How To Get The Most Out Of Freelancers

by Glenn Fisher

No man is an island, so wrote the poet John Donne.

And when it comes to starting your own home business, there’s no reason for you to think you have to do everything yourself.

If there’s a particular element of setting up a business that’s got you stuck - writing content or designing a website perhaps - rather than giving up on the whole idea...

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You could freelance the work out.

But when it comes to hiring a freelancer, there are a few things you should bear in mind to make sure you get the best work delivered...

How to get the most out of freelancers

It may cost a little more but it makes sense to use sites like www.elance.com, www.rentacoder.com  and www.guru.com  to find freelancers.

A lot of people also recommend www.odesk.com.

Using these sites helps to protect you as the site will hold the payment until you say you’re happy with the work.

This helps to protect both you and the freelancer (you can’t run off without paying and the freelancer’s work must be signed off as satisfactory before he can be paid).

You should also check for any testimonials the freelancer can offer you and get examples of their previous work.

It pays to be wary of new members of websites like elance.com who have no feedback...

It could well be the case that they’re actually old members using a new login to avoid being associated with previous bad feedback.

Here’s a good tip too...

Put a ‘secret phrase’ in your advert.

Basically, ask that anyone who applies to do freelance work for you includes this phrase. Then you’ll know that anyone who doesn’t include it has not read the requirements correctly.

This will make you weed out any ‘serial bidders’ - people who just apply for every freelance going even if their not really suited to it.

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Now, regarding payment...

If you’re not using a service like elance.com and organising payment yourself, you should make sure you don’t pay for any work upfront.

Instead, try to stagger the payments so that you don’t lose all your money if the freelancer doesn’t perform.

And if you are paying for work at an hourly rate, ask the freelancer to submit timesheets detailing exactly what he did and when so you can judge whether you are getting value for money.

Of course, it’s not like all freelancers are out to fiddle you...

Far from it.

But should you find a good freelancer, it’s a good idea to keep them happy.

So, if you receive good work and it’s presented before a deadline, it’s worth giving the freelancer a bonus.

Treat your freelancers well and you’ll encourage loyalty and will undoubtedly receive a higher quality of work from them in future.

The final thing to remember, though, is that sometimes, you’ll find that a freelancer can become a bit complacent overtime and the quality of their work might start to slip.

This will only get worse if it is allowed to happen more than once. So, nip it in the bud as soon as you notice.

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Bottom line when it comes to hiring out work to freelancers is to be clear as to what it is you want and be fair...

If the work is good: reward them. If it leaves a lot to be desired: be firm and demand better.

As I’ve explained here, although there can be problems with using freelancers, as long as you choose your people carefully you’ll find that you can receive high quality work at a low price and that will help you push your home business forward enormously.