Hire Outsourcers and Build Yourself a Better Business

Do you try to do everything in your business yourself? When we started our business, we did everything ourselves. It was a steep learning curve that meant acquiring lots of new skills. In addition, we spent a huge amount of time trying to master what was needed to get our business up and running. For example, we had to teach ourselves website design, graphic design, software installation and so on. However, very soon we realised that to progress our business in a more efficient way we needed to outsource some of the work to save ourselves time and money in the long run.

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is when you procure other (better qualified) people to perform tasks within your business. By doing this you suffer less stress and achieve so much more. You’re effectively working on your business not in your business.

Let’s take a look at some pros and cons of outsourcing.

Pros

• Frees you up to do the things you really want to do.
• Allows you to focus on the areas of your business that you’re good at and permits you to let go of the ones that you’re not so good at.
• Enables you to become a strategic force within your business.
• Gives you the opportunity to develop any business idea and take it to market even if you don’t know anything about the actual business itself.
• When you use an outsourcing website your payment is held in what’s called an Escrow account and only released when you’re fully satisfied with the work.

Cons

• You probably won’t even meet your outsourcer or even speak to them.
• You have to learn to trust people very quickly.
• The outsourcer you hire may not complete the work you assigned them.
• Communication and a time difference might prove challenging.
• The project may drag on.
• If you hire someone from a platform outside the trusted outsourcer ones you could lose all your money to an unscrupulous outsourcer.
• Usually, you have to pay an agreed upfront payment unless you settle on a fixed price for the project.

You may have requests for certain products or services within your business that you can’t provide yourself. You either don’t have the skills, the time, or resources available to you. So instead of declining this extra business take the opportunity to outsource the work. You can add serious money to your business by doing this.

I know of one 7-figure internet marketer who outsourcers virtually his entire business. He hires outsourcers for projects such as website and blog content, book writing, proofreading, and editing, SEO, link building, social media marketing and so much more. In just a few years he spent over $160,000 on one outsourcing platform, hiring only 4 trusted outsourcers.

Of course, when you’re looking for someone to work on a project for you there are a number of things to contemplate.

Here are 10 key points to consider:

1. Check outsourcers work history and look for those who have a track record of achieving success so that you can hire with confidence. Pay attention to the hours they’ve worked and the amount they’ve earned.

2. Always look at Top Rated outsourcers. The fastest way to find the top rated (monthly) outsourcers on UpWork is to actually search for them on Google. For example, if you’re looking to hire a copy writer type “Best sales copy writer on Upwork” into Google. You can also use this same method for finding out the job posts that have been recently published on Upwork. Checking out those will help you craft your own job posts.

If the outsourcer has a score of 90% or higher the implication is that they have a good overall performance history of meeting or exceeding their clients’ work expectations. Outsourcers with a score in the 80s indicates that they have performed well but that their clients believe there’s room for improvement. Scores below this signal that the outsourcer may have been struggling to meet the expectation of their clients.

3. Ensuring you take time to find a person who’s the right fit for the job is vital. You can ask to see examples of their previous work which will give you a good idea of what their capabilities are.

4. Make sure you put together a thorough job description laying out exactly what you want, presenting milestones and deadlines so that the outsourcer has a clear picture of what’s expected of them. You will save a lot of time and hassle later on by doing this.

Furthermore, if you make sure your job description is comprehensive, you’ll only draw bids from outsourcers who are genuine about working with you and who are truly interested in your project. You can always hire them for a small part of the job first to test out their skills and performance and which requires less of an investment from you. For example, if you’re looking to get a book proofread then you can ask them to proofread a single page. Similarly, if you’re looking to get a website designed you could ask them to create just one web page.

For more complex jobs consider using a video to explain your exact requirements. Make sure you and the outsourcer are on the same page and everything is clear and concise. Eliminate any surprises!

5. If you’re looking for someone to do work in a specific or special area of expertise make sure you state this clearly. Some outsourcers may not have access to all the necessary tools they require to carry out your job.

6. Define your timescale. You don’t want to wait for a long time before the work comes back to you. In addition, once the work has been completed make sure you obtain a written document stating that copyright has been transferred to you, if this is applicable. It’s important to discuss the ownership of the work in advance so that there are no difficult conversations to broach once the project is in full swing.

7. Your intention is to build a relationship with your chosen outsourcers as you will want to keep working with them in the future. By paying them promptly for their work you will receive a better and faster service. You’ll be fostering a mutual respect.

8. Ongoing support may be required from your outsourcer for certain projects, such as web development-based projects. Make sure you have negotiated this and have agreed a timeframe for them to answer any problems you may encounter.

9. Make sure to only pay your outsourcer through a verified platform such as Upwork. By doing this you’re ensuring that you’re protecting your money. Your money sits in a holding account and will only be released when you’re 100% happy with the work.

If an outsourcer asks you to transfer payment directly to them you could be at risk of losing your money and not getting your project finished, especially if it’s the first time you’ve engaged them to do work for you. Just be careful because sadly there are dishonest people out there!

10. When your outsourcer has completed work to your satisfaction make sure you leave them positive feedback. This is so important for the future if you intend to continue working with the person on other projects. They will of course appreciate your review, and this will help build your relationship with them.

Outsourcing websites for you to check out:

Hire outsourcers and build yourself a better business.

Establish the tasks that require completion in order to achieve your end goal or project. For example, a travel company’s tasks may include website design, website content, booking forms, development of an online shopping cart, customer service, marketing, and traffic generation and so on.

Write a list of the jobs you want to outsource and decide on a maximum budget for each task.

Take action and add outsourcing to your business toolkit.

I hope you’ve found my Hire Outsourcers and Build Yourself a Better Business post useful. If you’ve not yet ventured into the world of outsourcers, I hope you now feel more equipped to go out and find those outsourcers who’ll become valuable assets to your growing business.

To Your Success!