How to Replicate & Scale

The super affiliates are those who create a system that works.  

Once they have a tried and tested system they can scale quickly by replicating their system.

Scaling is made possible by using software to speed up and automate certain processes, such as duplicating sites.  

Or by paying someone else to do the work for them.  Let’s take a closer look at the nuts and bolts of outsourcing effectively…

The Art of Outsourcing

You can look at hiring people to do part-time or full-time work for you from developed countries.  The main advantage being that you pay significantly less than you would in your own country—yet still receive the same quality work.

Speaking from painful experience we have endured many outsourcing headaches—most due to lack of communication.

We have had bad experiences with those from India, especially.  The main problem being the difference in culture.  

(Many people in India will say “yes” just to please you but not really mean it.  This can be incredibly frustrating!)

Mark has a team of full-time independent contractors from the Philippines, while Leon has a full-time team based in Thailand.

The quality of staff we have is good as any other country in the world for the positions they are in.

Part-time Outsourcing?

If you are looking for part-time workers then going through an outsourcing company such as ODesk (where they manage the workers for you) can work out for you.

But we don’t recommend an outsourcing company if you are looking for full-time staff.  This is because you pay more than is necessary and it is hard to build a good relationship with these workers.

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to outsource.  We have gone about things differently from each other, but no way is better than the other.

Mark hired a Virtual Assistant (VA) who had a background in management and who could hire and train staff competently (under Mark’s guidance).

Because Leon was living in Thailand at the time, he interviewed and hired his staff in person.

Test Potential Staff Thoroughly

Mark warns against using a “hit and miss” approach such as putting an ad on Craigslist and then picking the best applicant out of the five that apply.

The same criteria that you would normally apply to hiring staff in your own country should apply here too. It is not good enough to simply look at someone’s resume as even the most impressive qualifications can be misleading.

Instead, make sure your applicants do a test that demonstrates and proves their talent, skills and comprehension.

(Those who are not motivated and willing to sit your test are likely not motivated enough for you to employ.)

What you choose to put in your test are the skills they will need in your business. For example when Mark is hiring for graphic designers he puts them through a two hour test, compromising of four parts.

His four parts include designing a logo, cutting up a website and putting it into HTML (without any tables in it), designing an e-book cover and taking a MS Word document and formatting it in Abode’s InDesign.

These are the basis requirements that Mark needs his graphic designers to do.  Your requirements may be different—so test accordingly.

Keep in mind that some roles will be better suited to being niche specific (such as writers who write products) while other roles (graphic design, programming, article writing, marketing and SEO) can be suitable across multiple products and niches.

It is however, up to you what works best for you.

Sometimes it is hard to give staff a test when you have little knowledge about exactly what their job may involve. For example you may need to hire a few programmers… so how do you know if you are hiring competent people or not?

In this case you may want to check out ExpertRating, where you pay a small fee for each person you test.

They have standardized tests that have been sat by thousands of programmers around the world.  And they will let you know which percentile they scored in a particular spectrum.

The people you outsource are independent contractors—who either work from work or from a dedicated office space that you rent out.

If you choose you can do as Mark does and give vacation pay, sick leave and pay statutory holidays on top of their agreed wage.

To Ensure Maximum Productivity...

To ensure maximum productivity we carry out regular performance reviews to ensure everyone is on task.

Maintaining regular communication is extremely important!

Leon jumps on a weekly conference call with his team in Thailand where any problems they have are aired and resolved.

To ensure day-to-day productivity Mark uses three pieces of software.

Windows Live Messenger – where you can easily message them to check they are at their computer.

ClockingIt is free and great for seeing how long tasks take.  You can see which staff members are productive and which are less so.  Being able to see many hours they are working is useful to know.

It’s important you are realistic.  You will not get eight hours of productivity each day.  But if anyone is working less than five and a half hours a day it is worth investigating further.

And RescueTime is a piece of software that records everything they do.  You can see which websites your staff is browsing and which applications they are loading.

If you want to use any of the above software, tell them that as part of their contract in working for you, they will agree to install it.)

Our knowledge about outsourcing comes from discussing with other marketers what works for them but mostly comes from own personal experiences of giving it a go ourselves.