Outsourced sales management

We meet with a lot of great companies with great business owners. We can often tell right away that they have wonderful salespeople and provide great services and/or products to their customers. However, their sales and overall revenue growth are often suffering yet no one can determine why. Sometimes when we talk to their sales manager (or discover they don't have one at all) we realize the problem.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you consider outsourced sales management:

What is outsourced sales management?

• It is NOT the same as outsourcing sales.

• It is a completely CONFIDENTIAL way to efficiently and inexpensively manager your sales teams.

• YOU hire the salespeople (although we can help with that, too).

• YOU control the salespeople and their messaging.

• You simply outsource their management .

• Contrary to a popular MYTH, sales management only requires a few hours of time a week.

• Salespeople don’t WANT or NEED micromanagement and constant hand-holding, especially not by someone they don’t perceive as an experienced sales leader.

Why should I consider outsourcing sales management?

• Salespeople are unlike any other employee you will hire.

• If your current sales manager is a non-selling manager (or is supposed to sell but doesn't) then you are spending too much today. Sales management only requires a few hours of time each week.

• If your current sales manager is a "selling manager", then they are often effectively competing with their own sales team!

• If your current sales manager is not an experienced salesperson at all, then please know that salespeople HATE being managed by someone who isn’t in sales. Salespeople need a leader who has put in the time doing what they do, understands their world, and who can walk them through the problems they face on a weekly basis, from personal experience.

• If your current sales manager is YOU (the business owner) then consider this: do you have the time, the skill and/or the desire to truly perform this role?

• If your current sales manager is a general manager or operations leader, do they truly understand sales from personal experience? Or, were they hired instead because of their industry knowledge or operational skills? Does your sales team see them as a sales leader?

• If your sales team is currently managed by “committee”. Don’t these people already have full-time jobs? Do they have the skills needed? Have they personally had success in sales before? Is it working?

When should I consider outsourcing sales management?

• If your company is suffering from no revenue growth or slow revenue growth.

• If you have high turnover of salespeople.

• If your sales team needs a “shake up”.

• If you often wonder what your salespeople (and sales manager) do all day.

• If you have never had a high-skilled, highly-paid sales manager.

• If you are between sales managers (or considering a change).

• If you are considering making your top salesperson your sales manager. Why would you take your top player off of the field? Do they have leadership skills or sales skills? These are often not the same.

What are the benefits of outsourcing sales management?

• The cost of an outsourced sales manager is about ONE THIRD the cost of a full-time sales manager.

• Turnover of salespeople and especially, your sales manager, is no longer as big a risk.

• Your sales manager will never be in competition with their own sales team.

• Your sales team can focus more time on selling and less time on managing - and being managed.

• In short, an outsourced sales manager saves you MONEY, increases salesperson RETENTION, and creates a PLATFORM for consistent and steady, HYPER growth.

How involved am I (the business owner or managing director)?

• No one at Viking Sales Consultants is ever customer-facing. In fact, company names and contact names are not necessary, even when discussing strategies regarding specific prospective or current clients.

• You may still accompany your salespeople on select sales appointments.

• Having your sales management outsourced allows you more flexibility with your time. You can spend time with only the sales prospects or current customers who are most worth your time.

• You will provide feedback of things topics and issues we need to discuss during our weekly coaching sessions

• You and your outsourced sales manager may schedule an hour together every other week, if necessary.

How do we get started?

• It all starts with a short phone call. Or, you can take our FREE online company sales health assessment.

• Salespeople only require, at most, 1 to 3 hours of management and coaching a week. This varies by company and industry.

• The agenda of the weekly meeting consists of three parts: 1) a review of KPIs and activities, 2) a review of the salesperson's current "active funnel" and 3) a review of their list of targeted prospects.

• Are there other additional costs? No, assuming that you have a strong sales platform in place already. If you don't, it may just require a few hours of consultation time for us to put together some of the basics before the weekly coaching starts.