Latest posts by bstevens (see all)
- Planning for Your Website’s Future - August 31, 2011
- When Less Costs More – A Quick Guide To Outsourcing For New Marketers - August 6, 2011
Doing so means you get exposure to thousands and thousands of other CommentLuv users and your posts get sent out to the massive subscriber list.
Google loves this site and indexes it multiple times per day and posts always get lots of comments so you can be sure of some excellent exposure.
See the Write For Us page for more details
btw.. you can get this author box here
If you’re new to internet marketing you might be just a tad overwhelmed. It all started with a great idea…your idea, and now you have an appreciation for all that is required to successfully launch an internet enterprise.
You have an appreciation but if you’re like most people, you don’t have sufficient knowledge and experience to open up a viable business and start seeing sales roll in. It’s going to take time and it’s going to take persistence on your part. The more you know about the business, the more experience you have testing ideas the closer you are to success.
But there’s a way to speed up that process.
What you don’t know can’t hurt you unless”¦
Lets face it, not everyone who jumps into this business is a skilled website developer or designer, few if any have a strong working knowledge of SEO, some can’t string two sentences together much less create compelling and engaging content. What most new people to internet marketing do have is a strong entrepreneurial spirit and at least a basic knowledge of marketing.
So how do you overcome for your shortcomings?
Well you have two choices. You can put off launching that camping tent site or online piano lesson website or whatever your passion is and spend the time (and money) to learn all of the skills required and quite frankly that may take years to become completely proficient. Or you can outsource those functions that you’re not comfortable with.
Done correctly, outsourcing is the fastest and most efficient method to get your business up and running. If you don’t have the skill, tools or time to perform a task you can find someone else to do it for you.
What you don’t know can be purchased, but buyers beware.
New roof for half the price
Outsourcing makes an incredible amount of sense in today’s economic environment particularly for small businesses that don’t want, nor can afford, new employees. Freelance contractors can be found for virtually any business task from accounting, to web design to telemarketing and usually at competitive rates.
But like all businesses, not all freelance contractors are equal.
Let me share a quick story with you to illustrate what I mean.
I was sitting on my deck one day when a chap approached me and proposed that he should fix the damage on my roof. He was kind of down and out explaining that he was a roofer but had not worked in over 3 months and he really needed the job and would give me a smoking hot price.
Well in fact my roof did need to be replaced and I had shopped around and found the going price was about $4,000. This chap was offering to do the job for $1,500 or 65% less than I would have to pay a local contractor. He gave me references which I checked out and then awarded him the project.
On the first day he advised me that he would need an advance as he didn’t have gas for his truck. I gave him $100.
He worked for about a half day and then advised me that he had a sore back (he was out of shape from not working) and that he would have to take a couple of days off to heal.
When he showed up three days later he again needed an advance and I reluctantly gave it to him. He worked the day and then disappeared. I was able to contact him by phone and advised him that I was
This can’t be happening to me….
Upon returning from a relaxing week of vacation I pulled into my drive, looked up at the roof, and discovered that absolutely nothing had been done. Goodbye relaxed vacation feeling hello frustration and disappointment.
Eventually he did show up and he completed the job. And the job was perfect. He actually was a talented roofer but he was a horrible service provider.
Now take a moment and think if my roof was my “business”. It needed repairs and it got repaired for relatively next to nothing. However it took much longer than planned, my contractor was non-responsive, my personal frustration was through the roof so to speak and if my roof was a “business” it wouldn’t have been making me sales during the extended amount of time that it took to get the repair done.
Cheap outsourcing can be very expensive
Now my roof experience was a personal inconvenience but had that roof been my business my $1500 “deal” could have cost me much more in lost business.
There are thousands of highly qualified, professional freelance contractors available. Unfortunately there are tens of thousands of freelancers that aren’t so professional but usually are incredibly cheap. If you decide to use an out sourcing service based principally on price then you could very well experience your own “fix the roof” scenario.
That’s not to say that you absolutely will. There is some incredible technical talent available from freelancers who live in countries where the cost of living is a fraction of yours. But even in these cases if the contractor is not fluent in English your project may be delayed or flawed simply because of communication problems.
A quick guide to trouble free outsourcing
Quite frankly I learned the challenges associated with outsourcing when I used freelance contractors for my online business which was well before my “roof repair” experience. Why I didn’t apply the lessons I learned online to my offline life I’ll never know.
But to help you avoid some of the potential pitfalls of outsourcing projects, here’s a quick “to do” list:
- Get specific. Know exactly what you want done. Don’t use generalities that leave interpretation open. Write a detailed job description in your posting. Insufficient information about a job often will be viewed as a “red flag” by professional contractors and they will pass on the job.
- Pre-Award communication. Once you’ve decided on a contractor communicate by email or telephone before you actually award the project. Doing this allows you to see how fast they respond to your message, if they have a grasp for what you want done and let’s you know if there are going to be language problems.
- Monitor progress. On larger projects set milestones for the completion of certain tasks and tie payment for that task to the milestone. This provides a financial motive to complete the work on time and lets you see the quality of the work as it progresses.
- Pay on time. The contractor is not the only person building a reputation; you as a buyer are as well. Nothing says “good buyer to work for” more than timely payment for work done.
Done right outsourcing can really boost your business and it doesn’t matter what your business is. You can have a photography website promoting infrared cameras or an outdoor adventure site featuring the best family tent for camping. It simply doesn’t matter. What does matter is if you don’t have the talent, tools or time to do a task then it’s not going to get done unless you outsource a pro to do it.
![Kimberly Castleberry Makes Internet Marketing Easy [Featured Blogger]](http://comluv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Kim-Castleberry.jpg)
I love your illustrative examples of the old debate about which is worth more: time or money. Oftentimes it’s difficult to determine whether paying more for something will indeed reap more benefits or higher quality work. This is where word of mouth and professional reputations step in to filter out the pretenders from the quality service providers.
Twitter: therocketrider
Mike – You’re right on the word of mouth part, unfortunately that’s hard to come by in the online arena, that’s why I put a lot of value of the feedback system within places like Elance etc.
~Bruce
bstevens recently posted..Guest Posting – The New Rage?
Great insight into the whole frustrating process of becoming adept at internet marketing. I stumbled into this maze 8 months ago, and having that cursed vision of making a living working from home, fell right into it. I’ve been in the quicksand of this biz, struggling to hang on to the vision, and I believe that outsourcing is probably the only way for a novice to get on with this business. Fortunately you learn a lot as you go, and I think marketing off line is probably what I’ll end up doing. Your warning should be heeded by those considering IM.
Twitter: therocketrider
Outsourcing has had one major benefit for me – and that’s been to take my “life” back again. It took me way to long to realize that I actually couldn’t do everything, and was pretty much running in circles. I much prefer to manage some other peoples efforts now.
~Bruce
Twitter: BlogStashDotCom
What a great story Bruce. It really shows just being an expert isn’t enough, you have to be a service man and know how to provide true service to your customer.
I guess, that could be said even about internet marketing. Provide value to your readers, visitors, subscribers and they will keep coming back.
satrap recently posted..Make Money from Home as a Virtual Assistant
Twitter: therocketrider
Yes, value is a great magnet isn’t it. Thanks for stopping by.
~Bruce
bstevens recently posted..The Bumpy Road of This Affiliate Marketing Business
As a freelance SEO provider I encounter a lot of clients who doesn’t even know what they wanted. They just hire you and leave you hanging. And when you do the optimization thing for they ask you keep on asking question. And if they’re not satisfied they left you behind and destroy your credibility.
Before go outsourcing, its better to know the thing you wanted and the result you expected and tell your freelance provider about it. In more accurate and specific manner. In these way both of you can achieve good result.
Twitter: therocketrider
There has to be nothing worse for a contractor than being hired with no clear direction or expectations.
~Bruce
Bruce recently posted..How to look after your camping tent
It is almost always about total experience, with service usually being the most memorable portion of experience. Why else would some pay so much when they could get almost the same product for less.
Thanks,
Ricky
Ricky Strode recently posted..Hypnosis: what it is used for and what else it can be used for?
Twitter: therocketrider
Yes, a well executed outsourcing job can be ruined if the service aspect is lacking, that’s for sure.
~Bruce
Bruce recently posted..Guest Posting – The New Rage?
Outsourcing certainly has gained popularity in recent years. I think the cheapest or lowest price isn’t always the best deal. A little research into finding the right individual or company will probably be helpful and worth it. But, a lot of time and money can be saved outsourcing.
Ray recently posted..Google Pagerank Update August 4, 2011
Twitter: therocketrider
It’s all a matter of determining your own strengths and weaknesses, then outsource the weakest of them to start.
~Bruce
Bruce recently posted..Guest Posting – The New Rage?
Thanks a lot for this quick outsoursing guide. I believe it will help many new marketers.
Regards, Adam
Adam W. Prillis recently posted..The 7 Best Selling Ipad 2 Cases 2011
Time = Money!
We are in the business of providing clients expertise in sourcing venues (hotels mostly). Over the years we have built up a large knowledge base of hotels thoughout the UK, Europe and further afield. We understand the detailed requirements needed for say a three day conference in Prague, travel, transfer, hotel, entertainment, etc, etc and even down to whether the plug socket in the hotel bedroom is suitably located so that the ladies can look in the mirror when drying thier hair!
Of course a PA can book a hotel off thier own back for thier bosses conference costing say £100,000, but why do it when the PA’s expertise is most likely to be related to the industry sector they are employed in and not that of sourcing hotels, with the potential implications of getting it wrong.
With few exceptions we are all much better off spending our time employed in our own areas of expertise and outsourcing those things that other can do better than us, subject of course to ensuing that the so called expert is everything they should be, references and personal recommendations are particularly useful.
Gary recently posted..Which Bathroom Has A Headlight Over The Toilet?
Twitter: opportplanet
Most new bloggers believe that they can do everything by themselves and don’t want to pay for anything without realizing that they spend their more valuable asset, their time, and additionally the results are worst than if they had outsource their projects
kostas recently posted..Networking for Freelancers
Thanks for the tips Bruce!
I’ve been struggling with Internet marketing for over a year now. I’ve had some success but nothing to quit my day job over and I’m having trouble staying motivated. I am now looking to outsource my
article writing because I try and sit down and write about a topic but then my mind goes blank! It’s very frustrating, so I will definitely be paying for some talent real soon!
Twitter: paulas2
There is no doubt. That you need to out-source work to others. As your online business grows. But I do not recommend going down this route. If saving time is more important than earning money.
Throwing money at your business wildly, left right and centre will only cause you long term pain. Instead of gain.
Paul Profitt recently posted..Can You Trust Affiliate Marketing Guru’s?
Twitter: grandmainternet
You need to make a plan then decide what jobs you can comfortably do yourself and which jobs you need to outsource. When hiring a provider be sure to check their record and their ability to deliver. Many writers take on more than they can handle as writing does not pay very well. When you find someone that does the work to your satisfaction treat them well.
Pat Tate recently posted..SEO for Senior Internet Marketers
Outsourcing can be a great help for your online marketing business. There are cheaper outsourcing teams where you can find good quality of work in lesser cost. Yes it is true that you need to be specific about the task that you wanted to accomplish by your outsourced people by writing the instructions clearly. Giving them proper trainings if possible is the best technique for them to give you your expected output.
Outsourcing is a a tough business. As an employee for outsourcing company we have to find ways to get the quality service providers to our clients.
Unfortunately all the references in the world don’t guarantee your own experience will be trouble free. There is still a lot of luck involved. So far I haven’t gotten brave enough to outsource except for very minor projects.
Twitter: ItsGiGi
“Cheap outsourcing can be very expensive.” Your words.
I’ve also found that expensive outsourcing can be more expensive. And I didn’t let that stop me. After I paid a person to help me with a website and marketing (he was referred from people I trusted and no longer trust) and found he really did nothing for me, I continued my search and now I’m very happy with the new mentors.
So it isn’t always the price you pay. It’s the trust that comes after the deep investigation.
Twitter: therocketrider
Yes, you can have a bad experience even with some higher priced workers, but as a rule of thumb I’ve found the old “you get what you pay for” general-ism holds true.
~Bruce
Hey Bruce,
I’ve just recently started outsoucing some of the Marketing and writing tasks that eat up so much of my time. Here is how I’ve gone about it.
When I post a project and start reviewing potential outsourcers I automatically throw out the highest and lowest bidders. I still review their offer but have never hired them. You definitely
get what you pay for.
This still leaves me with a good pool of competent workers at a reasonable price. The next step is to review their past work, either articles they’ve written or links they’ve built. I usually request this info in the job posting.
If their previous work looks good, I contact them with more details and make sure they completely understand the requirements and that they are available to complete them in a timely fashion. (you would surprised how many outsources apply to any and all jobs they can find even though they are already weeks behind on other projects).
Once I find a good quality outsourcer I stick with them, build a relationship with them, give them bonuses for exceptional work etc.
To your point – Clairity up front is key to getting the results you’re looking for from outsourcers. It makes it easier on them and you.
Great article,
Steve
Hey Bruce,
Great story there. I think there are a lot of individuals who are very willing to do anything for you at a very cheap price. I have personally experience some problems with poor quality work for a cheap price. Lesson learnt, I rather pay a bit more to get a higher quality job done.
susiep recently posted..Microdermabrasion For Acne
Twitter: robboirun
I have been outsourcing on and off for awhile now. Actually I just proposed a job and got an extremely low rate. After checking the profile they were well received, had good reviews actually outstanding reviews, so I suspected something was up with the bid. I contacted them and they said that they took a few months break and were just getting back into it so they bid low to get some quick jobs. Good for me and for them.
Rob Boirun recently posted..Top 5 Benefits Of Using A Registry Cleaner
This is something that we should work to improve on every day. Our skills in how we pre-screen contractors can save us from so many future headaches.
I used to look for contractors willing to work for lower costs on the grounds that I gave them flexibility to take their time. At first I thought it was a bargain, until I woke up one day and realized what a nightmare it has become.
Since then, I actually pay extra for the speed because as you mentioned, time is money when it comes to a business!
Richard Brown recently posted..Creating Your Household Budget Spreadsheet
Twitter: dailyblogma
I like the idea of outsourcing tasks that you are not comfortable with. Hiring a U.S. based Virtual Assistant can also be very helpful. A talented Virtual Assistant can help in areas such as web development and maintenance, marketing, social media connections, etc. and it wouldn’t cost as much as hiring a professional web developer. Also, communication is very easy via instant message, phone, and email. Thank you for sharing.
Jennifer Rai recently posted..Employee Performance Ratings – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Having a company of my own, I surely acknowledge the declaration linked with Rick Telberg that every company needs to always be on it’s A-game in terms of marketing. It’s getting to be important to immerse themselves firmly into excellent purchaser interest getting and business relationships.
John Sbicca
John’s latest blog How To Get 100 Customers in 100 Days