In the increasingly crowded Imaging industry, it’s become more challenging than ever to win new customers and keep the ones you have. If you’re a small to medium size business (SMB) those challenges increase ten-fold. Not only are market share and margins shrinking, chances are you’ve got fewer resources to run your business than you did even five years ago. There’s less money in the budget to pay for essentials like new technology and hardware, let alone investing in hiring and training top sales people, or maintaining an in-house marketing department to build and manage your website, social media and lead generation.
As an SMB, what can you do to compete with bigger companies to increase profitable revenue and grow your business? Stop trying to do everything yourself – outsource!
The Case for Outsourcing
It’s funny, but as technology organizations, we tell our customers they should outsource different services to us that are not part of their core business because we have the knowledge, expertise and technologies to get the job done for them. Yet when it comes to our organization, how often do we follow our own sage advice?
Outsourcing important business requirements such as marketing and sales training, as well as infrastructure services like Managed Print and Managed IT makes good business sense. Besides freeing you to work at growing revenue, outsourcing also:
1. Reduces overhead for staff, technology and infrastructure
2. Gives you access to knowledge and expertise you couldn’t otherwise afford
3. Improves efficiency – no steep learning curve to climb in order to get the job done
How Outsourcing Benefits Your Sales Team
According to industry insider SellToWin.com, the average sales turnover rate is 50 percent at many imaging dealerships. One large company in Atlanta we work with told us they spend about $20,000 to hire and train a new sales person, and half the time they’ve moved on in the first year! Sound familiar?
Outsourcing a top drawer sales training program allows you to provide your sales team with the skills they need to get up to speed faster and close deals sooner– so they are happier and more successful at their job – recouping your investment month after month, year after year. And, by bringing in training from the outside, you don’t have to pull your sales managers off their other important duties to train and groom new hires. Many SMBs have found video-based, on-demand eLearning training programs to be a practical and cost-effective solution.
Contracting Your Marketing Team
How effective is your website at generating warm sales leads? Over 90 percent of imaging dealers of all sizes are not generating business from their website. If you haven’t included digital marketing an integral component of your sales strategy because no one at your company has the time or the expertise to manage it, you are losing business to your marketing-savvy competition every minute of every day.
Today’s buyer does web research before they ever decide to make a purchase. If you can educate them via your website on what you have to offer them you have an edge over your competitors, regardless of the size of their organization. Your website is your biggest opportunity to make a strong impression and generate leads from potential customers, with social media, blogging, content offers, and search engine optimization rounding out the bill.
Instead of hiring an in-house marketing strategist, web developer, designer and writer, look for a marketing agency that can offer you all this plus a strong knowledge of your industry. For example, at Digitek we offer a suite of marketing services delivered by marketing pros with expertise in the imaging industry. Our small business customers benefit from these enterprise-level services at a fraction of the cost they would pay if they hire internally or contract with separate suppliers.
Getting Started
Once you decide to take the next step and outsource your business services, do your homework. A good starting place is your own network, including social network resources like LinkedIn and Twitter. Online research will also help you to know what kind of vendors and services are out there, and who has expertise in your industry niche.
Information on Digitek’s Partner Pro Business Growth Platform, including online MPS, MIT and general sales training, digital marketing services and sales leadership coaching can be found here.
To learn more about Digitek business growth services contact Aaron Dyck at adyck@digitek.com or visit www.digitek.com.
