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Using the Internet for Service IndustriesUsing the Internet for Service Industriesby RodneyThe global economy can benefit many small businesses by providing a worldwide marketplace for selling goods or services. Most companies recognize the benefits of the internet for acquiring new customers and cheaper goods, but many small businesses miss out on the benefits of the Service industry. Small businesses still look locally for graphic designers, media kits, marketing consultants, printing services, programmers, and other services that can be found through the internet with less cost, less time, and more control over the output. People may be skeptical of having a graphic designer or programmer do a job for them without meeting them directly. We at Hostchart.com have actually found that business is quicker and more efficient without face to face conversations. Email and instant messaging are very effective forms of communications. Why is that? In a meeting or conversation, a lot of energy is spent with introductions and formalities. In an IM conversation most of the pleasantries are skipped and it is a very concise conversation. The second benefit of email and IM is clear project descriptions. When a company outsources through the internet, it forces them to describe exactly what they want, in writing. Writing down objectives allows the hiring agent to evaluate what he or she wants in detail. This inevitably spurs decision making on many smaller details that are often brushed over in face to face business meetings. At first people see this as a hard task, but in reality it is very easy. After all, if you cannot describe the service requested in an email, are you sure you know what you want? Email also prevents miscommunication. In face to face and phone conversations people talk through ideas and options. A lot of times each party is left with a different impression of exactly what is wanted. When there is a difference in expectations, there is no written record of what was discussed. By providing a job description in email format, there is documentation recording what was requested or promised. Skeptics might ask ‘how do I describe to a graphic artist what kind of a website design I want’? This is much easier than one might think. Begin with a high level description of the project and work your way down to the details. Include statements around color themes and overall impressions. For example, by saying “I want a brochure that has a professional business look with a jazzy style and sunset colors”, you succinctly describe what you want and you allow the artist freedom to exercise his creative talents. Next, work your way down the requirements…. ‘we need these bullets and prices; we want this description or these photos used’, etc. You will be impressed at how well a contractor can take a 5 to 6 line description and turn it into what you want. The next two questions you might have are ‘how do I find people and how do I know who is good’? Let’s start with where to find resources. There are two main sources for resources other than word of mouth. These are forum boards and freelancing websites. There are thousands of Forum boards on the internet concerning every topic you can image. If you find a large popular forum for the service you need, you will find a group of workers waiting to fulfill your request. You can usually post your project, or ask for help to do so. Sometimes these communities are filled with amateurs and you should use some scrutiny in selecting someone. Another popular way to use forums is to create a Contest. Post the project as a contest and set a winning price. People will compete for your project. You will get multiple designs to choose from and can set the price you want to pay. Hostchart recently ran a contest for a professional Media Kit. We posted the project on one of our favorite forum boards for $200 and received 11 designs to choose from. We liked several, but could not choose the best. We took the best of each and had the closest contestant modify his entry accordingly. We received exactly what we wanted, for the price we wanted, and we had eleven designs to choose from. From writing up the project description, to posting the contest and reviewing the entries, we spent two hours on the entire effort. This compares with the same time invested in the average business meeting… pretty efficient. As a charitable donation, Hostchart built a website for a local Pastor. The effort took us two hours total, and we received 15 designs to choose from. It was also impressive to our client when we showed up with 15 custom designs to allow him to choose between. We bid this same job locally for reference, and received five quotes between $1500-$4000…. This was with no upfront designs and an hour spent on the phone just getting the price quotes. We ran the above contest for $200! You define the project, the price, when you review the designs, etc. There are no meetings, no phone calls, and no trying to figure out which company is best. In today’s busy world, just having the power to do the whole project on your terms and timing can be quite valuable. And by bidding a project on the internet, you set the price based on what you think is reasonable. Another popular way to keep projects resourced is through freelance websites. Elance.com is the major one, but there are several other good sites as well, and some are specialized in certain areas. If you browse through Elance, you will see several different categories. When we bid a project on Elance, we usually receive over 15 bids. With this method, you pick a contractor based on their bid amount and reputation. You can read reviews of them and view samples of their work. The projects we have run through Elance were very easy. With the last project, we posted, reviewed, and selected a contractor within one business day and an hour’s work. The project was finished to complete satisfaction within three days. In general, I find that I can complete a project through the internet with the same labor effort it usually takes just to call around for quotes. I can also set my price. I determine upfront what the job is worth to me and what the budget will be. And I only make a payment when the job is complete to my satisfaction. The power of the internet and outsourcing is that it gives YOU the power! Article Source: http://www.articlecube.com |