One of the most effective ways for any business to stay competitive is by building an effective lead generation system. In fact, business that nurture their leads benefit from higher sales margins. That being said, lead generation continues to be a major challenge for most businesses.
It is for these reasons that an increasing number of B2B organizations today have already or are seriously considering outsourcing their lead generation. And contrary to the belief that outsourcing to a specialist agency can be an expensive burden, moving your lead generation to an effective B2B lead generation agency is not only a cost-effective option, but it also presents a number of business benefits which go beyond simple access to a dedicated sales team.
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So, if B2B lead generation has been a particular challenge for your business, then partnering with a company that specializes in B2B lead generation can be a good move for your business.
However, what is of equal importance here is to partner with the right B2B lead generation experts. This also brings us to another important question – should you outsource your B2B lead generation to an overseas firm or should you partner with a US-based lead generation agency?
In addition to the cost factor, there are a number of other equally important factors such as quality of service, understanding of the markets that you operate in, and level of communication of sales reps among other such factors, that you will need to consider when making this decision.
Read on for more insights on what factors you need to consider when selecting the right B2B lead generation agency for your business and the benefits of partnering with a US-based B2B lead generation firm vs. an overseas-based lead generation agency.
Why You Should Consider Partnering with a B2B Lead Generation Agency
A 2017 CSO Insights study found that 68% of B2B organizations struggle with lead generation. And the three specific issues that impact effective lead generation include, improving the quality of leads, ensuring higher conversion rates, and of course increasing the number of leads.
These challenges are further fuelled by misaligned sales and marketing teams – lack of communication and the absence of a collaborative relationship make it really difficult for B2B organizations to act on their lead generation strategies.
As mentioned above, one of the best options for businesses that struggle with their lead generation is to outsource it to an expert agency. An expert B2B lead generation service company can provide you with multiple services which might include either one or more, or even all of the following:
- Quality-based content creation and content marketing.
- SEO services, social media and effective email marketing.
- Effective data-driven event promotions/campaigns.
- Appointment setting.
- Access to deep B2B intelligence and high level of data capacity.
- Highly established local presence and a robust network of local reps/callers.
The level of expertise that an expert B2B lead generation firm has over one or more of the services mentioned above can help drive productivity and lower costs for your business. In addition, your business can benefit in the following ways:
- Improved levels of lead targeting and qualifying.
- Better appointment setting leading to more sales.
- Access to the most qualified prospects/leads which means your sales team(s) don’t have to spend time on other time-consuming activities that can affect their productivity.
- Improved levels of productivity since your sales teams are not burdened with tasks that they don’t have expertise over.
- Expert evaluation of your lead generation system and its results.
- Expertise in best-in-class B2B lead generation strategies such as multi-channel account-based marketing (ABM) among others.
If you have an expert managing each of these areas and challenges of B2B lead generation, you will be free to direct your business resources towards other areas of your business that need attention and management.
Having established the benefits of partnering with an expert lead generation agency, let us now look at some of the most important factors to consider when selecting the right B2B lead generation firm for your business.
US-based B2B Lead Generation Firm vs. Overseas B2B Lead Generation Firm
Partnering with the right B2B lead generation firm is a core consideration if you are serious about outsourcing your lead generation. Cost definitely is a major consideration when it comes to making any kind of buying decision – including when selecting a lead generation services supplier.
However, as pointed out above, cost cannot be the only factor. You also need to consider the quality of services, the level of expertise, the market reach, and many other such factors when selecting the right vendor for your lead generation. And while most overseas-based B2B lead generation firms offer huge discounts while marketing their services, it can come at the expense of either quality of service or expertise.
You function in a highly volatile and competitive market space. A dip in quality of your lead generation can easily lead to devastating business results – both in the short-term and in the long-term.
Here are five important factors to consider if you are faced with the dilemma of choosing between a US-based B2B lead generation firm and an overseas B2B agency.
1. Level of Experience
The number one criteria when selecting an agency to outsource your B2B lead generation is experience. Digital has made it possible to outsource a variety of business services to firms irrespective of their geographic location.
Furthermore, technology platforms and tools make it easy for these companies to offer their services at discounted or low rates – often lower than the current rates within the immediate geographies of many US-based businesses that are actively looking to outsource their lead generation.
However, what you might want to take into account if you are in a similar situation is the experience of the lead generation service supplier. Don’t fall for the low-hanging fruit – you might end up with a whole bunch of empty promises with little or no ROI. A lead generation agency with the requisite experience might not come cheap, but you are assured of the return value.
If you decide to go with a US-based B2B lead generation firm, checking up on their reputation and experience, as well as their client list is easier – something that you might not be able to do effectively with an overseas-based agency.
2. Quality Standard
Boosting the quality of leads is a critical to running an effective lead generation system. And assessing the quality of leads requires a robust vetting process. The devil as they say is in the details – so even if your lead generation supplier has checked all the boxes on your lead generation requirements, it does not mean you are assured of the quality of your leads.
With most overseas lead generation agencies, you can expect an introductory presentation of how the agency is going to run your lead generation program. But do they really go into the specifics? Especially when it comes to quality of leads.
The same might be true of some locally based lead agencies as well. However, a good lead generation services supplier will not hesitate to give you access to their lead generation quality control system. They will also be far more transparent when it comes to demonstrating the checks and balances used while vetting the leads before they reach you.
Transparency with respect to the return policies on the leads or the assurance of a minimum results are again factors that only well reputed firms can promise. If you find your overseas lead generation supplier lacking in any of these areas, trusting them with your lead generation can be a risk.
Partnering with a US-based B2B lead generation agency, however, gives you a certain negotiating space since assessing their capabilities and holding them accountable to their service deliverables.
3. Market Reach and Market Expertise
Technology advances have made it easier for businesses to expand their market reach. However, in order to expand to new markets, you need not just quality leads, but also the right leads. If you want to set up a domestic franchisee or even if you want to simply open up a new facility in a different state, you need a lead generation expert who has the requisite market reach and expertise – locally.
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Regardless of how good an overseas lead generation agency might be, it will be difficult for them to connect your business with the right leads in local markets. In addition to language barriers, effective communication could also present a challenge – especially if their reps are not US-based.
A US-based B2B lead generation firm, however, will obviously have a clear advantage in this case. Not only will it be easier for them to access local databases and build buyer personas, but they will also be privy to latest or dominating market trends, and they can prove to be far more effective when it comes to communicating with potential leads.
4. Better Access to B2B Data
Any B2B lead generation firm can help you access market data. However, all that data is of no use if you cannot execute on said intelligence.
The right lead generation services provider, however, will be able to not only connect you with market data, but they will be provide you with actionable market intelligence. They will be able to provide you with a comprehensively managed database that leverages the latest market data so you can easily identify and populate your sales funnel with qualified leads who are ready to move to the next step or even convert.
Again, access to this kind of market intelligence might be challenging for an overseas lead generation agency. But a US-based B2B lead generation firm with the right tech tools and systems will be far more effective in ensuring you have access to the right kind of market intelligence.
When considering B2B data, you also need to look at the data strength or the capacity of the lead generation services provider to capture, record, nurture, and manage the data vis-à-vis the use of advanced database management technology solutions. So, it is important that you assess whether or not your provider uses the latest in database technologies to drive your marketing programs in your intended markets.
5. Local Presence & Local Reps
If you want to leverage your lead generation to expand your current market or even if you are looking to expand to a wider market geographically, what you need is a lead generation expert with a robust local presence and a solid network of local reps. Reason being, local reps have a higher acceptance rate compared to say someone who is based outside the United States.
A local presence also means your lead generation firm will be able to win the trust and confidence of potential customers far more easily compared to an overseas agency. Once an element of trust is established, it can open doors for further conversations and relationships.
Another critical aspect to consider here is the quality of the representatives. And while most overseas lead generation firms will have good reps with excellent communication skills, these agencies tend to reserve their best reps for clients with higher profit margins.
So, you cannot discount the risk of your lead generation needs being bumped off to lower quality reps.
But when you partner with a good US-based B2B lead generation firm, you don’t necessary have to worry about the quality of the sales development reps or inside sales representatives assigned to your campaign especially with their ability to communicate and their acceptability among potential leads.
To Wrap Up
In order to build an effective lead generation system, businesses need to focus on multiple tasks and processes while also focusing on strategies that can help them attract high quality convertible leads.
All of these activities require investment by way of skilled employees, technology tools and solutions, as well as cost investments. And while most businesses tend to go with in-house teams for their lead generation, their efforts and results often get diluted due to a number of factors such as lack of skilled expertise and investments.
These challenges can be overcome by outsourcing your lead generation to experts. While partnering with an overseas-based agency can seem cost-effective, the gains can be short lived – both cost wise as well as with the level of expertise if you are not careful while assessing their capabilities when it comes to service deliverables.
Partnering with a US-based B2B lead generation firm on the other hand comes with specific advantages such as better access to local markets and right leads, the quality of reps vis-à-vis their communication skills and acceptability, as well as accountability of the firm. And while it is unfair to paint all overseas lead generation agencies with the same brush, it does make a lot of business sense to first spend time assessing reputable US-based lead generation firms before scouting offshore experts.
