I Have Lots of Questions About Outsourcing. Can You Help Me Alice?
Q: “Hello Alice. I know you pretty much live and breathe outsourcing in your online business and I’m considering outsourcing for the first time in my business. Because I’m new to the whole outsourcing thing, I have a ton of questions and I’m hoping you can help me out with some of them.”
You’re right, if it wasn’t for outsourcing in my business, I definitely would not be where I am today. Because of this I highly suggest that all business owners begin outsourcing in their business as soon as possible for numerous reasons, but one of the main ones being the ability to actually have a life other than their business. After all, that’s what owning your own business is all about right? Having the freedom to do your own thing, be it in work or play.
Recently, I put together a 16-page guide that answers many of the more popular questions business owners have when it comes to outsourcing.
Here are just a few of the things this free outsourcing guide will help you to do:
So, go ahead and grab your absolutely free, no strings attached PDF copy of the guide by clicking here.
How Do I Know Who I Can Trust to Handle Outsourced Business Tasks?
Q: I want to start a blog, newsletter and web site to sell products. However I do not know who to trust to do a good job and not rip me off. - Yvonne
A: This is a great question Yvonne! Especially when you’re first beginning to outsource in your business, it can be tricky trying to decipher between who will do a good job and who you can trust with your business tasks.
It’s very common to be concerned and I could easily tell you that you just have to jump in and get your feet wet, but that’s just not my style. Besides that, I know what it’s like to have projects not completed and to lose money, so instead here are some tips that I suggest to anyone who is outsourcing business tasks for the first (or any) time.
Ask others for recommendations.
Find someone you trust what services or assistants they use and recommend or who, from there experience, you should steer clear of.
Request references and look for testimonials of past work.
Don’t just assume that the testimonials on their site are enough. Yes they make a difference but remember it’s the contractor’s site and they have control over what gets posted there.
Don’t base your decision on price alone.
Depending on the tasks and skill level you need, cost will play a factor, but don’t automatically go with the person who offers the lowest rate. On the flipside, don’t always assume a higher rate means better quality work, either.
Don’t shy away from teaching someone the ropes.
Just because someone is new to the scene of Internet marketing assistance, doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of completing certain tasks. There is something to be said about training an assistant who is willing to learn. This is also a good way to keep the costs lower if that’s a concern.
Test the waters.
Once you’ve found someone you think may be a good fit, give them a small project to determine how you’ll work together, their skill level, and the flow of things.
Further Information & Resources
As for outsourcing the website part of your business, there are lots of web designers out there who vary in skill level and cost. Your website is the basis for your online business, so if you have trouble finding someone you can afford and trust, you can always try designing and maintaining the site yourself with a free 10-day trial at Internet Based Family.
If the content portion of your business is starting to take up all your time, grab your free copy of Outsourcing Your Content without Sacrificing Quality. A guide I co-wrote with Mila Sidman that shows you various ways to get this important part of your business going without taking you away from the other important parts of your business.
Can I Use Reports To Generate Income?
Q: Is there a way I can use reports to generate income?
A: A great way to break into creating information products is using small reports to generate income.
Some benefits to creating them are:
* It is relatively easy to start.
* There isn’t much up front cost needed.
* You don’t need special skills or training.
Here are some tips and benefits to help get you started and some to help you as you go along:
* You simply create the product once and a copy is downloaded by each customer.
* You do not have to pay printers’ fees.
* No shipping fees.
* No repetitive production costs.
* Small reports allow you to create passive income from home and you can do so around your busy schedule.
* Unlike a traditional job, you can earn money over and over again for the work you put into the creation of the report.
* When you create the small report, you put the effort into it once but it can be sold over and over gain.
* You will have to promote your report.
* You can wake up in the mornings to find that you made money while sleeping.
* Unlike an e-book, the small report only needs 10 or 15 pages. Those can easily be written within a few days.
* No prior writing experience is needed and as long as you can type and have good grammar and language skills, you are all set! If writing is not something you want to do, you can hire a ghostwriter to create the report for you.
Remember, you will need to have a computer with a word processing program in order to type the report. You might want to consider converting the finished product into a PDF file to insure customers will be able to read it. Free PDF converters can be found on the web; Google docs is a great place to start!
Other tools you will need include a domain name with website hosting in order to promote and sell your report. A shopping cart system such as www.wahmcart.com will make uploading and selling your reports easy. You may also want to consider establishing an affiliate program in order to sell even more reports.
Learn more about profiting from reports with Jimmy D. Brown’s highly-recommend Small Reports Fortunes.
How Can I Get Setup To Accept Credit Cards Online?
Q: As business increases, I am finding more and more consumers who are wanting to pay by credit cards. Can you tell me the best way to accept credit card payments online?
A: First of all, when you are selling products from your website, it is always a good idea to be able to accept payments online. There are a variety of ways to do this, however, here’s some basic information to help you get started with this process.
The easiest way I have found to get started is by setting up a free PayPal account by clicking here. PayPal is both easy and convenient to use, but there are a couple of things you must remember.
* PayPal does have some limitations. Specific information can be found by going to www.paypal.com.
* Paypal is not available in every country in the world.
If you feel you are prepared to get a little more technical, you can always utilize a service such as www.authorize.net which allows you to receive payments from anyone with a major credit card. In order to do so, you need to find contact information for a reseller which can be found on the website. By setting up a merchant bank account, you will be able to use the service.
When seeking other services that will allow you to accept credit cards online, perform some searches by going to www.google.com. There, you will be able to find additional information and locate specific information.
Before signing up with any of the services you have researched, just make sure they can integrate with your shopping cart system. Once your account is setup with your chosen service, you will need to integrate into your shopping cart.
Simply follow instructions, by choosing the system you are using, such as (authorize.net) from a drop down menu. If you are using paypal, that option is available as well.
You should also be able to enter in a variety of information such as the name that appears on the customer’s credit card, a thank you message to customer’s and the page you want customers redirected to after they make their purchase.
How Do I Set Up Adsense?
Q: I have heard a lot about Adsense, how do I set this up?
A: When you create an Adsense campaign, Google allows you to earn money through your website and blog. When someone clicks on one of your ads, you will earn revenue.
Adsense offers several types of campaigns and you can set up a search function that will be displayed on your website as well as a referral program.
For the sake of discussion, let’s discuss Adsense for Content. When you set up this program, Google searches the content of your pages and displays ads that relate to that content.
You can choose the appearance of your ads, by selecting for them to be displayed in a box, also known as an ad unit or have them displayed in links, known as a link unit. You can select the layout size, colors and shape of your ads.
Once the layout and design of your Adsense campaign has been selected, you can create channels. This allows you to receive tracking reports. If you are new to Adsense, you don’t have to worry about setting them up immediately.
Once you have selected all of the criteria for your ads, Adsense will provide you with a JavaScript that you can copy and paste onto your webpage or blog. If you use Blogger which is owned by Google, they provide an integration tool you can use. With this tool, you don’t have to copy and paste anything and can select the campaign’s style, layout and colors right from Blogger.
Should I Tell My Clients I Outsource?
Q: Do clients have to be aware that you outsource?
A: This is a great question that I receive from a lot of virtual assistants especially. There really is no one size fits all, clear cut, yes or no answer. Instead I’ll tell you the way I see it.
If the task you are outsourcing has nothing to do with the service you’re providing to your clients, the client has no real reason to know. As an example, if you’re a VA and you outsource your bookkeeping, market research, etc., those tasks have no direct result on the work you do for your clients, therefore your client doesn’t have a need to know.
Another situation when your client probably doesn’t need to know that you outsource is when the work you outsource has little bearing on the finished product you are providing that client. For example, if you’re a writer and you hire a proofreader, there is really no reason your client would need or want to know. The writing, including any changes suggested by a proofreader that you choose to incorporate, are still done by you.
So, when should you make it clear to your clients that you outsource? Continuing with the writing example, let’s say you’re a writer who is outsourcing to other writers. In cases such as this, I’d say it’s likely a good idea that your website convey a ‘we’ type language, instead of ‘I’. I don’t believe you have to explicitly say that someone else might be doing the writing, but express that you own a business that offers writing services, instead. Also, don’t stress that you personally will handle all of the writing for your clients if you do have a team of writers working with you.
Even then, it might not be absolutely necessary to disclose that you are outsourcing. If you’re outsourcing responsibly and ensuring that all projects are consistently completed to your standards, then your clients will be provided with the quality work they have come to expect from you.
I’m not saying you should lie or be dishonest, but you should be conveying yourself as a professional business that has staff that helps to conduct day-to-day business operations.
I have heard some horror stories where outsourcing has gone wrong for a service-provider and most of the time it was due to the fact that the business owner did not fully check the quality of his or her contractor’s work before returning it to the client. By ensuring the work is completed to the client’s specifications, prior to turning the work in, you can avoid being bitten.
No matter what type of business you own, be it service or product based, remember it’s YOUR business and you are the one who is ultimately responsible for it. When you hire contractors to complete work, whether it be for you alone or directly for a client of yours, the way that work is completed is a direct reflection of you.
For more tips on outsourcing for your service-based business, sign up for my
Outsourcing Sweetie Tips today.
How Do I Choose a Good Writer?
Q: Hey Alice, I’m thinking about hiring a contractor to help write my content. Can you offer some suggestions for picking a good writer?
A: This is a good question and one I’m asked quite frequently so let’s take a look at a few things.
How to find the right person for the job
When first looking for a writer, you might be tempted to go with the cheapest one just to save a few dollars but cost should not be your only concern. This person is going to be writing as you and you should feel comfortable putting your name on the work they do. Here are some things to do to find the best fit for you.
- Request samples of their writing. This will give you a feel for how they approach different topics, the amount of time they put into making sure the content is informative and engaging to your readers, as well as if they have an understanding of the subject.
- Request references. Ask around your group of networking friends. Have they used the particular writer? Was the writer timely and did they ask questions for clarification? Were they happy with the outcome of the content? Did they need to tweak the article more than normal? Another way is to look for testimonials from past clients on their site. Do they have more than a few? Keep in mind they won’t be posting any negative feedback on their site, which is where the checking of references will come into play.
- Test their work. Give the writer a small assignment so you can see how they work. Do they take constructive criticism well? Do they make certain they understand the assignment before beginning by asking questions? Do they need hand holding throughout the entire process or do they complete the project with very little direction?
What about payment?
How payment to the contractor is handled will be something the two of you should discuss up front, before any work is passed back and forth. You should find out the following from the contractor regarding payment: - What are their rates? Do they charge by the hour, per page, per word, etc?
- Do they offer discounts for on-going work or client referrals? Keep this in mind for future projects.
- When do they invoice clients? Do they bill once the project is complete, weekly, or monthly? What are your payment terms?
- Is a deposit required? If so, how much do you need to initially put down? Although paying a deposit is ok, never pay 100% upfront. I like to think the majority of contractors are honest and ethical, but there is always a possibility a contractor will accept payment in full and then never complete the work. Give them an incentive for completion; payment or remainder of amount due.
- Will you be paying them via paypal, check, or some other method? Paypal is pretty standard in today’s virtual world, but not everyone does it this way, so be sure to double check.
How to keep a contractor that does a good job
When you’ve found a writer that fits well with you and your business, you had better keep them. Some tips for keeping them include:
- Give them continual work. Don’t just throw them a task or two a month, when you need something and expect them to stick around forever. They can and will move on to bigger and better projects if they don’t have on-going work from you.
- Be patient during the learning curve.
- Pay them on time, every time. Swift payment makes them want to work with you more because they know they don’t have to worry about whether they will receive their money.
- Offer additional work.
- Allow them to correct any mistakes they make don’t just fix it for them. Using a contractor to create content for your business is a wonderful thing, once you find someone that works well with you. Be patient during the learning curve that comes with working with someone else and if you come across someone who just will not work for you, don’t sweat it. Let them go and move on.
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How Do I Keep My Business Going in Summer
Q: How do I keep my business going in the summer months?
The weather turns nice and the kids are home from school - who wants to work? Not me! My business volume doesn’t decrease in summer, but my work hours definitely do. You can do the same thing.
Here’s some tips to keep your business going, even when you’re away from the office:
- Prewrite your newsletters and schedule them in an autoresponder
- Prewrite your blog entries and schedule them in WordPress. If you don’t use WordPress, you can still prewrite the entries and then publish them when you’re ready. There’s no reason to make it look like no one is taking care of the shop. Having an “on vacation” sign on your website is bad for business. It means lost sales and create concern for your existing customers who can’t get customer support or refill orders.
Here’s what you can do to keep your customers happy while you slack of a little:
- Hire a customer support person to answer emails and return phone calls. There’s plenty of work at home moms that offer their virtual assistant services.
- Hire a local student (or even your own kids) to fill orders and make post office runs.
- Create digital products that your customers can instantly download after purchase. Some examples include ebooks, audio recordings, software or other electronic media.
- Make product offers through affiliate programs. Earn a commission for each sale and let the other company take care of fulfilling the order.
- There’s no reason you can’t work a little less this summer. Just a bit of planning and extra help will allow you to enjoy some fun in the sun.
Resources:
- Outsourcing help for your business http://www.outsourcingsweetie.com
- Creating digital information products http://www.informationproductsweetie.com
- Make more selling products as an affiliate http://www.affiliatemarketingsweetie.com
