B2B growth and sales · Empirical study/model testing of sales-process outsourcing decisions
Outsourcing the sales process: Hiring a mercenary sales force
Adam Rapp (2009). Outsourcing the sales process: Hiring a mercenary sales force. Industrial Marketing Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2009.03.006.
Plain-English take
Examines conditions under which firms outsource sales processes; results distinguish outsourcing effects from internal sales-force governance. For your marketing: Use as a mechanism or sales-process design reference. Validate the relationship in your own deal size, buying committee and sales cycle.
How much weight to give this
2.5/5 Evidence needs cautious interpretation
The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.
Empirical study/model testing of sales-process outsourcing decisions
Business-to-business sales organizations considering outsourced/mercenary sales forces
Judged from the publisher-described design and comparison; inspect the paper for complete analysis.
Publisher page and abstract were retrieved directly; full text was not assumed open.
Double-blind? Blinding was not established from the retrieved publisher record.
Research question
What the authors investigated
When and why do firms outsource the sales process?
Design
Empirical study/model testing of sales-process outsourcing decisions
Sample and setting
Business-to-business sales organizations considering outsourced/mercenary sales forces
Reported result
What the study found
Examines conditions under which firms outsource sales processes; results distinguish outsourcing effects from internal sales-force governance.
This is a paraphrase of the source. Check the original paper for definitions, estimates, statistical uncertainty and analysis details.
Scope and transfer
Limitations to keep in view
Single empirical setting and nonexperimental evidence limit causal inference and transferability.
Possible founder application
Use as a mechanism or sales-process design reference. Validate the relationship in your own deal size, buying committee and sales cycle.
Evidence access
Publisher record and abstract retrieved; consult the linked paper for full methods and tables.
Publisher DOI landing page identifies the exact title, authors, journal record and empirical-design sections/abstract: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2009.03.006 Direct publisher-page retrieval was recorded on 2026-10-09; this profile uses the publisher abstract/metadata and does not claim independent review of unavailable full text.
If only an abstract or metadata was available, the profile is limited to claims supported there. A paper's paywall does not change its evidentiary status, but it limits what we can substantiate from accessible text.