The main goal of any online business is to grow and when you start trying to grow it can mean that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to get done… well that’s where outsourcing can help.
Outsourcing doesn’t just pertain to big companies that want to move overseas to save money.
No – not at all! Online businesses need the same type of help as well.
When you are a one-person operation, there never seems to be enough time to give the proper attention to each aspect of your business.
In no time at all, things can get out of hand and you might find yourself drowning.
If this sounds like you then outsourcing may be a possible answer for you.
Enlisting the help of other professionals can ease the burden, allowing you to focus on the growth of your business.
So to make your outsourcing easy, below I’ve listed 5 outsourcing tips to help you get started.
Tip # 1: Do Your Research
There are many types of outsourcing professionals that you can use.
Virtual assistants market a variety of skill sets that benefit online businesses looking for help, with items like bookkeeping, accounting, social networking, online marketing, advertising and customer service needs.
Find out what resources are out there and available to you and then start using them!
Tip # 2: State Your Case
When looking for help, state what type of assistance you are looking for.
For example – if you need one-time help then say so or for ongoing projects you will most likely need a team of professionals who you can count on.
Tip # 3: Choose At Least Three People
In order to see if you have any promising prospects, you need to interview more than one person.
Ask for their references and credentials and examples of their work.
If you like more than three, then choose more. It can only help in your final decision if you have a variety of people to choose from.
Tip # 4: Start Them Out With Small Tasks
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Assign small jobs to each one you are considering and evaluate their work.
We are talking about more than formatting and spell check.
Also consider time frame for completion and method of communication.
A team functions best when all parties have similar ways of doing things.
Tip # 5 Evaluate Pricing
Choosing the cheapest professional is not necessarily the best road to take and neither is choosing the most expensive.
Research the market to see what the average rate for the services you need will be.
Then combine that with the results of their test job to choose the right individual or team to help you grow your business.
Need help with your business? You don’t have to be a large conglomerate to consider outsourcing!
Just use these tips to help find the perfect outsourcing personnel for you and you’ll soon be on your way to growing your business!
Have an awesome day!
Pam Lawhorne
Hi Pam, nice points, I would also recommend contracting your outsource staff at an outsourcing company rather than hiring solo freelance people, base in my own experience people from an outsourcing company are more professional in dealing with any business transactions.
Hi Lynn,
I agree. There is more of a vested interest in your business. But sometimes you only need small projects handled and for that, freelancers work better.
Thanks so much for the feedback!
Pam
Great post with details. Outsourcing is helping companies in a big way. They have made the world smaller and getting work done easier.all tips are really helpful & will help in making outsourcing easy
Thanks Maria!
I agree 100%! And outsourcing is really helpful for small business owners looking to grow their business.
Thanks for the feedback!
Pam
Testing with small tasks is definitely a big piece of the puzzle. I’ve done 50+ training videos for outsource workers I use. I do them in Camtasia, but there are plenty of other solutions.
One thing I started doing recently which seems to speed up their learning curve is to make screenshots of each time there are callouts in the video – then put those into a separate word document or PDF. My next step will be to actually have THEM make that training document for themselves – which simply requires them stopping each time their is a callout, taking a screenshot, and then numbering it correctly (i.e. screenshot-1.png, screenshot-2.png) so they can pull it into the Word/PDF document correctly.
I’m wondering if anybody sees any downside to that idea?
Paul Schlegel recently posted..Stock Picking Robot Scam Finally Busted
Paul -
If they are long term employees then I see nothing but benefits from all angles. Kudos to you for having the drive and initiative to take that on.
I’m sure it’s paying off now and will continue to do so in the future!
Pam