If b2b salespeople were craftspeople then the phone would be the tool of their trade. Phone calls play a crucial role not only in getting appointments that ultimately lead to conversion, but are also instrumental in customer relationship management that will keep current customers in the loop on new products and allow the salesperson or other account manager to spot new opportunities or fix anything that isn’t right.

But maintaining an in-house calling team is expensive, and only larger businesses can support a full-time year-round sales force for b2b telesales. What’s more, skilled appointment-setters and CRM specialists are not a dime per dozen: in fact, they’re more like a penny per dollar.

Luckily for smaller businesses, sales force outsourcing has really begun to emerge as a compelling alternative to in-house telesales over the past few years. With the help of outsourcing companies, firms gain flexibility, lose the burden of managing a sales program, and shave dollars off their expenses through savings on overhead, recruitment, training, and turnover.

Because outsourcing companies exist to help their clients‘ businesses grow, they are perfectly position to utilize their network of contacts and clients to set appointments and close deals. In this way, the companies offer a complete package of quality sales and quality leads and contacts to those firms looking to outsource their b2b telesales.

Beyond bringing a wide network and better callers to the table, sales force outsourcing can improve their clients‘ cost structures and make them more predictable. There are a few ways that their clients save. First, hiring and training phone salespeople – which eats into productivity, distracts from core business, and is extensive – is eliminated from the process. Next, because the productivity and conversion of the outsourcing firm’s people is likely higher – this is their business after all – clients will get more bang for their buck. Last, the physical overhead requirements of maintaining a sales force are eliminated in terms of the space and technology that would otherwise be needed to support it.

The flexibility that comes with being to have short-term help with telesales is also invaluable. It reduces turnover costs and makes it so that outsourcing clients can get their campaigns rolling faster than if they tried to get them rolling on their own.

The favorable economics, flexibility, and quality of outsourced telesales make it a tough option for smaller and mid-sized companies to refuse: the option practically sells itself. When businesses also consider that they will have the burden of managing a team of callers off their shoulders so that they can focus more on strategy, it is hard to imagine how many still insist on making the calls in-house.