| Every business uses outsourcing. Many times we don't | | | | They don't have a clear idea of what they actually |
| think of it that way but we all use it. | | | | want nor how they want it done. This leads to |
| When you mail a letter, you outsource the delivery to | | | | confusion, delays and in many cases hard feelings. So |
| the US Post Office. | | | | what should be included in a request for quote for an |
| Think of the number of things that you outsource in | | | | outsourced project? |
| your daily life. | | | | |
| 1) Electricity | | | | 1. Time frame - When do you expect the project to be |
| 2) Water | | | | completed. If you have a hard deadline your costs are |
| 3) Cable | | | | going to be higher but if you miss it the opportunity |
| 4) Telephone | | | | cost can be MUCH higher. |
| 5) Internet connection | | | | 2. Feedback - Set up a process where you review |
| 6) Banking | | | | the process at periodic steps. Every major project |
| 7) Groceries | | | | methodology includes review steps. If your project is |
| 8) Accounting/Bookkeeping | | | | relatively simple, have fewer review steps. For |
| 9) Tax preparationand the list goes on. | | | | example if you are looking to hire someone to write |
| Now typically we don't call them outsourcing. That's the | | | | 100 articles for you. Have them write 1 and submit it. |
| main reason we struggle sometimes when we think of | | | | Review it and provide feedback. This allows you to |
| outsourcing in our business. We think of the services | | | | quickly get a feel for how well they understood the |
| listed above in a different way than we do outsourcing. | | | | project and how well they will perform on it. It also |
| In all the cases we often use established well known | | | | gives you a great point to stop the project and find |
| service providers. With outsourcing we are using | | | | someone else if they aren't up to the project. |
| services to find freelancers who are willing to fill a | | | | 3. Scope - Provide as much detail on what you are |
| need in our business. | | | | looking for. For example don't ask to have a 3 page |
| Outsourcing creates a wonderful way to leverage our | | | | website created. That is simply the beginning of your |
| business. All the services above we use on a routine | | | | request. Provide examples of what you want it to look |
| basis. Nearly everyone uses them. | | | | like. If you don't have any examples, draw it on a piece |
| What about services that may be more distinct to our | | | | of paper, scan it and upload to the project. The more |
| business? | | | | detail you can provide, the lower your costs, the faster |
| 1) Article creation and marketing | | | | it gets completed and the happier everyone is. |
| 2) Search Engine Optimization | | | | 4. Cool tip I have heard this one many times in different |
| 3) Web site creation | | | | ways. I recently read about it in the Wall Street Journal. |
| 4) Video editing | | | | It was cool the first time I heard it and continues to be |
| 5) Marketing services | | | | today. Include a key phrase in your request. Make it |
| 6) Business Coaching | | | | distinct and unique so you can quickly sort through |
| The problem with many of these areas is that the | | | | quotes to see if they read the request in detail. Many |
| market is very fragmented. Many freelancers exist | | | | companies will through quotes at every request that |
| who have some fantastic skills in each of those areas. | | | | comes online. This allows you to quickly filter out a lot |
| The biggest problem with finding a good outsource | | | | of this. It can be a formal statement like used in the |
| resource is... finding a reliable trustworthy person. | | | | Wall Street Journal article or it can be something silly. |
| It's a lot like hiring an employee. You need to create a | | | | You can ask them to include "The Pink Bunny Runs |
| system that allows you to quickly find people who can | | | | Rapidly Towards the Road" if you want. |
| meet the requirements you have. Since some of these | | | | Outsourcing is a great way for a small business to |
| items will only come up once in a while, how do you | | | | leverage their assets. If it is a task you do often, find a |
| develop a system to do it? | | | | good resource and utilize them. Treat them well and |
| The first thing to do is develop a process for detailing | | | | you will reap the benefits of it. |
| exactly what you want. This is probably the biggest | | | | PS Leave your comments and let me know what |
| thing that people miss when it comes to outsourcing. | | | | other questions you have about outsourcing. |