Outsourcing Training Course Why We Are Here Outsourcing is key to growing your business Get more done, faster, and less expensively, and frees up you and your team s time to build your business Learn various options of who to hire and for what Best practices for finding, training, and managing your team Section Outline 1. Introduction to Outsourcing 2. Preparing to Outsource 3. Using Virtual Assistants 4. Posting Your Outsourced Project 5. Hiring the Right Person 6. Rapid Training 7. Ongoing Management & Growth
Section 1: Introduction to Outsourcing What is Outsourcing Getting someone outside of your organization to complete a task or project for you Terms used: contractors, outsourcers, freelancers, virtual assistants, service providers Uses of Outsourcing Marketing Research Administrative tasks Data processing Other
You can outsource your marketing: Upload Blogs and Monitor comments Suggest Social Media Content Ideas Update Twitter Profile and Followers Create Facebook Fan Page and Find Fans Write or Revise Articles & Post Online Video Marketing You can outsource your research: Create Lists of Companies or Individuals Prepare and E-Mail/Mail Materials Learn Software Applications Obtain Best Pricing on Purchases You can outsource administrative tasks: Answer Phones and Check Voice Mail Reply to Routine Emails Maintain Virtual Calendar Arrange Appointments Organize Travel Reservations Create Newsletters Prepare PowerPoint Presentations
You can outsource data processing: Encode Collected Business Cards Into Contact/Customer Database Send Proposal Letters to Prospects Send Marketing Materials Confirm Database Via Phone or Email Data Mining to Build a Database You can outsource other things: Graphic design Technology development Writing/articles Virtually anything you can think of odesk Categories:
Types Of Workers Traditional Employee Long-term, usually local, legally restricting Freelance Service Provider, Contractor Outsource short-term projects to them, have specialties such as programming, design, writing, research, sales Virtual Assistant Part or full-time, ongoing assignments, general timesaving tasks, catch-all, less expensive per hour Section 2: Preparing to Outsource Checklist BEFORE Hiring Someone: 1) Define the Task or Project Clearly What exactly do you need done, and why? 2) Have a well-planned estimate of costs Define the scope, estimate hours x hourly rate 3) Know your timeframe for starting and finishing Start posting projects well before the work begins
Checklist BEFORE Hiring Someone: 4) Determine the experience they should have They should be able to educate YOU on their skill 5) Prepare to screen a good number of people With many options you can hire the best of the best 6) Consider your future needs Hire someone who can grow with you over time Checklist BEFORE Hiring Someone: 7) Assess your company s weaknesses Have a basic knowledge, strategy, & measure results 8) Consider how & when you will communicate Keep in touch regularly, avoid seagull management Checklist BEFORE Hiring Someone: 9) Plan time for feedback and coaching Invest in their development, coach them to perform 10) Consider using your existing team Is there an existing employee who could do the work?
Section 3: Using Virtual Assistants Would you rather manage one person or nine people for all this? 1. Administrative tasks 2. Research (Google searches, price comparisons) 3. Editing & posting blog / email content 4. Keyword research 5. Contacting customers 6. Scheduling appointments 7. SEO / Getting backlinks 8. Customer service 9. Bookkeeping Pros and Cons of Regular Freelance Service Providers 1) PRO: Already trained in their area of expertise (saves training time) 2) PRO: Higher quality results at their specialty 3) PRO/CON: Work on one short-term project at a time 4) CON: Generally more expensive per hour than a full-time worker 5) CON: Might be busy with other clients and can t start when you need them to 6) CON: May take longer than promised because of other projects
Pros and Cons of Virtual Assistants 1) PRO: Already trained at a variety of general tasks 2) CON: May or may not have a specialty 3) PRO: Work for you on a part-time or full-time basis 4) PRO: On your team, meaning they re always available to give work to when needed 5) PRO: Less expensive in exchange for consistent work ($8-20 per hour in the U.S.; much less overseas) 6) PRO: Can work exclusively for you 7) PRO: Make a great catch-all person to assign miscellaneous and time-consuming tasks Benefits of Outsourcing to the Philippines: 1. Native English speakers (English taught in public schools) 2. Technology-savvy (many have graduated college) 3. Very affordable! (As low as $2 per hour, or $250-300 per month; pay $5/hour and they live nice lifestyle) 4. Work on tasks overnight (typical work hours there are night time here) 5. Hard-working (consistent work from home is a great opportunity) 6. Loyal and fun! (very positive and happy culture) Make a big long list of tasks and prioritize them in order, based on: 1) Frequency Tasks that will need to perform daily or weekly 2) Time consumed Get free of things that consume the most of your time 3) Importance Critical tasks that must get done but you don t have time for, or marketing tasks that will result in higher revenues quickly.
Maximizing the ROI of your time: 1. There is always setup time required to get them started 2. Would you spend 10 hours to save 100? Look at what the time you invest in them saves you (or makes you) in the long run 3. Don t abdicate your responsibility as a manager. Be there to support your team! Section 4: Posting Your Outsourced Project Goal: Attract a large pool of applicants More qualified applicants means you can hire the best of the best Create a Contact List to go back to in the future Try posting on multiple sites to find more people and compare them all
Websites to find Outsourcers: Website Elance.com, Guru.com, odesk.com Craigslist.org Scriptlance.com Amazon s Mechanical Turk (mturk.com) Fiverr.com Specialty The three main places to post a project and find freelancers for hire around the world. Results may vary for different types of work needed. Similar with minor differences. Good for targeting a specific city such as your own, or in a state/country with lower average wage. Similar to Elance, etc., with an emphasis on web/software programmers & designers A marketplace where you can request tasks requiring human intelligence tasks from getting questions answered to writing product descriptions for you. It amazes me all of the things you can get from people here for just $5. Professional voiceovers, fast logo designs, and all kinds of writing and search engine marketing gigs are available here. Outsourcers in the Philippines: Website Specialty Onlinejobs.ph Manila.Craigslist.com.ph 123Employee.com A subscription site that gives you access to hiring skilled workers in the Philippines directly, often for $300-400 per month full-time! The Manila section of Craigslist, where you can post a classified ad in metro Manila or other cities in the Philippines and hire people directly. A well-managed virtual assistant staffing service. Their VA s are already trained at various marketing and administrative tasks so you don t have to. Several monthly packages depending on hours needed. odesk.com
Guru.com Elance.com Craigslist.org
Scriptlance.com Amazon s Mechanical Turk Fiverr.com
99Designs.com & Hatchwise.com Onlinejobs.ph Manila.Craigslist.com.ph
123Employee.com 4 Steps to Posting an Outsourced Project 1. Create a clear, descriptive title 2. Create a clear project description 3. Give samples of what you need 4. Choose the time period for applying Step #1: Create a Clear, Descriptive Title Describe the type of work to be done How much work is involved The goal is to get people s attention and persuade them to read your project Compare Help making ebook to Writing 10,000-word real estate ebook
Step #2: Create a Clear Project Description 1. The project s scope 2. List any software or resources they need to provide 3. Programming languages needed (if relevant) 4. Payment amount 5. Payment terms 6. Payment method Step #3: Give Samples of What You Need Showing is easier and more effective than telling Upload/show samples of the final result, or something else to model the result after Show photos or make a screen-recording to demonstrate Step #4: Choose the Time Period for Applying You can often choose 7 days, 15 days, 30 days, etc. More time = more qualified applicants Gives busy professionals more time to see you and respond Keep short if you re in a rush (but try not to be)
Section 5: Hiring the Right Person Applicants are Responding Now What? 1. Read through applicants and profiles one at a time 2. Scan their resume, experience, & skills on that site and elsewhere 3. Scan their samples of previous work 4. Scan their feedback from other customers 5. Respond to their comments, questions quickly 6. Ask additional questions where needed 7. Eliminate some applicants immediately 8. Narrow down remaining prospects to Top 5 or fewer 9. Schedule 1st interviews have them call you (and/or respond to sample request) Get an Apples-to-Apples Comparison Responsiveness Price/Cost Track Record Satisfaction Speed Etc. Ask everyone the same questions, take good notes. Rank who s best for each criteria. The best person will score high in multiple areas.
Tips for Conducting Your Interview 1. See if they call you on time shows if they keep commitments 2. Listen to their voice and background noise 3. What interests them about your project / work? 4. How much time to they have available to work, on average? 5. Go through all items listed in the project description (software, hours, etc) 6. Ask anything not already answered in their response and feedback 7. What is their estimated Cost and Time Frame to complete the work? 8. Do they Wow you? Or just eh? 9. Run your standards by them and gauge response (return emails within 24 hours, etc) Watch out for these types of people: The Lazy Bum The Dependant The Entitlement Case The Personal Life Crisis Needs More Hours Talks Too Much Mr. Defensive Undesirable Personality The Systems Hater People generally only get WORSE after the interview Final Comparison & Hiring Decision 1. Schedule & Conduct second interview, if needed 2. Eliminate any that you know will not be #1 of those remaining, compared to the rest 3. Review notes and conversations, pay attention to your gut feelings 4. Make final decision & notify them 5. Schedule Hiring / Orientation Meeting 6. Verify their employment and education 7. Call their references 8. Officially Hire them using Website or Contractor Agreement
Sign an Independent Contractor Agreement A copy is available with this training course to use, if not go through a site like Elance, Guru, Odesk, etc (they will have their own) Section 6: Rapid Training How to Get Your Outsourcer Up to Speed Quickly Principles of Effective Training 1. Teach them enough to get started, save the rest for later 2. A proactive person should ask you questions 3. Confirm that they understand 4. Showing is easier and more effective than telling 5. Allow them to fail create a safe environment for this 6. Practice before going live 7. Break down the work into a list of tasks, put in order 8. They implement the processes you create if you hired talent and are not getting results, change the process
The 4-Step System for Rapid Training Step #1: Explain Step #2: Demonstrate Step #3: Practice Step #4: Feedback Step #1: Explain the Work Take the time to describe the work and its steps to your team member Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Introduce them to other team members they ll be working with (if applicable) Also explain your general business model, values, mission, and big picture Step #2: Demonstrate the Work You can do this: 1) In person 2) On the phone 3) Screen recordings 4) Audio recordings 5) Hypothetical If-Then scenarios
Step #3: Practice the Work Have them attempt the task under your supervision Or, have them work on something and show you their progress to review This is the time to make mistakes. Expect them! Better to spot them now than later. Step #4: Give Them Feedback The Feedback Sandwich (Positive) Julie, this mail looks really good. You found a way to fold the letters so they fit in the envelope perfectly. (Negative) You know, I think the more evenly the stamp is placed on the front of the envelope, the more people might respond. Can you make sure the stamps are all placed on straight in the future? (Positive) Thank you so much. That, plus the handwritten address, which looks so personalized I d think it was coming from a friend, makes these mailers look perfect. Section 7: Ongoing Management & Growth
Effective Delegation 1. Select new action items, based on weekly, monthly, or project goals and plans 2. Choose the best person to perform the task 3. Do they know how? Is there time to train them? 4. Give them specific descriptions of the results they should achieve and why 5. Give recommendations of how it could be done, if needed 6. Set a firm deadline (goals without time frames are just dreams) 7. Keep a record of the assignment (tools like Basecamp) 8. Schedule a follow-up date 9. Assistant should ask for help if needed, report if the work will not be done on time Effective Follow-Up 1. Contact them on the scheduled follow-up date (or during a regular meeting set up to review action items) 2. Go through your Task List, follow up on tasks that are due or past due If put on hold because of a higher priority, schedule a new due date and follow- up date (usually the day after the due date) If not done and there was no advance notice, ask assistant to please notify you in advance, and schedule a new due date and follow-up date If your assistant is waiting on someone or something else (hopefully not you), schedule a new follow up date If the task is one step of a project and is done, plan the next step and schedule a follow up date for it What You ll Need to Stay Organized 1. Shared Contact Database (I recommend Highrise) 2. Shared schedule and calendar (Google Calendar or ical) 3. Shared list of simple Action Items by person (Highrise tasks, Google Document) 4. Project Management Software (I recommend Basecamp, Odesk also has built-in management tools) 5. Time Log (know exactly how many minutes spent on what types of tasks) (smartsheet.com) 6. Skype (better than email for writing notes, keeping record of communications, good for calling and video chat, too) 7. Means of making payments online (Paypal, Dwolla, Xoom, or just make payments through Guru, Elance, etc.)
Maintaining a Productive Working Relationship 1. Keeping your team fulfilled is an ongoing commitment 2. LISTEN and pay attention, as they are not always explicit with frustrations or concerns 3. Happy assistants stay with you longer and are more productive 4. Praise and recognition is a MUCH more powerful motivator than more money (not everyone has an entrepreneur s mindset) 5. Help them improve at certain skills and strengths, show progress (people are happiest when performing their core strengths) 6. Monthly performance reviews, ask for suggestions Ending a Working Relationship If a team member quits: This is going to happen a % of the time accept it If they give notice and seem happy, keep them until done If they re unhappy or you don t trust them, let them go ASAP Have 2-3 other top candidates ready to contact Record training in case it happens again Letting someone go: Know the difference between honest mistakes and unacceptable actions Repeating the same mistakes 3+ times is not acceptable Give 2-3 warnings first Send termination notice in writing, fulfill loose ends in the agreement Keys to Success and Consistent Growth 1. Choose the next step in your growth plan to implement first 2. Hire project-based people to set up and launch new things 3. Use your existing team first, if possible 4. Hire ongoing people for ongoing tasks 5. Have a way to review results constantly 6. Do not get lazy with training and support after they start 7. Hold them accountable to their commitments 8. Focus on quality & results first, lower cost later on 9. Have them report when something will not be done on time. There s no excuse for not communicating! 10. Constantly scout for new talent!
CONCLUSION & BONUSES Conclusion Outsourcing is key to growing your business Get more done, faster, and less expensively, and frees up you and your team s time to build your business It s relatively inexpensive and you can get high quality people But, it requires time to setup and manage to get best results; you cannot simply hand-off and hope for the best (particularly with first time contractors) 1. Outsourcing Checklist 2. Contractor Agreement Bonuses