by Mike and Leaha

Do you ever think about outsourcing some business functions? Do you really know what outsourcing is? You’ve probably already outsourced some business activities but don’t think about it as outsourcing.

Most small to medium size businesses outsource some very specific business functions because frankly, they cannot afford to hire an employee for part-time specific business activities like public relations, accounting, product warehousing, marketing, sales, etc. If they could hire an employee, they would often have the employee spread their skills across many functions to justify the expenditure. Consequently, the employee could be doing marketing, customer service, and purchasing—in a less than optimal manner, instead of using experts at a competitive price and getting what is most needed for the business!

We see outsourcing as a way to receive high-value, specific business functions from experts. Most people/businesses that provide outsourced business functions are experts in their fields. They don’t try to do something that they are not expert in, and because they are experts and provide services to more than one business at a time, can simply offer exactly what you need much more cheaply than hiring internal staff.

Consider this the next time that you have a business problem to solve and are on a tight budget. Also keep in mind that hiring an expert, for just the services you need, allows you to better learn what your business requires for this role so that when your business grows large enough, you are prepared to hire your own expert!

Good Luck and Have Fun!

by Leaha and Mike

1. BE UNDERFUNDED

Market your product without spending money. Try really hard to organically get messaging out…all the while wondering why a competitor’s product is kicking your butt just because their marketing budget is 5x or 10x or 20x larger than yours.

2. SKIP THE MARKETING PLAN

Market planning is a total waste of time. It’s much easier, and way more fun, to just run around and try lots of stuff in a variety of markets. It will be exciting, and you’ll gain a lot of knowledge for your next venture.

3. PICK A CROWDED MARKET

Hey – if there’s lots of products there, it must be a hot market, right?

4. BRING A “ME-TOO” PRODUCT TO MARKET

Investing in product development can be costly. It’s much easier to find something that people are already buying and duplicate it.

5. CREATE YOUR LOGOS, BYLINES, AND GRAPHICS YOURSELF

Better yet, get your brother-in-law who can spell marketing and has an Apple computer to do it! Alternatively, find an offshore marketing agency that has no US presence do it because they are cheap.

6. IGNORE YOUR AUDIENCE AND THEIR OPINIONS

Skip surveys on their buying habits. No one cares what strangers think anyhow. I mean you made the product and your family likes it so it must be good, right?

7. WASTE MONEY ON STUPID STUFF

Like localized sponsorships and a flashy neon sign for your building. The concept of a national brand really doesn’t matter. What matters is what your friends and family think when they see your company logo around town.

8. IGNORE DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

Assume the stuff will sell on its own. All you need to do is put it on your website and people will buy. Distributers cost money, and point-of-sale displays and co-op advertising are a waste of money.

9. DO NOT HIRE A MARKETING PROFESSIONAL

What fun is it to hire someone who actually knows what should be done and can help do it?

Seriously – the opposite of ALL of these points will be a home run for your brand. We do want to emphasize the real killer for successful product launching and marketing strategy execution that you should pay attention to the most...

DON’T BE UNDERFUNDED

and

DON’T TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF UNLESS YOU ARE A MARKETING PROFESSIONAL