An Outsourced Sales Team That's Paid on Results
Most commercial service companies reach a point where the owner cannot win new accounts and run the business at the same time. The default answer is to hire a salesperson — a fixed salary, months of ramp, and a real chance the person leaves before the pipeline matures.
Journey is the alternative. We run your outbound sales function as an outside team: the list, the calls, the follow-up and the qualification. You pay a low upfront launch fee, then 10% of the revenue generated from clients we source.
The Real Cost of a First Sales Hire
The salary starts before the revenue
A commercial sales hire is paid from week one. Commercial service contracts take months to close, so you carry the cost through the entire ramp.
Ramp time is real
Even a strong rep needs to learn your services, pricing, service area and buyer before they are effective. That is months of paid learning.
You have to manage them
A new rep without a sales manager drifts. If you are the manager, you have added a second job instead of removing one.
Turnover resets everything
When a rep leaves they take the relationships, the pipeline context and the momentum with them, and the search starts again.
What We Replace
These are the functions a sales hire is supposed to deliver — and the ones we take on directly.
Target list and research
The account list, property data and decision-maker research a rep would otherwise build slowly by hand.
Outbound activity
The daily calling, emailing and follow-up discipline that is the first thing to slip when someone is unmanaged.
Qualification
Filtering out the accounts that cannot buy before they consume your quoting time.
Process and accountability
A defined method with reporting, so growth does not depend on one person's habits.
How the Engagement Runs
- 1
Launch
We define your account profile, geography and capacity, then build the outreach infrastructure and messaging.
- 2
Build
We build and verify the target account list and the decision makers attached to it.
- 3
Connect
Consistent multi-channel outreach in your company's name, with structured follow-up over months.
- 4
Grow
Sourced accounts are worked for additional sites, services and longer terms.
Hire, Agency, or Journey
Three ways to add commercial sales capacity, compared on the things that actually decide the outcome.
| In-house hire | Typical agency | Journey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost structure | Fixed salary plus commission from day one | Monthly retainer regardless of results | Low launch fee, then 10% of revenue generated |
| Cost if nothing closes | Full salary continues | Retainer continues | No performance fee |
| Time to be effective | Months of ramp | Fast to start, variable depth | Structured launch, then ongoing |
| Who owns the process | You manage and coach them | Agency, often generic across clients | Journey, built around your service and market |
| What happens after the meeting | Depends on the individual | Usually handed off and dropped | Account stays worked and expanded |
| Continuity risk | High — turnover resets the pipeline | Contract-dependent | Function continues |
Why Not Commission-Only Reps?
The commission-only trap
- Commission-only reps almost always sell the easiest thing, not the most valuable account
- They rarely have the data or tools to build a commercial target list
- Turnover is very high, so relationships never compound
- You still have to manage, train and equip them
What performance alignment means here
- A defined process, not one individual's effort
- Research, data and outreach infrastructure included
- Aligned to revenue you actually collect, not booked activity
- Continuity — the function does not quit
Outsourced Sales Questions
- What is an outsourced sales team?
- An external team that runs your outbound sales function: building the target account list, doing the prospecting, qualifying interest and booking the conversations your team then quotes. You get the output of a sales department without hiring, managing or equipping one.
- Is this cheaper than hiring a salesperson?
- The structure is different rather than simply cheaper. A hire costs a fixed salary regardless of results. Journey costs a low upfront launch fee, then 10% of revenue generated from clients we source — so the largest part of the cost only appears alongside revenue.
- How is this different from commission-only sales reps?
- Commission-only reps carry all the risk themselves, so they chase whatever closes fastest and leave when it gets hard. We invest in research, data and infrastructure up front because our return comes from accounts that keep paying you over time.
- Do we lose control of how our company is represented?
- No. Messaging, positioning, pricing and every quote stay yours. We agree how your company is presented before outreach starts, and all quoting and delivery remain with your team.
- What if we already have a salesperson?
- That often works well. We handle top-of-funnel research and outreach so your existing salesperson spends their time in meetings and quotes instead of prospecting.
- Do you require a long contract?
- The engagement is designed to continue because it produces revenue. There is a low upfront launch fee to build the campaign, then the 10% performance fee on revenue from clients we source.
More answers on our business development FAQ.
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Tell Us About Your Business
Share a few details about the services you provide and the customers you want to reach. We'll follow up to discuss whether a targeted business development campaign is a fit.
- No obligation introductory conversation
- Built specifically around your service and market
- Clear scope before anything begins