Why Outsource? (And how to know if you're ready)
Let’s talk for a minute about outsourcing areas of your business and why it’s not only helpful, but necessary if you’re looking to expand or grow.
First, why outsource? Why would you hand over the keys of critical functions of your beloved business to someone else? We’ll explore some key reasons why it’s a great thing to partner up with someone who has a totally different skill set than you.
Let’s assume that you provide a service or make a product, your business is profitable and you’re a motivated business owner. Perhaps there are other areas of your life that you’ve gladly outsourced, such as housekeeping, grocery shopping or cooking, pet sitting, etc. Now, the same way you feel when you come home and your house is spotless because the housekeepers were there that day, that’s what it feels like to have a virtual administrative or virtual marketing team.
While you’ve been hard at work focused on the thing that YOU do best (ie, serving your customers), your marketing team has also been working hard on the following:
developing a strategy plan to grow your company at the pace you determine
developing your content
creating graphics
researching your target market
writing copy that positions you as a thought leader in your field
networking on your behalf
lining up potential partnerships
vetting new clients for you
optimizing your website for maximum visibility
Sounds like a dream, right? It’s pretty amazing, actually.
The reason it’s crucial is because all of those tactics are necessary in order for your business to grow to the next level. If you want to maintain, and stay where you are a) that’s wonderful and many people like that level of security, and b) it’s a good thing to know about yourself. But, if you’re one to set growth goals, would like more revenue streams, more sales channels, more visibility in the marketplace, to establish yourself as an expert in your field, or become and in-demand keynote speaker, it’ll be really hard (and time consuming) to do it all by yourself.
So, think you may be ready? Check off the following statements that apply to you and see if you’re ready for some help:
You’re overwhelmed with the day-to-day operation of running a business.
You would rather simply serve your clients than do the other stuff necessary to run a profitable business.
You can do a lot, but you can’t do everything well.
You run a profitable business, but the time it takes to do so is bleeding into your ‘off hours’ and affecting your personal life.
You have often wished to duplicate yourself in order to get it all done.
You wish someone else would just ‘handle it.’
You can’t take on more clients because you’re at max capacity.
You want to bring a new product to market but you don’t know how.
You want to expand into a new target market but you have no experience launching into that market.
You want to grow revenue but don’t know how.
You have way too many unread emails in your inbox.
You have no time for self care and are burned out.
You feel isolated and would love to bounce your ideas off of someone
You would love the feedback of someone with a specific skill set separate from yours
If these statements apply to you then you’re ready to bring someone into your business. There are so many ways to do this to make it a great fit. First, determine your budget. How much can you afford, or are willing to spend on the help (remember, there’s a major ROI factor here). What specifically do you want help with in your business? How much or how little do you want this person involved in your operation? Take a look at “How To Work With Your Virtual Marketing Team” for some tips.
Lastly, Congratulations! It’s a huge step inviting another person into your team and you should be really proud of hitting this milestone! If you need some help or are curious how to work with a marketing or administrative team, send me an email and I’d be glad to answer any questions.