Tip Sheet: How to Select an Inside Sales Partner in 7 Steps
If your company is like most, you have limited experience selecting Inside Sales Partners and you are pressed for time. These tips are brought to you by CallingWorks, a B2B Inside Sales company specializing in healthcare. We create awareness, drive revenue, and close sales for our clients.
Getting a partner in place quickly and efficiently can happen but it requires planning. It is important to spend some time at the outset to plan the project and identify the action steps, timeline, and the people who will be responsible for the project’s success. Contact us for more information.
These 7 steps will get your Partner up and running:
- #1 Business Requirements
- #2 Project Plan
- #3 Partner List
- #4 Interview
- #5 Select
- #6 Implementation
- #7 Manage Results
Step #1 Identify business requirements
Why are you hiring an Inside Sales partner? Create a list of your requirements. Your requirements list should include ‘hard’ skills requirements like skills set, industry experience, required reporting, type of calls, etc. and ‘soft’ requirements such as style, energy level, management philosophy, etc. Once you have completed your list of requirements, prioritize the list. Be sure to identify your ‘deal breakers’, your requirements that are non-negotiable.
Step #2 Create a Project Plan
Using your business requirements as a starting point, create a project plan. The plan includes critical deliverables and milestones. Use this plan to identify the people in your organization who will be responsible for supporting the parts of your project. It is helpful to include a timeline that details action steps, deliverables, and the people who will be doing the work.
Step #3 Source a list of Partners
Who are the Inside Sales Partners that match your requirements? A web search is a good place to start. The search can be supplemented by contacting Inside Sales associations and consultants who work with call centers. Be sure to create a longer list than you think you need in order to have the most ‘flexibility when identifying an initial list of companies.
Step #4 Interview the Partners
Create a list of partner interview questions that cover your requirements, both hard and soft. Once you have the complete list, divide the questions into three categories: pre-screening questions, first set of in-depth questions, and final set of questions. List the desired responses next to critical questions.
Step #5 Select the right Partner
An important part of the selection process is a detailed Response for Proposal (RFP). Create the RFP questions to solicit detailed responses to questions that you either did not ask as part of the Interview Process (Step 4) or to go more in-depth on questions asked. A thorough understanding of the partner’s systems and operations set up is important and the RFP step enables you to extract the right level of operational detail.
Step #6 Execute an Implementation Plan
Identify a member of your team who will lead the project during the implementation phase. Assign the leader to create and execute a Project Implementation Plan which details the activities that need to be completed in order to get the Inside Sales Partner in place and delivering on your requirements. This project plan should include the involvement of any departments or parts of your business that will be connected to the work being done by the Inside Sales Partner.
Step #7 Manage the results
What results are you expecting, both at the onset of the project and over time? Who will be managing the partnership over the long haul? Be sure to identify the Project Manager who will manage this project for the duration. The Project Manager will need to develop a plan that clearly defines responsibilities and expected results. And communication is key to your program’s success. Put a dependable communication plan in place and maintain it for the duration of the program.
Put these steps in place and you will select a Inside Sales Partner that is right for your business. CallingWorks is a B2B Inside Sales company specializing in healthcare. We create awareness, drive revenue, and close sales for our clients. Need help? Contact us now!