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Hiring a B2B lead generation partner can be a scary proposition. While many firms prefer to outsource specialised roles like inside selling or data acquisition, such decisions shouldn’t be made lightly.
Investigating potential partners for your lead generation strategies and appointment setting, and addressing your concerns up-front is helpful to make strategic moves with confidence.
The following is a look at several common fears when hiring a partner for B2B lead generation, and how to alleviate them.
Lack of Professionalism
It goes without saying that you need a firm that is professional in its approach, both during your initial inquiry and when engaging with prospects on your behalf.
It is challenging enough to establish a professional culture that places high standards for performance on employees. Trying to ensure that representatives at partner firms act in a professional manner is largely beyond your control.
One of the safest ways to gauge the professional demeanour of a potential partner is to inquire about experiences of other clients.
Testimonials and client references offer first-hand perspectives.
When clients in a similar field as yours spend years with a partner firm and rely on that partner to represent their brands to prospects, you have a strong positive signal that it may be a good fit for your organisation.
Lack of Experience
Even companies that have good intentions and act with professional attitudes can have limits without experience.
And I don’t just mean a company that has been in business a long time. A company can have a high turnover of staff which could mean its staff are using the company as a stepping stone in their careers, or they could have a team that are largely inexperienced.
Therefore, you want a company whose staff has been in the game for a long time and have the knowledge and experience of selling to your target market.
After all, these people are going to be dealing with potential prospects on your behalf. If your lead generation partner doesn’t have experienced staff, the leads you get may not be of the quality you require.
In addition to the length of time a company has been in business, ask about how long it has been offering solutions you want, such as inside sales support, data acquisition or content syndication. Look for case studies and other evidence depicting expertise that matches what you need.
Lack of Business Insight
Even if the speciality firm has professionalism and experience, it still takes an understanding of your specific business to succeed in the marketplace and create effective b2b lead generation strategies. It is common to fear that the company you hire won’t know or attempt to learn about your company and its solutions.
A true business partner desires to learn your business inside and out. It wants to represent your solutions to target customers in the same way they do their own.
Ask a speciality firm what it does to get familiar with client operations, and maybe a couple of questions around lead generation ideas. Find out what methods they use to learn about your company and to collaborate with your team.
Then, ask about strategies they develop to present your brand and your message to the target market.
When you have a strong relationship with a partner, representatives of that firm function as an extension of your business.
Conclusion
Think about any important situation in life when you have to put your best foot forward to impress someone else. Then, imagine asking someone else to take your spot and to project your values on your behalf.
For a company hiring a strategic sales partner for B2B lead generation, it is similarly risky as they are representing your team and your company – as well as your decision-making capabilities internally within your own organisation.
Therefore, it is imperative to investigate a provider, to get client perspectives, and to become fully aware of how the company would present your brand in the marketplace. Internal Results is professional, experienced and committed to learning and representing your brand. Contact us to discuss why we are a great brand partner for your B2B organisation.
