Businesses that lack a consistent, efficient sales operation are likely to find themselves challenged by competitors better equipped for sales enablement, communications, and decision-making processes. Of course, it’s possible for any company to self-evaluate, assess and restructure operations to achieve a high-performing sales operation — but such a process can be time-consuming and expensive in terms of man-hours and resources needed.
Another option is enlisting the help of a sales consulting firm — or more accurately, a sales execution company. An experienced firm can help your business recruit and train capable salespeople, while also creating an effective sales funnel that spurs immediate sales growth. By hiring the right people and aligning the team with your overall sales goals, an outsourced sales team can optimize your sales operations and take your organization to the next level.
Key Areas of Sales Optimization
Creating Buyer Personas
Creating the right buyer personas will help in marketing and driving sales (product/services) that will allow you to attract your ideal customer. Making sure you have a deep understanding of your buyer personas will allow you and your organization to drive the right content, marketing and sales follow-up. As a result, you’ll begin to see improvements in customer acquisition and, more importantly, client retention.
Enhanced Sales Enablement
Automate “routine” sales administrative tasks to enable salespeople to spend their valuable time focused on customer-facing activities. Many studies have proven that sales professionals only spend one-third of their time selling, which is due to the of lack of tools, content and information accessible to the sales team. Many times, it is much easier to have an outside consulting firm assist with the checklist and help with putting the proper tools in place to allow you and your team to run at a faster pace. Of course, this allows organizations to sell deals quicker, resulting in more wins and revenue.
Building Front-End Pipeline
We know this phrase is overused, however, this may be the most important component to any sales organization. The majority of organizations do not have a predictable process to generate qualified leads. You should focus on maximizing tools including, but not limited to, CRM, LinkedIn, tracking systems for outbound/inbound efforts and marketing tools to warm up your leads. In addition, it’s critical to map out (process flow) each necessary component to drive marketing and sales for the proper amount of leads to hit annual revenue goals.
Improved Hiring Processes
As you know, if you do not have the right people on the bus it is much more difficult to drive the processes you put in place. We highly recommend putting together your own internal scorecard by evaluating your talent internally and coming up with your A, B and C players. It is not a fun process, however, if it is not done quarterly it may be the main reason for not hitting your targets.
Partnering with a sales execution company provides access to experts with proven methodologies and in-depth knowledge of sales optimization best practices. These organizations know how to generate qualified leads for new revenue opportunities, thus enabling their clients to focus on what they do best — rather than losing precious time and resources trying to optimize the sales process on their own.
What to Look for in an Outsourced Sales Partner
Experience and References
Look for a sales execution company with an established track record of successfully optimizing the sales processes of other businesses, including those in your field or similar in size and scope. Such firms won’t hesitate to provide references to prior clients willing to talk with you about their outsourcing experience.
Sales Techniques and Insights Acquired Across a Broad Range of Industries
You may find an outsourcing company that specializes in your area, but generally speaking, the best results come from firms whose clientele spans a range of industries. These consulting organizations can draw upon sales techniques and insights “outside the box” of your area of expertise, but which may dramatically increase efficiency and effectiveness within your company.
Significant Value at a Sensible Rate
Cost structure is always a key consideration in selecting a sales execution company to optimize your sales process. The search for a sensible cost framework entails more than finding the least expensive outsourcing services. Consultants with less skill and training may take longer to achieve your sales objective than an experienced sales execution company that gets what you want — and in the end, it’s the sales optimization improvements that count most.
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