Archives for February 2016
5 Tips for Effective Communication with Outsourcing or Contract Firms
The decision to commit to partnering with an outsource or contract firm is a big decision. It is a decision that requires investigation, time, and money. Communication is the root of starting, maintaining, and growing a profitable and positive relationship with your firm and the outsourcing firm.
Therefore, this post provides you with an insight of 5 tips for effective communication with outsourcing or contract firms.
1. Be clear. Clarity and confirmation are paramount. If youâre not sure how to communicate what you need, there will be
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves â so business can be fun again. When we were first starting off, our journey would have been so much easier if we had someone there to give us guidance, knowledge or even simple encouragement. This is why we dedicate ourselves to helping small business owners stay motivated and achieve all of their business goals. We believe that your needs should always come first, and our âgive firstâ mentality of customer service ensures that you will always have a dedicated team of small business professionals helping you find success. Let us serve you in any way we can to help you achieve your marketing goals and improve the efficiency of your business. The commitment of time and resources that is necessary at the outset can leave many business owners frustrated or exhausted. Weâve experienced this ourselves in our own business operations, so we know just how unpleasant it is and how it can come close to crushing the motivation you had that led you to start the business in the first place.
issues. The ability to establish trust in communication helps to ensure clarity. If youâre fearful or unsure on how to communicate something you need – for whatever reason, it is encouraged to start practicing on building that confidence to be clear. Without clear and precise communication there will be preventable bumps in the road, setbacks, rework, and delays. If youâre unsure of how to communicate more clearly, ask. Ask the contracting firm, what he or she should recommend clients provide regarding depth, detail, examples, and expectations.
2. Confirm. The excitement of partnering with a contract firm can blur expectations of established roles and responsibilities of each party. Be sure to determine the roles and responsibilities of your company and the contracting firm. Set the specifics in regards to actions, time, feedback, compensation, and payment terms. Confirm the details from the start. There may be at times more informal approaches to doing business, which can be successful. However, when there is room for interpretation or guessing, there is also room for confusion and frustration. Identify and confirm the necessities.
3. Preferred Method. Identification of preferred communication method(s) is paramount. One preferred method may work for your firm, but may not for the other. There are many factors that come into mind, such as time zones, schedules, and scope of communication needs. Some pay prefers talking over the phone, email, virtual meeting rooms, or face to face. Identifying the preferred method, and confirming that method works for all parties is essential.
4. Frequency. Identification of frequency of communication is helpful. As identified in Tip 1: Clarify. Determining the frequency is a standard talking point of communication. Determining the right level of communication from the start helps to build trust and rapport between firms. The frequency of communication varies per client or project, but it is key that each party knows the expectation of communication and commits to that frequency. It helps to ensure a cohesiveness of relevant communications throughout projects.
5. Tone. Depending on the methods of communication, it is imperative to be conscious of tone. The tone is something that can easily be misinterpreted. Recognizing changes in tone via methods of communication can help to minimize misunderstandings. Tone can be âheardâ in nonverbal methods of communications. Taking the time understand tone, especially, in instances of possible disagreement can help to diffuse conflict or prevent further conflict. Tone goes beyond the scope of exhibiting emotions, and can factor in professionalism as well. Be cautious of shorthand abbreviations and assumptions association that tone interpretation is consistent between parties. This doesnât mean to second guess communications or interactions, but simply to be cognizant of the message could be received.
In conclusion, communication plays a huge role in our day to day lives, including communications with outsourcing and contractors. There is no one right way of communication. Even with best practices, communication goes wrong, however, with an understanding of such practices conflict in communication is minimized. Therefore, the 5 Tips for Effective Communication with Outsourcing or Contract Firms helps to reduce possible conflict and reinforce positive communication with simple steps to increase clarity, confirmation, method(s) of communication, frequency, and tone.
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner and an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant.
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
3 Gratitude Strategies to Show Your Outsourcing or Contract Firm Appreciation
âGratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings,
turn routine jobs into joy,
and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.â
– William Arthur Ward.
Building and sustaining meaningful relationships with outsourcing and contract firms are paramount. In todayâs business environment, it is easy to get caught up in routines and to-do lists and forget about the actions and relationships that support your business needs. This happens to the best of us. Life happens. Business happens, and somewhere in between, it is easy to take for granted the people that help to achieve so much.
The purpose of this article to provide you with three gratitude strategies to show your outsourcing or contract firm appreciation with the hopes of helping you nurture stronger business relationships.
At Viral Solutions, we understand the trials and tribulations that many new owners of small businesses face in the early going. The commitment of time and resources that is necessary at the outset can leave many business owners frustrated or exhausted. Weâve experienced this ourselves in our own business operations, so we know just how unpleasant it is and how it can come close to crushing the motivation you had that led you to start the business in the first place. At Viral Solutions, we help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves â so business can be fun again!
1. Reflect. It is easy to get caught in the motions of life, and it stays stuck in those motions. The ability to reflect on where you are today and the people that have helped you to get there can generate an immense about of gratitude. Take inventory of the people and actions that make a difference to your business. Think about how your outsource or contract partners have helped along the way. Think about the investments involved helping along the way. Reflection is one of the best ways to generate gratitude, and it also a useful tool for delivering and expressing particular instances of appreciation to the individuals or firms.
2. Act. Reflection helps to see and feel gratitude for actions and individuals that have helped you along your business journey. Thinking helps you to identify particular instances and outcomes to share appreciation. You can use that reflection to communicate your appreciation. There are many ways of expressing gratitude: words of appreciation, gifts, quality time, or servitude. Determining the best fit may boil down to your understanding of the professional relationship dynamics. For example, one contractor may prefer a simple email saying thank you for your dedication to helping our team develop a new website over the last three months and acknowledging the time, commitment, and professional level of work done can go a long way to that contractor. It can help to strengthen the relationship and builds confidence with the contractor that you respect and appreciate his or her service. Examples: Customer Spotlight, Thank You Discount, Special Gratitude Event, or a simple Thank You Note.
3. Journal. Keep track of people that have helped you along the way not for keeping tabs purposes, but merely to show Gratitude. The gift of gratitude continues while writing and it is an excellent tool for you to reflect, and perhaps share that Journal or excerpts of that Journal with the individuals, teams, and firms in unique ways. The ability to track the specifics helps you to remember and show express appreciation. That specific recognition contributes to meaningful emotions that strengthen professional relationships for years to come. For example, A Journal entry about an individual that volunteered her time to help assist a start-up project when you didnât have the cash flow to hire her helped you get that first project completed, which contributed to secure a sustainable client. The act of writing in a journal, writing those feelings in detail helps you to feel gratitude, and helps you when communicating appreciation with the individuals. Often, people donât realize how big of an impact their actions have on a person or firm, and acknowledging what may be âsmallâ to someone, was much more to you is a great way of reaffirming appreciation.
Life happens, business happens. It is easy to get caught up in the business rat-race, but it doesnât have to happen. Practicing the daily art of gratitude helps to you remain humble and gain perspective on individuals, teams, and firms that have helped you get to where you are today. Reflection of the people and actions helps to foster the emotions of appreciation and identification of specific instances that has impacted you. Recognizing through action can help to build stronger relationships and let people know that you are thankful for specific actions he or she has helped you with along the way. Journaling such instances helps you to practice gratitude and can serve as a great reference for thanking others.
Engage
Get a few of your employees to interact within your group. Adding their voices to the dialogue will add a unique perspective to the conversation and increase your businessâ overall presence on LinkedIn. Coach a handful of employees on the technique youâd like them to use when representing your brand on the site, and let them help you generate discussion.
Copyright 2016 Viral Solutions LLC
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant, a Google Partner – Certified in AdWords and a Mobit Certified Partner.
4 Sure Signs It Is Time to Outsource Your Small Biz Marketing Needs
Small business owners get overwhelmed.
Depending on where you are at today, you may feel like you have everything under control or like someone needs to toss a lifeguard ring to you because youâre drowning in a wave pool of marketing needs. Wherever youâre sitting on that spectrum today impacts your perception of whether you need to outsource your small-business marketing.
You may already know you need it but are too skeptical of making that leap, or, perhaps, you need additional confirmation that what you are experiencing is, in fact, a sure sign that now may be the time to find that marketing partner.
Here, are 4 sure signs that it is time to outsource your marketing:
1) There is not enough time in the day to complete everything you need to get done marketing-wise.
Wishful thinking that you can do everything is one thingâdoing it is another. Letâs face itâŠmost small-business owners have that mind-set. It worked for a little bit, but in most cases, there was some crash and burn associated with trying to take on everything. Something has to give. It doesnât matter if you think you can do it all, which may be possible. What tends to happen is that something else suffers as a result. Itâs not practical to give 100% to everything, every day. Small business doesnât effectively work that way.
So, if you find yourself being pulled in every direction in your business, and still feel like taking 1 step forward takes you 2 steps back with your marketing, this is a pretty good sign that you may want to consider outsourcing your marketing.
The pastor cannot be expected to be a marketing expert. The realtor cannot be expected to be a marketing expert.
The reason you started a business is because youâre a rock star at what you do. If thatâs marketing, well, then you probably donât need to outsourceâthat is based on the assumption of outsourcing the strategy, as you may need to outsource the talent to deliver the service. In this example, we can see that even experts need help.
2) There are inconsistencies between your vision and marketing reality.
This may be a tough pill to swallow, and most donât want to face the reality. It is not a sign of weakness to identify it and do something about the inconsistencies. This is a common factor for individuals who do not have an art, design, or marketing background. The vision of what you want marketing-wise is there, but the actual reality doesnât match up.
There are a variety of reasons why that can and does happen. It can be the tools used in crafting the marketing strategies, the inconsistent designs, or the cookie-cutter approaches from a number of free online resources. Sure the intent was well-meaning, and it was likely an attempt to do it yourself to save money. Frugality is important, but it can also hurt your brand and marketing initiatives when the inconsistencies devalue the business, product, or service. In fact, in many cases, the time reworking the projects costs more than the initial investment.
So, if there is a disconnect between your marketing vision and reality, you may want to consider outsourcing your marketing needs to a firm that can help deliver that marketing image consistently.
3) You've lost the “fun” spirit you had when you started the business and are feeling drained.
This can go beyond the scope of marketing, but if outsourcing the marketing function would help you refocus on what it is that prompted you to get into business in the first place, it may be one of those saving graces that can help you get back to you.
If your marketing initiatives are not clear, consistent, or performing, it may be time to step back and partner with a marketing firm that can help you identify strategies as well as deliver, monitor, measure, and adjust initiatives. This would take several responsibilities off your plate and could provide you with more time to focus on areas of the business that you enjoy.
As a result, it may also help you regain a more positive mind-set, and as we like to say at Viral Solutions, help make business fun again.
4) You've been following marketing gurus and attending conferences, webinars, and seminars but still can't get your marketing to work.
Though itâs recommended to keep an eye on what the best of the best in the marketing world are doing, itâs also important to avoid getting too hung up on tools and trends. These are merely tactics you use to execute your strategy and optimize your opportunity. They shouldnât be treated as the focus of your marketing efforts.
If you invest in every âlatest and greatestâ widget rather than developing a strategy and really implementing data-driven marketing, chances are youâll never experience long-term growth in your business.
By partnering with an experienced and knowledgeable marketing firm, you could not only get a crash course in marketing strategy vs. tactics but discover the benefits of tackling the former first. Plus, you may just be able to achieve the scalable growth youâve been looking for.
The thought of outsourcing marketing needs can be identified as an indicator…
However, for many, the sheer thought of outsourcing may not be enough to take the plunge. For some, it may be coming to the realization that wearing all the hats in a business is draining and not fun.
For others, it may be coming to grips with the fact that a variety of free tools and cookie-cutter approaching to marketing have created a disconnected brand. While others are just ready to throw their hands up in a last-ditch effort to make business fun again.
The 4 signs discussed are not the only signs, but they are examples of what many small-business owners do experience and are often the bigger signs that help individuals finally make the switch and commitment to outsourcing their marketing needs.
At Viral Solutions, we know how difficult it is for small-business owners to manage their marketing efforts. Itâs a full-time job! We also know that wearing too many hats can leave you tired and discouraged by poor results. If you feel like youâre ready to outsource your marketing, schedule a free consultation today and discover how our team can help improve your businessâ performance and allow you to find joy in your work again.
3 Interview Questions to Ask Your Prospective Marketing Consulting Firm
Whether you are starting out, starting over, or somewhere in between, the decision to hire a marketing consulting firm is huge. The decision deals with emotions, money, time, and trust. It is that moment when there is a profound realization that partnering with an expert is needed to take you and your product, service, or knowledge to the next level for your business. Deciding, researching, and moving forward with an expert marketing firm is half the battle, the other half is determining the fit, working together, and seeing results that are valuable to you and the marketing company. To help you determine the fit, here are three interview questions to ask your prospective marketing consulting firm.
- What is your companyâs experience? Get specific. In todayâs market anybody and their brother can enter the
Infusionsoft can be confusing as it is â without adding hiring an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant or Partner as well. We want to make sure you get the best consultant for YOUR company â whether that is us, or not.
We compiled this guide to make your experience with us â or any Consultant or Partner â a better, more productive one. Our free guide will give you the questions you should ask:
marketing consulting market. There are experts, and then there are people that claim to be experts. You need to know what the consulting firmâs specialties include and the experience that the company brings to the table that aligns with the needs of your business. The ability to precisely define this experience and specialization are critical. If you are looking for a market research partner but are sitting down with a social media firm, there is going to be a disconnect between what you want and what they can do. This is not to say that some companies can grow with the challenge of expanding marketing niches – they certainly can, and often do, however, if what youâre looking for is market research studies for your firm today, donât set unrealistic expectations with a firm in which that is not their specialty. Ask the question. The representative should be able to clearly and precisely identify what it is they do, what their experience is, and how that is relevant to your firm. If there is a lack of clarity or a one-size fits all approach to marketing, which may be a prospective âred flagâ and should weigh heavily on your decision to move forward or not.
- What services do you provide to your clients and how do you measure the progress? Get specific. There can be a brief introduction of services, similar to your catch line of service(s) or value your product(s) that you may say to your prospective customers, but that introduction leaves quite a bit of information that is imperative to a decision to partner unknown. This is where you need to get specific with questions that help you to understand what it is that the firm does. Furthermore, get clear if that is across the board with all clients or in general. If it is, in general, identify how they go about determining the right services for their customers. This is not to question their ability or to illustrate concern for delivery, but understand the functions and processes in providing services. One of the biggest issues that can occur is the assumption of services rendered. Get clear, get specific, and ask as many questions as you need to ask to ensure understanding of services that firm can provide, and what they would be providing should they be selected as a marketing partner. The clearer you are from the get-go, the happier and more productive the marketing journey will be.
- How much does it cost for your services? Donât be scared of the initial cost, be cautious of the firm that cannot or will not provide you with that information. Be wary of the company that spouts out a figure without knowing your actual needs – in fact, run! Each business has different needs and to provide a cookie cutter cost bid to all prospective customers is not only presumptuous, but also an indicator of a lack of experience. Here, the representative can offer a ballpark of costs based on a variety of services and needs, but the most respectful and efficient response would be a deeper investigation into the actual needs of your firm, and the representative using that information to customize a bid in writing. It shouldn't take more than two to three business days to create a proposal based on that information. Furthermore, if you receive the bid via email with little to no information supporting it, that is a âred flagâ. Professional marketing firms will make sure you understand exactly what the costs entail and what will be gained from the services. By the time youâre done with the bidding process, you should be able to clearly communicate what services are going to be provided, at what frequency, how the communication will be throughout the process, the performance metrics, checkpoints for measuring progress, and the costs associated with the project (one-time to ongoing marketing partnership). If this information is not clear, there is a disconnect somewhere. Ask more questions to get clear – a professional marketing firm will appreciate those questions because it is just as important to the company as it is to you to be clear on expectations, services to provide, and costs.
Making the decision to outsource or partner with a marketing consulting company is a big decision. The decision to do so matters and the selection of the firm will make or break the performance and attitude associated with the experience. Asking the right questions from the -get-go will help you to be clear, precise, and informed. The interview questions will help you to identify the strongest fit with your needs and budget. Take the time to ask, listen, and confirm responses. Doing so, will aid you in deterring the best fit and help to build a positive relationship with the marketing consulting firm that will help you throughout the process and years to come. This is not seen as an annoyance, but as due diligence in deterring the best strategic fit, which is paramount.
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner and an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant.
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
How to Use LinkedIn Groups for Business
LinkedIn Groups can be an excellent resource for businesses. These groups are places for professionals of the same field to network and gather useful information pertinent to their work. Itâs also a great place to find and post job leads, and recruit talent.
Here are a few ways to get the most out of LinkedIn Groups for your business.
Connect
Most people think LinkedIn is a prospecting mecca where miracles occur. They may practice the âpushâ style of marketing themselves. Or, they have a hit-and-run approach
where they put up posts, articles and links that get ignored, but still hope to get hits from. It doesnât work that way. 58 percent of our revenue comes directly from new contacts weâve generated via LinkedIn.
We donât go chasing these people. Instead, they invite us into their decision process, wanting to learn more about how we can help their company.
This may seem like a given, but in order to engage, you need to reach out. Groups vary by industry, topic, and location, and as a basic user you can join up to 50. Do some research to find out where your customers are, then join groups relevant to your business, so that users can see what you have to offer. Position yourself as an industry resource by posting relevant content and useful articles.
Create
Now that youâve established your business as a credible resource, why not create a group of your own? Keep in mind that to be successful, this will require you (or someone on your team) to maintain a presence within the group. Youâll need to generate quality content and and discussions — but the payoff can be great for your business. It can give you a foothold as an industry expert — and help you recruit customers.
Research
LinkedIn Groups are ready-made focus groups for your field of expertise. If youâre wondering what your peers think about a topic, use your group to ask them. Youâll get feedback from professionals who understand your market and can offer a unique perspective. Whatâs great is that when you curate your own LinkedIn Group, you can create your own poll for users to fill out — so the information your responders give will belong to only you.
Recruit
Groups are a useful resource for both headhunters and job-seekers alike. Group posts are delivered to members in a daily email, so when you post positions in your group, you will reach a targeted audience more likely to have the skills you desire.
Engage
Get a few of your employees to interact within your group. Adding their voices to the dialogue will add a unique perspective to the conversation and increase your businessâ overall presence on LinkedIn. Coach a handful of employees on the technique youâd like them to use when representing your brand on the site, and let them help you generate discussion.
Copyright 2016 Viral Solutions LLC