(Or Get What You Need Out Of Your Hired Help!)

Hi now I know that I’ll get emails from some of my regular visitors after posting this, something along the lines of: “why do you go on about outsourcing so much? I already know what it is”. Ok now I understand that but there’s still many of your out there not outsourcing and guys its my mission to educate you to the real opportunity of using outsourcers and why if you’re really serious about making online – you simply MUST be outsourcing unless you have the ability to work 24/7 that is! – So here’s why …….

There comes a time in every Internet marketer’s career where it’s finally time to outsource.  You’re starting to make money and things are rolling along, and now you find yourself with tasks you don’t want to do.  You’ve also got some money to invest in hiring help. No man is an island, we all need to work together utilising the benefits of a team.

There are two reasons why you outsource:

Reason 1. – You don’t have the expertise.  Need some programming done?  Do you need graphics for a site?  What about some killer content that will get your customers clicking?  Any task you either can’t do, or you can’t complete in a timely manner should be outsourced.  Leave it in the hands of somebody who’s a pro at it.

Reason 2 – You don’t have time.  When you get super busy with all that you need to do to maintain your sites, you’ll find yourself in a constant time pinch.  When you outsource, you’re buying somebody else’s time.  Even if the task is easy and you can do it yourself, sometimes it’s well worth the money to pay somebody else to do it.

Outsourcing is a little bit scary at first.  It’s hard to ‘let go’ and put some part of your business in someone else’s hands.  There are also lots of outsourcing horror stories out there.  But there are ways that you can protect yourself and minimize damages if you hire the wrong person.

What To Outsource

First, what can you outsource?  You can’t trust just any task to someone else.  When you’re going crazy because you’re so busy, it’s time to look at all of your tasks and decide what can be left in somebody else’s hands.

Actually, it’s best to outsource tasks you already have done in the past.  For example, you should only outsource link building when you’ve done it yourself before.  The reason is that you then know all the steps and exactly what is involved in doing it.  You can give them clear directions and also you can tell if it’s being done right.

Who To Hire

When you look for outsourcers, you should look for someone to build a long-term relationship with.  Even if you use freelance sites, look for a full-timer.  If you have your ‘to go guy/gal,’ you don’t have to keep training new people.  They’ll be familiar with your projects and they’ll know the drill.

The best way to find help is through referrals.  Ask everyone you know if they know a good design person, programmer, writer or whatever else you need.  Failing that, look at their testimonials and their samples.  This will show you what they can do and how serious they are about making their clients happy.

If you can’t get a good recommendation, freelance sites are great places to find providers.  These include Odesk, Elance and Fiverr.  There are lots more out there beyond these.  These services give you protection and recourse in case the person you hire doesn’t do the job as planned.  They also give you access to a ton of freelancers all in one place.

You can also work through service providers through their own websites.  If they have a website, this means they’re definitely serious about what they do.  The only risk is that you don’t get the protection you get with freelance sites.

How To Protect Yourself

It’s a little scary when you fork over the money to a new service provider, but here’s how you do it so it’s risk free.  For the first time, give them a small job that doesn’t cost a whole pile of money.  This is a trial run so you can see how they work.  Once they deliver and you’re happy with it, you can set them up with bigger jobs.

How To Make The Project A Success

There are several ways you can make sure the project goes smoothly and you get just what you wanted.  First, make everything really clear in all of your communications.  Even mention details of the project that don’t seem important to you.  For example, tell your writer how to use the keywords.  Think of it this way – whatever’s not mentioned to them may not be done, so make it clear.

Second, ask for reports and milestones if it’s a project that’s going to take more than a few days.  You don’t want them to disappear on you.  Have them tell you how things are going and if you’re still going to be getting it according to schedule.

Finally, pay well.  Even if you’re trying to make it as economical as possible (and we all are), pay them enough so that they’ll do quality work.  When you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.  But also take into account currencies; this is why so many people outsource to the third world where a dollar goes much further.

Outsourcing is a great way to eliminate some of the useless tasks that anybody can do from your day.  Once you find good service providers, stick with them and give them plenty of work so you won’t have to hire more.

Tony

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