72% of the field staff TopHawks deployed in the past year were outside India’s eight largest metros, up from 57% a year earlier
NOIDA: Indian brands in FMCG, consumer durables, retail and technology are increasingly using sales outsourcing and manpower outsourcing to build a field presence in tier-2 and tier-3 markets, according to deployment data from TopHawks.
In the 12 months to September 2026, 72% of the field staff deployed by TopHawks were based outside India’s eight largest metropolitan markets, compared with 57% in the previous 12 months. Over the period the company deployed 7,800 field sales executives, in-store promoters and merchandisers across 230 cities, and launched new programmes in 135 of them.
Other findings from the data:
- Speed: the median time from client sign-off to a working team in a new city was 10 days.
- Purpose: 75% of new programmes were for market entry or a product launch. The other 25% were seasonal, concentrated around the festive period.
- Roles: sales agents, in-store promoters and team leaders were the most requested.
“A national brand entering thirty new towns does not want thirty small HR set-ups. It wants trained people in the market quickly and one accountable partner responsible for whether they are deployed, productive and delivering against the agreed objectives,” said YashaswiPriyadarshi, CEO of TopHawks. “That is why the conversation is moving from supplying people to owning the result.”
Why brands are outsourcing field expansion
Building a permanent team in every new town means local recruitment, onboarding, payroll, statutory compliance, supervision and replacement hiring, often for only a handful of employees. Under an outsourced model the brand keeps the commercial decisions, such as market selection, pricing, targets and sales priorities, while the partner recruits, employs, trains and manages the team. The brand can add coverage quickly and reduce it when requirements change.
Sales outsourcing and manpower outsourcing: two different models
The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they carry different levels of responsibility.
In sales outsourcing, the partner runs the field sales function and is accountable for agreed results, such as outlet coverage, productive calls, new accounts, orders booked and sell-out. The brand sets the strategy and the targets.
In manpower outsourcing, the partner provides the people and the employment infrastructure: recruitment, onboarding, payroll, applicable statutory compliance, attendance and replacements. The client directs the day-to-day work.
Many enterprises use both at once, for example outsourced field sales teams for market expansion and manpower outsourcing for in-store promoters and merchandisers.
What enterprise buyers are asking for
According to TopHawks, sales, procurement and operations teams evaluating sales outsourcing companies in India are moving beyond the question “How many people can you provide?” and judging partners on five points:
1. Named accountability: a dedicated programme manager with defined service levels for recruitment, deployment, attendance, productivity and replacement of people who leave.
2.Compliance transparency: documented payroll, wage and statutory processes, including Provident Fund, ESI and state-level requirements, with records open to client audit.
3. Real-time visibility: digital attendance, location and activity tracking in place of weekly or monthly spreadsheets.
4. Outcome-based reporting: coverage, productivity, outlet activity and sales against agreed KPIs, so a programme is judged on results, not headcount.
5. A defined exit: clear notice periods, workforce transition and commercial terms when a programme is reduced, paused or ended.
“A client should be able to see where a representative was at eleven in the morning, which stores were visited and what activity was completed,” Priyadarshi said. “If a manpower outsourcing company cannot provide that visibility, the client is paying for headcount. Enterprises want to pay for measurable coverage, execution and outcomes.”
About TopHawks
TopHawks (Translucent Pixel Otter Pvt. Ltd.) is a sales outsourcing and manpower outsourcing company headquartered in Noida. Founded in 2015, it has worked with 800+ brands across 232+ cities in India. Its services include sales outsourcing, manpower outsourcing, staffing, in-store promotion, visual merchandising, mystery shopping, data collection and brand activation.
