It’s no secret that the wider retail and hospitality sectors are facing their challenges. As the country is in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, more brands are feeling the sting of inflation and dip in consumer spending due to recent turmoil in the UK & Ire economy.
In fact, cost pressure at every step, from materials to the consumers pocket, are putting pressure on margins at levels not seen in years. This coupled with ongoing supply chain disruptions due to labour shortages, Brexit trade barriers and global supply problems is making it increasingly difficult for brands to operate at the same level they are used to. Not to mention, the labour market has never been so tough. Getting great people means impressing job seekers at new levels to ensure brands get the talent they need to deliver results.
In order to overcome these obstacles, brands may have to think outside the box and consider new ways to approach their sales strategy. That’s where outsourcing comes in as a potential lifeline for brands looking to cut costs and alleviate some of the pressure!
Outsourcing isn’t a new concept, it’s been around the block for a long time but it’s something that more brands should be exploring. Stepping away from in-house teams can seem daunting but the benefits of outsourcing speak for themselves. Read on to discover why it could be the best option for your brand as you plan your 2023 budget…
The top 4 benefits of outsourcing your brand’s sales team
- Built in agility: Outsourcing field sales can deliver big benefits in a volatile environment. It provides brands with flexibility that in-house teams often don’t have by offering different team resource to suit your brand such as fixed-term teams. This enables every opportunity to be taken and change to happen fast if budgets shift. You can be more reactive to changes in the market instead of having to wait to reset your brand strategy once a year.
- Cost savings & increased ROI: This option can also unlock efficiency for your brand, resulting in cost savings. This is down to agencies having a lower cost base and overheads. Costs can be treated as overhead vs direct cost, making this option more budget friendly long-term.
- Support with strategy: Specialised knowledge and experience from agencies who work with and have gathered insight from multiple channels, sectors and clients means your brand can leverage this to achieve better performance with your field sales compared to managing this in-house. For field marketing agencies, this is their bread and butter whilst accessing this real time insight inhouse is either costly or takes longer.
- Access to talent & strict performance management: recruitment and performance management is usually tougher and more expensive for in-house teams. Recruiting the right people for roles and having direct access to skilled talent is a major issue right now. It’s something that agencies have a lot of experience with as they already have access to a community of skilled candidates. External training and development offered by agencies is a big draw too as this will make sure people are skilled and also engaged which encourages retention within teams. It takes away the pressure of directly managing teams in-house. More skilled people = more quality work getting done – resulting in more sales and better ROI!
With this in mind, it may be easier to leave it to the experts so that you can create capacity for the other areas you need to focus on. Outsourcing can take away additional stress and remove what could be considered a distraction.
Partnering with the right agency is key to your success
As with most things, there may be doubts involved with making the switch to outsourcing. You may worry about loss of culture or control, losing expertise or competitive advantage or even diminished effectiveness. However, partnering with the right agency will help mitigate these risks and give your brand peace of mind that your KPIs are in the right hands.
Agency selection is critical - matching culture & values are important as you continue to treat the team as an extension of your business. By treating the team as if they were your employees, you can be clear on how you retain expertise through your agency and make outsourcing the competitive advantage you’re missing.
Are you ready to outsource your field sales teams? Start planning for 2023 and make the switch from in-house to discover the benefits. Partner with an agency that can give you the competitive edge you need.
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