Outsourced Lead Generation vs. Convex: Which Approach Builds Your Pipeline Better?

Introduction

“Isn’t Convex like an outsourced sales and lead-gen team?” Our sales reps hear this question all the time, and it’s understandable—both options offer ways to reach new prospects at commercial properties.

But while outsourced teams focus on delivering leads, Convex is a platform that uses property data and sales intelligence, enabling your team to control each step of the lead generation process in-house.

For commercial services businesses, the choice between outsourcing and investing in an internal platform like Convex has significant implications for control, quality, and long-term growth.

This article breaks down the differences so you can make the best choice for your team.

Overview of Each Option:

Option 1: Outsourced Lead Generation

Outsourced lead generation, typically managed by external SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) or BDRs (Business Development Representatives), offers a convenient way to scale lead volume.

These teams generally handle top-of-funnel tasks such as prospecting, lead sourcing, outreach, and qualification, as well as passing qualified leads to your internal team.

This option is appealing for its fast results, but it often requires more specific data and targeting precision that in-house teams can achieve with a few dedicated tools.

Option 2: Convex Sales and Property Intelligence

On the other hand, Convex was built as an efficient prospecting and lead generation solution for commercial services sales reps targeting property owners, managers, and facilities personnel.

In 3- 5 minutes, sales reps can use the power of sales intelligence data built into a property intelligence interface to find prospects that are not only “in-market” but have also shown interest in your company’s products and services.

With tools to identify and engage decision-makers, manage territories, and track market changes, Convex enables highly targeted, data-driven prospecting, equipping your team to reach the right decision-makers at the right time with the right message.

Key Comparison Factors

1. Lead Quality and Targeting: Reaching the Right Prospects

• Outsourced Lead Generation: Outsourced SDR teams often deliver a high volume of leads- and this is a great way to boost sales, but depending on the company you choose, may lack the targeted precision that a sales intelligence solution provides. Without detailed property data, outsourced teams might rely on large databases of names or broader industry targeting, leading to inconsistent lead quality and lower engagement.

• Convex Sales and Property Intelligence: Convex’s combination of sales intelligence and property insights empowers your team to precisely target properties and decision-makers that align with your business goals. Using detailed data on buildings like ownership history, square footage, permit history, aerial imagery, tenant info, and contact information for decision-makers, Convex empowers your team to focus on leads with the highest potential to convert into sales.

2. Control Over Lead Generation and Brand Consistency

• Outsourced Lead Generation: When you outsource lead generation, your company relinquishes a degree of control over the lead qualification process and sometimes loses “brand messaging.” SDR teams often use generic messaging that may lack your brand’s voice, which can lead to a disjointed experience when prospects transition to in-house sales reps and value propositions feel different.
• Convex Sales Intelligence: With Convex, you maintain full control over your sales process. Convex’s sales intelligence tools allow you to align every interaction with your brand’s voice and values, creating a seamless and consistent experience for prospects. The platform’s flexibility is particularly valuable for commercial services companies that require personalized outreach messages to break through the noise and connect with decision-makers with specific types of properties and varying needs.

3. Cost Efficiency and Long-Term ROI

• Outsourced Lead Generation: When it comes to outsourced lead generation and sales, commercial services businesses typically have four main cost structures:

1. Commission-Based: In this model, the outsourced sales team earns a percentage of each sale they help close. This keeps everyone aligned toward driving revenue, but costs can add up quickly depending on the percentage charged for each sale – however, this does eliminate many upfront costs.

2. Pay-per-Lead: This method charges a set amount for each qualified lead delivered. If you’re aiming to grow your sales pipeline fast, this approach works well, though expenses can pile up as lead volumes increase, and there’s no guarantee that these leads will turn into sales. Often, pay-per-lead options range from $25 – 200 per lead.

3. Fixed Fee: Here, you’re paying a flat rate, often monthly, quarterly, or yearly, regardless of performance. While it’s predictable, this model doesn’t always guarantee results since you’re paying the same amount, no matter the lead quality. Fixed fees will depend on the number of SDRs/ BDRs needed, by generally they start around $3000 per month and go up from there.

4. Hybrid Approach: With this structure, companies combine elements of the other models—often a lower fixed fee paired with additional costs per lead or sale. This provides a bit more flexibility, though it can lead to more complex billing.

• Convex: Convex operates on a monthly subscription per seat. This means it requires an upfront investment in the software and a bit of team training and onboarding but provides a strong long-term ROI, as customers like Mechanical Services and Design and Comfort Systems USA have discovered. With Convex, the cost-per-lead (CPL) decreases as your team becomes more efficient with the tools- reducing your dependency on outside services and maximizing long-term returns on each lead generated.

4. Data Ownership and Building a Long-Term Asset

• Outsourced Lead Generation: One limitation of outsourced lead generation is the loss of data ownership. Many outsourced teams retain control over lead information, which means your company may lose access to valuable data at the end of the contract. This limits your ability to build lead lists and nurture long-term relationships.
• Convex Sales and Property Intelligence: Convex offers full data ownership, allowing your team to build and retain a comprehensive lead database in-house. And, if you decide to stop using the platform, the lead in your sales pipeline can easily be exported to your CRM. This means your lead database becomes a valuable long-term asset, enabling re-engagement, refined targeting, and ongoing relationship-building.

5. Regularly Updated Data and Prospecting Efficiency

• Outsourced Lead Generation: Outsourced teams generally work on a fixed schedule or set operating procedures, which may not always allow them to adapt to market changes in real-time. Without regularly updated data, outsourced SDRs might miss key opportunities to engage with prospects and schedule appointments that convert into sales.
• Convex Sales and Property Intelligence: Convex’s regularly updated data, property, and sales intelligence tools, including Signals, provide insights into crucial property events like ownership changes, permit activity, and building renovations. You can even add custom fields that track install base mapping, equipment warranties, and contract data that help you upsell and cross-sell valued-added services like HVAC maintenance contracts and service intervals. These timely insights allow your team to reach decision-makers precisely when they are most receptive, giving you a strategic advantage in the competitive commercial services market.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Lead Generation Strategy

Ultimately, the choice between outsourced lead generation and Convex’s sales and property intelligence platform depends on your business’s goals and priorities.

If you need an influx of leads quickly and don’t mind giving up some control, outsourced lead generation and sales personnel may suit your immediate needs. However, if you’re aiming for sustained growth, targeted prospecting, data ownership, and strategic control, Convex offers a more comprehensive solution for growing commercial services businesses.

By choosing Convex, you’re not just generating leads; you’re building a repeatable, data-driven approach to lead generation that grows with your business.

Ready to see how Convex can accelerate revenue for your team? Schedule a demo today to learn more!