Tag Archives: writing a product launch outsourcing ad

Product Launch Outsourcing – Managing Your Outsourcing Projects

So far in this series on getting help with your product launch, we’ve covered…

…knowing when and what to outsource, how to write a compelling ad to attract the most qualified people, and how to recruit the best person for your needs.

In this message, we’re going to look at Step Four: Managing Your Product Launch Outsourcing Projects

Once you hire one or more people to complete a job, it’s up to you to manage the project.

Here’s what you need to know to make everything go more smoothly:

• Make your expectations clear. Same as when you’re writing a project ad, you need to be clear about your expectations.

For example, if you prefer files to be delivered in a Zip file, let your freelancer know.

If you want them uploaded to DropBox, be clear about it.

Your freelancer isn’t a mind reader, and you’ll get better results when you are very clear about what you want.

• Explain what you like and want more of. When your freelancer does something the right way, let them know you’re really happy with the work and that you want more work in that style.

For example, if you hire a video producer who adds a “doodle style” demo to a video that you really like, let them know what you liked about it and that you want more videos like that.

• Let them know how often you want updates/communication. Some people prefer daily updates, some prefer every other day, some are fine with weekly or twice-monthly updates.

You need to be clear upfront about what you want.

TIP: You may ask for more frequent updates in the beginning, and then request less frequent communication once you and your freelancer have established a good relationship.

Be sure your freelancer knows you’re always available for questions, and let them know to alert you immediately whenever there is a problem or potential problem.

• Provide the required resources and information. In other words, give your freelancer the tools he or she needs to complete the job.

For example, if you’re asking your freelancer to write an article, provide resources with the facts and other information needed to complete that article.

• Consider giving a bonus for exceptional work. This bonus might come in the form of a direct financial reward on top of the regular payment, which is the preferred bonus for most freelancers.

However, in some cases you might give your freelancer a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant or another surprise reward for exceptional work.

• Praise good work along the way. Obviously, your freelancer is doing the work in exchange for money.

However, frequent praise for good work can make the project feel much more rewarding for your freelancer.

TIP: Praise for good work helps build a good relationship between you and your freelancer.

In turn, a freelancer may make special accommodations for you in the future, such as scheduling your projects first or giving you an unexpected discount.

• Be cordial and specific when tweaks are needed. From time to time your freelancer may not complete the work exactly as you envisioned.

Your first step is to go back to your brief and written communications to check if you were clear about what was needed.

Then politely let the freelancer know what specific tweaks you need to complete the project.

TIP: If the fault rests with your communication, then take responsibility for not being more clear, pay for the necessary corrections, and vow to do better in the future.

• Be aware of time zone differences. In addition, ask your freelancer their preferred hours for conference calls and other communications.

For example, someone may have a six-hour time difference from you, but they may be night owls or early risers who work much the same hours as you do.

TIP: If you’re hiring someone from another country, be aware of holidays, power outages and other circumstances that may affect your freelancer’s regular work days.

Also, if you’re in the United States and you hire someone from a country like Australia, take note that while you’re right in the middle of your Friday, they’re already into Saturday (and thus they may not be working).

• Complete the project with appropriate feedback. Here you should mention both the good things, and the things you want changed for the future.

Then be sure to follow up with a prompt payment to close out the project. (In other words, once your freelancer has delivered the final project, review it quickly so that you can make the final payment promptly.)

One last tip: if you’re using an outsourcing site, then communicate through the channels provided on the site.

This offers you some degree of protection in case there is a problem, plus it helps ensure that you’re not sending emails back and forth that may end up in a bulk email folder or otherwise get lost.

Now let’s wrap things up…

Closing Thoughts

Now that you know the four-step process for finding, hiring and managing people to help you with your product launch or with ongoing business activities, you too can start enjoying the results soon!

While the entire process can take some time upfront to comb through candidates to find the ones most suited for your needs, it’s time well spent.

So get started on the process today, and start reaping the rewards of hands-free outsourcing!

Warm regards,

Rocky

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. My 1-2-3 List Building Cheat Sheet will show you how to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here.

2. How To Create A Signature Product Out Of Thin Air In 72 Hours Or Less
Creating your product does not need to take weeks or months. My 72 Hour Product Creation Guide shows you how to build high value products or bonuses one after the other in 72 hours or less. Click Here.

3. How To Outsource Your Product Creation And Make It Hands Free.
Outsourcing the creation of some or all of your products and bonuses is a great way to save your time for the more important (and more fun) things you’d rather be doing. Grab my Hands Free Outsourcing Cheat Sheet to learn more. Click Here.

And don’t forget to check this out 🙂

Jeff Walker’s free Product Launch Formula training.

Product Launch Outsourcing – Evaluating And Hiring Freelancers

In this previous post, we looked at how to create a compelling advertisement that will attract the most qualified outsourcing candidates to help you with your product launch outsourcing.

Today we’re going to look at Step Three: Evaluating And Hiring Freelancers.

Because you’ve crafted such a good ad, you’re probably going to attract plenty of people offering you a variety of bids and turnaround times for your project.

So here’s how to evaluate your options…

Step 1: Check the Freelancers’ Feedback

If you’re hiring through a freelancing platform like Upwork.com, then you’ll have access to his or her ratings and feedback.

The key is to look for multiple good ratings from multiple people over an extended period of time.

That last part is important.

Sometimes freelancers who are new to a site can gather a lot of great ratings in a short period of time, such as a month or so.

They look like stellar candidates. But then, for a variety of reasons, the quality of their work can start to suffer, and/or and their delivery times can blow out substantially.

That’s why you want to look for someone who has a long, established history of providing great work, which demonstrates their professionalism and attention to detail.

TIP: Plug the freelancer’s name and/or company name into Google to uncover still more information about his business history, professionalism and quality of work.

Next…

Step 2: Browse the Freelancers’ Portfolios

Next, you want to make sure the freelancer does good work.

Take a look at samples of their work, and see if they matche your expectations.

If you don’t see a sample in the portfolio that is similar to what you’re doing, ask for one.

Step 3: Ask These Key Questions

As you evaluate freelancers, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did the freelancer send a personal reply along with his bid?

Many freelancers bid on every project without even really understanding the project, and then they send generic responses along with their bid.

If a freelancer sends a personalized response that includes details about the project, that shows you they’ve read and understood the project.

2. Have they completed projects similar to the one you’re proposing?

f there is a certain type of skill set required to complete your project, then be sure your freelancer has experience.

For example, if you’re creating an games app for iPhones, then make sure your developer has experience creating both iPhone apps AND game apps.

3. Are there any red flags warranting choosing a different person instead?

For example, if your Google search reveals that a freelancer has complaints from his business partners, that’s a red flag that he may eventually get complaints from customers too.

Go with your gut. If it’s telling you something isn’t right, believe it.

Next…

Step 4: Review the Candidate’s Rates

You don’t want to shop around based on cost alone, which is why this is not the first step of this process.

Once you’ve created a smaller list of the highest-qualified candidates, then review their pricing to see which of these people fall into your budgeted range.

You can then hire the most qualified candidate within that range.

So now you know how to evaluate and choose the most qualified outsourcers.

But there’s one more critical thing you’ll need to know if you want to get the best results, and that’s how to manage your projects without taking up too much of your time.

And that’s what we’ll be covering for you in the next post.

Warm regards,

Rocky

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. My 1-2-3 List Building Cheat Sheet will show you how to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here.

2. How To Create A Signature Product Out Of Thin Air In 72 Hours Or Less
Creating your product does not need to take weeks or months. My 72 Hour Product Creation Guide shows you how to build high value products or bonuses one after the other in 72 hours or less. Click Here.

3. How To Outsource Your Product Creation And Make It Hands Free.
Outsourcing the creation of some or all of your products and bonuses is a great way to save your time for the more important (and more fun) things you’d rather be doing. Grab my Hands Free Outsourcing Cheat Sheet to learn more. Click Here.

And don’t forget to check this out 🙂

Jeff Walker’s free Product Launch Formula training.

Product Launch Outsourcing – How To Advertise For The Best Candidates

In this previous post, we looked at how to know if you should be using outsourcing some of your product launch projects, and what tasks and jobs you should be handing off to other people.

Today, we’re going to cover Step Two: Advertising To Attract The Best Candidate

Let’s get started…

If you want to attract the perfect, qualified people to your position, while repelling those who are unlikely to be a good fit, then you need to create a specific and detailed project description (or what’s called a brief) if you want to get the best results.

Here are the sorts of details to provide when you post parts of your product launch outsourcing project on a freelancing site:

• The scope of the project. Be specific about what the job entails. For example, list exactly how many words you need for a report, or how many minutes of video footage you want.

• Deadline. You can list your preferred project-delivery deadline in your ad. If you have some flexibility, then mention that as well. Later you and the freelancer sign an agreement that includes a deadline you both agree on.

• Project milestones and goals. If this is a big project, then you’ll want to outline when you expect to receive certain pieces of the project. Many people tie their payment terms into these project milestones so they don’t pay up-front for work that is never completed, or is of substandard quality.

• Delivery format. For example, if you’re hiring some to write articles, then let the freelancers know if you want them in a .txt file, .doc, .pdf or something else. (Note: It helps to be flexible, because you may miss working with a really great freelancer simply because they’re not using your preferred tools.)

• Usage of the completed project. If your freelancer knows how you’ll use the work, that may affect how they create it. For example, freelancers will create Search Engine Optimised  articles differently than pre-selling articles if that’s what you specify.

• Specific expectations. For example, do you expect your freelancer to give you a daily update via email? Or do you need him or her to jump on a once-a-week phone call? If you have these sorts of expectations and requirements, let the freelancer know upfront.

• Exclusive rights for a completed project. You should be very clear (and it should be in the contract) that you get exclusive rights to the project once your final payment has cleared. You don’t want stuff you paid for turning up all over the internet after the outsourcer sells it to other people.

• Encouragement to ask questions. Sometimes freelancers don’t want to “bother” you with questions. Be sure your freelancers know they can and should reach out any time with questions and clarifications.

• Payment terms. Here’s where you list how much you’ll pay for the project, how you’ll pay (e.g., with PayPal) and when you’ll pay. Generally, most freelancers prefer to work on a 50% down, 50% on delivery for smaller projects. For larger projects, you may create milestones tied to payments.

• Examples to use as a role model. It’s helpful to show your freelancer specific examples – not for copying purposes, but to show your freelancer the “flavor” you want. For example, you might show your content writer an example of two or three articles you really like.

• Company mission, vision and philosophy. This helps your freelancer create work that matches the company mission. For example, a customer service rep can answer inquiries in a way that matches your company’s philosophy.

• Preferred skills and abilities. This is particularly important if you’re hiring an assistant for a variety of tasks. Be very clear about they need to be able to do, what types of software they must be comfortable using, and so on.

It’s a good idea to look at other projects posted on freelancing sites to get a feel as for what types of ads get the best results.

Let me give you an example. Let’s suppose you’re posting a very simple job for five blog articles.

Here’s an example…

———SAMPLE AD———

Wanted: Skilled writer to create five blog articles about organic gardening.

You should have experience writing about gardening topics, and be able to produce samples in this niche. I’m looking for someone who can create entertaining yet educational articles that will engage readers. Some sales or copywriting experience is a plus, but not required.

Length of articles: 1000 words each (so this project is 5000 words total). I’ll provide you with titles, outlines and three to five research resources for each article. Here are the five topics: [insert topics and descriptions of each of the five articles].

Examples: Please see my blog at [yourblog.com] for examples of the style and quality of work I’m looking for. If you can meet or exceed this quality, then please bid on this job.

Style: Please check my company’s mission statement to understand how we operate. You’ll need to write articles that reflect this mission, when appropriate. [Insert mission statement or link.]

Deadline: Prefer to have these articles within three weeks, but I will make an exception for the right person.

Payment: Full payment upfront through the site’s escrow service, which you’ll receive once I approve the final work. Exclusive and full rights to the work will transfer to me once final payment is received.

Expectations: Once you begin the project, please send me daily updates to let me know how things are progressing. I prefer if the project is delivered in a .doc file.

Budget: [insert a budget range here]

If this sounds like something you can do, send me a link to your portfolio along with your bid. I look forward to hearing from you!
__________________

If you write a good ad or project description, you’ll get lots of really good people wanting the job…

So, now you know how to write a compelling ad, to attract qualified outsourcers to help you create some or all of your product launch content, or content or tasks for your general business needs.

But before you can choose the right person for your job, you’ll need to know how to evaluate and hire best candidate.

And that’s what we’ll be covering for you in the next post in this series.

Warm regards,

Rocky Tapscott

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. My 1-2-3 List Building Cheat Sheet will show you how to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here.

2. How To Create A Signature Product Out Of Thin Air In 72 Hours Or Less
Creating your product does not need to take weeks or months. My 72 Hour Product Creation Guide shows you how to build high value products or bonuses one after the other in 72 hours or less. Click Here.

3. How To Outsource Your Product Creation And Make It Hands Free.
Outsourcing the creation of some or all of your products and bonuses is a great way to save your time for the more important (and more fun) things you’d rather be doing. Grab my Hands Free Outsourcing Cheat Sheet to learn more. Click Here.

And don’t forget to check this out 🙂

Jeff Walker’s free Product Launch Formula training.