Expecting your sales pipeline to keep growing month after month can put tremendous strain on internal resources – and few businesses are equipped to sustain that rate of growth internally, forever.
At some point, most growing businesses come to the same realization…
You can’t do everything in-house.
Whether budgets are stretched too thin, team bandwidth is maxed out or you simply lack specialist expertise – outsourcing lead generation is quickly becoming the answer for forward-thinking businesses that want predictable, repeatable growth.
And when you dive into the data…
You’ll understand why more keep making the switch.
What You’ll Learn:
- What Is Outsourced Lead Generation?
- Why Businesses Are Outsourcing Lead Gen
- Top Reasons To Outsource Lead Generation
- Key Factors When Choosing A Lead Gen Partner
- 4 Mistakes To Avoid When Outsourcing Lead Gen
What Is Outsourced Lead Generation?
Put simply, outsourced lead generation is when a business hires a third party to find, attract and qualify potential customers on their behalf.
Instead of shouldering all of the responsibility in-house, companies can pay a specialist to take that weight off their shoulders. This could involve outsourcing every stage of the pipeline from prospecting to booked appointments, or simply one-off stages where internal teams need a helping hand.
The real value becomes apparent, however, when you consider that partnering with a specialist lead generation agency gives you immediate access to outsourced lead generation services.
No need to recruit, hire, and wait for a team to learn how to do their job. Someone who already has the process mastered can simply get started.
Why Businesses Are Outsourcing Lead Gen
The proof that lead generation is being outsourced at scale doesn’t require looking very far.
61% of marketers cite lead generation as their biggest challenge. Competing for the attention of targeted customers is hard. And even harder when you don’t have the systems or processes in place to do it effectively.
It’s no surprise, then, that:
- 59% of companies outsource some aspect of their lead generation.
- That number is expected to increase year on year
- Specialised agencies have been shown to increase results by 43% over in-house teams
It’s simple math from there.
Either more businesses are building exceptional lead generation teams from the ground up. Or…
They’re getting help from experts who do it day in, day out.
Hint: the global lead generation market is expected to reach $295 billion in revenue by 2027…
…And grow at a compound annual rate of 17%.
Something is clearly working.
Thankfully for businesses everywhere, it’s not hardcoded secret knowledge. It’s outsourced lead generation.
The old days of cold-calling every lead in a depleted contact list, or firing off mass emails and hoping something sticks are over.
At scale, lead generation works best when it’s done by professionals who make it their business.
Top Reasons To Outsource Lead Generation
Great news for businesses who want a stronger, more reliable pipeline but don’t have the resources to make it happen internally.
When you outsource your lead generation, you get immediate access to:
Speed. An external lead generation team can hit the ground running. They won’t need to be recruited or onboarded. Simply provide the information they need to get started, and watch the campaign begin working immediately.
Expertise. Helping businesses generate leads is the entire purpose of an outsourced lead generation provider. Not only will they have more experience, but they’ll also have already tested and refined their strategies and messaging.
Flexibility. In-house teams are harder to scale up or down depending on your needs. You can’t suddenly double an outsourcing team’s capacity without extensive hiring. Agencies allow you to scale campaigns as required.
Cost. Everything you pay an agency for is bundled into one cost. There’s no paying for software licenses, employee benefits, training courses, management overhead – just results.
Focus. Your internal sales teams can spend less time hunting for leads and more time doing what they do best. Turning high-quality prospects into paying customers.
Now the last point there is something every business needs to hear.
The problem isn’t your sales team not having enough time.
The problem is your sales team not having enough QUALITY time.
Because when you factor in time spent doing everything else themselves, most sales teams simply don’t have enough time to dedicate to closing deals.
It’s why outsourced lead generation is a gamechanger for so many.
You get to keep doing what you do best, while leaving lead generation to the professionals who do it full-time.
Key Factors When Choosing A Lead Gen Partner
Knowing what you get from outsourcing is one thing, but how do you know who to outsource to?
Every agency provides a slightly different offering. Here are four key questions to help you separate the wheat from the chaff.
Are they transparent? Will you be able to see how campaigns are tracked, measured, and reported? Transparent agencies will always allow you access to your data, whereas shady operators might try and hide it.
How much experience do they have in your industry? Generating leads is one thing. Generating leads that are interested in your particular sector is quite another. Look for providers with a proven track record in your market.
Can they prove their success? Agencies will always make bold claims about their services. But can they back those words up with case studies, client references or documented campaign results? You should be able to too.
Will they utilise multiple channels? The best lead generation providers don’t rely on any one channel. Whether that’s outbound prospecting, paid advertising, or content-driven inbound strategies, look for agencies that can do it all.
Done properly, outsourcing lead generation is a surefire way to improve results.
Pick the right agency to work with, and you can improve them even further.
4 Mistakes To Avoid When Outsourcing Lead Gen
Here’s the thing. Outsourcing isn’t a magic bullet that’ll fix all of your lead generation problems overnight.
Businesses make the wrong decisions and still outsource. Then wonder why they’re not seeing the results they expect.
Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll join the 43% of companies who see better results with an agency.
Don’t give the agency enough information. Outsourced lead generation is only effective if your chosen provider knows what they’re looking for. Give them a clear IPC, bullet point objections, your USPs, and any other campaign data you have.
Don’t expect immediate results. Lead generation is a process of continual optimisation. Expecting a campaign to run hot from day one is unrealistic. Realistic expectations allow your agency to isolate trends and optimise accordingly.
Don’t neglect your pipeline. You might get better leads with an agency, but your internal sales team is still responsible for following up. Responding quickly to leads is critical, with 78% of buyers eventually choosing the vendor who responded first. Don’t let good leads go cold.
You can avoid these mistakes and still fail if you don’t pick the right agency to work with.
Factor the above into your decision-making process, and you should find it a little easier.
Time to Take Action
These days, outsourcing lead generation is less of a ‘nice to have’ and more of a requirement for scaling businesses.
The reasons should be obvious by now:
It’s quicker to start working with an agency than scaling in-house.
You’ll know exactly what you’re getting with measurable promises, not just words.
…and best of all; your team can spend less time worrying about leads, and more time closing them.
It’s no wonder that already 59% of companies outsource lead generation.
Whether you join them or not is completely up to you.
At this point only one thing is certain. Businesses who continue to rely on their internal teams alone are already falling behind.
