1 outsourcing secret I learned the hard way...

I can agree with this. Bonus rewards to freelancers make them put you into priority as well. If they give you content that is top-notch and you're going to stick with them anyway, then they are doing something right. Rewarding them here and there is a great way to build loyalty, and you can eventually turn that freelancer into your team mate.

This video says it all...


All the best,
Michael

For me you get what you pay for. If you decide to save on things you shouldn't, you're bound to feel the effects of that later on.

Thanks for sharing.

This is a great point, and the motivation of outsourcers will determine the quality of their outputs, and their feelings will affect their motivation, so the quality.

George,

What I usually do is propose a counter offer, if I'm in the mood or if the client's products have potential for good sales margins, which goes something like:

We'll gladly do this project for you at this discounted $XXX rate, along with XX% commissions per sale and/or lead that'd be generated by the materials we'll develop for you, one year upon product launch/publication. This means we'll implement our own traffic generation and offsite marketing campaigns, using our own time and resources, to drive prospects to your offers, so we can earn more commissions. Let me know...

Since 2005, particularly in our corporate and non-corporate departments, all similar counter offers I proposed converted into short term "trial" contracts, which were all renewed to long term contracts. We recently launched this as an "official" offer in our per-order department, so we're still monitoring the results of this new per-order offer of ours...

Great post - I personally have not outsourced anything, but when I do I'll keep this in mind.

Another great thread! Also thanks to Michael for the video ;d

I agree on this - if you want to make business as a manager, you should respect those who lead you to the money. And if you are not getting any profit out of it, then the problem is in your idea, not the outsourcer.

Very good tip. I'm not into outsourcing my business yet, but this really could be a game changer, and something to definitely think about.

Thanks George!

Yeah, I never haggle with freelancers unless they come in at a bid way above the stated project budget, although in those cases I usually just ignore the bid.

The tricky thing is that with freelance work, you don't always get what you pay for. With anything ambitious, I always look for bidders who appear to have actually read my project description and display some real insight into how they would accomplish it.

I paid my freelancer a $20 tip today

Most people, for most outsourcing, CAN'T haggle! They may think they can, but they CAN'T! OH, they may get a price that means they don't pay much, but it may be a high price. Case in point? My father told me of how he was up against a company offering to charge the customer a lot less. My FATHER got the sale! HOW?

My father showed the customer all the stuff they would need, that wasn't quoted, and then asked "What ELSE are they missing?"! And I have been on contracts where people cut things to the bone and offered the MINIMUM, and ones that had a bigger budget, allowed a lot of scope creep, and freebies. Who REALLY got the better deal?

And ever see holmes on homes? He rips apart and fixes homes that are built/remodeled on the cheap. The labor is NOT LICENSED, BONDED, or SKILLED. Homes are NOT inspected, or built to code. Watch it sometime! Some seemingly stupid codes have a reason, and putting copper pipes on the outside of a lobby overhang, especially when they aren't insulated and it is cold, is MORONIC! IMAGINE! They could burst, you could be without water, the home could get flooded and rot, and guests could get DRENCHED, and that is JUST what ONE contractor did!

MORAL? If you are not a virtual EXPERT on what they must do, have experience, and lay out PRECISELY what you want, you probably do NOT want to do what those stupid courses George Katsoudas spoke about said to do. They will limit what you can expect, and you may actually end up spending MORE for he project, and getting LESS! And AT LEAST ask for mockups, or plans, on a small part of the project. MOST good contractors will be willing to do that, and it shows talent and what they are planning.

Steve

Pay the price and you will get great help

And there's the rub.

How do you find a good freelancer?
How do I recognize a good freelance when I see one?
What does a good freelancer look like? sound like? act like?

Recommendations from people you don't know?
Recommendations from friends, colleagues, peers, but you don't know the ins and outs of their business?
Resumes? Portfolios? References?
Behaviorial interviewing? Round robin interviews?
Credit checks?...

I do a fair amount of hiring of employees and selecting vendors in my day job. Believe me when I tell you that there's no real way to predict someone's future in your business.

Strasburgo

I am also a freelancer ,a graphics designer .
I am always satisfied by my job ,that's way I am free from such kind of tension.
I love my job so much ,it's not means that I only love this job also it's price ,
I think or my believe a better work can get better price or a better price can be a prize of better better job .
So if you wanna earn best you must provide your best .
Think about your job not price, your work will bring it.

What I do with my outsources is set expectations before they start...if I pay them what they are asking for i want "x" done and then a follow up report. When they say yes most of them will keep to their word and if not move on to another one as the pool especially on odesk is quite deep.

I agree with this, you want quality content for a reason-dont scam people if you want quality. On a side note, I always find that outsourcing is never the best solution. If you have time, write your own content.

I would never haggle over price to get the work done because I do not have time to do it myself or I can't do it period. I can spend a little time shopping price and quality and get the most for my money.

yes! I take care of my outsourcer she makes my life much easier.. I also give her bonuses when i make more then i thought i was going to make.

This is true, but there is a very high percentage of freelancers who deliver very poor quality even if you pay them what they asked for.
From my experience, out of 10 only one or two would be the real asset.