Outsource Method ...

[ASUService]

Hi Everyone,
My post is two-fold so bear with me as I give a bit of background on the situation.

Outsourcing has been a huge roadblock of me. I have tried it many times and in the case of one off situations such as getting a script coded or a sales letter done, I've done well. BUT, I have failed miserably when it comes to VA's and/or any type of long term "assistant".

Of course after repeat failures at anything a person should take a long hard look in the mirror which I did. I made adjustments in my expectations, what I was willing to pay and so on but it didn't make a difference. I'm really not hard to get along with but I do expect to get value for my money. If I have to re-do whatever the assistance does I just as soon do it myself ... it's easier. My experiences have been ...

"Assistant" (tech or VS type) disappears ... as in just vanishes with no response to email, IM, and/or phone calls.
"Assistant" expected to receive full pay while I trained them.
Almost any communication that was less than telling how wonderful they were and how terrific of a job they did resulted in "Maybe we need to part ways". This one happened with an attorney I was paying approx. $300 an hour.

Regarding the last item I have had others review the emails sent and was told there was nothing wrong with how I worded and/or approached them with the problem.

I understand the concept and the need for anyone who has crested into the "made it" arena. Actually I feel many can benefit from it a bit before "making it" but that's beside the point.

So, my first question is ... Does anyone have experience/thoughts on these folks:
Outsource Method - Get The Same Job Done Better, Cheaper & Faster

Question #2: Do you have a recommended resource for this topic and/or what advice might you give someone like me.

Thanks in advance for your time.

[tameem]

searching more and reading more reviews is good way to get full info

[ASUService]

I did ... no decent results. Did I miss something?

[Scott Ames]

You should check out fellow warrior John Jonas.. he has a membership site about outsourcing:

View Profile: johnjonas

[Josiah]

It sounds like you've been having a bit of bad luck....

Here's what I do to find a VA (LongTerm):

1. I'll demo many different VAs to find a good one.... So the first step is posting several
tasks (not too easy not too hard) on scriptlance or elance...

2. After you selected your VAs you want to see how well they communicate...

Are they fast to respond?

Do they UNDERSTAND English?

Are they easy to communicate?

Do they have a good attitude? (highly important for me!)


Anyways that's how I pick a VA... the idea is to trial SEVERAL
and find one you work well with

Good luck

Josiah

[jokarl]

I have about the same problem. It is really hard to get good results out of outsourcing. Im sure it takes time to get it but somehow i feel better doing it myself and i know its right from the beginning and i dont have to check it all and make sure there are no strange error.

If you pay someone to do something, will he be encuraged to do a really good job? No. He will just spit something out that hopefully pass and get paid.

[n7 Studios]

Your hiring process should be quick and disciplined - you're looking for VA's who:
- respond quickly to your emails at interview stage (but don't expect too quickly here - they might be working for someone else, and you wouldn't want them to do the same thing to you if they're also being interviewed elsewhere),
- have an excellent command of English, or whichever language you require,
- be polite, friendly and efficient.
- produce work of a high quality.

On the final point of quality, don't be afraid to be blatant about what you're looking for. A recent email I sent out to potential candidates for a VA post pointed them to my portfolio, and stated that I have an incredibly high level of quality that is always achieved, hence why we have repeat work, and that the successful candidate must follow this mantra. After all, it's your work, your clients and your livlihood at stake here.

You're going to have to try them out on a small task to begin with. Until you do that, you realistically have absolutely no idea how they will work. Things you'll want to look out for:
- do they ask the right questions about the task (you'll have created the task so they have to ask a set of specific questions to achieve the end result) - this will show attention to detail,
- do they perform the task to the required quality
- do they update you on their progress
- do they go the extra mile and use initiative and common sense to fill in the gaps where you're not around

Next, once you've selected a VA, you'll quickly realise that your VA is as good as the instructions you give them.

Bear in mind you've never met these people before, and they have little, if any, idea of how you and your business works. It's not like a face to face employment where the employee can glean information from you about how things work - you have to show them the ropes, and (in my opinion) they should rightly be paid for that time.

Be clear about what you want them to do. You need to invest the time first to ensure the instructions are clear and precise, whether it be a step by step guide, a project brief or how the person can contact you if questions arise.

I've hired 2 VA's to date - one is outstanding, and I'm keen to keep drip feeding her work to ensure I retain her services, and another one was good, and useful as a backup when times are busy.

I used oDesk, as it gave me the confidence to oversee what they were doing (it takes screenshots of their work every 15 minutes). A little too much like Big Brother for my liking, but it put my mind at rest.

If that's a lot to take in, remember what I feel is the golden rule: invest your time upfront, provide clear written instructions and processes and be shrewd when hiring. You can't just pick up a VA and expect then to run everything overnight.

[Josiah]

Originally Posted by n7 Studios

Be clear about what you want them to do. You need to invest the time first to ensure the instructions are clear and precise, whether it be a step by step guide, a project brief or how the person can contact you if questions arise.

This is soooooo important!

In fact I now have system maps so my workers can follow the process in EXACT detail... step by step...

[Baston]

When hiring a VA do you pay them upfront or after 30 days??

[Will_Surren]

ASUService, I have been doing business with Daniel and Mark since the end of January 2009. They have several services and I use two of their paid services and one of their free services. PLRpro is one of the services that they offer that I use and has been great for my business. They also have a weekly webcast where they offer real coaching to their members. It is not some type of sales hype that you get with most webcasts. They usually review sites of members that have sent in request for site reviews. They tear the site apart telling you what you need to do to improve on your site.

Most of their personal business is outsourced so they know a great deal about outsourcing. The only issue I have ever had was a delayed responce to a question that I had and it took 2 days to get my answer. I found that if you email Daniel directly, the answers really come quick. So, after the delayed responce I addressed questions to his email.

I have been very happy with the services I use and though I have not had time to review Outsource Method indepth, I have seen their flow chart for outsourcing and can only imagine what all is available. I do have a little bit of inside information because they include all of their affiliates on their upcoming plans. I can not reveal the details but I will say they will expose a great deal through October.

Good luck with your outsource issues. You will find the right people to deal with eventually. I would recomend using a company rather than an individual as it sounds like you are doing. When you deal with a company, you will find that when your contact calls in sick, you still have someone working on your project. If you can reach Mike Ambrosio here on the warrior forum and I think he could provide you with the information you need to hook up with a real company rather than an individual.

Again, Good luck, Will

[Ryce]

There is another thread about the outsourcemethod from Daniel and Mark here:
Outsource Method


They are re-lauching their services now with a $1 offer for 10 days with two installments of 147.50 after that. They say price will increase to $995 after Oct 15th but it was claimed before and relaunch keep the $295 price tag. from my POV there is a shortage of good condensed material available here or elsewhere

Let us know if you get sign up for their offer and how good it is.

[ASUService]

Hi everyone,
Thanks much for your replies.

Scott:
Thanks for that other option. I looked into it briefly and will keep that in mind.

Josiah & N7:
I have followed your mentioned procedure almost to the letter. Other than one or two the quality has been there but as I mentioned most of them have just disappeared with no explanation as to why.

Baston: I have done both.

Again, as I mentioned, the one off jobs have been very successful. It's the long term assistant (tech or VA) that have been the problem.

The last really put a bad taste in my mouth because I thought I did everything perfectly with regard to interview, references, and so on. She was a Warrior Recommended VA and things were going well until I had to contact her about a job she screwed up.

She didn't take the constructive criticism well and bailed on me. Then to add insult to mix she sent me an invoice for the full service fees. I can't justify training being an issue because she had done the same type of job early on in our relationship.

TBH, it appeared she just got sloppy. I wasn't really upset ... stuff happens. I just needed her to redo it correctly and not expect to be paid for the botched job. BTW, I was paying her VERY well compared to many as I thought that might have been part of my overall problem ... back to "you get what you pay for".

I do understand there will be a warm up period so someone can get a grasp on how I want things. However, their foundation of knowledge was tested prior to commitment so I really don't feel training was the problem.

Anywho ... enough of my sob story. I'll look over the resources and go from there.

Will & Ryce: Thanks for your feedback on Outsource Method specifically. Very helpful indeed.