B2B purchases are often complicated and involve multiple decision-makers, resulting in long sales cycles.
By outsourcing specific tasks or this entire process, you can create a pipeline that efficiently pushes B2B leads along the buyer’s journey, increasing conversion rate while reducing the sales cycle and expenses.
In-house vs. Outsourced Sales
There are three methods for implementing B2B sales: building an in-house team, outsourcing specific tasks, or outsourcing the entire process.
In-house Sales
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Full operation control | High initial investment |
| Better alignment with other departments | No guaranteed success |
| Greater employee motivation |
In-house sales involve building a team from scratch. This includes hiring key sales roles such as:
- Account executives
- Sales development representatives
- Sales specialists
- Sales managers
Once these positions are filled, your team needs training to become fully functional. On average, it takes three months to onboard salespeople1 and 12 months to make them top performers.
These are the primary advantages of an in-house sales team:
- Full operation control: You have direct input on implementing the sales strategy. You can also make real-time changes and improvements to the team’s day-to-day operation.
- Better alignment with other departments: An in-house sales team is familiar with your company processes, which allows them to work better with other departments.
- Greater employee motivation: In-house employees are driven to perform better because they have the opportunity to grow within the organization.
The common pitfalls of an in-house team are:
- High initial investment: The costs associated with assembling an in-house team do not stop with employee salary and benefits. You’ll also need a budget for training, new equipment, and space expansion, which can significantly impact your company’s bottom line.
- No guaranteed success: Some businesses cannot afford to build an in-house sales team, as there is no guarantee that it will provide positive results.
Outsourced Sales Team
| Pros | Cons |
| Flexibility | Quality issues |
| Access a wider pool of talent | Data management concerns |
| Cost savings |
B2B sales outsourcing entails delegating specific tasks or the entire process to an agency or freelancer.
The most notable benefits of outsourcing sales are:
- Flexibility: B2B sales outsourcing projects are usually on a contract basis. If you do not see results, you can cancel the contract and implement another strategy.
- Access a wider pool of talent: B2B sales outsourcing agencies have qualified and trained reps ready to take on your project. By choosing to outsource, you can leverage their expertise and knowledge to your advantage.
- Cost savings: 70% of businesses outsource2 with the primary goal of saving money. By outsourcing B2B sales, you don’t have to pay for employee benefits, training, and equipment.
Outsourcing B2B sales comes with its own set of obstacles, which include:
- Quality issues: There may be instances when the service you get from the outsourcing agency doesn’t meet your standards.
- Data management concerns: Outsourcing sales includes passing over customer and company data. If mismanaged, your brand’s reputation can suffer and you can lose customers’ trust.
B2B Sales Services To Outsource
Here are B2B sales tasks that are ideal for outsourcing:
Appointment setting
Appointment setting entails qualifying leads and persuading those who fit the qualification to book appointments with account executives. This process creates an efficient sales pipeline and ensures that it will not run out of opportunities to convert.
Outsourcing appointment setting is ideal for companies that don’t have the resources to hire SDRs and managers as an in-house team.
List building
List building involves collecting customer information for sales and marketing efforts.
A good lead list is the starting point of any successful sales strategy, but getting reliable data to build one requires time and effort. Some companies don’t have the workforce or the capital to source high-quality leads on their own, which makes this service a great candidate for outsourcing.
Lead generation
Businesses can rely on lead generation to attract potential clients and fill their sales pipeline with qualified leads.
Lead generation strategies require extensive market research and advertising efforts. Salespeople don’t always have the time to assume these tasks, as they must focus on closing deals. This makes lead generation an ideal service for outsourcing.
What to Look for in a Reliable Sales Outsourcing Company
You can lessen any potential pitfalls of B2B sales outsourcing by teaming up with a reputable firm. Consider the following aspects when selecting a B2B sales outsourcing agency:
Workforce quality
The workforce of a sales outsourcing company determines its quality. SDRs and managers must be highly skilled and well-trained to implement your sales playbook. Inquire about the team’s experience, expertise, and credentials to get a sense of their capabilities.
Pro Tip: Find a sales outsourcing partner that has experience in your field. You can leverage their sales expertise and industry and market knowledge to achieve your ROI faster.
Data management
When you outsource B2B sales services, you give sensitive information about your business and prospects to a third party. This makes the risk of a data breach very high, especially because 43% of cyberattacks target small organizations.3 Before outsourcing, ask how they’ll handle and protect your data.
Pro Tip: Check if their campaign tools and communication channels are from credible companies.
Pricing
Outsourced B2B sales services’ prices vary depending on the complexity and timeframe of the project. They usually have fixed-price for most services and a retainer basis for custom solutions.
Pro Tip: Request a quotation from multiple service providers to know if you’re getting a fair price.
Communication
You are bound to have questions and suggestions as you outsource your B2B sales process, especially during the early stages.
A reputable outsourcing firm will provide several communication channels and promptly respond to customer complaints.
Pro Tip: You can tell how much an outsourcing company cares about customer service by noticing how quickly they respond and communicate when explaining their services.
Top B2B Outsourcing Companies
| B2B sales outsourcing company4 | Location | Company size | Minimum project amount |
| SalesRoads | Boca Raton, FL | 50-249 | $5,000+ |
| Belkins | Denver, CO | 50-249 | $5,000+ |
| Cleverly | Los Angeles, CA | 10-49 | $1,000+ |
| Cience Technologies | Denver, CO | 1,000-9,999 | $5,000+ |
| Remote CoWorker | Hollywood, FL | 1,000-9,999 | $1,000+ |
Now that you know what to look for in a B2B sales outsourcing agency, here’s a quick look at the top US companies:
SalesRoads
Services Offered:
- Appointment setting
- Data & research
- List building
SalesRoads is an award-winning sales outsourcing company that offers high-quality appointment setting services. With over 15 years of experience, we’ve developed a proven strategy to help businesses succeed and expand.
One of the ways we stand out from other outsourcing firms is in the care with which we choose our business partners. To guarantee top-notch service, we assess the client’s ICP, value proposition, and target market to see if we’re a good fit for working together. If it’s a good match, we can launch a custom solution in just three weeks.
Belkins
Services Offered:
- Appointment setting
- Call center services
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
Founded in 2017, Belkins offers a wide range of outsourced sales and marketing services for business growth. They have a structured customer onboarding process and assign dedicated teams for every campaign.
Cleverly
Services Offered:
- Lead generation
- SEO content and blog writing
- LinkedIn paid advertising
Cleverly is specialized in lead generation and has produced over 151,500 client leads since 2018.
This agency’s minimum project size is $1,000, making it perfect for those who want to ease into sales outsourcing.
Cience Technologies
Services Offered:
- Call center
- Sales development
- CRM consulting
- Conversion optimization
- Digital strategy
- Direct marketing email
Cience Technologies provides a range of outsourced sales and marketing solutions for B2B businesses. Their SDRs have HubSpot certifications in lead generation, lead quality, and prospecting. In just 7 years, this outsourcing company has helped over 2,500 clients.
Remote CoWorker
Services Offered:
- Sales and billing optimization
- Marketing & consulting
- Cold calling & appointment setting
- Customer support representative
Remote CoWorker is a boutique BPO that serves clients from diverse industries. They provide sales outsourcing, back office, finance and accounting, and human resources services.
If you are looking to outsource small-scale sales tasks, Remote CoWorker can be a good option, as their minimum project size is only $1,000.
Bottom Line
When done right, outsourcing B2B sales can assist your business to grow faster with fewer risks. Make sure to work with a service provider that fits your needs and do thorough due diligence before fully committing.
