When you decide to outsource your SDR requirements, there are a number of things you need to consider and getting it wrong can prove to be a costly mistake. After all, getting this decision right is of strategic importance to your organisation. To make sure you avoid some of the most common pitfalls that companies can face, we’ve compiled a short list to give you a steer on what to look for in your outsourced SDR team. 

1: Select SDRs who already work in your domain

Different business development companies have different strengths and often specialise in particular niches. Narrow down your search to only include only companies that are good fit for your business.

2: Choose SDRs that know the market

As well as understanding your business, your SDRs will need to understand the market of where you’re hoping to scale to. This means it will be helpful if they are already active in the market as this will have allowed them to build up a network of contacts.

3: Make sure your SDRs are local to your territory

You don’t want to have to contend with a new territory and SDRs who don’t know the language or the cultural and business nuances in the area where you hoping to operate. This will mean there is no learning curve and your operations can start faster.

4: Check how successful the outsource company has been in the past 

Don’t just trust the company literature. Do your research and make sure that any business development company that you are considering is reliable. If you know anyone who has outsourced before, you can ask them for a recommendation and talking to someone from the company you’re thinking about may help to set your mind at ease. 

5: Make sure the SDRs are available 

You will already have a timeframe in mind and whether you’re looking for a whole department or want to add to an existing team, you’ll want to make sure that the outsourcing company has the necessary resources and staff available to fit your schedule.

6: Have clear objectives

You most likely already know the outcomes you want and how quickly you want to arrive there but a good SDR will be able to tell you what is realistically achievable. This will allow you to re-evaluate your expectations and set targets that will definitely be met.

7: Flexibility is an asset

Unforeseen changes in the market or even your own company may mean that you need to be able to scale up or scale down your outsourced SDR operations quickly. Make sure your outsourcing partner is able to do this as it will improve your resource management.

8: Good reports are crucial

You need to find out how good your outsourced SDRs are at reporting. Ideally you’ll want a consistent flow of reports to let you know the current state of play and see if any changes need to be made to improve your operations. 

9: Ask about the methodology

A company providing SDRs to you should be able to tell you in detail about how it intends to approach the market with your offering. Check if this is supported by a software system that allows for monitoring and optimisation of all activities.

10: Have an exit strategy

Outsourcing SDRs is a cost-effective and low-risk opportunity but occasionally things outside of your control may force you to cut your contract short. If this happens to you, you need to make sure that you are not tied into something you can’t get out of.