by Giorgia Andrei | " The pandemic has accelerated the need for agile business models. We need solutions capable of making the organisation flexible, capable of dealing with the unexpected, both from the point of view of budgets and of the inconstancy of scenarios". These are the words of Pierpaolo Bertocco, Managing Director of . Cpm Italy. The company operates in the field of sales outsourcing: it offers field marketing, digital marketing, online sales and contact centre solutions. The company creates and implements strategies to control physical and online channels, ensuring professionalism, flexibility and optimisation of return on investment. "The role of the sales network is increasingly valuable, because it allows us to pick up on signs of change in real time, to convey the confidence that gives customers greater stability and to make the product lighter, thanks to the services offered in increasingly articulated sales packages. That's why sales outsourcing can be the solution: it's about embarking on a path of change, leading to greater agility and elasticity, as well as budget optimisation. Our strategic approach, which is based on transversal skills and customised planning, is based on more than 80 years of experience at international level and more than 20 years in Italy.
Let's get straight to the point: what does sales outsourcing mean?
Outsourcing the sales force means first of all defining, managing and monitoring a direct relationship between costs and results. In more detail, it means having a greater focus on objectives and results, having the possibility to create a strategic mix between directly hired resources and external resources and, finally, benefiting from greater flexibility in budget management. Being able to count on a flexible sales force network, well trained and updated on sales techniques and tools is as necessary as it is challenging.
What problems are encountered in getting the outsourced sales force to work together with the in-house sales force?
The basis of a sales force capable of interacting with an increasingly knowledgeable public is undoubtedly competence and constant updating. Pooling skills, ideas and the results of one's observations between internal and external resources is no easy challenge. By using ethical and accountability protocols, we are able to ensure a healthy cross-fertilisation of skills and a fruitful exchange of data and insights, while ensuring competitive advantages and risk reduction.
Which digital platforms do you base your activity on?
Research and innovation are part of our DNA, and over time we have developed a series of proprietary tools, tailored to the needs of our clients, which meet a variety of needs, to monitor and manage sales, not only in the physical channel, but also in the digital one. Among the solutions we use is Salesforce.com, which is often customised to the needs of customers who use the same platform internally. To these we must add a recent entry, Detail, the online merchandising platform that allows you to maximise visibility, control and sales in the e-commerce channel. With these platforms, companies can have a constantly updated analytical insight into the sales performance of their products across off-line and on-line retailers. It helps them to identify missed sales opportunities and act quickly to turn them into opportunities. A key aspect, especially now, with the exponential increase in interaction between physical and digital kennels.
What kind of training activities do you follow and offer?
An outsourcer such as Cpm can ensure staff are trained for a specific market and create knowledgeable teams that apply their skills to a wide range of circumstances - with a depth of knowledge in the specific sector that is comparable to a direct salesperson - through talent development through educational programmes, mentoring and on-the-job training. But there is also another type of training that is crucial to consider: in-store sales force training. Eighty per cent of individuals seek information about products online before buying them: as a result, consumers often become experts, sometimes with more expertise than the salespeople themselves. As a result, the scope of the training required of each individual salesperson can exceed the capabilities of many retailers. As a result, shops need to shift the game to another playing field, one in which they must enhance the brand experience that customers expect from the brand they are buying. Trainers specialising in in-store sales force training can hone customer acquisition techniques and provide insights into understanding customer needs and customer loyalty, as well as, of course, increasing technical product expertise.
Can you cite any success stories that you are involved in?
Over the years we have built strong relationships with customers in many sectors - from consumer electronics to financial and entertainment - accompanying them on their growth path and helping them to achieve their business objectives. We have been partners of Cheil and Samsung since 2012, and with them we have developed and managed most of the outsourced activities for the Operator and Consumer Electronics channels for Mobile, Audio/Video, Home Appliance and Aircon. Today we collaborate not only with Samsung, but also with Fitbit, overseeing the Consumer Electronics channel with Trainers and Sales Promoters.
The article is published in Issue 5 of Elettronica AV
