Outsourcing isn’t just about buyer and seller. The best kind involves a relationship between the two. And while switching vendors can be just as easy as switching to a new brand of soap, it can get tiring after a while. Sometimes it’s just better to stick with one and focus on higher priorities.
For appointment setters, this is a big deal. Being a new customer can be tiring for both yourself and your provider. You have to collaborate before starting the campaign. Regular follow-ups should be made both to give them the feedback they need and the heads-up you need in case there’s trouble.
Plenty of B2B companies are still hardwired for customer acquisition; it’s not just outsourced appointment setters. And while they have a responsibility to fix this on their end (if not, a little more because they themselves are offering a B2B marketing service), a prospect like yourself has the responsibility to remind them of that. You let yourself go through the process of filling up a form, talking things over with their sales rep, and sent them on their way.
So what’s next?
Their campaign VS Your campaign
How much effort do they give your appointment setting campaign and compare it to the effort they give to their own marketing team? Think feeding them their own dog food but only in reverse. You can even say it’s a distinct advantage for B2B marketing companies to just have a single pool of marketing resources.
On the other hand, it’s a different story if all those resources are just dedicated to their side of your business relationship. Ideally, the way they managed to attract you as a customer should be a demonstration of what they can do, not a means to cover up what they can’t.
Their means VS Your means
Speaking of which though, what did they use to get your attention and are they using the same means when getting the attention of your prospects? If not, why not? Again, where are their resources pooled?
Other questions to consider could be:
- How relevant are the methods of their client services compared to their marketing?
- Would it be a heavy investment to specialize in?
Take note though that today’s B2B marketing environment demands the use of all styles, inbound and outbound, direct and indirect. Don’t be too hasty to criticize their own mix because chances are, you can’t outsource all of it to any other company either.
Your VS Older customers
Finally, perhaps the least asked question is how valuable you actually are in comparison to their older clients? For all you know, perhaps they really do exercise the practice of retention over acquisition and you might get the short end of it because you’re still a new customer.
In such cases, it’s all the more reason to strengthen the relationship you have with your vendor. Remember, it’s a two-way street. Look to their older customers and see what they did and what their reasons are for sticking with them.
Organizations, as much as people, tend to act differently when they try to connect for the first time. But once that connection is made, it’s not wholly the responsibility of one side to maintain it. Learn to do your part in evaluating the long-term behavior of your appointment setters so you won’t spend too much energy switching them all the time.
