First steps in outsourcing.... Lots of questions

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Jack Nacho

Hi guys,

I'm taking my first steps in outsourcing and wondering is there any advice from those that are well versed in it?

Essentially I'll be looking for someone where I can send a Wordpress template, Photoshop files, content etc to and they'll install/configure Wordpress & build the site for me, install plugins etc. Usually the template is around 90% of what I'm looking for and the Photoshop file would be for tweaks, logos and stuff like that.

So I can find lots of people on oDesk with the skills but is there anything I should look out for? I've been mainly filtering by skills, 1000+ hours billed, high rating, last active, Philippines and so on.

Is hourly rate a good judge of quality of work? Is there any rate I should be looking at for my required skills? It seems the high earners might be to skilled for what I need. Or how much do you pay the contractors to build Wordpress sites?

So next I'm wondering how people screen or test their potential contractors? How do you project manage them (Basecamp, TeamLab)? Do you trust them with access to servers to set up database and install Wordpress? Or do you do that yourself and pass them the admin login details?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Jack,
Actually I could install wordpress for you, add all the necessary plugins, setup a free theme of your choice with basic customization at no cost, just click the link on my signature to find out more...

Thanks
Kostas

Thanks

Signature

Want to know How you Should use Guest Blogging in 2016 ?

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6131466].message }}

ExpertSEOServices

12 years ago

Yes oDesk is very good for finding someone to work for you.
You will need to make sure you interview before you hire and make sure that you find someone who has good feedback and is reliable.

Thanks

Signature

[SOLO AD] REVIEW PRICES - Buyer Lists Included - Quality Solos - LIMITED GOING FAST!!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6133513].message }}

GodMode52

12 years ago

Filter by hours of work and 5 stars feedback. Be sure to have a good interview with them. I had pretty positive experience wirth Odesk

Thanks

Signature

Want Google Page ONE Rankings? [YES] [NO]

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134371].message }}

catonkeyboard

12 years ago

Yeah try Odesk

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134733].message }}

cashp0wer 12 years ago

Yes Odesk has worked well for me in the past. I've hired some great people from there. You just have to be careful and read their reviews, interview them, etc.
- Thanks
Signature
My Internet Marketing Blog - Warts And All!
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134774].message }}

Andrew Mak

12 years ago

for small seo task, just use fiverr

for development, use odesk

for graphic, video and writing, use warriorforum

Thanks

Signature

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134849].message }}

zelgly2

12 years ago

I have not used o desk's service but do they give any sample work done by the freelancer? Just curious to know.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134908].message }}

GodMode52 12 years ago

Originally Posted by zelgly2

I have not used o desk's service but do they give any sample work done by the freelancer? Just curious to know.

Yeah you can acess to freelancer's portofolio. There are also many tests , so you can judge by those too.
- Thanks
Signature

Want Google Page ONE Rankings? [YES] [NO]
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6134935].message }}

myeanne

12 years ago

Hi Jack,

I suggest to hire a Staff leasing company instead of a freelancer. because leased staff are permanent workers of a company and are easy to reach in case you need them. Freelancers do not have employers so they do as they please and sometimes cannot be contacted for various reasons.

Thanks

Signature

Staff Leasing
We Lease Offshore Employees
Hire inexpensive labor from the Philippines!

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6135262].message }}

zelgly2

12 years ago

Thanks for the info godmode52.When I need I will use odesk

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6137330].message }}

Marx Vergel Melencio

12 years ago

So you need to hire a reliable and trustworthy Wordpress developer, preferably with graphics design expertise, for a one-time project. Hmmm... Go here and check out relevant service offers posted by other warriors with Wordpress development and graphics design expertise. Look at their portfolios. Then, their reputation in this forum, in terms of providing relevant services and contributing info and advice related to their expertise. Next, their availability. Then, their turnaround delivery guarantee. Next, their prices. Then, their overall guarantee...

Thanks

Signature

â€¢ Deep Learning & Machine Vision Engineer: ARIA Research (Sydney, AU)
â€¢ Founder: Grayscale (Manila, PH) & SEO Campaign Manager: Kiteworks, Inc. (SF, US)

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6137381].message }}

Joe Mobley

12 years ago

Hey Jack. Welcome to the Warrior Forum.

I will make my comments in your quote. Realize that this is my experience. There are other who may have different recommendations yet are getting great results.

One trick I do is to do a job search, like I was looking for a project. Advanced search. 4.5 or better employer rating. The same keywords and skills you will be looking for. All jobs, even closed jobs.

What this will teach you is how highly rated employers are writing there job descriptions. You can almost copy-n-paste your job posting. Your learning curve will be dramatically shortened.

If most of your stuff is a bullet point list of items to setup, I would (and have) use a sharp VA do it. The details will determine if that is a fit for you.

Best of luck,

Joe Mobley

Originally Posted by Jack Nacho

Hi guys,

I'm taking my first steps in outsourcing and wondering is there any advice from those that are well versed in it?

Essentially I'll be looking for someone where I can send a Wordpress template, Photoshop files, content etc to and they'll install/configure Wordpress & build the site for me, install plugins etc. Usually the template is around 90% of what I'm looking for and the Photoshop file would be for tweaks, logos and stuff like that.

So I can find lots of people on oDesk with the skills but is there anything I should look out for? I've been mainly filtering by skills, 1000+ hours billed, high rating, last active, Philippines and so on.

I personally do not use an "hours" limit. There are many good contractors that work on fixed price projects. I also do not limit myself to Philippine contractors. Though most of my hires have been from the Philippines.

Is hourly rate a good judge of quality of work? No! Is there any rate I should be looking at for my required skills? It seems the high earners might be to skilled for what I need. Or how much do you pay the contractors to build Wordpress sites?

So next I'm wondering how people screen or test their potential contractors?
Have them do 1 project for you first to see how they work out.

How do you project manage them (Basecamp, TeamLab)? Do you trust them with access to servers to set up database and install Wordpress?

I have my accounts setup via Hostgators reseller hosting. Every website has it's own account with cpanel. You can create the account and give your contractor login and password information. Change the password when they're done and you're happy.

Or do you do that yourself and pass them the admin login details?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[ 1 ] Thanks

Signature

.

Follow Me on Twitter: @daVinciJoe

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6137616].message }}

Chris-

12 years ago

My advice for oDesk (which I use a lot myself). Break the task into smaller chunks, because then the easier parts can be outsourced to cheaper workers (data entry workers average about 20 cents an hour there).

So you could get one worker to install WordPress, another to do the required re-programming, and another to tweak the graphics.

Also, I never use hourly payment, because I know very well that most workers will work as slow as they can if they are getting paid hourly, so I only use fixed-price jobs. Note that although the minimum is $5 for a fixed-price job, it is easy enough to get something done for less than that, post the job for $5 for doing so many examples of the job, then just test them with one example first (you can test a whole bunch of workers before hiring any, which for cheaper workers is essential, because most of them won't ever reply however easy the job is that they've just applied for!), then say you'll pay per example, so it might be 50 cents per one of the job that they do. and some workers will bid lower anyway to get the positive feedback.

So, yes oDesk can be great for many types of work. I guess estimate what you think the job should cost, post that as a fixed-price job, then see what the bids are. Data-entry I pay typically around 20 cents an hour, but the workers won't be great for that rate

I have a couple of minor tweaks on WordPress, which I paid $5 for, but would have only been a few minutes work for someone who really knew what they were doing.

You could always ask here for estimates of the time it would take for a particular task to get done, then look at the average hourly rates for workers on oDesk who can do that type of work.

Chris

[ 2 ] Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6146603].message }}

The Offline Oracle

12 years ago

Thanks guys for all the feedback.

So I posted the job up on oDesk yesterday. I broke the job down very precisely with milestones etc. So essentially I told them that I'd supply a theme, cPanel access, page content and a Photoshop file (for theme layout mods) and would expect the full working site within 10 days, where the actual site would be finished in 6 and the other 4 for changes.

I've had a number of applicants including a couple from contractors I invited. A couple of things have stood out:

At least half of the applicants didn't fully read the job description (I put a phrase in there that they must repeat to demonstrate that they actually read it).
Some of them had the exact same, word for word, cover letter.
The guys that I invited did not discuss the job description. Just said I'm free and can start when you are ready.
They all seem to be quoting between $200 to $250. Which I can understand as the job I reckon would take 25 hours (assuming @ $10 an hour).

Applicants in points 1 and 2 above were declined.

There are a few guys quoting $100 but they have very little experience on oDesk. I guess they are quoting low to get a start.

I'll leave the job there for another few days to see if I get any further applications.

So the next step is chatting to them over Skype. What kind of stuff you ask during an interview?

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6146739].message }}

minion

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Jack Nacho

At least half of the applicants didn't fully read the job description (I put a phrase in there that they must repeat to demonstrate that they actually read it).
Some of them had the exact same, word for word, cover letter.
The guys that I invited did not discuss the job description. Just said I'm free and can start when you are ready.
They all seem to be quoting between $200 to $250. Which I can understand as the job I reckon would take 25 hours (assuming @ $10 an hour).

There are a lot of applicants who have multiple accounts - some of them even sign off using a name belonging to another profile. Also, I'm not sure the phrase thing is the best idea - instead, ask them a question that will require them to think about the project and demonstrate their experience around a particular topic. You'll find that many of them will answer using copy+paste from a Google search, and these applicants will be easy to identify and fiter out.

You can also check to see if they have other jobs in progress - If they're already working 40+ hours per week, decline them.

Don't be in a rush to give out your Skype details. If they are pushing for your Skype details, make sure you ask them some hard questions first - I've had a few that I gave my Skype details to, and they then attempted to sell their overpriced services via their website (not relating to the job at all)..

Finally, make sure you interview them properly. Ask them about previous experience, talk to them about their feedback/previous jobs - Google around for questions relating to the service they're going to provide. (for example: If they're going to be coding, ask them to solve a coding-related problem. You can find plenty of examples of these problems on StackOverflow.com).

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6178108].message }}

javajanks

12 years ago

My advice on oDesk is to stick with Phillipine contractors. I would not touch any other country, especially India. I tried 4 different times with 4 different projects and what I found with India contractors is they will say anything and do anything to get the job. Once they get it, suddenly things go quiet, emails go un-answered, deadlines are missed and whatever you get back is roughly one quarter of what you asked for.

And then they have to nerve to ask you for more money. Also be aware that some contractors may be really good in the beginning but be careful of the "Oh I have contracted an illness and need more money, can you front me some?"

If you find a good, reliable contractor- keep them.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6176995].message }}

WebPen

12 years ago

Chris had some awesome advice.

Generally- start small, break it into chunks, and work up into bigger contracts

Thanks

Signature

*Need help marketing your business?*

----Click Here to Join Me and Learn What Really Works!----

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6177298].message }}

First steps in outsourcing.... Lots of questions

Trending Topics

Can I change my username?

Check out DeepL Write

Is Wordpress Website Secure? - Emmanuel Katto

How did you turn it all around?

What's the Best IM-Related Skill to Learn Today That Can Help in the Future?