There are many great ideas and products in the minds of entrepreneurs the world over. Some of these ideas are put down on paper, and some even make it through the development process only to fail to break into the market. Why is this? There are a variety of answers to that question, one of which is as simple as there was just no demand. But it is not always that simple. Sometimes these ideas fail to take off because as talented as the people behind them maybe they are lacking in one key skill that is required for success. The skill of selling! Ask yourself, would Colonel Sanders have had his KFC recipe rejected so many times if he had of been a better salesman?
Without sales there are no customers. And without customers, there is no business. It is not only budding entrepreneurs that sometimes need a helping hand when it comes to developing their sales channel, however, sometimes large, and successful organizations need help too. They may have brought their business to a certain level and plateaued, struggling to make inroads in what appears to be a stagnating marketplace. Or possibly they have decided to focus on their core strengths and leave other areas of the business to those who specialize in the area concerned. This is where outsourcing comes in, and for the purpose of this article, specifically outsourced selling.
What is outsourced sales?
Outsourcing is the process of hiring an external company, or third party, to look after an element of your business. There are many benefits to this method of business management which give businesses very good reasons to consider it. Firstly, the outsourced sales company are sales professionals. Their entire focus is on understanding their client’s product and the market they operate within to recruit, train and manage a team of highly trained professional salespeople to canvass the target market to develop their client’s customer base.
Why to outsource sales team?
Outsourcing sales team allows a business to focus on their core business activities, while allowing others to focus on the areas they are not as experienced in such as sales. There are also cost savings that come from outsourcing as funds that would have been invested in an internal sales team can be redirected to other areas of the business such as R&D and customer retention to name but a few. This, in turn, allows the client company to improve their customer offering and therefore create longer lasting and more profitable relationships with their customers.
What are the benefits of outsourcing sales team?
Outsourcing sales team allows for complete client control as the outsourced company will operate to an agreed service level agreement between themselves and their client. It also takes away some of the many headaches that come with having an internal sales team such as ongoing recruitment that can be required due to the high turnover of staff in the sales industry together with the ongoing training and management that is required when running a successful sales operation. Outsourcing this function allows our clients to focus on what they do best, while BillSave focuses on looking after what we do best, our clients sales channel.
BillSave and SSE Airtricity case study
BillSave has been working with SSE Airtricity for over 11 years now. In that time, we have worked closely with our client to develop and maintain a team of highly motivated individuals who have operated as both salespeople and brand ambassadors successfully executing SSE Airtricity’s sales campaigns and delivering over 200,000 new residential customers to them. Our service offering allows our agents to access the entire country from our five offices that are spread throughout Ireland using our internal fleet of vehicles. This, together with our hands-on management style, ensures that all agents operating on the SSE campaign are managed to deliver the results expected from both our clients and ourselves.
All BillSave sales agents receive in depth and ongoing training on all areas of sales ranging from managing their customer list to how to successfully pitch and close a potential customer. Each team is managed by an experienced sales professional with a proven track record who also provides one on one in field training which allows all agents to learn from the experience of our most successful agents. This level of in-depth training and attention to detail has been a key element in the successful relationship between BillSave and SSE Airtricity.
At BillSave, we do not only focus on residential field sales. We also operate a team of business to business sales agents who operate throughout the country. These agents are trained to focus on the specific needs of the individual client and will seek out and sign up those customers who meet the criteria laid out by our clients. This team of agents operates alongside our residential sales team allowing for nationwide reach.
How can BillSave help your business?
If your business has struggled with sales, or perhaps, it has grown organically without the help of a sales team, but you would now like to take it to the next level then BillSave can help. Our team will work with your business to design, develop and execute a highly focused sales strategy that will ensure your offering is presented directly to your target market in a professional manner. We can help your business develop a pipeline of high-quality customers that will enable it to develop and grow by allowing it to focus on the core areas that have gotten it to this point.
Learn more about our sales services on BillSave’s official website or contact us today at info@billsave.ie to discuss how outsourcing your sales operations would enhance your customer acquisitions and promote your brand positively.