When you take an honest look at your business and realize that you utterly lack the expertise to build and support a BDR/SDR team, what then?
Here’s a little guide for what to expect when you outsource sales (versus why you might consider building in-house anyway).
In this episode, I interview Peter Lipton, Director, Global Head of Sales – Technology & Alliances at JDX Consulting, about the differences between outsourcing and enhancing a BDR/SDR team.
Join us as we discuss:
- The reasoning behind outsourcing the sales function
- What expertise is needed to outsource successfully
- The decision to bring sales back in house
- The major challenges of process and internal trust
- Why it’s so hard to hire good BDRs
Why You Should Outsource Sales
So why should you outsource your sales function?
Simply put, because a lot of companies think they have the expertise to really drive an engaged, well-oiled sales machine, and they just don’t. They don’t understand the ins and outs.
They lack the internal expertise and in house solutions to help them be better.
So they do what a lot of companies are doing these days. They outsource.
They recognize their pitfalls, and recognize the scope of the internal journey they would have to take in order to get them to a place they want to be, and they’ve decided that it’s not worth it.
They would take too long and would lose a massive chunk of the market in the meantime. So they look to the outsourced market. They look at how they can leverage their BDR team to capitalize on immediate market opportunity.
It may not be the cheapest option, but for a lot of companies, it’s the best one.
The Challenges of Outsourcing
It certainly won’t be an easy road.
You have to do your homework, delve into things, and do your research before you go down the outsourcing road.
For instance, the process that you go through in house when you’re building a BDR or SDR team, you still have to go through that same process when you’re outsourcing.
- You still need to look at your target market.
- You still have to look at your ideal customer profile.
- You still have to build out the right questions to get to the bottom of what you’re trying to deliver.
And if you don’t have that, you’re going to make outsourcing much more difficult than it needs to be.
Why It’s So Hard to Hire Good BDRs
A good BDR is hard to find. Good BDRs are in incredibly high demand right now. So what makes a good BDR? What do you need to look for?
A good BDR will be able to adapt quickly. They will be able to learn quickly, pivot on demand, and know what they don’t know. While there are a lot of soft skills that you can teach a BDR, there is an innate drive in certain people that will make them more successful in the position.
As cliche as it may sound, in a way, you need to be built for it. You need to get your teeth into it and not be completely drained at the end of the week by the repetitive process that often accompanies a BDR position.
You can coach a BDR to a certain degree, but you really have to have the desire to work in a field and a role as unique and challenging as the BDR.
Maybe You Should Bring Sales In-House
That’s not to say that everybody should always outsource the function. There are times when it makes more sense to bring it in house. But when? Why would it make more sense to have an in-house team vs. an outsourced one?
Check out Pete’s entire episode to find out more.
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
- How to Own the World by Andrew Craig
- The Qualified Sales Leader by John McMahon
For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.
Recent Comments