As a word, a concept and a business practice, outsourcing has gained a lot of traction. People the world over have come to love it and that’s because they know how effective it can be in boosting their productivity. Lower overheads, speedy scaling, a wider pool of talent and the use of people who get the job done to a high standard and in a timely manner – what’s not to love.

But one thing that a lot of businesses haven’t come to realise is outsourcing effectively is a skill. It isn’t just a matter of saying you want someone to come in and offer IT support or do your graphic design, it is knowing how to hire these people in a much smarter way, and that is exactly what we are going to help you with, starting now:

1. Know Exactly What You Want

You can’t possibly hire the perfect person or service without knowing exactly what you want them to do and achieve. That is the only way you will be able to measure their success. You need to know what skills they should have, how they report their time, how the submit their work and everything else. Once you know that, you will be able to write a much better job description and up your chances of success from the moment you start your search.

2. Search For Specialists

General skills are great when you are hiring full-time employees because the wider their abilities the more you are getting for your money. But when it comes to outsourcing, it is better to pick specialists, whether that be IT support, graphic design, HR services or just a kickass copywriter. We know this may seem counterintuitive, especially if you have fifteen tasks you want to outsource, but you will find it is much smarter to break your tasks into speciality groups and hiring three freelancers for 13 hours a week rather than one for 40 and expecting them to get the job done to the same standard. You’ll be disappointed with the quality, that’s for sure.

3. Spend Some Money

Anything that falls into the category of cheap tends to lack value. That’s a fact. Now we get that you are outsourcing to reduce your overheads, but that doesn’t mean you need to start hiring cheap labor overseas. We’re not saying you shouldn’t do that because a lot of the time you can find great freelancers that way. What we are saying is, don’t be enticed by the cheapest offer. Instead, know what the average rate is and then accept the fact that if an offer seems too good to be true it probably is. For example, if you are looking to hire a creative copywriter, then you need to know that the average hourly rate is between $65 and $95.

4. Build Relationships Fast

When you are looking for freelancers, a great approach is to use one platform. Yes, we’re talking about hiring through somewhere like Upwork, which has the biggest pool of freelancers. However, don’t rely on this ion the long run. Why? Simple. Freelancers loathe using it. The idea of bidding for work doesn’t sit well with them and no one wants to hire an unhappy person. Instead, find someone you can work with and then stick with them. That way you will build a relationship with someone who knows your brand and someone you can trust.