Warriors your advice is needed: starting an outsourcing venture

[Croque]

I would greatly appreciate your help and advice.

I was thinking the other day about offering outsourcing services here in the WF.
However I have no idea in how to market such service, I mean getting you, fellow warriors to trust me and give me projects to do, since:

I have no name and no reputation here.
I have no previous work references.
I do want to give a good deal without working for peanuts.

On the good side I do have the team already assemble. The team skills include your typical graphic design, web design and development, as well as java, asp and others.

So what steps should I take to make something like this work?
How to get constant work flowing to keep the team working?
Will doing an WSO will be of benefit?


Please any advice will greatly help me, thank you.

Carlos

[Truffle]

What kind of outsourcing services will you be offering? besides graphics, web design and coding?

greetz,
jobic

[sahi]

Well you can put out some samples of your work for warrior's review. This will help warriors to review your sample work, and then hopefully you'll get projects from warriors.

[GregtheWriter]

Croque, I can tell you something that is HUGELY in demand at least from what I've seen here on WF.

Add several GOOD writers to your team and you will be making a killing I bet. I can't tell you how often I hear people complaining about their writers.

Throw in writing services for free the first few times if they will also use the full package that your team allows in exchange for testimonials. Or something along those lines so they can see the full capability of your team.

I am in the network marketing industry, so if you get some good writers, PM me and let's discuss. Currently write my own stuff, but plan on outsourcing it

To the top,
-Gregory

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

Hey Carlos,

I would recommedn doing some work for
a small fee or for FREE to get credibal testimonials.

4-7 projects will be enough to gather enough credibility.

Igor

P.S: I would love to work with ya if you are up for it(makes
me sound like a sneaky douchebag, but I am still up for it =] )

[ken_p]

it would be helpful if you add samples of your work in your signature.

[copywarrior]

Hello Carlos,

WF is a great place to get started. You can either post a WSO or offer your services in the Warriors for Hire Section.

If you have no references yet, you could get your team to build a portfolio which you can show as samples to your prospective clients. This, am sure, will help you in getting started with your venture by attracting some clients.

Good luck mate!

Jay B.

[CliveG]

I would have thought that a couple of testimonials from known WF members would be the best idea for you.

Best of luck,

Clive

[rahulchandra]

To start off:

Offer your services as a WSO and don't expect a miracle out of it(it's just the beginning )

Then once you have a few clients kindly ask for their review of your services ( TESTIMONIALS ARE ALWAYS A GREAT WAY TO BUILD UP YOUR REPUTATION)

When you feel confident post your services in Warriors for hire section and take things from there!

Keep updating Your WSO or "warrior for hire" page with samples of your work and/or new testimonials

If nothing seems to work then offer Your services free of cost to a few members in return for an honest testimonial of your work(I know I said FREE and I know its even less than peanuts like you said but it will definitely help you in the long run)

Last but not the least: Don't give up! You are on right track!!

All the Best!

P.S- This is coming from a guy who has never posted a WSO ever, but its only advice, and that can't hurt!

[Croque]

Thanks to everyone, I really appreciate your help.

[Croque]

Originally Posted by jobic

What kind of outsourcing services will you be offering? besides graphics, web design and coding?

greetz,
jobic

Hi Jobic,
For now that will be the core, since I can't write two paragraphs without grasping for words and my team is the same boat.

And I don't want to offer virtual assistant services because we don't have a dedicated person for that, maybe down the road.

I could offer webmaster services too, but I don't know if there is demand for that.

Originally Posted by GregtheWriter

Croque, I can tell you something that is HUGELY in demand at least from what I've seen here on WF.

Add several GOOD writers to your team and you will be making a killing I bet. I can't tell you how often I hear people complaining about their writers.

Throw in writing services for free the first few times if they will also use the full package that your team allows in exchange for testimonials. Or something along those lines so they can see the full capability of your team.

I am in the network marketing industry, so if you get some good writers, PM me and let's discuss. Currently write my own stuff, but plan on outsourcing it

To the top,
-Gregory

Thanks Greg, the problem is that I don't have a writer and me and my team are friends, so I don't want to get someone from the "outside" that won't be able to deliver and screw the whole thing .

[lawed]

I want to say first that I wish you the best. I have just started to outsourcework. I see the benefits and need to get more work done. I would be open to discussing work and terms if you have an interest i that. I might be interested in the webmastering possibility. I will not look for copywriting from you. But, some of my needs might qualify as VA work and of course you may let me know if that is off-the- table for discussion.

I'm a good candidate for a deal either free or at discount in exchange for testimonial if yu decide to follow that suggestion from others.

I am severly techie challenged, have trouble with simple html syntax etc. and need to get my siteoperational.

I'd say that my needs are a crossover between Web design and Webmastering. The business is not making any money yet and is not public. Please let me know by PM or Email if you are interested in discussing more about my project.

Thank You
lawed

[Stacey Wockenfuss]

Hello,

I do a lot of outsource work and virtual assisting my suggestions to you are

1. Know who your target market is going to be and aggressively seek them out.

• Don't just say well I am going to target such and such group. Really define who these people are, what their budget is, whether they are online or offline, ect.

2. Have a defined list of services you offer and pricing list ready to go.

• The reason I say this is because its a lot easier to sell people over the phone if you have a brochure/powerpoint presentation outlining your services and a list of prices in front of you. You sound more prepared and won't waiver when people ask what you charge.

3. Don't be afraid to try new things

• Just because you are not a web programmer doesn't mean with a little project management you can't manage a team of programmers to do the project for you.

4. Don't be a afraid to fail

• I have lost big clients because I screwed things up. It happens, I learned from the mistakes and I never let them happen again.

5. Start small grow big

• I think its important to start your pricing at a lower level and raise it as you get more clients. That way you build up some income and then feel comfortable asking for more later.

6. Have a backup plan

• I have had the most reliable people completely flake out on me when it comes to completing work. So make sure you always have a backup in place in case your first choice contractor disappears.

Hope that helps!

Stacey