Outsourcing: How to Find the Right People
Finding the right outsourcers can make your business run faster, more efficiently and more easily. However finding those outsourcers can be a daunting and tough process.
Here are 5 steps to make sure you find the right people for the right task:
Know What You Want and Need
Before you contract with anyone—maybe even before you begin looking at or placing ads on job boards—take another moment to jot down for yourself what traits, skills and experience level your ideal contractor would possess. Be willing to negotiate on these points, of course—it’s rare for any employee or contractor to measure up to the boss’s “wish list”!—but look at this list as a starting point.
Let’s say you find the perfect content writer, but instead of seven years of experience and expert-level skills with WordPress, she’s only been a writer for three years and is still at the “advanced beginner” stage with WordPress.
That might be a reason to negotiate a bit on her fee, but maybe it’s not a deal-breaker necessarily. The clearer you are on exactly what you need, as well as what you’d like to have, the easier it will be for you to make that decision.
State Your Expectations Up Front
What will working with you be like? What kind of working relationship can they expect? Tell them up front.
If you’re looking for someone to work on an ongoing basis, say so. If you just need a one-time project done, let them know.
Let them know how you want them to communicate with you. Do you use a project management software? Or do you want them to be in constant contact with you by email?
The more you can define how you want the working relationship to work, the better.
Start with At Least Three Providers
You’ll find many amazing resources when you start looking at potential outsourcers. Unfortunately, the only way to really find out if they’re as good as they seem on paper is to give their services a test run.
Always test out at least three. Why?
First of all, one or more of them might not work out. Even if they look great on paper, they may not actually deliver the quality of work you’re looking for when you contract them for a real job.
Another reason is that they may all deliver top-quality work, but one may be significantly lower priced.
In short, you just don’t know what the market can provide you without testing out the market. Testing one outsourcer isn’t testing the market.
Don’t Go for the Lowest Price
The most often articulated pushback against outsourcing from solopreneurs, without question, is the cost. Too often, that means “choosing the cheapest contractor.” That’s a mistake for a number of reasons.
With so many people in developing countries willing to work for pennies on a dollar, it can be very tempting to try and go for the lowest priced providers.
Don’t. In outsourcing, as with so many things in life, we often get what we pay for. Contractors who compete on price have essentially commoditized their services and their expertise. You shouldn’t compete on price in your business, and you shouldn’t hire on that basis either.
Additionally, all too often a very low hourly rate can be an indicator that your potential contractor:
- Lacks confidence in her skills
- Lacks experience or expertise, or both
- Has a slower-than-average turnaround time
- Isn’t all that serious about her own business
Finally, a rate that seems on the high end of average may not ultimately cost you that much more than a contractor with a much lower rate; frequently a higher rate indicates a greater degree of expertise and/or experience, and consequently a much faster turnaround time.
If Contractor A charges $40 an hour but takes two hours to complete an assignment, and Contractor B charges $100 an hour but takes thirty minutes to do the same, who’s really costing you less money in the long run?
If you really want to try out a lower-rate provider, make sure you also simultaneously test out one or two higher-rate providers to see the difference.
Start Small
Start your test runs with small projects. If you’re really looking for a provider to do a $2,000 project for you, start them out on a $50 project. Then do a $150 project with them.
If you’re satisfied with both the communication and the quality of the work, then contract them for your big project.
Never start out a new contractor on a high-ticket project. There are just so many variables that can go wrong. Test the waters small before awarding the big dollars.
These tips can go a long way towards making sure you find and hire the right outsourcer without losing a lot of money on outsourcers that didn’t work out.