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Should You Insource or Outsource Inside Sales? A High Tech Company’s Guide
Should You Insource or Outsource Inside Sales?
A High Tech Company’s Guide
About This Book ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About memoryBlue... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Inside Sales Big Picture .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Insourcing Disadvantages: Considerations Before You Go it Alone .. . . . . . . . . . . 8
Outsourcing Disadvantages: Potential Pitfalls when Straying from Home ... . 14
Insourcing Advantages: When the Ball Should Be in Your Court .. . . . . . . . . 19
Outsourcing Advantages: Think Outside Your Office ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Our Take: Gut Checks, Careful Consideration, and Decision Time ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Bring in Blue .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Takeaways .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
© 2012 memoryBluememoryBlue.com2
About This BookIs This Book Right for Me? You’re an accomplished professional in the high tech industry, and now is the time for your company to start ramping up an inside sales effort to grow faster.
You might be close to a decision on whether you’re going to grow your inside sales program internally or bring in an outside firm for help, or you might not know where to start.
You’re in the right place.
Know, however, that if you are looking for a universal answer to whether you should choose an outside provider for sales or develop your own inside sales program—an answer that is right in every instance—this book is not for you. When asked whether it makes sense to outsource or to insource, our answer will always be: It depends. Every situation is different.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all answer, what follows is a set of considerations that you can use to make the best decision for your company’s specific situation, resources, and goals. You know your business. This guide gives you the tools necessary to decide how to promote sustainable growth in a cost-effective way through either insourcing or outsourcing inside sales.
Why This is ImportantIf you are projecting growth but want to make sure that this growth is timed correctly, sustainable, and consistent with your business model, the insourcing/outsourcing question is essential. Where do you see your company next year at this time? Five years from now? How are you going to get from here to there?
If you make the wrong decision, six months or a year down the road you will be out time and money and back to square one. Not to mention, your company’s brand could suffer.
memoryBlue has consulted hundreds of high tech clients on inside sales and has guided many companies through this decision—or in some cases, come in after a misfire.
Read on: This guide will equip you to make the right choice for your situation.
© 2012 memoryBluememoryBlue.com3
About memoryBlueBefore We Start, a Word about UsmemoryBlue is an inside sales consulting firm based outside of Washington, D.C.
Visibility, flexibility, accountability, and continuous high tech sales training is the cornerstone of our operation. Over 150 high tech clients have trusted us to fuel their growth.
We’re passionate about helping high tech companies grow faster and more profitability by maximizing the effectiveness of inside sales, while at the same time advancing the careers of stellar inside sales professionals. We believe the two shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
Why We Wrote this Book
We answer the “Outsource or Insource?” question all the time in conversations with prospects, clients, and candidates.
We’ve been in the business long enough to know that a five minute answer in conversation is nowhere near long enough to cover all the ground that goes along with this important decision. Every situation is different, and the wrong decision can slow you down.
Read on for the factors you should think about when you are deciding whether to insource or outsource your inside sales efforts.
If you’d like some advice from the authors, or to find out more about memoryBlue, head to our website or page 25 to contact us.
HinT: Skip to page 30 for a one page summary you can print out and take back to your team.
© 2012 memoryBluememoryBlue.com4
The Inside Sales Big PictureSurging Growth Want to take a stab at how much inside sales grew between 2009 and 2011?
What would be a reasonable guess?
30%?
60%?
Try 124%.
Plus, lead generation jobs have increased by 59% (source). We don’t think this is going to slow down any time soon. To see this trend explode before our very eyes is exciting; watch it pass you by at your own peril.
This Growth is No SurpriseSuccessful inside sales programs are proving themselves as one of the most profitable sales channels in high tech. So many of the problems and costs that have plagued sales in the past can be minimized by establishing an effective inside sales effort.
2009–2011 Job Growth
“Inside Sales” Jobs “Lead Generation” Jobs
Up 124%2011
2009Up 59%2011
2009
Contact us for more information on this and other great work from our clients.
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