In this short video, we discuss the fundamental basics on the subject: BtoB commercial prospecting. Do not hesitate to make an appointment with our experts if you have any questions.
Sales outsourcing is a subject that is increasingly being discussed by companies when it comes to developing a new sales strategy. The fact is that one out of two companies does not train its sales representatives in the specificities of commercial prospecting. As a result, half of the teams do not meet their objectives in terms of making appointments.
In addition, the majority of SMEs lack the time to carry out effective BtoB commercial prospecting . The sales representative must set aside regular time slots exclusively for prospecting.
Sales reps are not always up to speed with the full range of prospecting tools and techniques, which are particularly innovative and constantly evolving.
Given that outbound prospecting generally accounts for 50% of sales appointments, companies need to devote time to using the best sales prospecting tools.
Diversifying prospecting channels will enable companies to reach more prospects, in a targeted and relevant way, and thus gain a real competitive edge. Sales outsourcing is therefore a fast and effective solution.
Outsourcing your customer canvassing allows you to control the time you invest in canvassing, to be sure that your time is devoted exclusively to this activity, and also to benefit from innovative and fully mastered tools.
This means you can concentrate on what's most important: closing the sale!
Commercial outsourcing consists of delegating certain commercial actions to another company whose activity it is. This act is also known as a substitute sales force. It is therefore a question of entrusting an external service provider with its commercial actions, in order to gain in efficiency. The company that outsources its commercial prospecting can thus fully concentrate on its core business. The service provider will develop prospecting processes that are fully adapted to the client company's objectives and to the results of thestudy prior to commercial prospecting. It is therefore a tailor-made service that enables companies to increase their turnover by significantly increasing the number of new customers.
Outsourcing commercial prospecting has the undeniable advantage of allowing a company to concentrate on its core business. There are also other advantages in terms of economic benefits. In order to have a clear and precise vision of commercial outsourcing, it is also important to be aware of its few disadvantages.
The advantages
Commercial outsourcing is increasingly practised by companies, and for good reason. This decision allows companies to obtain significant results, both in terms of the performance of commercial prospecting and the control of commercial costs. The formula is attractive, with increasingly varied services to adapt in time to new marketing tools and new sales channels. Thus, the main advantages of outsourcing identified by companies are flexibility in the management of actions to be implemented; time and performance savings with a standardisation of the commercial prospecting process; lower commercial costs in the absence of sales teams recruited and trained internally to manage only the pre-sales part, in other words, prospecting; cost control with a service that includes detailed invoicing; time savings and lower costs for prospecting in the field; the positive impact on theacquisition of new customer appointments thanks to the expertise, human resources and cutting-edge digital tools of a service provider who is an expert in commercial prospecting; a potentially rapid return on investment.Any company that outsources its commercial prospecting can thus see its turnover increase thanks to an increase in the number of commercial meetings, and therefore an increase in sales. All this, while optimising the time of its sales force.
The few disadvantages that have been identified among companies that use outsourcing are mainly due to subjective feelings. Most of the negative feelings initially stem from a difficulty in delegating such important actions as commercial prospecting. Companies are afraid of losing control. Thus, the main obstacles perceived by companies that delegate their commercial prospecting are:the fear of losing control over their commercial actions;the lack of information concerning the scope of the service;the fear of standardising the prospecting process, without respecting the identity of the client;a lack of reactivity and flexibility on the part of the service provider.Not all of these fears are necessarily unfounded, when companies sign a service contract that is not adapted to their commercial objectives. It is therefore strongly advised to choose a company specialising in commercial prospecting and which is completely transparent about its skills, services and rates. This is one of the reasons why more and more companies are using French service providers. Thus, sales contracts are written in French, which excludes any problem of interpretation. Moreover, in the event of a dispute, French law applies. As such, the majority of companies offering commercial prospecting services guarantee a qualitative service. Indeed, they are well aware that negative customer feedback can have a considerable impact on the development of their business. This is why the ReCom commercial prospecting agency has placed the values of commitment, transparency, a culture of results, proximity and human relations at the heart of its activity.
It is a fact that some sectors of activity outsource their commercial prospecting more than others. There are several reasons for this. First of all, some industries have a greater incentive to adopt an outsourcing strategy for many of their non-core activities in order to focus on their core business. This is particularly true for industries that are more technical or have more complementary activities. When a client has already taken the plunge by calling on an external service provider, it is easier for them to repeat the operation on other jobs, which means that the majority of companies that outsource their commercial prospecting have already had the opportunity to outsource another job. According to a survey carried out in 2011 by the Cegos observatory, 82% of French companies use outsourcing. Among these companies, information and telecommunication services represent 49% of outsourced services. The companies that outsource the most are economic entities in the following sectors of activity: industry, services, etc. Moreover, it is mainly large companies that outsource the most (companies with over 1,000 employees). SMEs are not left behind, with 78% of small and medium-sized enterprises using outsourcing. It should be noted that these figures come from a 2011 study. With the multiplication of communication channels due to new technologies, it is likely that this rate has increased over the last 10 years, among all companies. Indeed, the technical nature of certain activities - such as commercial prospecting - is pushing companies to delegate these secondary activities each year by calling on professional service providers who are experts in this field.
At the end of the year, sales reps don't always have time to follow up on quotations sent to prospects. ReCom offered to do this, and we worked together on a list of reminders to be sent out. The operation was a double success: over €70,000 worth of quotations were validated following calls from sales staff, who were freed up from this task to respond to all requests with a high level of responsiveness!
After an initial phase 2 years ago, RECOM is now working with us on Sigilium's long-term sales development. The aim is to raise awareness of the solution in different market segments, identify prospects and make appointments. The results are good: we have appointments booked every week with companies who go on to sign quite often. The multiplicity of channels and the sales approaches we've devised together have enabled us to achieve these good results.
We needed reinforcements to speed up our prospecting, and of course there was no question of collaborating with people who weren't involved. Based on the information they provided, ReCom was able to set up an effective appointment-setting campaign: quality and quantity are present, reporting is very clear and exchanges are regular. In short, they're top-notch!
In our search for new customers, we had a list of highly qualified prospects that we didn't have the time to approach directly or to follow up. We asked ReCom to carry out a telephone prospecting campaign based on this file. In addition, ReCom also launched a prospecting campaign on LinkedIn. The results were very encouraging, with a high rate of positive responses. Prospects' reactions have prompted us to question our positioning with regard to one category of customer. We expect to see a return on investment within a few weeks.
Due to health constraints this year, most of our trade shows were cancelled, which led us to redefine our strategy. To avoid a shortage of leads, we called on ReCom, who seemed to set the standard in multi-channel prospecting. Hugo and Vincent, our Business Developers assigned by ReCom, were able to build up our prospecting portfolio by making numerous appointments for our team. Precillia, our project manager, also provided regular, high-quality follow-up and optimization of these actions. I highly recommend ReCom!
We were dealing with a very specific and technical field, "Tribology". The ReCom team got to grips with the subject quickly and efficiently. Working with ReCom enabled us to obtain several qualified appointments per week. We continue to work together.
