Congratulations, you have recognized that you can’t do it all alone and identified the best way to fill the needs of your business is to outsource. To ensure you connect with the best person for your needs, do your pre-work.
Before you ever begin the hiring process, write down a Profile Sheet for each new Team member, detailing specific duties you want them to perform. And be as detailed and specific as possible. Don’t just put “manage social media” beside “Task # 1”; put down “write 5 posts each week for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, schedule posts on all networks, monitor daily and respond to comments and tweets, increase targeted contacts by 20 per month and 8 blog posts per month.”
Then write down whether or not you expect the virtual assistant to:
- Supply graphics to accompany their posts and blogs
- Research new media outlets
The more specific you are, the better your chances of hiring someone with those exact skills. If you hire a social media manager and assume she’ll provide graphics and this is not a service she provides you may be in for a rude awakening.
Leaving out details provides room for disappointment and frustration on both sides.
Balancing Your Budget
You need to make sure any hiring you do will bring a good, solid return on your investment – and that you can consistently afford to maintain wages or fees.
A freelance contractor will most likely be your most cost-effective hiring solution, if yours is a small, online service business. With regular employees, you need to worry about taxes, benefits and government requirements: Outsource contractors take care of their own taxes and don’t receive benefits or vacation time.
- Determine the amount you can currently allot to outsourcing or hiring.
- Familiarize yourself with rates for the professionals you have decided you need. Keep in mind cheaper is not always better.
- Determine:
How much money per month you can allow each team member
Whether or not you’d prefer to pay: hourly, per project, monthly, per package
How many hours per month you can afford, based on current rates
Think about your budget carefully so you can find a professional who is a good fit for you the first time. Ultimately this saves you money on the process of researching, interviewing and training.
If you have a question about outsourcing, we’d love to hear from you. Please post your questions in the comments.
