Comments on: A 6-Step List to Successful Outsourcing

By: Rick @ SIP VoIP

Rick @ SIP VoIP — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:42:23 +0000

You hit the nail on the head about the lack of competent oral and verbal communications being an alarmingly declining skill among many entering the workforce, not to mention even old time veterans, too.

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:50:25 +0000

Wow, Forest, I guess you must be paying them well!

By: Mark Sierra

Mark Sierra — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:40:21 +0000

Indeed, Forest, that’s another great way to get things done.

By: Forest

Forest — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:09:54 +0000

Great tips Mark,

I have recently been employing my friends to write for me… working out pretty well.

By: Mark Sierra

Mark Sierra — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:18:36 +0000

Absolutely, Anna. I think you have an incredible find at that price. That’s typically my budget per 300-word article. And you bring up a good point about adding bonuses – that’s a great way to motivate for the next project.

By: Mark Sierra

Mark Sierra — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:16:09 +0000

1,000 articles?! That’s quite an achievement, and at that price, it’s quite a value, too. I’m hopeful that the writer working on my project currently will be a resource I’ll use over and over again. That would definitely save even more time and effort to have that relationship established.

By: Mark Sierra

Mark Sierra — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:11:14 +0000

Sage advice, Mikael. One of the things I like about the project I’m using now is that they have an escrow service in place. So even though I deposit the money before work is done, the writer won’t get it until I say so. But at least they have the assurance of knowing the money is there when they’re done.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:40:14 +0000

One thing that is important, as mentioned above, is that when you find someone good, stick with that person. And treat them well, they will want to do their best for you and will want to do more projects for you.

I have a Filipina writer who researches, writes, and also posts on my niche blogs, for $1 per 100 words. Maybe I could find cheaper but so far no one compares. Yes I have to edit but not much more than I usually edit writing of a native English speaker.

So even if I try others here and there, in order to build up my resources, I stick with that writer and give her bonuses when I can.

By: Rich Hill

Rich Hill — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:04:09 +0000

Excellent points. I went through 13 writers at a dollar or a dollar and a half before I found one that was absolutely perfect! Most of them all seemed eager and thankful for the work but the output was unusable.
Once I settled on the best I offered $2.50 per article which the writer was thrilled with and we have never had a problem with over 1,000 articles to date. I have filled many niche sites that I never would have never gotten around to without this service. Keep trying til you find your perfect VA.

By: Mikael @ RetireRichRoadmap

Mikael @ RetireRichRoadmap — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:48:23 +0000

Outsourcing is not easy but definitely worth it. When you find a good writer you should do everything to keep them.

Oh… and a higher price will not necessarily give you any less crap. Many writers actually outsource their $10-$15 articles to India and then just proofread them when they get them back.

There are a lot of poor writers out there so NEVER EVER pay upfront unless you have worked with them before and know what they can do. If they won’t accept these terms DO NOT hire them. There are tons of writers out there so you can easily find another one.