Outsource this!

Its presence blossomed in the late 1980's and early 1990's, yet outsourcing has been around for centuries in various guises, and it continues to be a growth sector for some specialism's.  Mercenaries are a historic and extreme example of how an outsourced resource provided an entity (country; group) with the skills, capacity and capabilities to achieve their vision and goals (war, battle, and invasion).  Though fortunately these days outsourcing applies more to business orientated functions.
 

Numerous businesses have used (in whole or part) outsourced support and front line services, and doing so can be hugely beneficial to the owner of a growing business.  Accessing the skills and resources needed, without carrying the full time salary and management costs, can be very appealing and make economic sense.  Many of us will be familiar with printing, legal and catering as outsourced services, and during the past decade we have seen a greater presence of HR, marketing, IT and virtual assistants also becoming effective outsourced functions.

Business owners are increasingly seeing the benefits (beyond just the cost savings) of using an outsourcing provider.  Generally these providers will be keeping themselves abreast of the latest trends and market conditions, and have a wealth of experience and knowledge, sometimes beyond that expected of a similar role if they had been the employee.  They are connected to other businesses and may be in a position to connect you with potential customers, partners and suppliers.

Outsourcing can be adaptable to your needs whether that's cost, skills, frequency or volume.  This empowers businesses to gear up quicker, free up internal resources, and test new products and markets.  However the appetite to the use of outsourced services can vary.  Using an outsourced printer or accountant seems quite common place, yet hesitation can creep in when considering the use of an outsourced sales or HR provider.

The benefits should outweigh the cost of any hesitation and as you are the customer, rather than the employer, it gives you greater flexibility (within the agreement or contractual terms) to work with the provider to focus on what matters most to you and your business. 
You are in control.

John is the Director, of Vector Resources Limited, who help growing businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more about outsourced sales and sales management at www.vector-resources.co.uk

 

Decision by technology

When I recently added a comment on LinkedIn, a respondent highlighted that one of my points - that we should also use our 'gut instinct' - was the worst thing I or anybody else could do.  There enthralled a few more comments between us and others who sang the praises of tests and technology to find the best outcomes. 

This got me thinking of how we are evermore placing faith in models and testing to the point where perhaps we almost delegate our decision making to technology.  Technology and technological products are tools.  Tools that we feel we cannot be separated from and cause us to have our own mini-breakdown when they are not working (as I write I find myself in this group as my email account has not functioned all day). It is however our ability to use technology, and how we choose to employ these tools that is important. 

The example of psychometric tests (which I have used in recruitment and team analysis) being a key method of selecting candidates or defining strengths is fine, yet the important element for me is the human interaction - that's what excites me about working with my customers and colleagues.  When we allow technology to control our actions, even when our experience or gut tells us something is not quite right, may render us almost passive to what we are doing.  A quick search on Google will offer examples of drivers who ignored their environment and ploughed on because their sat nav said the route was ok; and other negative decisions because the computer said no.

When we apply this to sales we can draw some comparisons.  Many procurement systems are based on a points system - you don't make the points, you don't move forward in the process.  Generally these are thought through and offer companies a way of filtering suppliers.  However, there comes a point where a dialogue and getting a sense of who you are and what your company is about has value for both parties.  Price is one factor in a sale, though belief of the ability to deliver, to communicate,  and demonstrate integrity can all feature - would an online test really give you this all on its own? 

A website or profile can within reason tell any story one chooses, and we can spout anything that we believe will make us more credible through our social media and blogs. Yet when we converse we get the opportunity to explore things further, with a person, at that time - and that can give us the confidence to proceed.  In his book (ACCELerate™your social media) JohnCoupland highlights the example of the default invitation on LinkedIn "I'd like to add you to my network", and how it is similar to a cold handshake.  How memorable is that as an introduction or follow up interaction?  LinkedIn and the invitation to connect feature are great tools, yet this is about communication between people, so rather than just letting the software 'do it' we should add something from us - in this case a personal message.

We should embrace technology and tools to help us in our lives and quests - they have transformed business, and if it works for you I would encourage you to acknowledge your intuitions and gut feel as part of your decision making.  It kept our ancestors safe with the choice of flee or fight - perhaps in sales it translates as buy or move on.

 

John is a Director of Vector Resources Limited and helps businesses increase sales and improve sales performance.  Find out more at www.vector-resources.co.uk