Become a Fan on Facebook
Follow us on TwitterWhat is outsourcing? You hear about it all the time from talking heads on the news, but do you really know what it is? I consider outsourcing to be something that can be part of a key strategic move, if done correctly and with a well defined business objective. More specifically, I define outsourcing as a cost effective way to hire an outside firm to handle support services, manufacturing, sales, engineering, or any number of other tasks. Truth be told, there is no limit of verticles supported by the outsourcing model in 2012 and beyond. More and more companies have turned to “specialists” while maintaining their company’s core competencies.
Does your company outsource? For many people, the quick answer is no, but upon further review, the guy who just came to fix your computer, some of the staff working with your CFO to prepare yearend tax documentation, and/or the team working with your sales team to develop and cultivate new leads could very well not be an employee of your company but a member of the outsourced team.
So why do teams decide to outsource vs just hiring their own people?
I was reading a book about Steve Jobs that stated that his goal was to never have more than 100 people working on the Macintosh team. He joked that it was because he couldn’t remember the names of more than 100 people at a time, but the reality was that he wanted the right people on the job doing the right things. By working with an outsourcing firm, you gain the benefit of working with someone who can fill a specific need, all of whom have been pre-qualified, trained, tested, and are available. Many of these people work assignments long term while others may be brought in for special projects. It can be especially valuable if a company goes through peaks and valleys or seasonal variations during their sales cycle. Outsourcing, by definition, makes a great impact through its scalability alone.
In addition to hiring the right person for the right job, companies who outsource avoid expensive premiums and other costs of doing business such as employee benefits, skyrocketing health and dental insurance, holiday pay, and payroll taxes. Drawbacks to outsourcing can be minimized very easily with shared goals and objectives, communication channels and the secret to all business relationships : ACCOUNTABILITY!
So, choose your partner wisely. It very well could be the best decision you and your business has ever made.
Tags: Outsourced Sales, Outsourced Sales Management, Outsourcing