Between 20% and 25% of outsourcing relationships fail within their first two years, and poor partner selection is to blame far more often than price or capability. For businesses considering outsourcing, that makes experience, structure and the right fit especially important. (You can learn more about how Credico UK has developed its approach over the years.)
The warning signs are easy to miss at the start. The pitch is convincing, the case studies look good and everyone is keen to get going. Then, a few months in, results start slipping and simple questions become strangely hard to get answers to.
Most of the checks that prevent this are straightforward. This guide covers what to define before you compare providers, how to test references properly, the questions to ask about structure, accreditation and compliance, and a 10-point checklist to run through before you sign.
Start With What You Need
Before comparing providers, get clear on the brief. What are you selling, and who are you trying to reach? Which regions matter? Do you need field sales, lead generation, telesales or something more specialised? Most importantly, what would a successful campaign look like six months from now?
Without that clarity, it’s easy to be impressed by the wrong things. A provider might have an excellent track record in national retail, but that doesn’t make them the right choice for a regional B2B campaign. Their experience needs to match the job you’re asking them to do.
The brief gives you something concrete to measure each provider against. Without one, the pitch has a habit of shaping the brief instead.
Ask to See What They’ve Done Before
Any serious outsourced sales partner should be able to show you evidence of previous work: case studies, client references, campaign results or examples from a similar sector. Be cautious if the answers stay vague.
One industry survey found that 32% of businesses came across misrepresented portfolios or references they couldn’t properly verify while assessing an outsourcing partner. That doesn’t mean treating every reference with suspicion, but it does mean checking them.
Speak to former or current clients where you can. Ask what worked well, but don’t stop there. Ask what was difficult, how problems were handled and whether communication changed once the contract was signed. Those answers usually reveal more than a polished testimonial.
Ask for examples that resemble your own campaign, too. The closer a case study is to your sector, market and scale, the more useful it is.
Understand Who You’re Working With
Outsourced sales businesses don’t all work the same way. Some directly employ and manage their own sales teams. Others work through networks of independently owned businesses, matching each client with the partner that best fits the campaign. Both models can work well, as long as you understand the structure before you sign.
If you’re being introduced to an independently owned sales partner, find out where responsibility sits. Who manages the relationship once the campaign is live? Who receives the reports? Who steps in if performance falls short? Does the organisation that made the introduction stay involved, or does the relationship move entirely to the sales partner?
These are basic questions, but they help you avoid a common problem: two organisations each assuming the other is responsible for something important, and nobody finding out until it’s too late.
At Credico UK, we stay involved beyond the initial introduction, managing the relationship on your behalf.
Look at Accreditation, but Keep It in Perspective
Independent accreditation adds another layer of reassurance. In the UK, the Direct Selling Association requires members to follow a code of practice covering areas such as ethical trading and consumer protection, and prospective members are checked before they join.
That’s useful to know, but it shouldn’t replace your other checks. Membership of an industry body can’t tell you whether a particular team is right for your campaign. What it does show is that the company is prepared to work to an external set of standards as well as its own internal processes. Treat it as one piece of evidence rather than a guarantee.
Pay Attention to Communication Before You Sign
The sales process gives you an early glimpse of what working together will be like. If simple questions already need several follow-ups, or straightforward requests get vague answers, take note.
Try asking something specific. What happens if performance is below target after the first month? How often will you get reports? Who will you speak to each week? How quickly would an issue normally be escalated? You’re not looking for the “perfect” answer. You’re looking for a clear one.
Ask, too, what they do when a campaign isn’t working. Good sales partners know campaigns sometimes need adjusting. Markets change, messaging misses the mark, recruitment takes longer than expected, or one region performs differently from another. A convincing answer explains what the review process looks like, who’s involved and what might change. “No campaign ever goes wrong” isn’t one.
Ask Specific Questions About Compliance
Vague reassurance isn’t enough here. An outsourced sales partner may be speaking to customers, collecting their information and representing your brand in public, so their approach to compliance matters to you too.
Find out how they handle UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, what training their sales representatives receive, and how customer information is stored and managed. If the campaign involves consumers, ask how consumer protection requirements are built into the process.
The right questions depend on the channel. For telesales, it’s reasonable to ask how outbound numbers are screened against the Telephone Preference Service and Corporate Telephone Preference Service. For door-to-door or in-home campaigns, ask about DBS checks where relevant, how representatives identify themselves, and how cancellation rights under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 are explained to customers.
You don’t need to question a provider like a regulator, but you should expect them to understand the rules that apply to the work they’re proposing.
A 10-Point Checklist Before You Sign
Before committing to an outsourced sales partner, make sure you can answer these:
- Have you clearly defined the campaign, audience, region and expected results?
- Have you seen relevant examples of previous work?
- Have you spoken to references rather than relying only on testimonials?
- Do you know whether you’re dealing with a single agency, an independently owned partner or a wider partner network?
- Do you know who will manage the relationship once the campaign starts?
- Have you checked whether the business holds any relevant independent accreditation?
- Have they explained how reporting and escalation will work?
- Have you asked what happens if the campaign underperforms?
- Are you satisfied with their approach to UK GDPR, consumer protection and staff training?
- Is it clear who’s accountable if something goes wrong?
If any of these are still uncertain, resolve them before you sign rather than afterwards.
A Few Extra Weeks Now Can Save Months Later
There’s usually pressure to get a new sales campaign moving, which makes due diligence easy to rush, especially when a prospective partner seems confident and capable. But an extra week or two spent checking references, understanding the operating model and asking awkward questions is rarely wasted. A poor match can take months to unwind, while a well-vetted partner gives both sides a clear idea of what’s expected from day one.
If you’d rather not source and assess providers entirely on your own, working with an established partner network can take some of the early groundwork off your hands. At Credico UK, partners in our network have already been assessed on compliance, operating standards and suitability before we make an introduction. You should still run your own checks and make sure the proposed partner fits your campaign, but you won’t be starting the search from scratch.
FAQs
What’s the biggest mistake businesses make when choosing an outsourced sales partner?
Moving from the sales pitch to the contract without enough checking. Case studies, references, compliance processes and accountability should all be reviewed before the campaign begins, not once something has already gone wrong.
Should I always ask an outsourced sales partner for references?
Yes. Ideally, speak to references directly rather than relying only on written testimonials. Ask about problems as well as successes, because how a provider responds when things get difficult often tells you more than the headline results.
Is it better to work with a single agency or a partner from a wider network?
It depends on the campaign. A single agency may suit a business looking for one established team and a fairly fixed scope. A network-based model can work better when requirements are more specific, regional or likely to change, because the partner can be selected according to the brief. This is how Credico UK works: we match each client with an independently owned partner from our vetted network.
What accreditation should I look for in a UK outsourced sales partner?
Membership of a recognised industry body, such as the Direct Selling Association, can be useful. It shows the company has agreed to work under an external code of practice. Accreditation should sit alongside reference checks, compliance questions and your own assessment of the provider.
How long should vetting an outsourced sales partner take?
There’s no fixed timetable, but a few weeks is reasonable if you’re checking references, reviewing compliance processes and comparing providers properly. The goal is simply to get the key questions answered before you commit.
