VIRTUAL TEAMS ROCK! Jen Sheahan
www.FBAdsLab.com
James Schramko’s ‘Fast Web Formula’ Event September 2010
FB Ads Lab Global Social Marketing Agency - Solid 6 figure business - High profile clients - 17 employees - in 6 countries ... all with a 100% virtual team!
THE QUICK OVERVIEW Where did I start? How did I find them? What jobs do they do? Are they as good as a local employee? How do I manage them? What if something goes wrong?
Where did I start?
SUCCESS STORY Referral to a US based, experienced VA 10 hours per month @ $35 per hour Helped with set-up, organization, emails, etc. Shared vision & values, goals & objectives Benefits: trusted, experienced, hard working, english speaking, straight talker, no middle-man.
SETBACK STORIES
Setback #1 - Customer Support Rep Setback #2 - Hiring for one task/skill Setback #3 - Hiring an Expert Setback #4 - All-in-One Outsourcing Company
How did I find them?
HOW DID I FIND THEM? Tried Elance, Odesk = no luck. Tried JobStreet = no luck. Tried “all in one” Outsourcing Company = no luck Referrals = good for specific tasks OnlineJobs.ph & BestJobs.ph = Best Results! HireMyMom.com = US based employees School Mums = Aussie employees
What jobs do they do?
IN THE BEGINNING ... Research: people, places, prices, competitors, topics Social Media: content, posts, curation, forums, spam Blogging: research, write, post, comment Customer Service: Zendesk/FB, emails Tech Support: update Wordpress, plugins, etc. Misc: order pizza, send flowers, birthday cards, etc
AS WE’VE GROWN ... Project Management PPC Reps & Campaign Managers Writers/Bloggers Customer Service: Zendesk/FB Client Care/Liason Marketing & PR
Virtual or Local?
VIRTUAL BENEFITS ... Freedom & flexibility Job satisfaction & retention increased Balance work/home life Perfect for parents Lower costs More hiring options with worldwide market
Management Team Retreat Chicago - June 2012
Meeting the team
Working together
DRAWBACKS ... Mis-Communication Distractions Lack of “team spirit” Time lag in dealing with issues/problems Avoidance
D AY T O D AY S T U F F
CREATING THE SYSTEMS
E-Myth Revisited Do the job yourself first. Document the process. Share it with your team.
THE TOOLS WE USE WuFoo
Backpack
Podio
Zendesk
Basecamp
BestJobs.ph
Wistia
HireMyMom.com
Dropbox
Skype
Passpack
Google Apps
Podio - Internal Management
Passpack - Password Management
WHAT WE’VE COVERED ... Where did I start? How did I find them? What jobs do they do? Are they as good as a local employee? How do I manage them? What if something goes wrong?
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
PROBLEMS?
Will I have enough work for them? Letting go of control - when to pull back? Miscommunication/misunderstanding Supporting the Team with Difficult Clients
Jen Sheahan
www.FBAdsLab.com