Top questions about outsourcing marketing – and the 2X response

Marketing leaders are under pressure to respond quickly to the needs of the business; constantly driven to take action to increase demand to sales or add new capabilities to support goals for growth. A reflection of this is in my conversations with CMOs who are considering Marketing as a Service (MaaS) as the new operating model, where I often get questions about scale, speed and productivity. In this post, I share the most commonly asked questions, and our answers to them.

1. We already have our own processes and technology solutions, how much disruption or change can we expect when we work with you?

At the start of the engagement with any new client, we take time to learn and understand the existing processes and technology that you have. In other words, we take ownership of the learning curve. Generally, it takes the 2X team only two training sessions to get up to speed, depending on how many tools and systems are involved. While we learn about your existing processes, we also notice areas for improvement, and this is where we will share best practices with your team to ensure optimal efficiency and results. We do not advocate change just for the sake of change. Any change or disruption to your existing processes is driven by what adds value now and in the future.

And as far as technology goes – the experience we have gained in working with other clients pretty much ensures that whatever you are using, we likely have expertise in 2X already. Even new technology is not new to us. The truth is that marketing tech like CRMs and automation platforms don’t differ too much from each other, so our familiarity with current technologies makes it possible for us to master your solution quickly. And again, knowledge sharing is to your advantage; we help you get better ROI from your CRMs and other sales and marketing tools.

2. How do I know that these so-called best practices will work for me?

Excellent question. 2X believes in supporting any claim with hard facts. This means that while we follow your processes, we also conduct internal tests based on what is tried and true. When we come to you with a suggestion, we can actually demonstrate how it leads a higher conversion rate, more valuable leads, a more efficient workflow, hours saved, etc.

3. I’m trying to scale marketing team with a shrinking budget, so this is not the best time.

Actually, smart outsourcing is the ideal solution to both those problems. Favorable exchange rates make it possible for you to build or supplement your team with professional marketers, analysts, researchers, SEO specialists, web developers, operations specialists, copywriters, designers… you name it, for a fraction of the cost of hiring additional talent at home.

Our clients have regularly found that by hiring 2X they actually save money as they grow because of the results we produce. As I revealed in my last blog, preliminary outcomes experienced by some of our clients include 20% improvement in marketing qualified leads (MQL) and cost-per-opportunity reduction of 19%. Money saved can then be redirected into new technologies, initiatives, capabilities – anything on your strategic wish list.

4. I don’t have time to train a new team, how would this work?

That’s a valid concern and one that takes us back to return on investment. Hiring any new addition to your team generally involves time, training and a fair amount of risk. On the other hand, 2X already has people with all the capabilities you need, and our people are used to hitting the ground running. The training your 2X team requires is limited to tools and processes, but skills and marketing expertise – that’s what you hire us for.

There are few marketing challenges we have not seen and solved (in many cases, over and over and over again), so we are already at the top of a learning curve. We deliver faster and first time right.

5. We already take care of most of our marketing needs in-house, how would I extract more value from hiring 2X?

There’s nothing wrong with doing things yourself if your people are doing the job they were hired to do. However, if your managers are writing EDMs, social campaigns or doing other support work, they are being severely underutilized. Our team frees up your top people to concentrate on high-level, essential functions that cannot be conducted remotely, such as devising your marketing strategy roadmap or aligning with sales, R&D and other departments. What we find is when clients focus on these strategic functions and let us worry about execution and optimization, the impact is felt much more quickly and significantly by your stakeholders.

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Author

Siew Mee Yong

Siew Mee Yong is 2X's versatile Managing Director and Chief People Officer whose open-mindedness has shaped a diverse career path. Beginning as a researcher in computer networks, Siew Mee transitioned to designing digital user experiences for BT, having a track record of managing large teams with a below 2% attrition rate. Prior to 2X, she was the VP of Global Marketing at Quintiq—now Dassault Systèmes—where she oversaw 30% year-over-year growth and developed an off-shore marketing services function supporting 16 independent global business units.