Some stuff I've learned about outsourcing

52 replies
Hi everyone,

Over the last few months I've been hiring my own employees to work directly for me either full time or part time and I wanted to share a few of the things that I have them doing and some lessons learned.

1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

7) Measure your progress.

8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).
#learned #outsourcing #stuff
  • Profile picture of the author ausslite
    that is good stuff.

    my experience with outsourcing has been touch and go, most problems boiling dsown to operator error (me)

    overall it is awesome way to multiply your own efforts and move forward at lightning speeds.

    where do you prefer to locate OS people from? i use odesk but they do not do paypal for payments so that is a nuisance
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1958465].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
      ausslite - I'm doing all of my hiring these days at OnlineJobs.ph which is run by John Jonas from Replacemyself.com

      I bit the bullet and took his "pro outsourcer" package for $697 so I get perpetual access to the site (and other stuff) for no monthly fees ever. I'm very happy I did that instead of the $97/month option, or separately, paying $50/month for OnlineJobs access.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1961233].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
      A few other comments:

      - I completely agree with innocent07's #11 addition. Some guys just stop working and disappear. I had this happen two weeks ago. A part time girl. She was doing a great job and then vanished. She hasn't updated her personal blog since she disappeared. I just hope she's OK. But she's gone and I have to replace her now.

      - I VERY much like hiring from OnlineJobs.ph and I wrote a blog posting about this (see my sig file for the link) about how I'm using video to filter out crap candidates from real candidates. It saves me time and really works well so far. In a nutshell the process is to define what you want, and record a quick vid so the candidates can watch it and THEN have them apply. Lazy and unqualified guys won't apply as often.

      - It can be a REAL challenge to get great english writing skills from the Philippines, and American writers are definitely going to give you a better hit rate. So decide what the purpose of the articles is. If you want them for resource box backlinks, accept the less than perfect writer at a fraction of the cost. If you need click throughs and awesome content, then focus on getting an amazing writer even if it costs more in America.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1961266].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author honeyyoung
        Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

        A few other comments:

        - It can be a REAL challenge to get great english writing skills from the Philippines, and American writers are definitely going to give you a better hit rate. So decide what the purpose of the articles is. If you want them for resource box backlinks, accept the less than perfect writer at a fraction of the cost. If you need click throughs and awesome content, then focus on getting an amazing writer even if it costs more in America.
        There are a lot of Filipino online freelancers with great English skills. There are also some whose English skills could use some improvement. English skills are apparent in application/cover letters and can be confirmed with an interview. If you only interview those who have already written grammatically correct cover letters, you are bound to find one with English skills comparable to an American.

        When I read cover letters, I automatically reject those that are poorly written. I will not waste my time interviewing them. I am very critical with grammar and English skills; and I am Filipino, LOL.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965487].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author DeonKrey
        Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

        A few other comments:

        - I completely agree with innocent07's #11 addition. Some guys just stop working and disappear. I had this happen two weeks ago. A part time girl. She was doing a great job and then vanished. She hasn't updated her personal blog since she disappeared. I just hope she's OK. But she's gone and I have to replace her now.

        - I VERY much like hiring from OnlineJobs.ph and I wrote a blog posting about this (see my sig file for the link) about how I'm using video to filter out crap candidates from real candidates. It saves me time and really works well so far. In a nutshell the process is to define what you want, and record a quick vid so the candidates can watch it and THEN have them apply. Lazy and unqualified guys won't apply as often.

        - It can be a REAL challenge to get great english writing skills from the Philippines, and American writers are definitely going to give you a better hit rate. So decide what the purpose of the articles is. If you want them for resource box backlinks, accept the less than perfect writer at a fraction of the cost. If you need click throughs and awesome content, then focus on getting an amazing writer even if it costs more in America.
        These are good thoughts for you to share thank you.

        I'm still starting up in the outsourcing process and I agree with how these Filipinos have been exerting a lot of their efforts and skills to really "help" us manage our businesses very well while we earn more than we pay them. Their rates are comparably lower than other countries and they would always deserve a BONUS for their job well done.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1982211].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kongming
    Thanks for the sharing. Outsoucing the right way really saves our time for its best use.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1958565].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jennypitts
    Hey Chris, thank you for taking the time to help others who do not understand the importance of outsourcing. Internet Marketing is a REAL full time job for many and most beginners do not understand the amount of work involved. I myself have about four or five people I outsource my work to. Most are in Asia, YET for my articles, I have said it once and will say it again, I stay domestic (as in the USA). Not only is this guaranteeing that I have a native English speaker/writer, but I am also helping out fellow Americans, who are also looking to make ends meet. Writing is an ART not everyone can handle and I respect that, even if it costs more. I have had enough bad experiences with non-native speakers who have done such a terrible job, I end up hiring someone else to either re-write the article or write a whole new one. This process ends up costing me much more.

    So, I agree with you in just about everything except the place you are outsourcing to. Of course if you have had great results, that is great! But I rather do that part the way I have been doing it... : )
    Signature
    Traffic Exchange - Solo Ads - Contact Solo Ads
    Social Networking For Internet Marketers to Increase Traffic to Referral Program or Site.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1958602].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PCRoger
    But of course to hire someone to do a task, and to show them how to do it, one must know how to do it him/herself.

    Therein lies the rub.

    Sooo many are still trying to figure that out, and the game keeps changing making it a moving target.

    I have been quite frustrated trying to get tasks completely well, on time and on budget - primarily using oDesk.

    regards,
    PCRoger.
    Signature
    Track your affiliate sales back to the ARTICLE or WEBSITE that generated the sale. CBSaleTracker

    I was making money in days with the 4 Day Money Making Blueprint

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1958729].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TyBrown
    Nice post. I haven't had the best success in finding outsourcers in the Philippines. Where have you gone to find your employees?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1958838].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author honeyyoung
      Originally Posted by TyBrown View Post

      Nice post. I haven't had the best success in finding outsourcers in the Philippines. Where have you gone to find your employees?
      You can try easyoutsource.com. This is a fairly new outsourcing site where the job seekers are all Filipinos. You can sign up and post a job for free, go through the usual interview process for applicants, and choose the best one that suits your needs. HTH!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965450].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author LiamMcIvorMartin
    That is exactly what I do and I'm glad you've figured out the outsourcing code. The only way to truly grow your business is to hire people and spend the time to train them properly.

    LM
    Signature

    In Times Of Change, Learners Inherit The Earth

    Liam McIvor Martin

    Outsourced Facebook Marketing

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1959000].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author innocent07
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

    Hi everyone,

    Over the last few months I've been hiring my own employees to work directly for me either full time or part time and I wanted to share a few of the things that I have them doing and some lessons learned.

    1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

    2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

    3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

    4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

    5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

    6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

    7) Measure your progress.

    8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

    9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

    10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).
    11) Accept if some workers Stop working for you, due to personal problems and simply move on to new ones- which can be hard, but just accept this as it happens!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1959004].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author prettyboy
    Outsourcing can be tough, but if you get the right people on board then it can make things a lot easier for your business.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1961334].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PCRoger
    I did get some good ideas from the freebie ebook at massoutsource.com.

    John Jonas seems to have it together, but he makes it sound easier to get good employees and English writers in the PI than some posters above indicate.

    Did not know he was in charge of onlinejobs.ph.

    PCRoger.
    Signature
    Track your affiliate sales back to the ARTICLE or WEBSITE that generated the sale. CBSaleTracker

    I was making money in days with the 4 Day Money Making Blueprint

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1961361].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nadia712
    Great post - thanks for sharing. I'm reconsidering my original plan to eventually hire people from oDesk to manage some of my website stuff. It sounds like you've got a better option there.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1961713].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Adam7
    Great stuff Chris, you really explained this well. I just posted a job on Odesk (for SEM/linkbuilding) and I'm already getting tons of submissions. I really like that you mentioned
    3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills
    as I thought this would be a good indicator of a quality candidate as well.

    Again, thanks for the detailed post - this helps me a bunch!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1962706].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jedz
    Banned
    Outsourcing has it pros and cons. Many got positive feedback as well as negative outcome. The Philippines is one of the world's most popular outsourcing destinations with some distinct advantages over other outsourcing countries.

    Staff leasing is now the easiest way to do your stuffs. You need to be careful in finding the right company or person. You should ask for their references and samples of work. Credibility is the first thing you need to know. We are in this industry for almost 5 years now and we have been working with different clients all over the word and we have handled various projects. We are leasing 180- 250 staffs now and most of them are working full time.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1963966].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Adam Nolan
      oDesk.com... simply EPIC!

      Treat your staff like gold, they write your paycheque.
      Signature
      Marketing Hacks Workshop Tonight at 8PM EST.

      Tonights Hack: The incredible hidden traffic source you haven't heard about that can send thousands of targeted visitors to your website for 1.9 cents per click.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1963994].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author guna
    "Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money."

    Can you get a good article writer for $300? Is this the salary or all expenses included (space, broadband charges, electricity etc). How many hours of work do they do per month?

    We are an outsourcing company in India but the rates which you had mentioned are competitive, compared to hiring an employee in India. Thinking of starting a company in Philipines or SriLanka now..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1964438].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jandmich
      Thanks for the insight guys. Going to outsourcing soon and this will help!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1964453].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Foster
    I would also add that all outsourcers must run Rescue Time (Time Management, Productivity, & Project Tracking Software (Mac/PC) | RescueTime) during their shift.

    This program tell you exactly what's on the foreground of your outsourcers screen. So if they spend 3 hours of their shift on Facebook when they should be blog commenting... you'll know.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965510].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Shannon Herod
      Originally Posted by James Foster View Post

      I would also add that all outsourcers must run Rescue Time (Time Management, Productivity, & Project Tracking Software (Mac/PC) | RescueTime) during their shift.

      This program tell you exactly what's on the foreground of your outsourcers screen. So if they spend 3 hours of their shift on Facebook when they should be blog commenting... you'll know.
      awesome resource James!

      I'm definitely going to start using that for myself and for my outsourced workers.

      Thanks again.

      Shannon Herod
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965919].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Martin Percival
        I just got back from Boracay where John J held his first outsourcing retreat this year.

        One of the points he (and others) made is that a worker who disappears is likely to be one who is stuggling with a problem in some way. It may be personal, I've experienced that one, or it may just be that they can't complete the task you have set them.

        Either way, rather than "disappoint" you, they choose to go silent. It's a different approach to the way we'd do it in the west...but that's the cultural difference.

        John encouraged us to check about any such problems before doing anything abrupt like removing a worker who has already shown themselves to be good in every other way.

        Having met several folk while over there, I feel much better prepared to make my next hire a more successful one taking all this into account. John was also keen to suggest that a trip out there to meet and greet is a really good way for everyone to get to grips with each other's cultural foibles - and have a holiday too!

        Martin
        Signature

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965983].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Duncan Turner
    Hi Chris,

    Thanks for sharing your successes with outsourcing. I read the "4 minute work week" while on holiday last month and it's great to hear from someone who is really putting all that stuff into practice and so much more. Well done and very inspiring for everyone to read. Look forward to hearing more in the future
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1965529].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mob0222
    I'm Matt, one of the builders of a jobs site for hiring Filipino workers. It's easyoutsource.com -- it's free and it's awesome. We have about 500 really good workers on there now and not a whole lot of employers, so if you go and post a job you'll get a good selection from lots of qualified people.

    My suggestion:
    1. post a job,
    2. reject the candidates that are obviously at lower end of the applicant pool,
    3. message the candidates that look pretty good, ask them a couple open ended questions to see hwo they respond,
    4. interview a couple that you think look great
    5. hire 1 or 2 for a short term paid trial period. let them understand that if you're impressed they'll have a job, and if it doesn't go well you'll keep looking.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1969805].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    Martin - I'm jealous ...I really wanted to get to Boracay for that adventure with John and the gang. Couldn't swing the time. What else did you learn from the event?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1969822].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GMatthers
    Was a good read though. Thanks
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1970107].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JoeFox
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chris Thompson
    Hi everyone,

    Over the last few months I've been hiring my own employees to work directly for me either full time or part time and I wanted to share a few of the things that I have them doing and some lessons learned.

    1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

    2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

    3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

    4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

    5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

    6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

    7) Measure your progress.

    8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

    9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

    10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).


    11) Accept if some workers Stop working for you, due to personal problems and simply move on to new ones- which can be hard, but just accept this as it happens!
    Cool post! And such a great additional too. . Thanks for sharing this ideas. It was a helpful tips for a newbie like me.
    Signature



    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1971159].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author tyroneshum
      Hey Chris,

      Great to see the lessons you've learnt from hiring people in the Philippines. They are awesome people and I highly respect them. I have a few Filipino friends who I see weekly in Australia here and their culture is consistent across the globe, which is why I also am glad to have them on my team. I just wanted to add one other thing as well to your list:

      1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

      2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

      3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

      4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

      5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

      6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

      7) Measure your progress.

      8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

      9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

      10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).


      11) Accept if some workers Stop working for you, due to personal problems and simply move on to new ones- which can be hard, but just accept this as it happens!
      12) Use a system to allow them work together, either a project management system such as ActiveCollab or Google Docs.

      13) Use RescueTime to monitor productivity levels and keep track of their work. (thanks @James Foster)

      14) Ensure they take time off when Philippines holidays come around and make sure you know when they are too. This lets them take a break.

      15) Compliment and PRAISE them for their efforts daily.
      Signature
      outsourcinglive.com
      Follow me on my 90 Day Challenge to rank no. 1 on Google
      ---------------------------------------------------
      Connect with me at: outsourcinglive.com/google-plus
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1972516].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    Tyrone - are you MAKING all of your guys use RescueTime or are you only asking them to do so if you suspect they aren't give you full effort?

    The reason I ask is that I have been hesitant to ask anyone to do this since I suspect it would make them feel micro-managed.

    With my guys, all I really care is that they are doing stuff (output) that comes close to matching what I expect out of the hours they claim to be putting in. And of course the bottom line is "do they make me money?"

    Interested in your thoughts.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1975930].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ToniMaltano
    Point 6 is very important to me. Treat them right and good and they will
    work even better. Happy workers just do better. If they do a really good
    job I usually give them a some nice bonus money which motivates them
    even more.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1976010].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Underground SEO
    I'm definately starting to contemplate outsourcing now, IM is taking too much time nowadays, I've always been slightly hesitant though due the the learning curve they would have to endure, this thread has inspired me to look into it again though
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1976140].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Brad Spencer
    Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

    Hi everyone,

    Over the last few months I've been hiring my own employees to work directly for me either full time or part time and I wanted to share a few of the things that I have them doing and some lessons learned.

    1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

    2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

    3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

    4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

    5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

    6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

    7) Measure your progress.

    8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

    9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

    10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).
    Great tips...

    One more thing I'd like to expand upon with the "treat them with respect."

    Make sure that your people "know" you and understand why what they're doing for you is important.

    I like to teach my assistant internet marketing while he's working so he develops the logic and instincts to know what I want done.

    This has helped make my outsourcing experience a lot better and more enjoyable

    Cheers,

    Brad
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1976380].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
    Chris, this is a fantastic summary on outsourcing! You definitely touched on all the major points.

    On #4, you mentioned using videos. We found a upgrade to the video training that works like a charm. It's called: TeamViewer - Free Remote Access and Remote Desktop Sharing over the Internet

    Teamviewer provides access to any remote computer via Internet, which simply means once you connect and the other party connects, its just like you are sitting in front of their computer or vice-a-versa.

    You can even put multiple users on and the beauty of it all... unless you are a power user; IT's F-R-E-E!



    Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

    Hi everyone,

    Over the last few months I've been hiring my own employees to work directly for me either full time or part time and I wanted to share a few of the things that I have them doing and some lessons learned.

    1) I'm hiring people from the Philippines and the average full time cost is about $300 per month. This means that the price for a day's work is very low and doing anything mechanical yourself is purely silly unless you are REALLY tapped for funds. You should start hiring people the moment that you possibly can.

    2) Forum commenting, blog commenting, article writing and submitting, social bookmarking and social networking are all very SIMPLE things that you can train your outsourcers to do for you on a daily basis. Building mini-nets is another great way to invest their time and your money.

    3) Focus on hiring people who have excellent ENGLISH skills, and worry about everything else later, unless you have specific needs that do not fit my description. Filipinos have great English skills, overall. It's not easy to find a perfect english writer, but it's easy to find people good enough to do basic article marketing under a pen name (for backlinks, etc).

    4) Use video tools to create training for your people. Jing is free and awesomely easy to use. Show people what you want done, and have them repeat it.

    5) Get your outsourcers to send you a daily email to explain what they did, how long it took, what problems they ran into (if any) and how you can help them.

    6) Treat them with respect and treat them as you wish to be treated. Enough said. They are not robots.

    7) Measure your progress.

    8) Build up your team slowly, by reinvesting the proceeds from your projects.

    9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.

    10) PayPal is working well in the Philippines now. It's an easy way to pay people. XOOM is also great if you live in the USA (they won't accept foreign credit cards anymore).
    Signature
    Tools, Strategies and Tactics Used By Savvy Internet Marketers and SEO Pros:

    ProSiteFlippers.com We Build Monetization Ready High-Value Virtual Properties
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1976493].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Hey Chris,

    It seems you've found something people still are struggling with.

    It always surprises me with something like this - outsourcing is really simple and the number of good sites to source people from is amazing.

    There's nothing to it and with just a little common-sense anyone should be able to get good work done for their business.

    The things you've said are generally the same things that I and others are saying about the subject and should be logical for anyone to see.

    For some reason people seem to make this stuff more complicated that it is and make a big deal out of it, but it's actually MUCH simpler than hiring a normal staff member for an offline business.

    I've a few people let me down over the years but they were mostly programmers and I now have a way to avoid that and always get what I want first time from programming jobs I outsource.

    The normal administration tasks should be easily done by anyone even with no experience of outsourcing.

    All you have to do is train them well, treat them well and pay them well, and you get anything you want.

    When it comes to people letting you down or being ill etc... that's the reason you should have a team of people that have overlapping skills, so if one is ill or disappears - your business doesn't suffer. Also if you hire people that can find others to do the same work, you can just get your team to replace the person who stopped. This is easy and if you put one of them in charge of the others your business really can run while you're not there or ill yourself.

    Andy
    Signature

    nothing to see here.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1976982].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      I've a few people let me down over the years but they were mostly programmers and I now have a way to avoid that and always get what I want first time from programming jobs I outsource.
      This got the most of my attention of anything in the thread. Care to share? or not it it's a future wso or something.

      Just what do you do to get that result?

      best wishes, lloyd
      .......__o
      .......\<,
      ....( )/ ( )...
      Signature

      Do something spectacular; be fulfilled. Then you can be your own hero. Prem Rawat

      The KimW WSO

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1981633].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
        Originally Posted by Lloyd Buchinski View Post

        This got the most of my attention of anything in the thread. Care to share? or not it it's a future wso or something.

        Just what do you do to get that result?

        best wishes, lloyd
        .......__o
        .......<,
        ....( )/ ( )...
        Hi Lloyd,

        It's not easy to explain without raising a whole bunch of questions.

        I've told a few people about it and they've always said they've never heard of anyone else doing it. It's based on a system I use for other things and naturally did for outsourcing. I've used it on small and big projects and it works great. I even use it with my own programmer and we sell high ticket software. It's based on a method I've developed for modeling what I want.

        It can be taught and it's something anyone can do with a little practice.
        Signature

        nothing to see here.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1982784].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author koncorps
    Cool posts guys.

    As an outsourcer myself I would agree with everything that's been said above.

    Props.
    Signature

    Signature appears.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1977010].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author keithdougherty
    Outsourcing is great and I personally utilize oDesk myself.

    You covered a very good point about setting up a system. I personally record videos showing the exact way I want something done. When I hire a new person, they go though orientation training and learn how to do the job. The allows me to quickly fill positions and make replacements without having to do a lot of hand holding.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1977023].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MassiveMarketer
    Outsourcing is really a good way to delegate tasks that are time-consuming and can be done by someone else at a lower cost. It's all about hiring the right person to do the task for you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1981920].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dsmpublishing
    Hi guys

    my tip is that when you hire outsourcers hire more on a part time basis for different jobs and the work levels are so much higher for example i have an assistant just for social bookmarking, one just for submitting articles and so on.

    I get quality staff for 56cent an hour but you have to be patient with your staff as they are not as experienced as you are.

    kind regards


    sam
    X
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1982647].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jay F
    This thread is a good read.

    My question to follow-up is about data security. Do any of you have concerns about giving out your user ids and passwords? How do you manage data security with someone you have never met and potentially have no references for?
    Signature

    I'm working on some new things. So, nothing to promote just yet.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1982723].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vitaly Makarkin
    Brilliant advices guys!

    I love reading threads like this one. But have a question about hiring people, if English is my second language.

    What can you recommend for me?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1983933].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author honeyyoung
      Originally Posted by Vitaly Makarkin View Post

      Brilliant advices guys!

      I love reading threads like this one. But have a question about hiring people, if English is my second language.

      What can you recommend for me?
      If English is your second language, i recommend you hire Filipinos. Filipinos are very patient and as English is their second language as well, they will not judge you. You will be very comfortable hiring a Filipino. Check my sig for a great place to hire Filipino freelancers. HTH!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1988148].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Lagarde
    Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

    Hi everyone,

    9) Avoid having work done by one person and passed off to another for completion. For example it is better to have ONE person write an article and submit it rather than having it passed off. Wasted time equals less work done. Hire several people and have them trained on everything in time.
    I agree everything in your great post except the above. It's hard to find an inexpensive writer who can write with personality AND handle a variety of technical skills. For me, it's a rare combination of talents to find, and if you do, you will be paying more for the combo.

    Instead, I have one person write the articles, and another handle the posting into client's Wordpress websites for publication. Inevitably, I pay more for good writing, and a lot less for tech work.

    And regarding the ups and downs of relying on outsourcers. I've learned to always have backups. I used Odesk and if I find I'm down to one person, I find two more who can help me.

    For people who are intimidated by the hiring process, get started with Odesk. Watch their support videos (short and to the point), and setup a job. You can make it private meaning it won't be seen. When you are ready, you can make it a public job posting, or keep it private, and invite select individuals.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1984057].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author andybeveridge
    What a great Thread. I have just started to outsource some work, but as its the first week I can't give you any feedback. What I can say is this, I don't use credit cards and didn't realise that Odesk required that as a payment.
    I picked out one of the applicants and asked him if we could move away from Odesk as I prefer to use paypal. He accepted this, so don't be put of if you don't have a credit card.
    Signature

    Become a Digi Warrior and join us in the successful Dig Warrior IM Academy
    Join us at www.digiwarrior.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1984069].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author YanKirby
    Hi Chris,

    I see you started your own outsource thread. This is good as I know A LOT of warriors are still misguided when it comes to outsourcing to the philippines.

    Well, I would generally agree to what you wrote in your post. I do have a lot more to share and i dont know where to start.

    So here's something on top of my head:

    1.) For best results, get your connections up and running. It is always better to have a manager to have everything done and monitored for you. This is far easier for me as im in PH (but believe me, I had a hard time starting out).

    2.) The brightest and cheapest ARTICLE WRITERS are not it bestjobs.ph or odesk. They are your fresh college grads. I hired a friend's friend who was a cum laude. She wrote for me for three months at $350 then increased to $400/month on the 3rd month. And do note, she's a lot brighter than I am in terms of logic. LOL

    3.) Get the best automation tools and let them use it. I have 3 people working for me right now and they are using SEnuke, AMA, UAW and Traffic Geyser (Check my sig)

    With everything said and done, youll end up doubling their work instead of them doing manual.

    Again, this are just what's on top of my head. If you need anything, please reply and ill try to help out as much as i could.

    Hope this helps a lot of warriors.

    All the best,
    -Yan Kirby
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1984115].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    Yan - I'm REALLY tempted to give UAW a shot. Are you able to educate me a bit on how well it works? Is it something you've been able to measure or at least get a really solid feeling for? I understand the concept ... no duplicate content, and massive penetration of articles on many many sites. Just wondering if it's worth the time spent. It looks good. John Jonas recommends it also.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1985101].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author YanKirby
      Chris,

      Compared to AMA, I get better results when using UAW. This has been the case for a lot niches that I tried entering. Dont get it the wrong way, AMA is really good especially when it comes to long term backlinks as I still get links from articles I submitted almost 2 months ago.

      Give UAW a shot. Its a bit pricey but I highly recommend using it.

      All the best,
      -Yan Kirby

      Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

      Yan - I'm REALLY tempted to give UAW a shot. Are you able to educate me a bit on how well it works? Is it something you've been able to measure or at least get a really solid feeling for? I understand the concept ... no duplicate content, and massive penetration of articles on many many sites. Just wondering if it's worth the time spent. It looks good. John Jonas recommends it also.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1985596].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Johnnyfx
    Great post Chris. Thank you for sharing.
    Signature

    I’m an Internet marketing Consultant. Hit me up if you’re struggling to grow your traffic or need to boost your conversion rate.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1986109].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CNP3
    Chris,

    Thanks for the info... I have heard from many people that hiring people in the Phillipines is the best bet! Where do you go to find these people?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1988197].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author honeyyoung
      Originally Posted by CNP3 View Post

      Chris,

      Thanks for the info... I have heard from many people that hiring people in the Phillipines is the best bet! Where do you go to find these people?
      You can try easyoutsource.com. We have a wide pool of Filipino online freelancers. You can register at the site and post a job for free. HTH!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1991834].message }}

Trending Topics