Internet Marketing Made Simple

I’m giving you 12 amazing tips on outsourcing. These are the most important things that you need to know right now. This is advice you can take to the bank.

For the last 18 months, I’ve gone absolutely crazy with outsourcing. I make a huge investment in outsourcing every single month. If you’re serious about your online business, you must do the same.

Let’s jump into my 12 outsourcing tips:

First, you need to first filter people based on quality. There are many people available at many price points but quality can be harder to find. So, seek out people with strong skills and then start filtering on price. You can always negotiate prices lower by putting people in competition with each other. And, you can drive prices down by letting them know that you expect a quantity discount. Buy in bulk.

Second, you need to use outsourcing to augment your strengths. Just because you are good at something, don’t think you’re absolutely on top of your game. It never hurts to get outside advice. A good example is this: Get someone else to do tedious research on a topic, then use that report to clarify your ideas and your thinking. This is pure magic.

Third, seek to eliminate or reduce redundant tasks. Have someone else handle the routine tasks, even if you like those tasks. A good example is posting blog entries. There’s no reason you need to be in the blog updating business. Sure, you might write the content, but have someone else find a good image, develop the tags, choose the title, select the category and so on. For a few bucks you can get some real talent to handle this routine task.

Fourth, you really need a good project tracking system or the management of your workers will become your new job. Do you really want to spend hours and hours being a manager? Do yourself a favor and find smart ways to handle outsourced work and outsourced workers. Have smart systems in place. Get daily updates and ask for exception reports. Make it simple. Make it clean. But, don’t think for a minute these folks will manage themselves. Find a way to stay on top… with minimal effort.

Fifth, you should seek to build longer term relationships with workers. The cost of training is very high, both in terms of money and time. Especially time! So, try to find quality workers right out of the gate. This will absolutely drive higher quality. Also, as time goes on, you’ll become a top customer. That means better pricing, faster response time and higher quality from the same workers.

Sixth, always seek out people who pay attention to the details. I learned this one the hard way. I thought I should get more people who balanced operations and strategy. However, I operate quite differently now. You need to find people who are great at operations and execution. You want people who are detail oriented or downright anal about their work. I’d rather have someone obsess over quality and deadlines than coming up with the next big idea or fancy pants strategy. I can do that well enough, thank you very much.

Seventh, you must manage the basics first: requirements, ownership, timeframe, expectations. Don’t try to manage entire systems and don’t try to manage a vision, at least not a first. Instead, stick to the essentials and getting the job done. Manage outputs and delivery. Manage deliverables first and then time. This will keep your project on track at a reasonable cost. The greater you can focus on the details for your workers when they start, the great your return on investment and profits. Trust me on this.

Eighth, be prepared to do more work in the short term. This is because you will want to invest in training. If you think you can simply hand over work without some hand holding, you will be frustrated. You might even fail. Either way, without an upfront investment in time and energy, you want maximize your outsourcing opportunities. If you do this right, you’ll be extremely happy in the long run. I’ve learned this the hard way… but now I’m happy as a clam!

Ninth, you should always provide concrete, actionable advice. Don’t be vague. Don’t expect other people to read your mind. This is especially true if you’re only using email to communicate with your outsourcing team. If they can’t see you and hear you, they simply will not understand the nuances and ultra small details that really matter to you. So, buckle down and get as specific as possible, unless you’re willing to iterate several times. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for rework. If you’re not at least 90% happy, then ask for more work to be done. Ask for higher quality. But, be sure to be concrete.

Tenth, don’t throw “it” over the wall and expect miracles. In terms of an operational mode, it is smart to plan for several iterations and cycles. Instead of giving one date for a final product, ask for 2-3 checkpoints or updates along the way. Do this even with small projects that just take a few days. Ask for daily updates. Important: Ask to literally see the work. Get screenshots, samples and other tangibles. This will drive your team to deliver on time but it also gives you peace of mind and more material to manage them. Do this to work with your team vs. trying to just manage their outputs.

Eleventh, develop systems and templates and examples. If you don’t have these materials, it’s time to get to work. You want to have tools and processes in place for others to use and exploit. Rather than trying to explain what you want done, set up a mini “factory” that allows your team to crank out high quality without a ton of thinking. You want to focus on work and execution, not puzzle solving and mind reading. Be smart about developing those systems and you’ll make a killing. This is golden advice.

Lastly, I strongly encourage you to ask your workers for advice on increasing efficiency. Since they are doing tasks over and over again, they will develop shortcuts. It’s human nature. Listen to your team and they will help you drive up profits. They will become more “invested” in you and your business. Plus, if they create a breakthrough, you can move them to a zone of higher profit. That is, for the same amount of effort, they can help you make more money!

Here’s a nice summary of my points above. This is your cheat sheet. It’s your checklist…

1. Go for quality first and price second. I’m talking about filtering people.
2. Seek to augment your strengths (e.g., research to feed your thinking)
3. Seek to get rid of your redundant tasks (e.g., posting content to your blog)
4. You need a good tracking system or management of workers is your new job
5. Seek to build longer term relationships; higher quality and preference
6. Always seek out people who pay attention to the details; operations vs. strategy
7. Manage the basics first: requirements, ownership, timeframe, expectations
8. Be prepared to do more work in the short term; invest in training
9. Always provide concrete, actionable advice; don’t be afraid to ask for rework
10. Don’t throw it over the wall; iterations and cycles; work with your team
11. If you don’t have systems and templates and examples, get to work
12. Always, always, always ask your workers for advice on increasing efficiency

IMPORTANT! If you want to apply these ideas with “razor sharp” precision, and you have a ton of private label rights (PLR) content on your hard drive… you need the PLR Bonecrusher.

Download the PLR Bonecrusher (free to Simple Cash Blog members!)

Or, you can grab a copy on the Warrior Forum right now. (The price keeps going up, up, up.)

And finally… I think you would agree that these are some of the best tips on outsourcing you’ve ever seen. I would really appreciate comments. But more importantly, please Twitter about this blog entry and post to your Facebook page. Or, link to this posting from your own blog. It would really mean a lot to me.

Take care!

~ John

Today I was in a room with John Reese, Jeff Walker, Brad Fallon, Joe Polish, Eben Pagan, John Carlton and many other ‘notable people’ in the internet marketing world. I swear I’m not saying this to simply name drop.

I’m just setting the stage for this…

They were all in learning mode. Like little kids in 3rd grade! It was almost funny, except for the very serious focus and ‘heads down’ activities.

They were listening to someone else talk. They were talking notes, they were filling out forms and they were in little groups sharing ideas and experiences. They were planning. They were developing their strategies. Like you. Like me.

My key point is that even these folks are hungry to learn more. They are looking for new systems, new opportunities and new partners. They are human with human needs. And, they are smart about building wealth and staying focused. Education is key — investing in your business is extremely smart.

Now, what they learned — and what I learned — was extremely valuable. But, it’s a topic for another day. What matters to you is this…

There are absolutely several “levels” of business evolution. It’s next to impossible to go from making $5 per day to $500 per day in less than 30 days. Sure, it can happen, but it’s rare. Extremely rare.

Here’s what’s also rare –

Too many people make $5 per day or $10 per day, or, whatever amount. But then, rather than using their knowledge and systems… they squander the opportunity to learn and grow. They stagnate. They give up or even blow up.

Why?

Well, one big reason is simple lack of access to the right information at the right time.
quite frankly, there are not many systems that show you how to legitimately make $250-500 extra per month more with 10-12 hours of extra work per month, for example.

This is a key reason why we developed the Simple Cash Blog. You can click that link and get the free information. It’s painless… Just do it.

What I want you to know is that you can save yourself a lot of time and a lot of energy simply by investing a little time and money in the Simple Cash Blog. In relation to the value, it’s basically free.

We’ve been told it could easily be a $97 per month membership. You’ll pay a fraction of that. And you might ask, “Then why the low price?” Simple! We want you on our buyer’s list and we want to forge a long term relationship. That’s Marketing 101 and we know the lifetime value of our customers (Hint: you need to know the value of your customers).

Even if you don’t have any intention of investing, do take 26 seconds to grab the some of the 100% free information we’re handing out. Then, like the gurus I was with today, start learning… and take action.

~ John

p.s. Here’s that direct link again: Simple Cash Blog

It’s been an insanely brutal couple of days. My team
and I ran into a wall of technical problems, and I’ve
grown at least a dozen new gray hairs (note: I’m 22)
but it’s finally ready…

John and I have just officially re-launched the Simple
Cash Blog. We want to let you know what it’s all about
by giving you a report directly from our member’s area.
This is just one simple business model that pumps out
cash for us every month. It takes us 5 hours to create.

I hope you use it:

>> http://simplecashblog.com/5kpermonth.pdf

It’s a powerful membership that reveals our extremely
simple money-making business models (we have dozens)
in the form of short reports, checklists and templates.
In other words, you can flat-out COPY our money makers.

Here’s the best part though…

If you are an active member of a Rhodes Brothers
membership, you may be eligible for several months
of complimentary access to the Simple Cash Blog.

Just send this information in to our help desk:

1.) Your name
2.) Name of the membership you’re subscribed to
3.) Your Paypal e-mail address
4.) Your Paypal transaction ID

Our help desk is located at RhodesHelpDesk.com. Just
submit your request and we’ll try to get back to you
within 24 to 48 hours with your link for complimentary
access to the Simple Cash Blog and let you know how
many months of access you will be given.

Also, don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any
questions. We’d love to help you out.

I’m going to share my thinking about desperate buyers and hungry markets in just a moment. First, I want to set the stage for you.

I have a very nice home office. It’s large and overly comfortable. I have monster-sized windows with a great view overlooking a lush green valley — at least until the snow flies. I appreciate that it’s a killer office. It was a great investment and I have to tell you that I just love it.

My brother and I were sitting in my office just a few days ago. We started talking about launching new products in new markets. We were specifically talking about giving the right people the right stuff at the right time.

We know that marketing — particularly selling — is the alignment of wants and needs to appropriate solutions. Burn that word into you mind: alignment. We know that some people would rather use the word congruence than alignment. But alignment is easier to grasp. Congruence tends to imply agreement whereas alignment is more about matching. It’s that alignment, or matching, that I want to talk about right now.

People tend to say “desperate buyers” and “hungry markets” at the same time, as if they are the same thing. The reality is that they are not the same. In fact, there are two fundamental differences that you absolutely must understand.

Desperate buyers have an immediate need. These buyers are trying to get answers right now to solve a problem that is causing them great pain. Desperate buyers will usually reach a breaking point, or they have a deadline to meet. I’ll talk more about this in a minute.

Buyers in a hungry market, on the other hand, have an immediate need plus future needs to satisfy. People in a hungry market can often delay gratification or push off pain in the short term but the wants and needs do not go away. The itch doesn’t go away.

It might sound like I am “splitting hairs” and I know that desperate buyers sound very much like people in a hungry market. In fact, some desperate buyers are just part of a hungry market — that’s true. But, there are differences that can have a profound impact on your business.

The best way to understand the difference is to provide examples. When someone is going through a divorce they are usually desperate. They are consumed by this life event and they will drink down as much information as possible. They will do anything to reduce the pain and understand how to get the problem solved. However, this pain will eventually go away — the divorce will eventually occur.

On the other hand, investors are constantly looking for new and better information; they’re hungry. They aren’t truly desperate but they always want more. Like desperate buyers, they have an itch to scratch. But, that itch never goes away and they will seek new information constantly in an effort to get the upper hand, or otherwise get an “unfair” advantage.

So, desperate buyers tend to be a bit more focused. They also tend to think more in the short term. People in a hungry market are a bit less focused (because they are less desperate) and they think and act in relation to the long term. I realize this isn’t 100% accurate but it’s mighty close.

This information is very useful. In fact, it could mean the difference between wild profitability and making $12 a month. Here’s why…

You can target desperate buyers with products and services that provide immediate benefit. Your language and your tone will help you make more money. You can more easily get into their mindset and walk in their shoes once you realize just how badly they need what you have.

If that doesn’t quite make sense, consider the following. Desperate buyers aren’t really well suited for memberships. They are looking for an immediate, short term solution.

Of course this also means that memberships are best suited for hungry markets because they want constantly updated information. In reference to my example above, you’d probably want to sell a report about getting through a divorce whereas you could set up an investment membership or newsletter. Now you know why this makes so much sense. It’s not random.

It’s this kind of thinking — and alignment – that will best satisfy your customers. This is also a good way to start thinking about your sales funnels. Desperate buyers require short sales cycles and quick, punchy results. On the other hand, in a hugnry market you can stretch out the marketing funnel and do more pre-sales. I guarantee that this kind of thoughtful alignment will put more money in your pocket.

If you’re looking for more great marketing advice, plus proven online business models that easily attract money, then I highly recommend that you read about the Simple Cash Blog. There is no better way to generate income online. You get to cut to the front of the line, with direct access to proven and tested cash systems.

~ John

A question that we frequently get asked is “How can I make money online NOW?” The problem is that it takes quite a bit of time to build a real long-term business online. It’s like the “real world” in a lot of ways: you can’t open a new store and expect to be flooded with customers on opening day.

It just doesn’t work that way.

But, you CAN make money online now and build a long-term business at the same time, if you’re smart about it and you have the right skillset. First, we need to figure out what kind of marketable skills you have. Here are some ideas…

1.) Do you have a knack for programming? You can go to eLance or Guru.com and find jobs appropriate for you.

2.) Are you a graphics designer? Start advertising your services using Google Adwords and the Warrior Forum. People need new graphics all the time.

3.) Can you write well? With just a little bit of practice and experience, you can charge $10 to $20 for a 400 to 500 word article. Start off by pricing your articles low, and then move up the chain as you get more and more testimonials and experience.

4.) Do you have a lot of connections to “important people?” Find people who are having problems or need a service, and then connect them to the people you know. Charge a royalty!

5.) Do you know how to build websites? Build websites for local businesses, or even setup simple blogs using Blogger.

6.) Does a local business need help moving inventory? Become a salesperson and sell it on eBay for them. (Become a consignment expert!)

There are a number of ways to get started and make money online now, but they *do* require a little bit of work on your part. If you want to build a long term business, though, you have the opportunity to earn between $2,000 to $6,000 per month in your part time.

For more information and a free video about building a long-term online business, click here now. (No experience or skills required – 100% free.)