Elancer

August 2007

Provider Close-up: Perfection Consulting

"Before Elance, I had a career in banking and then as a Loan Officer." said Tiffany Kelley (Elance username: perfectionconsulting). "I started Perfection Consulting as a side business to better utilize my background in advertising and public relations and my degree in Journalism.  It quickly became obvious that it would be much more lucrative to make Perfection Consulting my full-time business."

Perfection Consulting is a business planning and marketing agency with a broad range of services providing clients with a "one stop shop."  They handle everything from initial business plans for start-ups to marketing campaigns for large corporations.  And, when necessary, an incredibly fast turn-around time.

"We recently had a client who needed an extensive business feasibility analysis completed in less than a day and a half.  We pulled together all our resources to meet the exceptionally tight deadline – and we delivered a 55-page research report in time for an important meeting with his investors."

Customized Services for Budget Conscious Clients
The majority of Tiffany's worldwide clientele is made up of start-ups and small- to medium-sized businesses.  "Often our clients are working with limited budgets, and we go out of our way to be as flexible as possible regarding rates," says Tiffany.  "We also have the advantage of working with clients from a broad range of industries, and this experience translates into yet another great benefit.  Our willingness to customize our services to fit within a client's budget often makes us their best choice when they need a service provider."

Recipe for Success
Tiffany's recipe for success is simple.  "To be successful, on or outside of Elance, you must establish trust with buyers:  display the highest level of professionalism possible, have a portfolio to prove your capabilities, and make communication and fast response times a top priority.  We make it our mission to do everything possible to foster their business growth."

As her own business has grown, Tiffany has expanded her team – and she has turned to Elance to make that possible.  "I have been very impressed with the professionals I've developed relationships with," says Tiffany.  "Now I can take on more clients and offer an even wider variety of services."

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Improve Your Web Traffic Through SEM

Having a website is great, but without visitors – what's the point?  Brad Anderson (Elance username: fruition), shares his advice on how to improve web traffic.  Fruition is a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) firm.  SEM includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click management (PPC), online display ads, conversion analysis and website design. They help clients improve the profitability of their websites by providing relevant information for visitors and search engines.

The more relevant a web page, the more popular it will be with both visitors and search engines.
"With SEO there are no shortcuts or tricks," says Brad.  "Like any other marketing medium, it requires a lot of work by individuals who understand what visitors and the search engines like to see:  properly organized text. Combining a nice layout with SEO is difficult, so our SEO team includes dedicated designers who understand both the human component and the search component. The result is pages that perform well for visitors and rank high for specific keywords."

Brad's basic site optimization tips:

• Always write with the reader in mind.
• Write fresh content directly on point with the service or product that you provide.
• Stick to approximately 450 words per page and use appropriate keywords – no more often than you need to. If you start "keyword stuffing" (cramming keywords in wherever possible) you risk being penalized or even banned by the search engines.
• Design the page the way your average visitor would like – if you do, odds are it will also perform well for search engines.
• Always avoid so-called "black hat" tricks.  Trying to fool the search engines is a waste of time and may even get your site banned.

"Keep in mind," says Brad, "Google is smarter than the people performing black hat optimizations – that is why Google is so successful. Stick to the basics, design a relevant site visitors can use, and good rankings will follow."

Be Prepared For Increased Traffic
But make sure you're ready for increased traffic.  "We can always generate leads or sales for our clients," says Brad, "but if the firm cannot actually handle the leads or sales we generate they are wasting their money.  It takes more than a #1 ranking on Google to become profitable.  It requires the complete package:  sales, support, customer service, etc.  On more than one occasion we have optimized web sites and received top results for hundreds of highly trafficked keywords, only to have the company run out of inventory or not be able to handle the increased demand on their customer service team.

"While SEM is critical," says Brad, "it is still just one integral part of developing a successful company."

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Turning Visions Into Reality

Do you have an idea for a product or device?  If so, Unicorn Technical Services (Elance username: ConnectUTS), a design and product development company, can turn your vision into reality.  Not only do they help Fortune 10 companies implement entire product lines, but they help inventors bring new ideas to market.

"We design widgets and products," says Niel Leon, Technical Director.  "We can assist on a wide variety of electro-mechanical design efforts:  we've designed medical equipment, children's toys, industrial equipment, and even devices that weigh less than 1/10 of a gram."

According to Niel, some companies are reluctant to work with engineers and designers on a virtual outsourcing basis, but that reluctance is fading in the global economy.  Niel has worked with clients in New Zealand and spent six years working on medical devices with associates based in Russia.

The speed of virtual outsourcing also benefits his clients.  "We worked with a company whose product was being developed in Germany, built in France, and installed in the U.S. In 48 hours we engineered a parts redesign and delivered it electronically to the factory for the next production run.  The end user would have demanded the order be pulled if we couldn't immediately solve our client's problem."

How does Niel approach the bidding process?  He cites three key points:

1. Know your capabilities. Work to your strengths and don't over-promise.  Be sure you have associates that can help you in the areas where you could use backup.
2. Ask questions before submitting a formal bid. This helps weed out "tire kickers" and provides you with a firm basis for a bid that the client can accept.
3. Don't be afraid to enter the bidding process.  The key is to understand the client's needs and customize your bid. The more you bid on the right type of projects, the greater your chances of success.

Elance allows us to build a broad customer base in terms of size, company profile, and markets to weather economic fluctuations.  "We get between one-fourth and one-half of our business through Elance," says Niel.  "Of all the agency sites, it's easily our most successful source of new jobs."

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Exploring New Business Ideas

Thousands of established companies use virtual outsourcing to reduce costs and gain access to skills that aren't available in-house.  At the same time, every day individuals turn to virtual outsourcing to try out new ideas and start new businesses.

Stewart Harding came to Elance with an idea he wanted to take to market: utilizing technology to help taxi drivers.  For years, radio has been the method of communication for taxi drivers and their dispatchers, and Stewart decided to harness new technology to provide drivers with detailed client information, navigation assistance and the ability to accept credit cards.  In the process, he and his partner discovered virtual outsourcing could help them develop a number of businesses.

Q. What originally brought you to Elance?
A. I created a high-tech product, and I recognized I needed to make it easier for customers to download and install from our website, www.diplomat.co.uk.  I first learned about Elance from seminars and books by Neil Waterhouse; he reviews and evaluates online business opportunities.  When I registered, my partner did as well.  She hired a writer, Harry Husted (Elance username: hhusted), to complete a FrontPage how-to guide and designers to create her website.

Q. How has virtual outsourcing changed your approach to building new companies?
A. Virtual outsourcing creates a superb business tool. I'm an IT person, so I'm amazed by what my partner was able to achieve. She had little web design knowledge, yet with the help of Elance providers she developed a highly professional e-commerce site at a fraction of what we would have paid in the UK.

Q. Since then you've built other companies?
A. Once we realized Elance providers could keep our cost of entry low, my partner and I have been able to explore business avenues we would never have considered.  She recently created www.mancubs.com to sell kids' exercise equipment, and I'm changing my business model to accommodate affiliates and expert resellers of my products – Elance providers are handling the design and programming.

Q. You've worked with providers in the U.S., Russia, and India.  How have you felt about those experiences? 
A. Fantastic!  I think you can only find this level of service by having access to a world market.  For example, our success led to overseas contracts; in one case we needed to translate all our user manuals into Portuguese.  We found Tarjamat Ingibelal (Elance username: ingibelal), a fantastic translator who worked over the weekend and delivered the goods in just a few days.  And with all of our projects, the value of the dialogue and advice from providers is simply priceless.

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