Small Biz Blog Owner Reveals Her 5 Best “In-The-Trenches” Outsourcing Tips!
I’ve been working online for quite some time now, but like anything, you tend to get overwhelmed after a while. Yes, I have too many projects on my hand and in order to lessen the load on my side, I figured that I would go overseas to have people help me.
A lot of my website projects are content based, and since it takes time to build links, write content and design graphics, I thought I would look into the Philippines since I have heard so many good things about this country.
I have been outsourcing a few years now, and I have learned a lot during these years. There have been my ups and there have definitely been some downs. I wanted to share some tips that I have learned during this experience.
#1 Always get a sample – Before you hire anyone, you’re going to want to get a sample from them. Don’t just accept a sample they send you, ask for one personally. Your goal is to make this sample as hard as possible to see how they do it. 99% of the time, they will send you a sample per your request. This is a quick way to weed people out.
#2 Ask questions – Any employer is going to ask you questions if they want to hire you. You should do the same thing with your potential assistants. I will ask some of the following questions:
- What were your old jobs?
- Why did you quit? Why were you fired?
- Who was your old employer?
- What are your skills?
- Can you meet our requirements for the job?
#3 Start low and incentivize – Most overseas people will want to start a higher salary right away. What I have found is that employees generally tend to work harder when there is a bonus involved. Since I want my work done daily, I tell them that they will get a monthly bonus if they submit on time for a month straight. This tends to work very well.
#4 Give them time – The first week or so is going to usually be slow. This is your time to mold them, and train them. Keep in mind that they won’t be a pro over night. Instead, try your best to write up a fantastic training packet and always make sure that you pick out their flaws. You will just want to make sure that you’re not too picky.
#5 Be nice – Just because the person lives overseas, it doesn’t mean that you can treat them like garbage. You will want to make sure that you treat them with respect, and just be nice to them overall. I have found that if you treat them like a human being, they will tend to work harder for you in the long haul.
Yes, outsourcing can have its ups and it can have it’s downs. It may take a few times to find the perfect employee but when you do find them, it’s well worth the time and effort put in to find them!
(Liz Cutten over at FindBizCards provided this guest post for your benefit. Please thank her by visiting her small business blog.)
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Great tips for those new to outsourcing. India is an equally great destination for outsourcing, particularly software development, writing, finance, law and basically any office-based work. The freelancer has also evolved into a virtual employee, giving greater security and work benefits to clients in the long run.
Great article! It’s a good idea to go into any outsourcing situation with realistic expectations. Not everything is going to go perfectly right from the start. Being patient and taking the time to train and incentivize correctly will go a long way.