Cydcor - Face to Face Sales

As marketing executives focus efforts on the Web, mobile devices and other digital avenues to reach or expand their customer base, it’s easy to overlook one of the oldest forms of outreach to spur business growth – face-to-face sales.

While face-to-face sales as part of the marketing mix has been successful for many businesses, the approach is often low on the list, relegated to the bottom of the page over concerns about budget and time. Who has the staff, training or resources to marshal an extensive sales effort across geographies to target customers in their offices or businesses? Where do you find the kind of people with the character and follow-through to represent your business and products well, who have the feel and knowledge to understand local customer needs?

Truth is, most companies don’t have the internal capabilities to expand their sales force for targeted face-to-face campaigns – and they are frequently turning to partners who do for practical, top-line reasons.

Direct sales taps the strength of an approach with historical roots, but also tracks the public’s growing weariness over disruptive impersonalized phone calls, overflowing mailboxes and unsolicited direct e-mail pitches. Do Not Call lists, competition for the most effective advertising space and the growth of Web-based marketing tools have shaped company needs for flexibility in approach.

Mindful of the benefits of direct sales, and looking to expand the range of their marketing and business development teams to cultivate new customers, more Fortune 500 companies are unleashing hunters to better identify prospects and close deals through staff-outsourcing and door-to-door sales. Companies like AT&T, Verizon, Bell South, Quill, Centrica and others have incorporated the approach successfully in marketing their services and products to small businesses across the country. In addition to top-line growth, the companies are also experiencing bottom-line value by turning over management and administration of the sales effort, reducing their need to recruit and paying only for successful conversions. What’s driving all of this success? The answers are decidedly low-tech: well-trained, courteous salespeople; the ability to answer questions and customize solutions on the spot; and the personal touch.

Not all face-to-face marketing companies are alike; and businesses interested in the face-to-face sales approach should weigh the variables carefully before proceeding. Here are some important things to consider:

• Track record of success. Like any business partnership, work with organizations that don’t just share a vision for success, but deliver on it. Evaluate potential outsourced face-to-face sales firms on the strength of their clients, industry knowledge and relationships, past results and their tenure in the marketplace.

• Strength of their sales teams. Pick firms whose business success lies in their ability to hire and manage the most talented full-time, professional sales people, as well as those firms that know how to motivate and inspire their sales teams.

• Training and partnership models. Outsourced face-to-face sales partnerships should be just that: partnerships. Look for companies whose compensation is tied with their ability to deliver results. Importantly, the partnering firm should be able to readily translate and deliver training to its sales teams, and help ensure that the culture of the hiring company is presented well in all cases.

• Reach. Speed to market is critical for most companies. Face-to-face sales organizations that have local market understanding, national reach and wide experience in myriad industries tend to be better partners because of their ability to incorporate best practices and limit the need for multiple outsourced relationships.

• Integrity and Trust. Partnering firms will be your company’s representatives in the marketplace. Pick firms committed to helping your company build a strong and profitable customer relationship while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism to preserve trust, loyalty and integrity of your brand.

As emerging technologies and today’s economic downturn challenge businesses to develop creative marketing approaches, outsourced face-to-face sales as part of the marketing mix can be a sound way forward. Happy hunting.

Editor’s Note: Gary Polson is CEO of California-based Cydcor, Inc., the largest face to face customer acquisition company in North America.