Three Common Outsourcing Mistakes 

As a small business owner, you are probably looking for a cost-effective way to expand your operation. One of the best ways to do this is through outsourcing. It will cost you money, but the returns are well worth the investment as long as you are doing things properly, which means avoiding the following mistakes.

Outsourcing Based Solely On Price 

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of choosing a service provider based solely on price. They are looking for the cheapest solution and don’t look further than price. The problem is that thus type of outsourcing has a tendency to backfire because the results are usually less than adequate. This means the project will take longer to complete and will, in fact, end up costing even more money, especially if all the work has to be redone.

This is why it’s best to look at everything you are being offered. You need to find someone who is offering good value, meaning that there is a good balance between price and quality. For example, if you are outsourcing your article writing, you might be tempted to go with someone charging $1 per article because it’s cheap. But then, when you receive the finished product, the writing is barely legible and the articles make no sense, which shouldn’t be a surprise. When someone is charging such a low price, they have to do a high volume of work every day to survive, which means the quality will be less than impressive.

So, you will then have to get them rewritten, which will only cost you more and waste time. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to go with the most expensive service provider, but you do need to look at more than price and choose the middle ground.

Being Vague 

Another common issue when it comes to outsourcing is a lack of clarity when defining the scope of the project. Some entrepreneurs don’t think things through and expect the service provider to know exactly what they want. This is never going to happen. If you want to make sure the results meet your requirements, then you need to explain in detail what you are expecting. The more detailed you are, the better the chances of you getting what you actually need.

Not Setting Deadlines 

Another mistake that can completely derail your project is not setting clear deadlines. If you hire someone for a project but don’t set a deadline, that person will naturally focus on projects for other clients they perceive as being more urgent because a deadline was set. Thus, you could be waiting weeks if not months for the completion of your project. By setting a clear schedule, your project will never fall to the bottom of the pile.

Outsourcing is an art as much as it is a science, but it is clearly essential to anyone who wants to grow his or her business. It is the most cost-effective way for a small business owner to take advantage of different skill sets and will allow you to get the professional results you need without having to pay through the nose for it.

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