It seems like everything in the business world that can be outsourced has been outsourced. But a Camosun grad has started up a new company to help local businesses outsource something new: their sales needs.
Camosun grad Matt Vaillant and UVic grad Alistair Vigier partnered to form Alpha Sales in April of this year and already have Fotoprint, LimeSpot, and Royal Victoria Security on their client list.
“A company can hire Alpha Sales to manage their entire sales process—from first contact to closing the sale—or they can hire us to carry out one sales task, such as lead generation,” explains Vaillant. “It gives companies a sales team without the time and money to make sales staff employees of the company.”
Vaillant graduated in April with a BBA in Marketing Communications Management from Camosun, while Alistair got his BA in Psychology at UVic. Vaillant says his time with Camosun was very helpful as far as getting the business up and running.
“My time with Camosun was great,” he says. “I learned about all aspects of the marketing process and how to build a brand. Also, the classes I took outside of the Marketing department helped during the initial planning process, as well as with the day-to-day management.”
But Alpha Sales almost didn’t happen, as Vigier was once in the Canadian Forces until he was released due to a “friendly fire accident,” according to a press release (“Unfortunately, it’s not something that Alistair can discuss details about,” says Vaillant). Now out of the forces, Vigier can focus on building the business with Vaillant; the two hope to establish the company locally, then “replicate it in larger cities,” says Vaillant. If it does end up spreading, it’s proof that there’s always something else new to outsource.
“The idea really stemmed from the fact that companies already outsource so many business activities, such as manufacturing, marketing, graphic design, telemarketing, call centres, and technical support,” says Vaillant. “Sales is an area that can have higher turnover than some other areas, and bad hires cost companies a lot of money. By outsourcing the sales needs, Alpha Sales shoulders that risk and also saves companies money through not having to pay benefits and other employee costs.”