By Jimmy D. Brown
You’ve heard that outsourcing is a great way to grow your business (that’s true). And while you’d like to get started right away, maybe it all seems a little overwhelming. You’re not sure where to start or what steps to take to get the process rolling.
Good news: You can get started with outsourcing in just four easy steps. Read on…
Step 1: Determine Your Needs
Your first step is to figure out what to outsource. Ask yourself these questions:
What jobs do you need done? Here you need to evaluate all areas of your business, including: Writing, copywriting, graphics, design, programming and other technical jobs, marketing and customer service. Then draw up a list of jobs you have in each of these areas.
Is it cost-effective to outsource? First attach a dollar figure to your time (such as $50, $75, $100 or whatever your time is worth). Then figure out how long it would take you to do a particular task. Next, multiply the hours it takes you to a complete a task by your per-hour worth.
Example: Let’s say your time is worth $75 an hour and it would take you two hours to create a graphic – that’s $150 of your time. If you can find someone to do it for less, then it is indeed cost effective to outsource the task.
Step 2: Advertise Your Job
Once you’ve figured out what tasks you need to outsource, your next step is to advertise the job in order to attract as many qualified prospective freelancers as possible.
While there are a variety of ways to do this – and you should utilize as many of these methods as possible – one great way to do it is to post your project on a freelancing board Elance.com. You’re bound to attract plenty of qualified candidates!
Step 3: Choose a Vendor
At this point you’ll get to choose from among a lot of vendors. But don’t make your choice based on price alone.
Instead, you need to do your due diligence to find the most reliable freelancer who’ll get the best results for you. That means checking the freelancer’s feedback rating, testimonials, business history and portfolio.
This step takes a bit of time upfront, but it will save you a lot of time, frustration and money in the long run.
Once you’ve researched all the candidates, select the best one and hire him or her. Then move on to the next step…
Step 4: Manage the Project
Whether you get mediocre or great results is largely going to depend on what you do at this step. That’s because you need to do the following:
Provide a clear brief and instructions. Your freelancer may have some amazing talents, but mind reading probably isn’t one of them. And that’s why you need to provide a clear and accurate “no guesswork required” brief for your freelancer.
Offer protocol checklists to help your freelancer produce the best results. Secondly, you need to continue to communicate your wishes and help your freelancer do great work for you. And one way to do this is by offering a protocol checklist for each project.
At this point you’re probably thinking at the whole four-step process sounds simple enough. And you’d be right. But you may also be looking to fill in the gaps.
Example: Where can you get sample briefs and protocol checklists? How, exactly, do you do your due diligence? And what are some of the other reliable ways to find freelancers?
You can find the answers to all of these questions – plus all the checklists and protocols you need – inside the H.A.N.D.S. Free Formula! This is outsourcing made easy, so check it out now at:
http://lonewolfmuskoka.ca/recommends/JimmyDBrownHANDS