How To Get More Done: Outsourcing

Time cannot be reversed, or drastically slowed down so we can fit more in … can it?

We will all often hear people say that they simply do not have time to put in the amount of effort they need to really get their offline or online endeavours off the ground.

So why is it then that some people can? What I want to share with you today is a little process that could help you to get more done, a LOT more done…

We all have 24 hours in the day, so what can you do to turn that same amount of time you already have, in to something that provides you with tangible ‘results’…

Ultimately your efforts will be measured by what you’ve achieved, not on how busy you’ve been.

You need to have some idea of how long you are spending over the various elements of your offline or online endeavours…

Here’s a checklist by which to assess your activities…

Do you need to perform this task at all – is it indispensable to your progress? For example, carrying out research into your niche or keywords for it, is absolutely vital when setting up a website or Google Adwords campaign perhaps, and time should be invested in this. On the other hand, if your website is entirely ready but not yet online because you spent a week looking for the ‘perfect’ header, then that is “lost time” Your website (and bank account!) can’t claw back that time and lost revenue that it wasn’t online. (It is important to ensure your sites look professional, and of a high quality, but finishing each of your projects and getting them earning money for you, is critical…)

If the assignment is vital, is there a different, easier, way of doing it? For example, if you want to construct your own website but you are still struggling with HTML or with getting to grips with Dreamweaver (very powerful but a bit daunting for non-techies), perhaps it would be easier to install something like WordPress instead? (It’s free and pretty user-friendly.) And if you’re still sending emails to your ‘list’ from your own mail account (and do please avoid free accounts like Hotmail and Yahoo if you wish to appear both professional and also not just a one-man band), maybe you could think about using autoresponder software instead? AWeber is inexpensive and easy to use. You can send out fancy-looking HTML newsletters with it and add opt-in forms on your WordPress site using it too.

If you’re still struggling – can you get someone else to do it for you? Our own efforts really took off when we stopped trying to do everything ourselves and started getting other people to do the things we found boring, or which would have presented us with a steep learning curve.

… And before you say ‘I can’t afford to outsource anything’, it may well be of use to add up the ‘real’ cost to you of not outsourcing. Using the economics term of ‘opportunity cost, remember the need to factor in your time spent carrying out tasks at which you’re not as good as someone else, the potential loss of online earnings whilst learning new skills, loss of time to spend on revenue-earning activities, etc.

This approach to time management really can do wonders for your productivity and bottom-line!

Remember that all of the extra time you create for yourself by making these decisions about where to focus your energies can be spent moving your business forward … or on personal activities like spending time with your family.

So the next time you feel like you’re suffering from overwhelm, take a moment or two and assess whether you need to be doing those tasks at all. With a bit of research maybe you can find an easier way of doing it, or maybe get somebody else to do it entirely…

Check out our preferred outsourcers for high-quality, great value support.

January 10, 2012July 6, 2012

Business tip from Vinden Grace

Buying (& pricing advice!) from over a century ago

Something to weave into sales copy……in more modern language of course….

“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little a getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.”

This is a classic quote on the possible folly of automatically choosing low cost as the best way to make a purchase decision.

The common law of business balance is a meditation on price attributed to John Ruskin (1819 – 1900).

Useful also to convince prospects why they should pay more for your superior offerings!

November 1, 2011December 31, 2011

Outsourcing and the golden rules to follow for best results

Why use Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is one of the best ways to free up your most important asset: your time. And to improve your financial bottom-line. Hiring others to handle everyday or even specialized functions (especially non-revenue earning) within your overall Internet marketing plan can be a shortcut to superb financial success.

How best to make outsourcing work

In order for outsourcing to work, however, it must be done the right way. That involves a lot of different considerations. You need to know how to hire and who to hire for outsourcing. You need to develop the right organization skills and learn to be a Project Manager. You also need to approach your contract workers with the right attitude. Outsourcing is vital but not a quick fix. Start with a small project and measure the outsourcing company’s success. The saving of time and low-cost associated can be a great benefit of outsourcing.

What not to do re: outsourcing

Too many Internet marketers deal with contractors as if they’re robots. They make unreasonable demands both in terms of work-load and timescales. They communicate with the outsourced workers in a superior tone. They don’t handle disagreements or questions with civility. It’s sometimes as if outsourcing turns otherwise nice Internet marketers into slave-driving monsters. That often results in disagreements, missed timescales, low productivity and even shoddy products. Not great for your reputation!

Source for outsourcing

We can provide you with great outsourcing resources from a large, tried and tested company that we have happily used many times over a number of years. Contact us for more information about the best route for outsourcing.

The best way to make outsourcing work for you

That’s not the best way to make outsourcing work for you. You should approach those with whom you’re working with respect, politeness, understanding and decency. That’s the best way to forge valuable, lasting relationships with your outsourcing company and to encourage the best possible work from contractors. Additonally, be sure that you’ve clearly specified your requirements and documented the agreed project scope and timescales of the work. Pay close attention to these guidelines and you’ll certainly benefit from outsourcing.