Using freelance B2B Sales / Marketing people?

[moustachebandit]

Interested to know if anyone has had any experience of using B2B sales / marketing freelancers to help bring in business? Or if they can recommend someone competent who provides this service.

I have previously used 2 local telesales teams to follow up on some outbound marketing I have run but the results have been less than great. The campaign is really well received but the telesales guys can't seem (and don't try very hard) to convert that interest into a potential warm lead that I can follow up on. I mysteriously shopped them on a few records to check the quality of the work and even when I came across as a warm lead they just backed out of the call and ended it. Pretty crap.

The issue I had with the 2 telesales teams I trialed was that they didn't come across as very dynamic or bothered about trying to snag a lead (just trying to make their call quota as quickly as possible) – so I am wondering whether employing the services of a more focused B2B / Marketing person will yield better results (maybe I am wrong and it will just cost more for the same lacklustre service)

Oh – and before anyone says the inevitable just pick up the phone yourself – I do make calls myself but I don't have time to do the volume, so it makes sense for someone to sort the wheat from the chaff and let me focus on the warm leads they drum up.

Cheers

[RichUK]

We've tried a couple of times with companies in the same way, having had similar poor results we bit the bullet and hired someone.

Took a few months to find the right person, but is has made a big difference bringing it in house.

[jammy_basturd]

I was reading this article on TNW t'other day, which has some good experiences of outsourcing sales and marketing. The TL:DR is that they had to be in constant contact with the company they outsourced to, pushing them to keep their work at the top.

[MrDan]

I have tried both external and internal, An expensive lesson and might have as well burnt 15k on the car park, instead I decided to focus on organic growth of existing clients and gaining referrals, Its worked much better with 22% growth in our second year.

I did have exactly the same experience with a B2B marketing company though, What ever you do don't be tempted to buy appointments! I came across a company selling the same one 3 times!.

Our sector is IT & Telecoms.

[moustachebandit]

Thanks for the responses guys! I have been trying to leverage various networks / referrals to help with the organic growth but its a little slow hence the desire to ratchet it up with some more intensive sale attempts. It seems however that unless I do it in house then I cant guarantee the quality.

The 2 companies I used also helped with the data and having sat down this weekend and researched the data they provided to make sure it was valid, in a lot of instances it was out of date - so about s much use as used toilet roll. Still I have now collated all of the correct information & contacts - so may as well attempt a second round and try and rescue something from the exercise!

As always - you want something doing ... better do it yourself