The most rapid way to close more ‘deals’ and increase your company’s revenue is to outsource where and when it matters most. There’s no denying this, and smart, leading edge companies are doing it more and more every day. Whether it’s outsourcing customer service, product fulfillment, sales, back office work or any role in-between — the genius of outsourcing cannot be overlooked.
In today’s marketing and sales environments, the sales development representative (SDR) role is no different.
It’s arguable that outsourcing SDR’s is the #1 way to stuff your pipeline with qualified leads, day in and day out. While an increasing number of companies are heeding this advice, there are still those that are slow to buy in on this proven solution. These companies think that keeping the SDR’s in-house helps to control costs and quality of calls. The reality of the matter is much different.
Try it. Try to build an in-house team of SDR’s. You’ll find the cost savings DO NOT outweigh the convenience and performance (ROI) you get from an expert lead-gen service in your corner. I mean, appointment setting in 2019 and beyond is a whole new ballgame.
Now keep in mind, not all sales and SDR services are created equal. So be thorough in your vetting process. When you find the right one, you can kick back and enjoy sales opportunities pretty much on demand.
#1 – Get Sales set FAS
When you outsource to a competent leading-edge company, the ramp-up time is extremely fast. In some instances, you can engage on a Tuesday and have your prospects’ phones ringing on that very same Friday.
On the other hand, when you try to build your own team from the ground up, you must consider the difficulties of recruiting the right people in today’s market, hiring and HR tasks, training time and costs, and the list goes on. It’s NOT fun! It’s daunting task. Outsourcing your appointment setting is like turning on a fire hydrant hose, rather than having to dig the well yourself.
#2 – Performance Pays For Itself
A leading-edge appointment setting service comes stacked with experienced, expert SDR’s. It’s what they do day in and day out. Making calls, qualifying opportunities, and setting sales appointments. They are great at it. They won’t stumble and fumble with potentially huge clients, or give people a bad a bad first impression of your company.
When you build an in-house team, however, you have to train, train, train. And don’t expect them to be self-motivated or self-correcting. You’ll constantly have to keep a finger on the pulse of quality and performance.
Think of it this way, you could go out and try to find a bunch of random people to help build your house, OR you could just hire a professional contractor. Which would you prefer? It’s a no-brainer, right? The performance and quality that comes from true professionals will make all the difference, in your home and for your sales pipeline.
#3 – Turnover…not your problem
Here’s something that most companies never even consider: In-house SDR’s have perhaps the highest turnover rate across all personnel and all departments. Why? Because it’s well-known that the SDR role is the entry level role to a higher paying sales position.
So, if your company doesn’t have an opening in sales when they’re ready, don’t be surprised if they leave for greener pastures. And if you do happen to have room for growth, you’re constantly playing musical chairs — moving SDR’s up and scrambling to find others to replace them. It get’s extremely time consuming and expensive. The average cost to replace a SDR in 2019 is over $5000.
I see it all the time. Hire a handful of SDR’s and they’ll soon be knocking down your door in hopes of that Sales Exec. promotion (and who could blame them!). But outsource to an expert appointment-setting service and you’ll never have to worry about SDR turnover again.
#4 – Flexibility Wins
If you go with an in-house SDR team, it’s on you when it comes to scaling. This can be tricky, as big wins often come in seasons and cycles. So, in busy seasons it’s entirely on you to hire the appropriate number of SDR’s and sales staff. Similarly, when things are slow, the burden of layoffs falls directly on your shoulders as well. This is also a morale killer for your management staff. In the down seasons they have to spend time laying off vs building up. It’s tough to fire a group of people one minute and inspire to excellence in another. Also, the remaining employees are always working in a culture of fear. NOT healthy.
On the other hand, when you outsource SDR activities, it often comes with added flexibility and adaptability. Expect a busy quarter? The service should be responsive and double down on your account. Slow holiday season? Same deal, they’ll scale back and adapt accordingly. The peace of mind of always having that outsourced, go-to SDR team is worth its weight in gold.
#5 – Focus on What You Do Great
If your sales execs are responsible for the entire sales cycle — from prospecting to closing — you’re doing it all wrong.Instead, divvy up the labor. This will free up your true closers from having to chase down leads, and allow them to focus on what they’re best at. That is, building important relationships with decision makers.
Also, an in-house team of SDR’s will require a team manager. So if you’re not outsourcing your lead gen, you can expect to either hire this additional managerial role, or delegate it to one of your seasoned sales guys (please don’t do the latter! It’s one of the worst mistakes in sale biz today). But again, this takes at least one person’s focus off of building meaningful relationships with prospective clients or customers.
#6 – Save BIG on Resources
Believe it or not, there’s a whole suite of new technologies that goes hand-in-hand with SDR’s. Build up a team and you’ll find yourself reading endless product reviews for things like designated CRM’s, sales intel tools, automation software, analytics and tracking, you name it. It’s a full time job, or two, to keep up with what’s going on.
This can be extremely overwhelming, not to mention time-consuming and expensive. So, an added benefit of outsourcing to an SDR appointment-setting service is that they’ll absorb these costs entirely. This means you can keep your sales stack simple and streamlined.
#7 – Get Real Results… Finally.
Bottom line, first impressions are the SDR’s world. And first impressions are everything. Whatever it takes, ensure your highest priority is making a stellar first touch and landing a subsequent sales appointment. Whether in-house or outsourced, you can’t afford to have dummies on your phones or conducting your interactions with customers.
Sustainable growth is the name of the game here. Outsource the SDR role, and get a highly-qualified and dedicated team of appointment setters at your beck and call. Go with the right service, and you’re almost guaranteed to reel in bigger, better fish… and much more frequently. More qualified appointments guarantees more sales. Period.
What if I already have an SDR Team in Place?
If you’re already running an in-house team, but open to exploring options, this one’s for you. Here’s a great solution that many companies are going with: Continue with what you’re doing, but outsource a portion of your sales budget. Maybe start with outsourcing after hour or weekend teams to test results.
This way you can measure the results (key metrics!) of the SDR service against what your in-house team is doing. Then just do the simple math with regards to cost-savings and revenue. Finally, do more of whichever works best. This relatively risk-free approach is attractive to companies that are on the fence about outsourcing for sales.
