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Monday, September 20, 2010

Outsourcing for IT Leads

The process of generating sales leads for IT managed services providers and technology companies is very dissimilar to how lead generation is done in other sectors. The IT firms' needs are far more categorical and reaching the target audience is much more difficult. Furthermore, products and services are almost always complex, expensive, advanced and the analysis and selection process can take a long time, making the conversion rate painfully slow.

In selling technology, the target market is generally business-to-business and decision-makers (IT Managers, IT Directors or CIOs) are difficult to reach. In order to make a sale, one must have a wide understanding of the prospect's IT infrastructure, issues and goals and have a broad understanding of enterprise technologies and software.

Launching a full enterprise prospecting project such as technology sales lead generation can be difficult for companies especially for small and medium technology enterprises. Outsourcing this function might be the solution. Here are some of the benefits:

• Instead of using up their own resources, companies can add to them by engaging the services of an IT lead generation firm.

• Companies do not have to build their own expertise, all they have to do is hire instant lead generation experts.

• Outsource agencies provide their own training and manage their own employee turn-over.

• Companies can launch an enterprise prospecting campaign within days upon deciding to start.

• Multilingual capabilities through providers open up opportunities to access new markets.

• Outsource firms guarantee that companies only pay for the results by adhering to SLAs (Service Level Agreements).

• Rather than sourcing leads, companies can have their own sales forces focus on closing sales.

In addition, lead generation firms usually have enormous corporate databases and offer comprehensive marketing and web enhancement services that IT businesses can benefit from to increase their sales pipeline.

Outsourcing have several advantages but it is a must for all businesses to exercise due diligence in choosing the right lead generation company. Firms must take time in assessing providers based on their organizations' specific demands. If companies specialize in providing services for the B2B technology sector, providers must also have successful calling experiences and expertise in the IT industry. It is also important for clients to prepare for lead generation campaigns financially as extensive telemarketing projects can stretch company resources. It is better to prepare and plan budgets wisely.

Outsourcing sales lead generation to telemarketing firms could be a smart option for IT businesses, but selecting the right provider to meet goals and making sure that companies are in the right position to expand are keys to achieving lead generation success.

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