Outsourced business development vs hiring a local salesperson

The short answer: test the market with outsourced business development first, then hire once you know it works. A fixed-scope pilot with a senior, well-connected person costs a fraction of a local hire and tells you within 90 days whether buyers respond.

A local hire is a long bet. Recruiting takes months, a senior salesperson with the right network is expensive, and it often takes another six to twelve months before you know whether the market — or the hire — works. If it doesn't, unwinding it is slow and costly.

Outsourced business development is a short bet. You pay for a defined result over a fixed period. The risk is choosing someone who sells volume instead of access: lead lists and mass emails rarely reach senior buyers.

What to look for in an outsourced partner:

1. A real, existing network in the target market.
2. Enough seniority to get in front of decision-makers.
3. A fixed scope, fixed fee and clear end date.
4. A written definition of what counts as a qualified meeting.
5. Honesty about when your product is not a fit for the market.

When to hire locally instead: you already have paying customers in the market, a repeatable sales process and enough pipeline to keep a person busy.

Tech Sales House runs founder-led, 90-day Door-Opener pilots in Spain, China/Hong Kong and the Baltics, from €1,500 per market, so you can decide on a hire with evidence.