work together to determine the best handoff process.”

This means building accountability into the process, so all leads can be tracked, monitored and accounted for, and nothing gets lost in translation. Tracking and monitoring is also critical to measure the quality of leads that are being produced by the outsourcer. If an organization is passing poor quality leads, it might be time to look elsewhere, but it’s critical to have a process that will measure this quality.

“It’s crucial to track the opportunity from creation to pipeline to close,” writes Dowling. “Make sure your outsourced team tracks their leads and ensures that the first call happens with the prospect and your sales rep, and that there is a real opportunity there. If the second step is a demo, that is a perfect example of a great quality lead. If the prospect explains that there is no opportunity for two years and that the rep should call back in 18 months, that should be marked as unqualified.”

As the old saying goes, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” and this is particularly true in sales. If you’ve chosen to pay for lead management outsourcing services, be sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Done correctly, the process could bring new life into your sales process. 


Edited by Rory J. Thompson

Inside Sales Lead Management Homepage ›





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