Securing The Revenue Connection

Transcription

1 Securing The Revenue Connection How A Top Telecom Provider Realized 197% ROI From Outbound Lead Generation After Partnering With Invenio Solutions In early 2011, a top business telecom provider had to make a tough decision: Their current outsourced telemarketing vendor had failed their second business review in a row and it was time to decide on a new course of action. Not only were the vendor s lead generation efforts performing poorly, but they had continually failed to understand the sales metrics the telecom provider was expecting them to meet. As a result, outbound telemarketing was the telecom provider s worst-performing revenue channel, and something had to be done to fix it.

2 The telecom provider s core business is to provide Internet, television and phone services to small- to medium-sized companies. To help reach this market, the telecom provider employed a number of different channels: a field sales team, a national accounts sales team, a channel marketing team, an inbound call center and an outbound telemarketing team. While these other channels were performing well, it was time for a new vendor to take over the outbound telemarketing channel. When the telecom provider hired Invenio Solutions, there was an immediate connection: Not only did the revenue generated from outbound telemarketing increase exponentially, but the telecom provider s relationship with Invenio provided the return on investment they d been looking for. More Than A Vendor: Forming A Partnership When the telecom provider began working with Invenio, they didn t want to just engage in another vendor relationship. Similarly, Invenio didn t view the telecom provider as merely another customer. Instead, the two businesses wanted to form a true partnership that resulted in working together toward common goals. When it came to the outbound telemarketing channel, Invenio didn t just take over the program and immediately revamp the approach. Rather, the two companies worked together to identify areas of weakness and co-create solutions for success. In addition, Invenio offers the telecom provider complete access to their facilities as well as their group of dedicated lead generation personnel. The Invenio team also visited the telecom provider s main office in Colorado and another field office in the Northeast. A representative from the telecom provider even stops by the Invenio office on a regular basis to check on the outsourced sales team and talk with individual team members.

3 Leveraging The Science Of Sales Metrics But the telecom provider s successful partnership with Invenio wasn t just based on communication and relational warmth: Invenio was able to match and exceed the telecom provider s need for sales metrics and analytics. Invenio even shifted the main metrics conversation from measuring past numbers to proactively forecasting future figures. From the very beginning of the engagement, Invenio regularly supplied the telecom provider with solid numbers, reports, insights and analysis so that the outbound telemarketing channel was continually optimized. In some situations Invenio actually suggested a metric or benchmark that measured an objective more accurately than the one proposed by the telecom provider. Using their proprietary Science of Sales approach, here are just a few of the other metrics and measurements Invenio improved for the telecom provider: on contracts signed, not just contracts billed. segmenting lists into more useful divisions and niches. Whenever a new metric was established or new standards were set, the telecom provider s 200-member outsourced sales team at Invenio would have the entire program up to date with the new measurements within less than ten business days.

4 Building The Perfect Lead Generation Team When the telecom provider first outsourced its sales team to Invenio, it started with a team of 15 sales representatives. Over the past three and a half years, that figure In fact, the biggest challenge for Invenio was ramping up enough team members to meet the exponential growth in demand. But Invenio was up to the challenge: months. hired and trained the proper talent specifically fit for the telecom provider s business, proactively identifying which roles and positions needed to be filled. As a result, the telecom provider feels as if the Invenio outsourced sales team is a seamless extension of their business, yet more affordable than the full-burden cost of hiring. The final factor that set Invenio apart when it came to sales personnel was their fiveday training program. When the engagement first started, the telecom provider s legacy training program for internal sales personnel was outdated. Working with the telecom provider, Invenio tailored their five-day training program to the provider s business and ramped up new sales personnel quickly and with a higher quality of training. The Revenue Results: Becoming The Best Marketing Channel After three and a half years, there s no mistaking the number one marketing channel for the telecom provider: Invenio Solutions outbound telemarketing and lead generation. Despite being an outsourced channel, Invenio is now considered an internal sales channel, and the telecom provider frequently asks Invenio for advice before making marketing and operational changes. Their partnership has also grown deeper because the same Invenio account managers have stayed with the team for the entire three and a half year engagement.

5 Since starting with Invenio, the telecom provider has been contacted by vendors each month about outsourced sales and lead generation. Why has Invenio still remained the outsourced telemarketing partner of choice? Their Science of Sales approach generates results that the telecom provider is certain no other vendor can provide. Here are some of the other results Invenio has generated for the telecom provider: Lessons Learned: Long-Term Partnership Pays Off So what can the partnership between the telecom provider and Invenio teach other businesses in the same situation? Here are some of the key takeaways from the telecom provider s approach: Record-breaking success with the outsourced telemarketing channel didn t happen overnight or within a single sales quota. Instead, through a disciplined, scientific approach, Invenio moved the revenue needle over the long term and kept it there. Both the telecom provider and Invenio understood the importance of hard numbers and data when it came to generating leads and closing sales. They also looked past the easy-to-spot metrics and drilled into the data for deeper analysis.

6 Working together as partners, Invenio and the telecom provider achieved much more than if they had treated the relationship like a transaction. By exchanging insights and co-creating solutions, both were able to realize more revenue. The telecom provider allowed Invenio to take on the full burden of hiring and training the outsourced sales team, and it saved them a significant amount. Cost savings didn t just include representatives salaries, but also benefits, training, management, HR costs, IT support and ongoing quality assurance. Three and a half years later, the telecom provider is glad they made the switch to Invenio for their outbound telemarketing and lead generation, and the partnership is still alive and active today generating more revenue than ever before. Invenio Solutions is your partner in every sales-related service from lead database building and management to inside sales outsourcing and channel marketing. Our Sales Scientists help your business realize new revenue with metrics-driven, data-proven approaches to the entire sales process. For more information, visit.