Which companies should outsource sales and why?

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 by Quique

As we have already mentioned in other post, sales outsourcing consists of hiring a specialised company to manage the commercial department of our company. Although large companies can afford the costs involved in having their own sales department, most SMEs find it very difficult, almost impossible, to have one that covers their sales needs. Thus, the most obvious advantage of this outsourcing is the savings in fixed costs.

In a previous post we already talked about the advantages of outsourcing the sales department, but we are going to focus on two other key questions: Which companies should outsource or externalise their sales department and why they should do it.

To answer the first question, we must take into account the problems involved in having your own sales department; one of them we have already mentioned at the beginning, and that is the increase in costs, as outsourcing your sales force is usually cheaper than having your own team, but it also means savings in time and other resources.

In order to have your own sales team, you first have to find the necessary talent, with all that this implies: going through a more or less lengthy selection process, training the new recruits, who in many cases lack experience in the field or sector of your new company, maintaining them (payroll and other costs…), etc.

These two factors, the increase in time and costs, generate risks that few SMEs can afford. For SMEs (which include most startups and many scaleups) every minute and every euro counts and they cannot afford to “waste” these valuable resources.

Therefore, the first question is answered… and, in part, the second too: the companies that should outsource their sales department (as many do with marketing or HR, among others) are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) above all; why? Because it allows them to save time and money, reducing risks, helping them to go to market earlier by the hand of professionals already trained and with the necessary experience, tools and knowledge.

However, there are also cases in which large companies can opt for sales or commercial outsourcing. Larger companies may have sub-departments in many of their departments and may need help with sales in a department that is not the sales or commercial department, so they may need specific support at a particular time to advance commercially in a particular project.

At Springboard35 we have helped more than 120 companies to increase their sales and expand their business quickly and efficiently, saving them a lot of money and time and helping them to grow faster and even enter new international markets in record time.

If you have a technology company (startup, scaleup or ISV) and you want to sell more and grow faster for less money, then you should also opt for business outsourcing to leave your sales in the best hands, and what better hands than those of Springboard35 and our experts in Business Development and sales. Contact us here or by email at info@springboard35.com and let us help you.

Business development: what is it and why is it so important?

November 9, 2022October 27, 2022 by Quique

Business development - what is it and its importance

Business Development is something that is sometimes confused with marketing, and very often with sales. In fact, there seems to be a trend nowadays whereby salespeople are no longer called “salespeople”, but “business development” Managers / Experts / Analysts / whatever.

This may be done to give more “cache” to the position of the salesperson (“I am not a salesperson, I am a Business Developer”… admit it, if you say it in English it is even “cooler”, more “pro”), or to remove the “negative connotation” that is generated in our brain every time a “salesperson” calls us.

Of course, the work of a salesperson is essential in any company, no matter whom it may concern, but it is necessary to differentiate (above all) between the “salesperson” and the “business developer”. And that is what we are going to clarify in this post.

The Business Development (or BD) area of a company is (or should be) very cohesive with Marketing and Sales (the famous aforementioned salespeople), but they are not the same. But, then, what do BD people do? Now let’s get to it, you impatient:

The main function of the BD department, or its BD Manager or Specialists (also called BDM) is to answer the question: What do we do now? Many times you have a product placed in a market, and everything is going well but maybe sales start to stagnate… the market is crowded, ok, so… What do we do now?

Well, the options are many: you can create a new product in your current market (new product strategy), take your existing product to a new market (new market strategy), or vary the marketing strategy so that your product reaches more people within the same market (penetration strategy), or you can choose to turn everything around and take new products to new markets (diversification strategy)… as I say, the options are many, and that is what the BDM has to analyse and decide.

The BDM has to go ahead of Marketing and Sales, it is the one who leads the way, defining the strategies for the progress of the business, taking advantage of the opportunities in the environment or creating them, as well as establishing the necessary synergies with external entities.

The main functions of the BDM include the following:

Identifying and exploiting opportunities

They must identify and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the environment, such as markets with high potential that have not yet been exploited, whether it is the extension into new geographical areas or the development of new products and/or services. In addition, it must have the ability to create opportunities that lead to business growth, anticipating market movements.

Create opportunities if there are none

BD must have the ability to create opportunities that lead to business growth, even ahead of market movements. Go one step ahead.

Establish synergies

In order to grow the business, it is necessary to establish strategic alliances with external entities, either to expand into new geographical areas, develop new products and/or services, new suppliers to reinforce the current business value chain, develop new processes, etc. Synergies with third parties are a key element in the evolution of any business.

Innovate

The BD department must go hand in hand with innovation, both in technology and business processes. This is very relevant nowadays, due to the constant and rapid evolution of technology and society. To remain static in the face of these changes is to allow oneself to be knocked down in the market war to which companies are subjected today.

Asking the questions no one else is asking

A good BDM must go beyond reality, beyond habit, beyond routine. It must always look into how to do things differently, how to improve current processes. Think that everything can be improved and that no procedure is written in stone.

Define the strategy

As always, strategy is a must. Through strategy, the BDM defines how the business will evolve, always taking into account the corporate objectives as well as the mission and vision of the company. Without a strategy, it is practically impossible to achieve results, as only improvised actions will be carried out without a common goal.

At Springboard35, we are business development experts, and that is why we are experts in doing these abovementioned tasks. Of course, we are also experts in sales (yes, we are very good at selling, because we have the contacts, the networks, the tools and the know-how), but we don’t just sell, we do all the process, from the beginning: from strategy to execution.

If you don’t want to let the crucial task of BD to “anyone”, but to the best… meet us at springboard35.com and contact us! We must talk!

Sales strategy: 5 “tips” to sell more

October 27, 2022October 17, 2022 by Quique

When we plan our sales strategy with the aim of selling more of our product, solution or service, we often go about it like a headless chicken. And we search the internet, and we read sales gurus… and our heads explode.

When it comes to sales, to sell, to sell more, to sell better, there are few references/experts to turn to… David Ogilvy, Dale Carnegie… Luis Monge Malo or Isra Bravo (yes, I put them on the same list, I know what I’m doing) among not many others, at least famous ones.

There are many people who sell, but very few who sell well (in this case, well = a lot). Selling, as I said in a post not long ago, is part of life, a part as important and present in our lives as it is to breathe.

We sell when we argue, when we debate, when we want to convince someone of something… when we flirt!

But… Is there any technique or trick to sell more? Yes, there are several. From insistence, being direct and clear, treating the client as if he/she were another person like you (yes, yes, he/she turns out to be!), etc… but all of this is for when we are one on one with our interlocutor.

Now, is there anything you can do BEFORE picking up the phone / sending the email to get better sales results? There is, and today I am going to tell you some of them:

1. Analyse the market WELL:

We must be very clear about our target customer. For this you have the well-known “buyer personas”, market research, landing pages with AB tests … here the list is endless, but it is essential that, before you start contacting someone, you know who to contact.

2. Know and focus on your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE:

Probably (with 99.9% certainty) the solution or product you offer already exists in the market, even if it is not exactly the same as the others… well, focus on that, on your competitive advantage, and highlight it. That is what will differentiate you from your competition, and therefore, what will make you sell more than your competitors.

3. Facilitate the BUYING PROCESS:

When someone wants to give you their money in exchange for your product, service or solution you can’t put obstacles in their way, it has to be highly simple, fluid, in a few steps, without errors… or they will end up buying from someone else! It seems obvious but it is not so obvious.

4. Add VALUE:

And I’m not just talking about the product. It is clear that your product must be good, but a good product does not sell more PER SE, contrary to what many believe; and a good product is good insofar as it provides value (more value, better product and vice versa).

Anyway, as I say, I’m not talking about the product, I’m talking about offering value before offering your product. Show yourself as an authority in your field, give them advice (newsletters and blogs play a very important role here), information… or a free sample of your product, I don’t know, but you know what I mean…

5. You sell to PEOPLE:

Really? I don’t believe it… Yes, you sell to people, and those people are probably as human as you are, so… why do you insist on talking to them as if they were, what do I know, Knights of the order of Greenwich, or Marquises of Valadre… or children? Talk to them as you would talk to your friend, your neighbour, your father: with closeness, with simplicity, with grace.

Maybe you are not very funny, but try to make your messages funny. When people are entertained, when they are amused, they are more likely to give you their money. This is the summary, to know more about it you can Google it).

BONUS. Dedicate yourself EXCLUSIVELY TO SELLING:

Check your task list: how many daily responsibilities do you have in addition to selling your product or service? Delegate all activities that are not directly related to sales. When you devote all your energy to selling and eliminate the more superficial tasks and tedious work that consume much of your time, you optimise the hours you need to close more deals.

And I think I’m going to leave it here today; in the next post we’ll show you more tips to increase and improve your sales, otherwise, this one will be too long.

If you want to know more about these experts in sales and technological business development visit us at springboard35.com and discover how we can help you expand and internationalise your business by multiplying your sales… see you soon!

Channel development: all you need to know about it

November 9, 2022September 20, 2022 by Quique

Channel development is a strategic approach for all those companies that decide to establish a better or broader commercial relationship between themselves and your customers.

Channel development consists of selecting one or several companies (consultancy, integrator, reseller, MSP, etc.) to distribute your products or services so that they are more and/or better consumed by your customers.

In other words: a channel model (or indirect or partner selling) is one that involves an ecosystem of companies that depend on each other and collaborate in the process of selling a product or service. What you basically do is amplifying and expanding your commercial network so these other companies sell or distribute your solution for you.

But, before we continue… What is a sales channel?

A sales channel is the means through which products or services are shown to consumers, enabling the relationship between the company itself and the potential customer. It can also be an outreach channel to promote the product or service being offered. An advertising platform for the public to come into contact with the items and become customers.

It is about attracting both those who already know the brand and those who do not. For this reason, it is very important to choose the right sales channel and to take into account the outlay to be made on it. A manufacturer’s products will not be shown in the same way as a wholesaler’s or a retailer’s products.

Now, back to channel development.

The objective of having an indirect sales model is to sell more.

This consideration of implementing a sales channel development strategy in your company, specially if you sell, for instance, technology solutions (SaaS, customised software, etc.) seems very obvious, because a model like this offers us certain advantages that we did not take into account:

Interaction with customers that you cannot reach directly.
To be aware of and learn about the market’s novelties/needs.
Provide more volume/capillarity to your products.
Decrease your commercial effort.
Provide value-added services to your product or service.
Open new markets or reach new segments.

Once we have found the need to sell through partners (channel development), for example, we want to go to a very specific market segment to which we do not have access or enter a new country without the capacity to hire our own sales force, we must follow a series of steps:

Strategy and design.
Identification of potential partners.
Qualification.
Onboarding and activation.
Channel management.

The decision to incorporate an indirect or a distribution channel in your sales strategy should result from a well-argued answer to the questions you should ask yourself before building a new distribution channel.

10 questions to ask yourself before implementing a channel development strategy

What value do distributors bring to my product or solution?
Do the distributors complement my product or service or do they only resell it?
What is the relationship that potential distributors have with the end buyers of our products and solutions?
What should these distributors be like multi-brand, exclusive, specific to my product, from sectors related to mine…?
How many distributors should I have?
Where should they be?
What relationship should we build with our distributors? What do we have to offer them so that they will sell us our products?
What should we offer them? What should we demand from them?
How do our competitors relate to their distribution channels?
What actions should we take so that our distributors prefer to sell our product over others that we distribute?

Once these questions have been answered, we will have a clear vision of whether or not it makes sense to incorporate a distribution channel or a channel development strategy in the sale of our products.

If you are considering the possibility of developing a distribution or commercial channel, we, at Springboard35, are experts with more than 20 years of experience. Get to know us and how we can help you expand your business by expanding your partnership’s network. Don’t hesitate more and contact us at info@springboard35.com and we will advise you on how to make the best decision for the commercial development of your company.

What is sales outsourcing and what are its advantages

November 9, 2022September 12, 2022 by Quique

Let’s start at the beginning and get straight to the point: sales outsourcing is the process of delegating sales management processes to an external company specialising in Business Development. This company would provide a professional team trained to manage commercial issues, such as market prospecting, lead generation or account managing among others, with a broad experience in this area.

These sales outsourcing companies are meant to rise sales and promote your solution or product, things hard to manage if you have no experience in this field.

But, nowadays, when people hear the term “sales outsourcing” (or “commercial outsourcing“) many people, especially in certain countries less accustomed to this practice, find it super innovative and disruptive. “Why didn’t I think of that before”?

There are companies that outsource HR or marketing, but sales… ah, now that’s something new… isn’t it?

Wrong!

If you think about it, we are actually talking about a practice that has been in place for thousands of years, as since ancient times producers put their goods in the hands of merchants for sale, which is still a way of outsourcing sales.

And so to this day, where these goods, in many cases, are not even tangible and, although outsourcing sales may seem like a crazy idea, if we analyse the issue with a little more perspective, we will realise that it is not such a disruptive solution nor does it mean losing control of the company.

But what are the main reasons why a company decides to outsource its business development or sales department and what are the main advantages that it provides? Well, based on our vast experience, among the main ones we find:

1. It allows you to grow faster:

Although it may seem the opposite, sales outsourcing companies (outsourcing your commercial department) allow you to reduce costs between 20% and 35% less than hiring the team directly. We always have to take into account the associated costs in HR, salaries, social security, possible redundancies, etc.

Saving on costs is good, but if we add to this an acceleration of growth, it becomes a winning formula.

2. It allows you to reduce costs:

When hiring an outsourcing company, there are several costs that can be avoided such as employees or infrastructure. By outsourcing these services, those resources are not necessary.

3. It allows you to focus on your product and your company:

Perhaps one of the main reasons why outsourcing is so fashionable: focus on developing your product and leave the other aspects to professionals who are experts in those areas.

4. It allows you to specialise:

In highly technical markets it is difficult to hire specialised professionals. It is important to check that the company you hire is a specialist in its sector and to escape from those that offer you experts both to sell tomatoes in bulk and to virtualise equipment.

5. It allows you to be more flexible:

A good sales outsourcing company will be flexible and will adapt to your necessities, your schedules, etc. They will design the most suitable go-to-market, prospecting and lead-generating strategies adapted always to your company’s needs.

These are the main reasons why many companies contact us: we know that these are very common concerns in the business world and we know how to solve them due to our more than 20 years of experience doing this.

At Springboard35, as a sales outsourcing consultancy, we have a large international team specialised in technology solutions (mainly Industry 4.0, Health Tech and E-commerce) to give you the best results in a short time while allowing you to save money and reduce risks related to going to new and unknown markets (especially in other countries). Our more than 60 partners validate us… they cannot be all wrong…. can they?

If you want to know how we can help you to expand and internationalise your business, contact us at any of our contact forms (one of them below these lines, for instance) or at info@springboard35.com. We are your international sales team.