We’ve all been in those situations where outside experts were hired to help you get from “Point A” to “Point B.” Often, these decisions are met with skepticism.

• How can an outside firm possibly understand the complexities of our business?
• How will its people ever be able to execute in a timely manner?
• How can we ensure that we’re set up to actually execute on the recommendations offered?

Well, we are consultants and we know that there’s a perception that follows us wherever we go. However, we firmly believe there are key benefits to hiring an outside partner to help you improve sales productivity, especially when you have aggressive growth goals or a sales problem that can’t go one more quarter without getting fixed. Here’s why:

Value of an Outside Perspective

Best-in-class sales organizations develop and implement sales programs that drive results. Research by the Aberdeen Group shows that top performing sales organizations are more likely to employ external expertise, while under-performing companies are more likely to try and leverage internal resources.

As a sales manager, you may be too close to the problem to see what really needs to improve. Outside experts have the benefit of impartiality and can help to uncover problems without an agenda. This discovery can be a key component to building the alignment necessary to create solutions.

Outside experts have the benefit of experience. They’ve worked with some of the best and brightest companies in the world and have seen patterns of success. The right partner can help you determine and drive the results you need to achieve true sales transformation. They need to succeed. Their business reputation depends on your success.

Emphasize the Long-Term

An organization that specializes in growth strategies, specifically around cross-funtional alignment has a repeatable framework for success. The outside expert enables your team to focus its energy on execution.

In sales, training implementation will always come second to closing opportunities. Because of that fact, leaders can become hasty in trying to develop growth. Short-term solutions may increase sales temporarily, but perhaps at the expense of ongoing viability. An outside expert with a long-term plan enables you to develop and use a consistent management cadence that aligns your growth strategy with the day-to-day needs of your team.