Outsourcing - the pros and cons

by Nathan Denton

Posted: 18 years ago 18 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I've used some outsourcing services in the past and have had varying degrees of success and failure. In recent times, some of the tasks in my business I have outsourced include:

- graphics and ebook covers
- website design
- content creation
- article services
- PLR products

Overall I have been very happy with the work produced through outsourcing. I had planned a Christmas promotion this year and outsourcing has caused it to fall over. Let me explain.

I submitted a project on Elance for the design of 10 Christmas-related websites. The sites were intended to promote Christmas gifts in this period of high search traffic and interest. The person I selected was not the cheapest however I was informed that the project could be completed to my requirements within the said time frame.

The project started off well with the contractor having completed 4 of the required sites which fit the bill. Half way through the project the contractor developed an eye infection which got worse over the preceding week. This caused a serious delay to the overall project and when it is complete (ETA this weekend) it will probably be too late for me to leverage off the Christmas traffic given how close it is to the big day.

The delay I experienced through outsourcing was no fault of the contractor involved, it was just unfortunate that they fell ill doing my project (dammit!). This experience will not stop me from outsourcing in the future but just highlights what may happen when you are on a deadline to complete a project.

#cons #outsourcing #pros

homebizbuilder 18 years ago

Hi, yes it is always good to plan ahead and get things ready beforehand. However, in life, it is sometimes difficult to do especially if you have more urgent tasks.

As usual, priorities need to be set.
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Nathan Denton 18 years ago

You're right. if i had my time again I would have commenced this particular prject back in Oct but had other things on. My initial plan was to do the site building myself but the time got the better of me. In an ideal world, the outsourced project would have been completed 3 weeks ago ready for December promotion.

Maybe next year
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Lavender

18 years ago

I think the other lesson here is not to rely on just one source for the services you need. You need at least one other person as backup in case things don't go according to plan with the first one. In your situation, I would have spread workload among two contractors. Just my two cents.

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Nathan Denton

18 years ago

Originally Posted by Lavender

You're right Lavender, i will have 2 - 3 backups next time. What i aim to do is build a list of contacts i can outsource source (i.e 1 or 2 programmers, graphics designers, copywriters etc) so that all my eggs aren't in the one basket.

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dvduval 18 years ago

I can't count the number of times one person fell through, and I had to go to another programmer or designer. This is "par" for the course. Fortunately, for me now I have multiple employees doing work each week, so I don't have to go searching for someone new if one person gets sick or is otherwise AWOL.
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Tim Dixon 18 years ago

I'm currently sort of sitting on the other side of the fence at the moment (see WSO in sig) and so it will be interesting to see the pressures and problems from an outsource providers point of view.

Although of course I should also add that I am not expecting there to be any problems with my WSO !

Tim
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GoGetta 18 years ago

Yep Outsourcing can have its downfalls!

I am lucky enough to have found a great outsourcer that has never let me down and always delivered! I think the biggest thing is trust and I remember the first thing I outsourced to him was a website design job for an offline business owner, and I was a little nervous to say the least as it was on my head not his if he didn't deliver.

He delivered and has done ever since so I think I may have been lucky to find him over others I may have come across!

You have been majorly unlucky as it seems maybe this was out of both of your hands, but you will never know for sure.

GoGetta
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- Frank Bruno 18 years ago
  
  Isn't that ironic that sometimes weird things happen to people who need the greatest asset that they have?
  
  Example: Someone who relys on vision to put food on the table. In your scenario it was the eye needed for site design.
  
  - How about the champion runner who gets a leg severed in an accident
  -or someone who teaches piano and gets arthritis so bad that they can't ever move thier fingers well enough to play piano again
  
  Theres others kind of similar, quite funny too...
  
  - Like the plumber who has leaking faucets in his house
  - The carpenters who's fence is falling down
  - The mechanic who has a car that won't start, needs a major tuneup, or leaks oil profusley
  
  Frank Bruno
  
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dbarnum

18 years ago

Also helps to plan in advance. For example, Christmas projects & campaigns should be ready 3-6 months in advance - -at least most of the work, with only small amounts left until last, like pricing.

Lots of outsourcing tips are posted on myWarrior blog, too, for handy reference, as we are an outsourcing team here and help many Warriors:

WarriorForum - Internet Marketing Forums - Personal Assistant, Virtual Assistant, Outsourcing

(....good blog to bookmark!)

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Nathan Denton

18 years ago

Originally Posted by dbarnum

in hindsight I realise this now dbarnum. I am forever doing things on the fly and really need to get my planning into order. This was a side project so it isn't going to make or break me. Just wanted to test a couple of theories.

nice blog!

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Daniel Deegan 18 years ago

Personally I have experienced both sides of the coin. I've had some great outsourcing experiences, yet I have had ones that where just horrible. It's a crap shoot till you build your own rolodex of people or just put together a virtual team on payroll.

Good help is hard to find. When I work with someone who does great work I do everything I can to make them want to keep working with me, it sucks trying to find new people.
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Steve Mount

18 years ago

Well, I know this could be a sort of a downer, but could you use the same sites for next Christmas? You'd just have to sit on them for awhile, but when the time comes, you'll be ahead of the game!

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Nathan Denton

18 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve Mount

Well, I know this could be a sort of a downer, but could you use the same sites for next Christmas? You'd just have to sit on them for awhile, but when the time comes, you'll be ahead of the game!

Yes they can definately be used for next year. I think they also fit into other holiday themes throughtout the year so i'll try adapt the site to easter, mothers day, fathers day, thanksgiving etc.

on the plus side the sites are now fully complete and the provider (she was from ELANCE) has agreed to discount the final payment - sweet!

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blakekr

18 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve Mount

Well, I know this could be a sort of a downer, but could you use the same sites for next Christmas? You'd just have to sit on them for awhile, but when the time comes, you'll be ahead of the game!

Plus next year might be a little more attractive economically.

Of course this won't work if you're promoting the fad toy of the year (Unicorn Barbie) but if it's more evergreen, you could be in the lead for 2009.

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johnng 18 years ago

I experimented with outsourcing 10 articles to be written. My experience was, I needed to specify the articles contents. I was trying out several authors so I need to specify the keywords and contents of each so I did not get duplicate, all a bit time consumimg. At the end, although the contents were unique I was not totally happy with the substence of the content. It could be I was expecting too much.
So, my conclusion, if I can identify one or two authors who can do a good job at a reasonable rate, I will outsource. The problem is find the authour in the first place.
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Nathan Denton 18 years ago

I think that's the way to go, find a few reliable outsources who you can work with on an ongoing basis. At least this way you will both know how each other operate and what you can expect from one another.

Nathan
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daddyg 18 years ago

Tim Ferris in his 4 hour work week book recommends finding virtual assistant companies where they have multiple team members who can complete the task if one of them falls ill for instance.

Graham
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Nathan Denton 18 years ago

Thanks for your insight Big Mike. Im realising that the more involved I get with different online ventures the more i am going to rely on outsourcing. I have spoken to many individuals who are fearfull of passing responsibility onto others however if you are to truly succeed and up-scale a business it is obviously the only way to go.
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Outsourcing - the pros and cons

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