A place to outsource everything!
What to outsource? And where is the best place to outsource? Not only valid, but extremely important questions, both.
But let’s start with the why!
Why outsource?
That should not even be a question. If you think you do not outsource, you are wrong, that is how common it is. Every time you buy any business service from anyone (a signboard to display ads, an ad agency to make your commercial, an import agent to get that container off the docks), you are essentially ‘outsourcing’ one part of your business process. Is that business process essential to your business? Yes of course. But it is not core! That is not why you are in business. If you sell shoes, for example, your core business is selling shoes, period. Everything else can and should be outsourced. Two reasons that should be enough justification to consider outsourcing everything except your core business:
- lower costs
- more focus on core business
Core business is the reason you are in business. It is the answer to the questions, “why am I in business?” A shoe seller is in business to sell shoes. Core business should be said as simply and in as few a words as possible - this helps in staying focused. No fancy visionary statements or mission objective or bouquets like that, not when we are talking core. And just so that we are clear, focusing on your core business does not neccessarily mean that you do it yourself, but it is what makes your business yours.
So where do we look to outsource your business processes?
The only place you’ll ever need is: Elance
Elance (http://elance.com/) is not only the biggest network of ‘people for hire’, they are also one of the most comprehensive. Given that they have over 130,000 professionals (including companies) listed with reviews, spread over eight categories including Web design, Admin Support, Legal, Sales & Marketing, you have to try to come up with processes that can’t be outsourced to some budding professional (or a team of professionals) over at Elance. You want anything done, chances are very high that you will find someone competent to do it for you. And that is the beauty of it - competence is one thing that Elance helps you measure with great effect.
Selecting competent people for the job
Their ratings and reviews feature is one thing that you should pay close attention to while ’shopping’ for professionals. After you have posted your project on Elance, pay attention the reviews and feedback of the companies/indviduals who have placed bids on your project.
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You should not only look at the the proposal submitted by the bidder but for highly critical project, try to find a bidder with an average feedback of 90% (there are bidders with more than 100% feedback based on 100’s of projects). Not only that, you should click on the feedback to go to a detailed version of the reviews. Many a times, a lot of the ‘little things’ are said in a review that may help you better decide on a prospective vendor.
If you have never used the Internet for outsourcing your work requirements, we’d say that it is high time that you do! Trillions of dollars worth of business is done on the Internet each year. Elance alone has helped people earn more than 130 Million Dollars since 2005! There are a lot of competent people on Elance, just waiting to just make your day!
Just to get an idea on the number of things you can outsource at Elance, read 100 Projects you can Elance at the Elance blog.
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Elance is exploitative for vendors. It is not in the best interest of buyers either, especially where quality and customization is needed.
As an outsourcing project manager since 1987, I’m horrified and saddened by the potential for Elance to disrupt established vendor patterns.
An alternative framework is offered by the article that is the number one search result on Google [Feeling Lucky?] for ‘How to Outsource.’
C’mon man, base your opinion on facts… what you’ve said, to much of it, I agree … but what exactly are ‘established’ vendor patterns to begin with? :/