Outsourcing sales and marketing can be a viable option for your startup.
If you’re like a lot of entrepreneurs, you may struggle with sales and marketing because of a lack of time, a lack of resources, or a lack of experience. That’s why many startups are increasingly outsourcing sales and marketing functions to companies that specialize in providing part-time sales and marketing services.
But finding the right provider can be a challenge. Over the last 7+ years at VA Partners, we’ve worked with over 70 growing firms to develop and implement sales and marketing strategies that have delivered results without breaking the bank. Here’s what we’ve learned are the keys to a successful outsourced sales and marketing engagement.
1. The Right Goals
It’s important that the company and its outsourced provider have the same expectations for the engagement. Setting activity, revenue, and/or user-base growth targets from the outset will ensure that both parties are on the same page with the same goals from day one.
2. The Right Strategy
At the beginning of any outsourced sales and marketing engagement, a strategic review should be one of the very first steps. A strategic review (or a session to help develop new sales and marketing strategies) will help to set expectations for the engagement, but it’s also an opportunity for both parties to ask questions and ensure the resources are in place to achieve the goals for the engagement.
3. The Right Sales & Marketing Tactics
When it comes to sales and marketing as a startup, it’s always tempting to boil the ocean. There’s any number of sales and marketing tactics that can be selected, but what matters is the right ones. Once you’ve settled on the right tactics, it’s important to carefully define how your tactics will be executed and who will be responsible for each aspect of their execution, such as how any website updates will be made, who will handle social media, who will provide approvals, etc.
4. Regular Feedback
For growing companies, getting regular feedback on sales and marketing efforts is key. The ability to stay aware of customer feedback and integrate it into the decision making process can make or break a startup. Ensuring there is time set aside for both regular and ad hoc feedback throughout the engagement can help to ensure success.
5. Frequent Measurement
Sales and marketing activities must be measured and linked back to pre-set targets and ultimately your revenue – any activity that can’t be linked to a target or revenue growth is ultimately a waste of time. Ensure any outsourced provider has the capabilities to provide regular feedback on how the engagement is proceeding.
6. Skill and Knowledge Transfer
A primary reason to consider an outsourced sales and marketing provider is that their skills and expertise typically aren’t present within the company. One of the lasting legacies of the engagement should be that full-time members of the startup understand the sales and marketing strategies and have the processes, tools, and tactics in place to allow them to be successful in the longer term.
Embracing part-time or outsourced sales and marketing is a big decision for any startup or growing company. But with the right provider, it can be very rewarding experience that can help to dramatically accelerate growth. At VA Partners, we like to describe our services as “part-time” instead of “outsourced” because we believe in becoming a valued part of your team, not an outside extension of it.
If you would like to understand how VA Partners can help you grow your business in 2014, please contact me.
