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Outsourcers the root cause of Stress or maybe not?

by Ernie Lo
16 replies
After outsourcing various Article Marketers usually from the Indian region (no offense) I had actually given up.

I don't know if its a language issue or what but they seem to always promise you the world and never deliver.

  • Poor writing skills (I have ALWAYS had to rewrite whole sentences on each article). It actually ended up being faster to start from scratch myself.

  • They never get back to you via email on a timely manner. I mean how hard is it to email a client with the first few samples as requested. They always end up sending you the whole lot days later and then you have no choice accepting their work...well at least I find it hard, because I feel bad for them.
Anyway I had given up and started writing articles myself. This produced much better results and allowed me to learn about my niche better. I actually recommend people do this at least from the beginning.

After a while I knew it was not cost effective to keep writing the articles myself everyday so off I went back to Elance searching for that needle in the hay stack.......that piece of gold depp underground.......that special someone who could write decent English and actually deliver what they promise.

Yesterday I found one! This time a girl which wrote 99% perfectly and delivered me my articles within a few hours! She was nice, seemed generously interested and has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

Point is, don't give up...there are some gem outsources out there
#outsourcers #root #stress
  • Profile picture of the author Dean Shainin
    I've felt your pain Ernie,

    My best writers I've found right here on the Warrior Forum. I've tried so many other places with mixed results. The key is to find a great writer and keep them writing for you...

    To YOUR Success,
    Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author l3vi501
    I had the same problem for a long time till I learned how to write a RFP and make the bidders write up an proposal that covered line-by-line what they had to do. Now I do not do much of anything and it is all lanced. And yes I use guys from India.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbode
    It's all in how you communicate... I basically qualify my potential writers by giving them strict requirements and tell them I will reject their articles if they don't meet them... plus there are a ton of other places to find writers outside the big freelancing sites - just do some research
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    • Profile picture of the author tyroneshum
      Originally Posted by jbode View Post

      It's all in how you communicate... I basically qualify my potential writers by giving them strict requirements and tell them I will reject their articles if they don't meet them... plus there are a ton of other places to find writers outside the big freelancing sites - just do some research
      True. Everything that's happening after the hiring the process is actually the effect of miscommunication -- you might have missed some instructions, agreements and also getting them into your "tests" for them to qualify according to your business needs because the reason you outsource is to not waste another time rewriting their works since you must have known if they can write effectively for you or not right from the start. Skype interviews and initial skill tests for instance could let you see if they're worthy to get hired.

      Another thing is it's better to hire virtual staff from outsourcing firms rather than freelancers because these people have better training and knowledge with their skill sets. Also, they have been supervised by their firms for a certain time so you won't have problems with them when it comes to testing their productivity at work, time management and submitting reports/accomplishments -- they're used to it.

      Otherwise, you could look through dedicated freelance websites such as Bestjobs.ph and oDesk while you can also peek through each staff's portfolios and see how they work.
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      • Profile picture of the author Gwen_Iler
        Originally Posted by tyroneshum View Post

        True. Everything that's happening after the hiring the process is actually the effect of miscommunication -- you might have missed some instructions, agreements and also getting them into your "tests" for them to qualify according to your business needs because the reason you outsource is to not waste another time rewriting their works since you must have known if they can write effectively for you or not right from the start. Skype interviews and initial skill tests for instance could let you see if they're worthy to get hired.

        Another thing is it's better to hire virtual staff from outsourcing firms rather than freelancers because these people have better training and knowledge with their skill sets. Also, they have been supervised by their firms for a certain time so you won't have problems with them when it comes to testing their productivity at work, time management and submitting reports/accomplishments -- they're used to it.

        Otherwise, you could look through dedicated freelance websites such as Bestjobs.ph and oDesk while you can also peek through each staff's portfolios and see how they work.
        Good point young man.........
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  • Profile picture of the author kimwriter
    Originally Posted by Ernie Lonardo View Post

    This time a girl which wrote 99% perfectly and delivered me my articles within a few hours! She was nice, seemed generously interested and has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.
    A girl which wrote 99% perfectly Interesting choice of language, I hope you don't write like this in your articles... on a light note.
    Anyway, this thread on outsourcing to Philippines has a lot of good advice that I believe is highly relevant in your case.
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  • Profile picture of the author affilorama-portal
    One thing about outsourcing your articles is that you need to remember that writing about the same thing day in and day out will eventually burn out your outsourcer and that's when the quality starts to slowly decline. You will find the written work beginning to look/sound all the same.
    The best thing to do is to have several writers and and have all of them write about all topics that you need articles for. Each one will approach it differently and give you greater variety.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Hey Ernie,

    I've found that this is only a problem if you're trying to pay too little.

    There are a lot of good writers around and many of this forum's members offer good high quality writing services.

    I can think of several warriors who I know I could just give writing work to and it would get done.

    Now, they're not going to charge $2 an article, so I think you get what you pay for.

    The point is - finding good writers is not the problem - finding good writers that will write for peanuts probably is though.



    Andy
    p.s. I'm not saying you're paying peanuts, just that the cost is a big factor.
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    • Profile picture of the author FredJones
      Unfortunately, you are right about the Indian region. I belong to India and I see a mix of talent around me.

      English is neither the spoken language in India, and nor it is the first language of most Indians too. It is just a language taught in the process of education.

      As a result, Indians think in Indian languages and then end up translating their thoughts into English. That degrades the quality in most cases.

      There are still high-end article writers who charge for their services and get a good job done. But as I said, it is a mix of the two types when it comes to writing English.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ernie Lo
      LOL Andy you make a good point. However I was always told if your going to do something do it right. So whether the price is $2 or $20 an article, they should be atleast good enough for the buyer not to have to rewrite. I thought Indians could get away with charging so little due to the lost cost of living there...

      PS: No you're right, I am paying peanuts for them:p Well $4 each isn't being too much of a cheap ass I don't think LOL, I've paid much lower in the past.



      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post


      Now, they're not going to charge $2 an article, so I think you get what you pay for.

      The point is - finding good writers is not the problem - finding good writers that will write for peanuts probably is though.



      Andy
      p.s. I'm not saying you're paying peanuts, just that the cost is a big factor.
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    • Profile picture of the author jeffed209
      It seems luck can be a factor but persistence is a virtue!
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  • Profile picture of the author jedz
    Banned
    Of course not.

    It's just a matter of choosing the right person to do the job. Philippines is one of the world's most popular outsourcing destinations with some distinct advantages over countries like India and China.

    I suggest to hire outsourcing company in the Philippines, compare to other outsourcing providers, Filipino's are quite acquainted with American language and culture since we had been once governed by Americans.
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  • Profile picture of the author MassiveMarketer
    I agree with Jedz. There are a lot of good writers from the Philippines. But of course, it's still important to be sure and know the capabilities of the person to do the job. There are a lot of writers out there. Someone's bound to impress you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gwen_Iler
    Originally Posted by Ernie Lonardo View Post

    After outsourcing various Article Marketers usually from the Indian region (no offense) I had actually given up.

    I don't know if its a language issue or what but they seem to always promise you the world and never deliver.

    • Poor writing skills (I have ALWAYS had to rewrite whole sentences on each article). It actually ended up being faster to start from scratch myself.

    • They never get back to you via email on a timely manner. I mean how hard is it to email a client with the first few samples as requested. They always end up sending you the whole lot days later and then you have no choice accepting their work...well at least I find it hard, because I feel bad for them.
    Anyway I had given up and started writing articles myself. This produced much better results and allowed me to learn about my niche better. I actually recommend people do this at least from the beginning.

    After a while I knew it was not cost effective to keep writing the articles myself everyday so off I went back to Elance searching for that needle in the hay stack.......that piece of gold depp underground.......that special someone who could write decent English and actually deliver what they promise.

    Yesterday I found one! This time a girl which wrote 99% perfectly and delivered me my articles within a few hours! She was nice, seemed generously interested and has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

    Point is, don't give up...there are some gem outsources out there
    That is a lovely story you got there.......I hope there will be no twists like a handsome employer getting infatuated to his employee or something like that....lol.... I was just kidding.....

    Good point Ernie and point well taken.....
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    • Profile picture of the author Ernie Lo
      LOL thanks Gwen.

      You know whats funny.....this is the longest I've ever chatted to a female online and haven't asked for pics

      Originally Posted by Gwen_Iler View Post

      That is a lovely story you got there.......I hope there will be no twists like a handsome employer getting infatuated to his employee or something like that....lol.... I was just kidding.....

      Good point Ernie and point well taken.....
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      • Profile picture of the author Gwen_Iler
        Originally Posted by Ernie Lonardo View Post

        LOL thanks Gwen.

        You know whats funny.....this is the longest I've ever chatted to a female online and haven't asked for pics
        LMAO......I knew it.......

        Don't ask for her picture.....ask for something better.....like a CV or Resume with pictures and videos..... lol.........
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