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posted on:
6/28/2012 4:34:36 AM EST
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When Should I Outsource ?
James Francis, Outsourcing, Barbara Blevins, Mentoring Online
 VISIT WEBSITE (learn more)
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When Should I Outsource ?
If you’ve ever been frustrated to the point of quitting, or said “I can’t do it!”, then this tutorial is for you…
Most people start out online trying to do everything themselves.
However, eventually they learn about outsourcing (i.e. hiring other people to do things for them ), and finally their businesses start to grow quicker than ever before.
I have always been very cautious about outsourcing, probably because I have never really understood the process, or where to go for professional help.
James Francis, the well-known online marketer and coach shares his views here -
"The truth is, you don’t need to do everything yourself, and if you do try and do it all, you’ll get nowhere fast.
I once knew a guy who spent 2 months trying to install a WordPress blog on his website, only to have it finished within 20 minutes when he finally hired someone else (for $5) to do it for him !
But when should you start outsourcing, and is it for everyone?
There are two main reasons to outsource a task to someone else…
1) When It Could Save You Time And Effort
There are only so many hours in the day, and again, you can’t possibly do everything yourself – especially if you have other commitments.
So when you find yourself working more hours than you’d like to, that’s the time to start outsourcing.
In this case, the best way to decide what to outsource first is to follow this simple exercise…
Draw a big circle on a piece of paper.
Then, think about how you spend your time when you work on your business.
Do you spend 40% of your working hours on customer support?
Do you spend 20% of your time on activities related to web design?
Do you spend 10% of your time on link building?
It doesn’t have to be exact – just get a good idea about the time you spend on each activity within an average week.
Each time you settle on an average timeframe for each activity, divide your circle up between the activities, depending on how much time you spend on them.
When you’ve finished and are satisfied on the way it looks, take a step back and see which activities are sucking up the most of your time.
Firstly, look at the activity which has the biggest section of time spent.
If you can realistically get someone else to do it (even if you’d prefer to do it yourself), that is the activity you want to outsource first.
For example, when I first did this activity, I noticed I was spending 40% of my daily working hours on customer support.
Then I hired a customer support manager, which meant I then had 40% more time available to me on a daily basis - that’s a lot of extra time !
This meant I could spend that extra time on the activities within my business which actually made money ('growth areas'), and I haven’t looked back since.
Similarly, you should also outsource…
2) When You Physically Can’t Do A Task Yourself
This is a slightly easier method, as it doesn’t require any planning whatsoever…
If you physically can’t do a task yourself, get someone else to do it – whatever stage your business is currently at.
For example…
•If you can’t figure out how to install WordPress, get someone else to do it.
•If you can’t write content with good English, get someone else to do it.
•If you can’t design a professional product graphic for your free gift, get someone else to do it.
•If you can’t write effective copy for your product’s sales page, get someone else to do it.
It just goes on !
Getting someone else to do these tasks FOR you will not only help you lead a stress-free life, but it’ll also ensure you make progress quickly, and get out of the 'paralysis by analysis' mindset.
So if you can’t do something yourself, you don’t have the time, or you simply don’t want to – that’s when you should outsource your work to other seasoned professionals.
I personally use oDesk.com, but other great alternatives include Freelancer.com, Elance.com and Guru.com.
As soon as you do it once, I can guarantee you’ll be hooked for life".
To read more from James Francis - Click Here ! bit.ly/NQ8mEM
To Your Success !
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 | | Thanks for a great article Barbara, I especially liked the circle exercise. By outsourcing we can also spend our time on the things we enjoy and are better at. TB&L my friend |
| | |  | | Thanks for all your comments ! |
| | |  | | Excellent post Barbara with practical advice on what you can outsource and how to identify when you should consider it. TB&L as well. |
| | |  | | Great post Barbara, outsourcing is a key decision ofr most, the timing and cost implications need to be addressed. Too early and your outgoigs can fly upwards. Too late and you drown in the workload. |
| | | | | Can't do the technical stuff .... then find someone who can ! |
| | |  | | This is very nice post, I share for you |
| | |  | | This is a great post here. I'll be sharing this asap. |
| | |  | | Outsourcing is a great way to save some time. There are task that you want to outsource like article writing or social bookmarking. |
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