There are literally millions of businesses that start up each year around the globe and the sad thing is that some of them never really get off the ground. It doesn’t always mean that they have poor quality products or even that they don’t have a feasible business model. Sometimes there is just too much to handle and not enough people in the right places to accomplish everything that needs to get done.
One of the areas in which startups seem to have the most trouble is sales. It takes a lot to get a new brand, a new product, out there in the public eye and that’s just something many startups aren’t prepared for. If you are in the midst of starting a new business endeavor, here are 6 reasons
#1. Professional Sales Teams at the Top of Their Game
Of course you can’t choose just any direct marketing team to bring your product to the public because, as we all know, some just don’t have the experience or a successful enough track record. Before choosing a direct marketing team to contract with make sure to check their references and take a good, long look at what they have accomplished for other companies. It would be especially useful if they had prior experience with your industry.
Also, check out the type of live events they host to make sure that is where your products would do best. A professional direct marketing sales team at the top of their game can bring revenue in quite quickly because that is what they do – sell!
#2. Giving Consumers What They Want – Engagement
When marketing and selling a product, any product whatsoever, it is imperative to keep the market in mind. Today’s consumer wants to engage with the brands they are buying from and that is one of the major benefits of direct sales at live events. When you outsource your sales the direct marketing team becomes, for all intents and purposes, the face of your company. They communicate with consumers directly face-to-face at the events they are hosting.
The groups of consumers today with the largest amount of buying power demand to know who they are dealing with because trust is a key concern. Startups usually don’t have enough sales reps to handle major events so outsourcing provides a way for consumers to engage with your brand in great numbers.
#3. A Hands-on Approach through Demonstrations at Live Events
Today’s consumer also wants to know what they are buying. Yes, they grew up in the age of the internet but they also know that not everything is represented as it truly is online. Whenever given the chance to see something demonstrated they will usually take the time to get a ‘hands-on’ feel for how it works and what it actually does.
Many people don’t remember the days of the door-to-door Kirby vacuum salesmen or the Fuller Brush man, but these did so well because they took their wares directly to the consumers in their homes. Live events are like door-to-door salesmen but on a much larger scale.
#4. Freeing Up Time to Continue Building Product Lines
Once you have outsourced your sales to a direct marketing team, you will free up a huge amount of time to get on with the day to day running of your business. If you have a sales force on staff, they can continue what they are doing but can also help to begin designing marketing tactics for the next group of products getting ready to go live.
Most new startups really don’t have a large sales force in place so they take key personnel from other positions. This has happened time and again and it causes a number of problems within the organization. In the first place, it takes a key person from his or her job which is then neglected. Secondly, these are not professional sales associates so each deal is a hit and miss event.
#5. Considerably Lower Capital Outlay
Startups traditionally operate on a limited budget. Many entrepreneurs mortgage everything they own to come up with the money they need to get their startup off the ground which leaves very little for hiring talent. If a startup outsources sales to a direct marketing firm, that’s almost an entire department that doesn’t need to be employed.
Bear in mind that direct marketers work on a percentage of what they sell so there is little capital outlay. Not only does this free up money that would be paying salaried employees but it also ensures that money will come in as quickly as possible. Why? Simply because direct marketers need to sell or they don’t get paid! Most full-time sales associates get a salary as well as commission. Think of all the money that won’t need to go to salaries if you outsource your sales!
#6. Much Broader Exposure
Finally, when taking your products to live events it’s like having a mobile showroom! If you try to sell your products from your location, you are limiting the amount of physical exposure you can get. Yes, you can always market your products online and that does offer global exposure, but only digitally. Keeping in mind that today’s consumer wants to engage with the company they are buying from, the ultimate in engagement is through face-to-face direct sales.
Your direct marketing team can bring your products to multiple locations, all of which do not need to be in your local market. Many startups have found that this is a first step in getting national companies to begin carrying their line of merchandise.
No one ever said it was going to be easy starting a new business. However, by outsourcing some of your work to professionals in that field you can take more time in other areas. If you just don’t have the capital at the beginning to employ a sales staff, outsourcing your sales is the way to go.
Images: “Outsourcing concept with hand pressing social icons on blue world map background./ Shutterstock.com“
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