Checklist for Outsourcing Sales

• Can the rep firm's capabilities deliver on your actual expectation?
• Do you like and trust them?
• What is their turnover like?
• Have former employees ever sued them?
• Are they financially sound and can they weather a downturn?
• What is their Dun & Bradstreet rating?
• How long have they been in business?
• Do they have established banking relationships?
• Do their office locations reflect the prestige you would want to project to your customers?
• Is there a plan if the owner retires or meets an unexpected emergency?
• Does a big player dominate them? What happens if the player goes away?
• Do you have an understanding of how the rep company is set up?
• Do you have an understanding of how that firm makes money?
• Have you examined the systems that the firm has in place?
• Does the rep firm have a history of adapting to new systems, if thats important to you?
• Is it understood what other services you might need in the future and whether or not this company can provide those services?
• Do you understand what resources the firm has from a marketing standpoint, such as SRDS, Advertising Database, PIB, research capabilities and other assets?
• Do you have a clear idea of what the firm's hiring policies are and what their employee behavior tolerance is?
• Do you need a rep firm that can adapt to all of your systems or are you flexible enough to work with their existing systems?
• Do they sell print or other media, like online? Do they have an online growth strategy?
• Do they have internal sales contests and programs to motivate sellers?
• Do they provide sales training?