Let’s face it, we’re in business to make money. We also understand you have to spend money to make money. When it comes to the subject of support though … whether it’s marketing, administrative, whatever, it doesn’t really matter. The biggest issue always seems to center around money and how much it costs. Which is all well and good, as you should be concerned with cost when working with an outside service provider. However, it’s not all about the $$, or at least it shouldn’t be.
Whenever you hire a marketing support company or an outside service provider of any kind, you need to take a really good look at a lot of things, in addition to how much that service costs. Consider these things:
- Is the service provider experienced?
- Do they actually have the skill-set or technical knowledge you need?
- Are they reliable?
- Do they have a strong enough grasp of the English language to provide the service you need (writing, communicating with your clients, posting on social media for you, etc.)?
- Are they responsive?
- Are they in a compatible time zone?
- Can they think outside the box?
- Are they proactive?
- Do they communicate well?
- Are they a good fit?
- … among other things.
Yes, you absolutely need to look at the cost, but you also need to make sure everything else fits.
For example: you’re looking at two online marketing support companies. One company charges $40 per hour and the other significantly higher. If it takes the service provider charging $40 an hour, twice as long as it does the service provider charging a higher rate, or they don’t have the skill-set you need, or they are really slow in responding, are you really saving money? What about those off-shore companies charging $5 – $10 an hour? When everything is said and done, will you really save money? You might ask those who have been there, done that, won’t do it again!
Always remember, simply outsourcing tasks to a service provider is a completely different animal than partnering with a service provider. Or in our case, an online marketing support company. You want a team that can not only provide the service or complete the task, but team members who really know what they are doing, have the experience you need; and most important, an entire team of marketing support specialists that will invest themselves in the success of your business. You want a team that is proactive and will work with you to grow your business, not a team that simply sits back and waits for you to give them something to do.
Partnerships work best when both parties work together and respect each other. Because … if it’s a true partnership, your marketing support team will understand that their success depends on your success – and you’ll definitely reap the benefits.
Having the right support to help you run your business more efficiently is a necessity if you want to ensure the longevity of your company without becoming so overwhelmed you experience burnout. Just remember …
It’s not all about the $$!
