Let's talk about benefits of outsourcing your telemarketing and lead generation programs and the different options that are available to you if you're considering doing this. Many companies in the past have looked to outsourcing companies to handle lead generations for them and in doing so they've lost part of their key strategic advantage, which is to build a telesales and tele-lead generation lead function in their house that becomes repeatable, sustainable, and actually integrated with your overall selling model. It's no secret that the best in class companies, whether they be in software, hardware, technology, healthcare, manufacturing or business services, are using telesales and telemarketing for business-to-business lead generation and complete sales.

Many companies pooh pooh the idea of using inside sales or telesales or telemarketing for the sale of professional goods and services but many companies are using this very, very successfully. As a matter of fact, most companies - names like Motorola, IBM, Intel, Simantec - some of the best in class companies in just about every sector of the economy, are using telesales as a part of their sales and marketing mix in order to improve their sales efficiency and productivity and drive better results to the bottom line in shorter periods of time. It's a key component of the sales acceleration effort.

In the past, many companies have looked to complete outsourcing of this lead generation or telesales function to call center companies. But the cost of doing this is very high in relationship to the efficiency and what you end up doing is paying a very, very high price for each lead and not generating nearly the results that you can by taking that activity inside. We advocate that if you're considering lead generation using an outsourced telemarketing firm that you reconsider and seriously give consideration to building a telesales or lead generation function inside your company.

What you'll gain in benefit is multifold. First of all, you will be able to tightly control the process as it relates to call approach, target, message and how to actually gain traction with potential prospects over the phone and through continuous improvement. By having that function close to your company you'll actually gain critical knowledge over time that will allow you to greatly improve your telesales and lead generation effectiveness. Second of all, you'll gain continuity in your operations. If you ever decide to fire or terminate a relationship with an outsourced telemarketing and lead generation contractor you'll lose all of the body of knowledge that was gained by the individual working for that company the day that you switch off working for them. Third of all, you'll actually be able to drive improved efficiency into your sales operation because you'll actually be able to reduce the number of field sales people that you have and increase your mix towards inside sales people who are doing early stage lead qualification and development and then passing qualified leads out to your field sales people. This can dramatically drive up your sales efficiency and greatly reduce your total cost of customer acquisition. Why? Telesales people work more efficiently in a highly controlled, repetitious, high volume calling environment and second on all, they cost less than field sales people do; as a matter of fact, typically, about a third of the cost of a fully loaded sales person. So it makes a lot of sense for you to consider building this kind of operation inside as opposed to outsourcing it.

If you are considering outsourcing, consider a third option: bringing in a qualified telesales pipeline development consultant to actually build out the process for you at your company. That includes actually doing the sales process development program document, determining the target customer, the call approach, building your phone script, and actually hiring and recruiting your telesales personnel, training them to the process and then managing them until they are producing the results that you're looking for. Many companies find that this in very advantageous. We've had several customers that have produced several hundred percent increases in their lead generation and effectiveness by deploying this strategy, using outside consultant to come in and build their telesales function. This is something that you might want to consider. We call it telesales insourcing and Cube Management does a great job at this with great results for many different customers.