Latest posts by James Martell (see all)
- Building A Better Fathers Day With Gifts That Give Back - June 6, 2013
- The Simple Path To Google Rankings Success - January 14, 2013
- Google Rankings – The Gift That Keeps On Giving - November 12, 2012
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As an entrepreneur you have got this fantastic idea for a website on a subject that you’re passionate about don’t you? You know how you want it to look and you know what you want it to do but there’s just one little problem.
You don’t know css from php.
You’re not a website designer or developer you’re the guy with the great idea. The question is how do you take your great idea and turn it into a great reality?
Trust me I’ve been doing affiliate marketing since 1999 and I have banged my head against this very same wall countless times until I learned the secret to fast tracking a website project.
It’s a real simple concept and I’m going to share some best practices tips with you but the short lesson is, if you come up against a challenge that you either don’t have the skills, tools or time to handle, then find somebody who does.
Outsource Your Roadblocks to Success
You might think that hiring someone to solve a problem that has you stumped is a luxury you can’t afford. Think again. First of all outsourcing doesn’t cost nearly what you think it does but there’s another reason why it’s not a luxury but a necessity.
Every day that your site isn’t live on the internet is a day that you missed a sales opportunity. The longer your site sits idle the longer it will take to see a revenue stream develop.
In reality we outsource almost everything we do in life.
- Do you grow your own food?
- Did you build the home you live in?
- How about that car sitting in the driveway, did you build it from scratch?
The answer to these questions is most likely no (although I did build my own car but that’s another story). We outsource our need for food to the grocer. We outsourced our need for shelter to a contractor or property management company and our need for transportation we outsourced to the dealer across town.
We outsource everyday but we also have a method to control what we outsource.
It’s called a budget.
We decide what we want or need and we decide what we want or are able to pay for it. Use that same decision process to get your website up and running.
The Outsourcing Decision Making Process
One of the best examples of taking an idea and turning it into a reality is my wife Arlene’s experience putting together her first website EpilepsyMoms.com.
Arlene is a passionate advocate for moms with children who have epilepsy. Just like you she knew what she wanted her site to look like and what she wanted it to do but she lacked the technical skills to pull it off.
So she took the time to carefully map out her website on paper and created a website blueprint that detailed what it should look like and what it should do when done.
When she completed her plan it was obvious that she did not have the skill, tools or time to do many of the elements herself. That’s when she turned to Elance.com to find professionals willing to work as freelancers to accomplish those tasks that she couldn’t do herself.
If You Need It There’s A Qualified Freelancer Who Will Provide It
You can outsource just about anything. If doesn’t matter if you need something as small as a photo retouch or something as complex as an entire site design and development. Outsourcing is a quick way to get your business moving forward.
And it’s not just technical skills that are available from freelancers. Customer service, telemarketing,
In Arlene’s case she needed a custom header graphic, an audio file embedded on the home page, a nice cover for her free report and the ability to post her podcasts. She got it all done and she got it done within the timeframe she wanted.
And she got it done without paying an arm and a leg.
Remember these outsource sites are global marketplaces and often you’ll find professional providers who live in countries where the cost of living isn’t as high as in the West. Others are freelancing in the evenings and mornings to supplement their full time gigs and don’t have the overhead that a brick and mortar web design firm will have.
10 Tips For Better Outsourcing Results
When you hire a freelancer you are really hiring a contractor and just like you’re careful when you hire a contractor to paint your house, you want to be sure the freelancer you contract is qualified and does the work the way you want it. Here are 10 tips to make sure that happens:
#1: Don’t Assume It’ll Be Too Expensive
Don’t put off hiring a freelancer because you think it’s expensive. It will be cheaper than you expect. Put up a job posting and if all the bids come in at more than you want to spend, simply cancel the job. You don’t have to hire anyone.
#2: Spell Out Exactly What You Want
Make sure your job description is comprehensive. Spell out exactly what you want. The better your specs the better a provider can provide an intelligent bid.
#3: Set-up Milestones
Use milestones to manage the project. Set specific dates for delivery of parts of your project. This protects you from awarding the job only to find that the provider just started work on the day it was due. Use milestones to ensure that the project is on track.
#4: Evaluate Provider’s Feedback
When choosing a provider pay careful attention to the feedback they have received from other clients particularly for projects similar to yours. Avoid providers who have little or no feedback.
#5: Use Escrow
Use escrow to safe guard your funds and to make sure you get exactly what you want. Release escrow when you’re satisfied with the work provided.
#6: Communicate
Make sure you maintain good communications with the provider. Promptly answer any questions that he or she has while working on your project. Good communication equals good product.
#7: Pay Promptly
You want your money when it’s due, so do providers. Pay promptly and you’ll build a reputation for yourself on the site. Everyone loves to get paid without having to ask.
#8: Stay In The System
Do not use the site to find a provider and then take the job off the platform. Some providers may offer a discount for working direct because they save the commission they have to pay the site. Don’t fall for that as it’s against the TOS and you don’t have the protection of escrow.
#9: Build Relationships
Over time you can build your own “team” of freelancers that you trust and have a relationship with. Everyone likes doing business with people they know.
#10: Grow Your Feedback
On most sites, the provider has an opportunity to leave feedback on the buyer. Do your best to get great feedback as it will draw a better group of providers on your next project.
Smart outsourcing can remove all of the roadblocks that are keeping you from going live with your site. Plan out just what it is you need done and then post the projects on an outsource site.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the talent you find.
