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HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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2
3
5
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14
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What is Outsourcing?
How does Outsourcing t into Modern Business?
Key Benets of Outsourcing
How can Freelancer.com help you to Reap these Benets?
What does Freelancer.com do to Safeguard you as an Employer of Freelancers?
First Steps in Outsourcing
How to Post a Project and Set Yourself up For Success
Choosing the Right Freelancers
Outsourcing Case Studies
Summary
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
To do business in the modern world, a successful business needs to extract the very
best value from its workforce. The global marketplace is constantly changing and
any business venture that wants to lucratively compete in this global arena needs
to be both dynamic and able to scale its workforce to meet supply and demand.
Western-based companies nd that they are unable to compete with international
companies offering services at much lower costs. Outsourcing enables companies to
procure staff at competitive prices and, more importantly, as needed rather than hiring full-time
employees.
In being able to call upon a workforce of outsourced Freelancers, small businesses are then able
to dynamically scale themselves to t the needs of any project.
Small businesses often nd they have to turn down opportunities due to limited
resources, therefore losing out to competitors. However, if a company has
access to a readily available team of outsourced staff, this problem disappears;
the business simply uses Freelancers to make up the shortfall. Small businesses
can therefore take on additional work, safe in the knowledge they can acquire the
resources required to complete any project. There can be no doubt that a small
business that is able to utilize Freelancers is more dynamic and able to adapt
itself more quickly to the needs of its clients.
How does
Outsourcing
t into Modern
Business?
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
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So far, we have briey outlined a handful of the advantages of using Freelancers. Let us now take
a much deeper look into the full range of benets that a small business can reap from taking an
outsourced approach to stafng.
Staff can be employed on a demand-driven
basis. Put simply, if you need eight staff one
month and then only ve the next, then you
only need employ the right number of staff each
month. This means that staff shortages become
a thing of the past and, equally importantly,
Most business is won on price and employing
outsourced staff allows small businesses to
attain price parity with competitors large
and small.
As any company that employs full-time staff will
be aware, the cost of keeping those staff trained
in current industry technologies and other tertiary
skills can be high. Outsourced members of staff
are responsible for keeping themselves current
and ensuring that their skills are kept sharp, at
no cost to their Employers.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
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The points outlined above represent the major benets of outsourcing, many of which are applicable
to small businesses in a range of industries. Even smaller organizations or one-man operations
must see by now how outsourcing can help them to maintain their prot margins and grow with their
market, without the need to invest in more full-time personnel. Utilizing highly skilled, professional
Freelancers gives businesses the option to employ the people they need only when they need them,
without incurring an ongoing overhead.
DIVERSIFICATION
REDUCED TRAINING- COSTS
SIMPLIFIED ACCOUNTING
By outsourcing to Freelancers, a small business
is able to adapt its products and services and
expand its product base by pulling in skills that
it does not already offer. For example, a web
development company may nd it desirable
to offer Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
services as part of their overall package. By
perfected over several years to provide an optimal interface between Employers and Freelancers,
and to deal with every foreseeable interaction between both parties effectively and efciently.
Finding freelance staff using Freelancer.com is very simple and is accomplished by using a reverse
auction-style system. An Employer, posts a project detailing the work involved, the skills required,
the project timeline and budget. Freelancers from all over the world are then able to bid on the
How can
Freelancer.com
help you to Reap
these Benets?
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
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project, presenting the Employer with detailed information regarding the services they are able to
offer. Employers are then free to discuss the details of each bid directly with the Freelancer, using the
Freelancer.com messaging system. Once the Employer has found a match for their requirements,
they accept the bid made by their chosen Freelancer and work commences.
Projects may be split into “milestones” to enable the Employer to measure performance and ensure
that the project remains on target at all times. The Freelancer.com messaging system facilitates
communication between the parties allowing for correspondence to be monitored and les to
be exchanged.
Once work is completed, the Employer pays the Freelancer for their services and both parties are
free from any further commitment. However, many small businesses nd that once they have found
a good Freelancer, they like to use the same person for future projects. Likewise, Freelancers nd
that they naturally develop a client base using the facilities provided by Freelancer.com.
Post a Project
in Seconds
Compare & Select
Bidder(s)
Create
Milestone
deliver what they promised.
MILESTONE PAYMENTS FEEDBACK AND RATINGS
Once a Freelancer.com project has been
completed and funds have been released, both
the Employer and the Freelancer are able to
leave a service rating and s a short feedback
comment is also given at this time. Employers
can instantly see from a Freelancer’s prole
how well they have performed historically,
and Freelancers are able to judge prospective
Employers in a similar fashion.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
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SKILL TESTS DISPUTE SYSTEM
Freelancer.com allows Freelancers to take
a range of skill tests, which enables them to
showcase their skills to prospective Employers.
Employers are able to vet applicants by
checking their skill test scores and making
sure that they are adequate to warrant being
employed for a specic project.
On the rare occasion that an Employer and
Freelancer reach an impasse and are unable to
resolve problems with a project, Freelancer.com
offers a dispute resolution system. The preliminary
rounds of this system are automated and prompt
each party to try to reach an amicable solution to
their problem. If either party is unable to reach a
solution, then they may choose to escalate the
Freelancers feeling that they t the project well, making the process of sorting out those who actually
are of the right calibre quite a tricky thing to accomplish. As a guide, each project posted needs to
address the following items:
The name of the project should accurately
describe what you need in as few words as
possible. Simply entering a title of “Looking
for Freelancer” or similar is not going to give
prospective Freelancers an appropriate idea
about what the project will entail. Freelancers
are presented with projects in a list, with only
the project name and a small excerpt of the
project information visible, so a good name
will help Freelancers to nd a project that t
them best; it will also ensure that your project is
considered by professional Freelancers.
How to Post a
Project and Set
Yourself up
For Success
PROJECT NAME DESCRIPTION
This is where you outline your requirements.
It is vitally important to be as accurate and
informative as possible in this section. If, as
an Employer, you wish to attract only the
most professional freelance staff, then your
bid request needs to portray your business as
entirely professional. A good project description
is a way of letting prospective Freelancers know
that you understand exactly what you would like
them to do, and that you are able to manage
the Employer the information they need to decide whether the candidate is suitable for the job, and
the prospective employee the information they need to decide whether it is the right job for them.
When recruiting freelance staff on-line, using the service supplied by Freelancer.com, this form of
interview is impossible to facilitate since both parties are likely to live in different parts of the world.
Therefore, it is crucial that Employers take every possible precaution when selecting a Freelancer
for a project. Use the points outlined below as a checklist when selecting a Freelancer for your
project.
Choosing the
Right Freelancers
Check that the Freelancer you are considering
has the skill set you require. Every good
Freelancer will have a portfolio that they can
present to prospective Employers. Additionally,
Freelancer.com enables Freelancers to take a
range of exams – check to see if the applicant
you are considering has passed any exams
relevant to the project.
In the same way that you have checked the
Freelancer’s skills, you can also check their
experience. This can be achieved by asking
a prospective Freelancer to demonstrate
examples of their previous work. They should
have a proven track record of successfully
completed similar projects. Use the feedback
and rating system provided by Freelancer.com
to evaluate the credibility of the applicant. If
the Freelancer has no proven track record and
lacks positive feedback for similar completed
projects, they may be exaggerating their level
of experience.
POST A PROJECT
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
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“Freelancer.com made it possible to nance the project and realise my dream”
Kathryn McInnes had a vision to create an online interactive learning resource for young children, however
lacked the web design and programming skills. Being stuck with how to move forward on this project she
started searching for solutions and came across Freelancer.com. She decided to test the website by posting a
simple voice over project for her learning resource which was highly successful.
“The recordings were of exceptional quality and the Freelancer’s communication throughout the project,
willingness to modify readings and meet agreed deadlines was outstanding,” said Kathryn.
Condent with Freelancer.com and the service that was offered she decided to create a larger development
project asking for a Freelancer to create the interactive learning resource she wanted. With a initial expected
budget of between $5,000 and $8,000 she posted a project. She was shocked to discover her project could be
completed for as low as $900.
“By outsourcing production to international Freelancers, I was able to have the multimedia developed for
$900. Freelancer.com made it possible to nance the project and realise my dream ,“ she said. It is amazing
how she was able to cut costs and get her complex development project done effectively and efciently.
Kathryn leaves us with:
“Thank you Freelancer.com for creating such an amazing service and bringing the nations together. Who
would have thought it possible to produce an interactive learning resource in Australia with the help of
Freelancers in the US and India! Thank you for making my project a great success.
Kind regards
Kathryn McInnes – Lessons 4 Life”
Outsourcing
Case Studies
Animated
Interactive
Learning
Resource
POST A PROJECT
HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS
FREELANCER.COM
16
Every business wants to increase revenue, lower operating costs and obtain greater prots.
Technology has reached a stage whereby geographic location matters very little, and at Freelancer.
com this concept is taken to new heights. Our site has been designed and developed from the
ground up in order to provide the perfect solution for both Employers seeking Freelance staff, and
professional Freelancers seeking work.
Outsourcing is not a new concept; the idea of employing short-term casual labor has been around
for decades. What is new however, is the way in which Freelancer.com is enabling both small
businesses and individuals around the globe to recruit outsourced staff simply and safely. There has
never been a better way for Employers to nd the staff they need, with the skills they need, at the
price they need. These staff can be located anywhere in the world and the Freelancer.com website
facilitates their recruitment, management and payment using a secure and robust set of web-based
tools. By registering with Freelancer.com, you are joining a growing band of small businesses
who have realized that having outsourced staff gives them the edge needed to get ahead in the
global marketplace. Register with Freelancer.com now and begin to reap the benets that only an
outsourced, scalable workforce can provide.
Summary
POST A PROJECT
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