How to use the power of outsourcing to help you earn more

How to use the power of outsourcing to help you earn more
When you run your own business, it's easy to be busy all
the time. You can soon find yourself working long hours and
often being busy doing tasks that don't make you money and
that you don't enjoy.

But, if you're working round the clock, you don't really
have a business, you have a job working for yourself.

One of the key points of having your own business should be
giving yourself the freedom to do what you want to do with
your time. Your business hours should be spent profitably
and, ideally, enjoyably - freeing you up to make the most
of your quality personal time.

Try this quick exercise:

On one side of a piece of paper, write down all the things
you love about your business. On the other side, write down
all the things you hate.

If it's on the right hand side of the page, you should find
someone else to do it if at all possible and reasonable. If
it's on the left, you can spend more time on it - unless
you can find someone else to do it more cheaply.

Outsourcing can make your day a thousand times easier and
more profitable. Here are some of the advantages:

- It allows you to focus on your priority tasks.

- You cut the learning curve by employing an expert.

- They can probably do the job faster than you.

- It frees you up to do things you enjoy.

You can outsource just about anything you can think of,
including:

- Customer support.

- Website design and programming.

- Copywriting for websites, scripts, advertising and eBooks.

- Search engine optimization.

- Press release writing and distribution.

You can also employ a "virtual assistant" to help you with
a wide range of tasks.

Through the Internet, somebody in another part of the world
is in a position to help you - probably at a fraction of
the cost you'd pay someone around the corner.

The best way to find vendors is to get recommendations from
other people. If you can't get recommendations, try them
out yourself with small tasks before you give them anything
big or important to do.

There are several websites that provide access to
outsourcing services. These include elance, rentacoder,
workaholicsforhire, scriptlance and getafreelancer. Try a
google search for those or to find more.

This is how they generally work:

- You post details of the project or service you need help
with.

- Vendors or freelancers who have the ability to do the job
for you will post responses or bids.

- These services are usually free to buyers with the vendor
paying a fee to the site when they are awarded the work.

- You select the vendor most suited to your needs, based on
their proposals and on your view of their portfolio of past
work.

- You agree payment terms - which may be part payment in
advance or use of an escrow account, which ensures that the
payment is not released until all the agreement terms are
met and the work is completed.

- Then you work with them until the task is completed to
your satisfaction.

Think about what tasks you can get someone else to do more
cheaply or quickly. If you're new to outsourcing, start
with small tasks. You'll quickly find you want to outsource
more.

Then you'll have to decide whether to spend your new-found
free time working more or having fun!

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Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps
business owners and independent professionals who are
frustrated that they're working too many hours for too
little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more
and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com