Outsourced Sales: The Complete Guide

• T-ROC Staff
• Mar 29, 2021
• 15 mins read

Sales Outsourcing In Retail: How To Capitalize On The Business Benefits Of Outsourcing Your Sales Team.

 

The right outsourced sales team will drive sales, enhance marketing and make your life a whole lot easier.

Outsourced sales or no outsourced sales? This question has been tossed back and forth by companies and retail businesses for a very long time. However, today the answer is becoming a whole lot clearer than it ever was before.

More and more companies are saying, “yes,” to outsourced sales because the pace of business has accelerated exponentially thanks to the rise in digital technologies and e-commerce. Quite simply, outsourcing has emerged as one of the best ways to optimize in-store sales and marketing functions because companies find there are just too many moving parts for them to effectively build a sales development and staffing program on their own.

Outsourced sales is a scalable, fast and easy solution that saves companies time and money, while improving sales team performance. Rather than looking for qualified leads and having to recruit, interview and onboard sales and marketing teams, the value proposition becomes letting a qualified third-party outsourcing company that specializes in retail sales and staffing do the heavy lifting.

Why should you, as a brand or retail business, consider contracting with an outsourced sales partner? The answer is there are a lot advantages to adding the right outsourcing partner to your sales management and marketing functions. In fact, outsourcing can be like adding a whole new sales pipeline to your operations, giving you new opportunities to better serve customers, grow your business and infuse your sales process with new life. This article will delve into some of the benefits of outsourcing and what they can mean for your business. First, however, let’s start by defining outsourced sales.

What is sales outsourcing?

Sales outsourcing is the calculated decision by a brand or retail business to delegate much of, or its entire sales and staffing process, to a third-party partner. By having someone else tackle sales force management, it frees up bandwidth for companies to focus on other areas of business – marketing, inventory, new business prospects, new markets and product launches, new sales solutions and technologies, customer service improvements, and more.

Going with an outsourced sales and staffing partner is a tactical move that can augment a company’s ability to capitalize on existing and new opportunities to improve sales performance and fuel growth. After all, it’s easy for companies to find themselves trapped in the same old business-as-usual methodologies. By outsourcing new talent and bringing in new sales development strategies, companies are able to think beyond these habits and constraints and embrace new and better ways of doing business.

Have you ever considered outsourcing your staffing and sales needs, or are you still not convinced outsourcing is the right sales solution for your business? Make sure you have all the facts to make the right call.Talk with the sales force experts at The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC) and learn the inside scoop on retail outsourcing.

Why are many retail companies still resistant to outsourcing?

If outsourced sales can be such a big operational and bottom-line advantage, why doesn’t every retail company do it? There are a few reasons a sales development leader in brand or retail company might be hesitant to outsource sales. The first harkens back to the old adage that ‘change is difficult’. It’s hard to give up control of sales and personnel. This is particularly true in retail because, at the end of the day, corporate leaders are still going to be held responsible for those sales and revenue numbers.

Another reason companies may be hesitant to hire an outsourced sales and staffing partner is simply the fear of the unknown. How can I trust sales reps from an outsourced company to deliver the level of service my customers expect? How do I know my brand will be properly represented by sales teams I didn’t put together? Again, this uncertainty is quite understandable, however, it’s not really grounded in any kind of facts. The reality is that an outsourced sales team often delivers better customer service and bigger sales numbers because outsourcing companies are far more adept at recruiting, building, and training effective sales teams than most brands and retailers. After all, the only way for an outsourced sales provider to stay in business is to deliver more effective sales solutions than companies would get going it alone. In other words, if an outsourced company’s sales teams don’t deliver substantial ROI, it probably won’t be around for very long.

If you’re outsourcing sales, make sure your team has all the bases covered.

Here are a six considerations when choosing an outsourcing partner brought to you by The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC).

1. Broad Coverage – you never want to be limited in where you can recruit, find and hire sales teams. Make sure you choose an outsourcing partner with a nationwide, if not international, footprint.

2. Real-Time Visibility – From the field to the front line, choose an outsourcing company that gives you instant access to sales team activity and store conditions by leveraging the latest digital capture and reporting technologies.

3. Flexible Solutions – Make sure your outsourced sales company is able to build the sales team you need – when, where and how you need it. Full-time, part-time, flex-time, seasonal sales, event bases sales support. If your outsourcing company can’t deliver on all of these needs, they’re going to come up short at some point.

4. Staffing To Your Standards – Make sure the sales team working your floors is made up of true professionals who understand their responsibilities both to your business and its customers.

5. Exceptional Sales Training – Your sales team should be trained in “how to sell”, as well as in your specific sales and marketing process and procedures. Training is everything. You’re paying for a sales team that comes to you ready to impact your business in positive ways.

6. Outsourcing Has To Deliver ROI – An outsourced sales team should solve a lot of your staffing problems and challenges. It should make your life easier and deliver great sales teams to your locations. But it should also pay off in bottom-line sales performance. Hold your outsourced sales partner to task on delivering ROI measured in dollars earned, dollars saved, and increased sales revenue.

You can learn more aboutoutsourced staffing solutions and the approach T-ROC takes by clicking here. Also, feel free to schedule afree consultation from a T-ROC staffing expert.

What is an outsourced sales and marketing company and what do they do?

We’ve touched upon what outsourcing sales and marketing means, now let’s look at exactly that these third-party providers do for retail companies? As you can imagine, the answer to this question varies depending on the specific outsourcing company, however, job one for any good outsourced sales partner is to build the right team to drive sales and generate measurable returns. They do it by being hyper-focused on meeting sales team requirements, and having everything in place to deliver the right full-time and part-time people to the right locations on a dime. Here are a few key benefits of a good sales outsourcing program delivered by a reputable outsourcing partner.

 

1. Sales with flexibility and scalability

The retail industry is one of ups and downs, seasonality, and constant change. This can present quite a challenge in terms of sales and staffing, especially if companies are forced to handle all the moving parts internally. Sales outsourcing gives these companies the ability to instantly scale up or down, depending on the need. Not only will outsourcing companies put together a full-time sales team, they can also seamlessly provide temporary staff during the holidays and other peak periods that require additional sales support. Remember, a good outsourcing company has sales reps already in place and ready to go, and that’s something that’s just not possible when handling sales development needs internally.

 

2. Better training. Better service. Bigger sales.

Perhaps the greatest advantage an outsourced sales partner can provide is access to the most highly trained and effective sales professionals. Few things are more challenging in this day and age of retail than locating, recruiting, hiring and retaining the best possible people for the job. It’s a monumental undertaking, particularly for companies that have stores and locations in multiple regions and need a great sales team in each one. However, by allowing an outsourced sales company to take on this responsibility, suddenly an entirely new and far greater pool of talented sales professionals is available. These third-party providers (at least the good ones) bring brands and retailers a nationwide pool of previously vetted talent. Outsourcing companies handle every aspect of the hiring process, from interviewing candidates to onboarding them. One of the biggest advantages companies get from outsourcing is the quality of training their sales teams receive before hitting the sales floor. A strong outsourced sales partner will provide extensive training in general sales, as well as the individual brand or retailer’s specific products, sales process and brand attributes. The result is exceptional customer service that translates into continued customer success in terms of earning trust, winning loyalty and driving repeat business.

 

3. New best practices brought to your business.

A strong outsourced sales partner brings a new breadth of sales development insight to brands and retailers. Every company has its best practices, however, it’s very easy to experience tunnel vision within your own sales and marketing functions. Change is difficult and the status quo is familiar. By outsourcing your sales team or sales teams to a third-party company, you’ll be getting more than staffing solutions. You’ll be getting best practices developed from lessons learned over decades in sales working with all sorts of different companies. You might suddenly be privy to new sales techniques you hadn’t known about before. You might learn about new training programs or other ways to improve team performance. You might even tap into new markets that might be worth exploring for your business. The value proposition with outsourcing includes broadening your scope of knowledge by adding the fresh, new ideas of very experienced professionals.

 

4. The chance to capitalize on the latest data capture technologies

The most effective outsourced sales companies tend to operate on the cutting edge of retail technology. If they don’t have their own software and data solutions, they certainly have access to these technologies. What does this mean for companies considering outsourcing? For starters, it means you’ll be able to measure the performance of your team and the sales generated in real-time. Advanced digital data solutions are able to capture and report on sales by product, by store, by region. They can track employee tasks and hold them accountable for daily responsibilities. They also allow you to examine store conditions, product inventory, merchandising and marketing, customer engagement, and other key performance indicators with real-time efficiency. A good outsourcing partner will offer these breakthrough digital solutions to augment their sales and staffing services. Better yet, these solutions deliver such powerful insights that they often pay for themselves in measurable ROI.

 

5. Using breakthrough technologies, like virtual reality, to create more effective omnichannel sales and staffing solutions

Amazing breakthroughs being made in virtual reality and artificial intelligence are changing the game in customer service and support. A select few outsourced sales leaders are leveraging these new technologies to deliver a whole new level of customer success for a new world of retail.

One such solution is ViBA, the latest sales development innovation from The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC). ViBA stands for Virtual Interactive Brand Assistant, and this amazing sales solution integrates virtual reality, augmented reality, live video chats, livestreaming broadcasts, and on-demand content into a platform that can engage customers in stores and online.

ViBA marks the first omnichannel sales solution to blur the lines between entertainment, education and commerce. Customers can speak with a friendly virtual agent named Valerie who’s programmed to answer any and all questions they might have. If they prefer, shoppers can speak directly with a live agent over a real-time video chat. They can also call up product demos, features and specifications, entertaining videos and other cool stuff.

ViBA is like having a technological clone of your best sales team. Only ViBA never needs holidays; never asks for time off; and never calls in sick. It can be deployed in-store using smart signs or by placing QR codes on merchandise and marketing signage. You’ll need fewer sales teams on the floor and the ones you do have will enjoy the support of their exemplary new team member. ViBA also integrates seamlessly with any website for true omnichannel sales and service.

“ViBA is a sales force unto itself,” says Eddie Maza, Vice President of Marketing at T-ROC. “It’s really amazing what this system can do and how much customers love interacting with it. Our clients are lowering the cost of sales; they’re needing fewer staff on the floor; and they’re providing even better and more personal service to their customers.”

If you’re interested in learning more about ViBA, contact The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC).

 

6. The right team to launch new products and break into new markets

Consistent sales performance on a daily basis is one thing. But if your business is interested in expanding into new markets or launching new products, outsourcing sales and staffing can be a tremendous advantage. Remember, outsourced sales companies usually pull from a much larger talent pool than you’d have access to going it alone. Therefore, they can build you a sales team filled with experts who have experience launching and marketing new products. Plus, they can scale your team in whatever way works best for you, such as staffing specific stores or regions where you plan to introduce new inventory, and then expanding as your sales efforts expand. This takes all the guesswork and the associated headaches off your shoulders.

Additionally, from a sales management perspective, outsourced sales companies have done this before. They’re aware of the pitfalls and challenges associated with marketing new products and they can open your eyes to some best practices that just might prove extremely valuable.

How much does outsourcing sales cost?

Now we’ve come to that big and bold bottom-line question, “how much will outsourcing cost my business?” The fact is, sales outsourcing is a substantial investment. After all, you’re tasking a third-party with a tremendous amount of responsibility – recruiting, hiring and training an effective sales team. The sales professionals they bring your company, and the services your outsourcing partner provides will play a critical role in your own success.

This is why outsourcing can come at a pretty sizeable cost. But that doesn’t mean it’s not cost-effective. It’s important to measure the cost of outsourced sales against what it would cost you, in both time and finances, to build or expand your own in-house sales team. Ask yourself if your business is well-positioned to build a team effectively. Would the team you build be as experienced and well-trained as an outsourced team? Would your team be closing deals and generating the same sales numbers as an outsourced sales team?

The fact is, a good outsourced sales team pays for itself in the measurable ROI it delivers, and in the capital your company generates by being freed up to focus on other areas of business. It would be inaccurate and irresponsible to provide a quote for sales outsourcing in a blog post. If you’re considering outsourcing, your best bet is totalk with the experts.

Conclusion

Outsourced sales partners can provide brands and retail companies with a long list of time and money advantages. However, it’s important to select an outsource sales company that’s familiar with the unique ins and outs of retail. Choose a company with a large enough footprint to deliver the flexible and innovative sales and marketing solutions you need – anywhere, any way and anytime you need them. Plus, demand that your outsourced sales program be measured using advanced data technology. This is how you’ll know you’re getting the ROI your outsourcing company surely promised.

If you found this post helpful, you can learn more about outsourced sales, retail staffing solutions, business intelligence and other retail best practices atwww.trocglobal.com. Be sure to check out our other blogs athttps://trocglobal.com/company/#blog.

Mobile Insight® is the only retail and merchandise management solution designed to meet the brick and mortar sales challenges of high-value brands and retailers. Unlike hardware and software providers that focus on fast-moving goods, the Mobile Insight® platform delivers assisted sales solutions for more complex, interactive, and customer-centric environments. Combining data from in-store systems, 3PLs, employee and partner activity, Mobile Insight® enables informed, smarter decisions that drive sales and operations excellence. For more information, visitwww.mobileinsight.com.