The Benefits of Outsourcing

Are you the chief cook and bottle washer in your business? Most small businesses today are built up from the expertise and hard work of one individual who works IN and ON the business. Maybe you have a few employees to help. Even so, you are most likely left with the task of handling a lot of different responsibilities.

No one is expert in every area of business management. That's why "outsourcing" becomes a good solution to the owner of any small business. Outsourcing is when you contract with outside firms to handle work normally performed by full-time employees. For example, you may outsource your company's accounting, payroll, human resources, IT, or marketing functions.

There are many benefits to outsourcing. Here are just a few:

Cost-Cutting and Capital Investment. When you cut costs, you're able to use the savings for capital investments in other areas of your business.

Increased Efficiency. Think of your typical work day and imagine how much of your time is spent chatting with others and doing mundane tasks. Multiply that time by the number of employees you have and that's how much your losing in efficiency. When an outsourced company is working on your account, they are working efficiently and only billing for actual time worked.

Reduced labor costs. Hiring and training staff can be very expensive, especially when you consider the amount you pay out in taxes and benefits. Temporary employees don't have a vested interest in your company so they may not always live up to your expectations. Outsourcing lets you focus your human resources where you need them most.

Talents are focused. Every business has limited resources and talents. Often times employees are given other tasks to handle because of the lack of human resources. Outsourcing allows everyone to focus on what they do best, and in the long run, this translates into better customer service.

Every day companies are using outsourced services to provide the manpower and expertise needed to successfully run their business. If you haven't considered it for your business, now may be the right time to investigate the benefits of outsourcing.

Anne Lazo is the owner of Eagle Soars Consulting. We are a full-service marketing and training company that has been serving small business owners for almost a decade.

The Best Source for New Business

When business is booming, a lot of business owners won't spend money on marketing. They assume that since they're getting the referrals and business is good, it doesn't make sense to spend money on marketing.

Once business begins to slow down, they go through a "fire drill" in an attempt to bring in new business. They may start advertising or sending out mailers, and then complain they are getting little to no business from their marketing. Why is this the case? Because they haven't created brand awareness through a consistent marketing program.

If you are currently in this boat, you may be looking for creative ways to bring in new business. It will take some time before advertisements will begin to perform well. In the meantime, the best source for new business is your existing customer database. Take a good look at your database. How many customers no longer come to you? Are your active customers sending you referrals?

Once you go through and separate your database into categories, develop a program to reach out to each one. You may want to send a letter to inactive customers and give them an offer if they try your business again. For active customers, ask for a referral. There are a lot of ways to reach out and re-initiate contact. The key to making this work is to be consistent and frequent in your contact.

Eagle Soars will be authorized to deliver Situational Leadership II training

Eagle Soars Consulting will be signing a Consulting Agreement with The Ken Blanchard Companies that will authorize us to deliver Situational Leadership II and Introduction to Situational Leadership II training programs. This training program develops competence and commitment in your team so you are able to retain talented individuals and your company will excel in your area of expertise.

This training program provides your leaders with the tools for developing open communication skills so they can better manage their teams. The whole premise behind Situational Leadership is to increase the frequency and quality of conversations leaders have with their team members so everyone is performing their best. Once they learn and implement these tools, they are better able to set goals and track performance. The end result for the entire organization is less absenteeism and increased job satisfaction and morale.

To view a video with Ken and Scott Blanchard, click HERE.

Eagle Soars Consulting provides a number of different instructor-led training programs for sales and management level staff. Click here to learn about our various training programs.