Contractors – Do They Stay or Do They Go?

Recently, there was a discussion on a marketing forum I’m a member of where people were talking about why they didn’t like outsourcing. Many of them complain that contractors come and go and are unreliable.

Unfortunately, this can be the case with some contractors and I have had to deal with this in the past. I’ve learned my lesson and am ready should this ever happen again.

I am prepared for situations like this by continuously building a detailed manual of task instructions for my business. John Reese recommends doing this with screen capture video, but I make written checklists with screenshots, as I think people are more likely to refer to written instructions than sit through long videos. I have a big binder of them.

Also, if someone is going to quit, I make them do a few checklists before they go. This gives me the most up-to-date info on where particular duties/tasks stand so that I can easily bring someone else in or complete them myself, if absolutely necessary.

A few tips for finding contractors that will stick around:

First, don’t hire the cheapest contractor you find. Choose someone who comes recommended or that you already know through your networking circles.

Secondly, once you find someone that is good and you work well with, give them regular work. A well trained helper for you and your business is priceless and should be treated that way.

You can get more of my outsourcing tips via email here: http://www.outsourcingsweetie.com/tips.html