Investment Playground.NET

As we explained already, outsourcing is not some easy plan of having someone do everything for you. You have to make sure you partner/hire the right person or team with the right skills, and it’s cost efficient.

I signed up to AskSunday.com last week. Long story short, I have already unsubscribed and I’m in the midst of seeking out other virtual assistants. I just didn’t feel as if they would meet my needs. What I need is someone to help me out with all the wonderful and lucrative ideas floating through my head. For example, can you please find key manufacturers of this type of product, or can I have some assistance in attaining financials from top outsourcing firms. I signed up with AskSunday’s LITE plan for $19 per month and includes 10 free tasks per month. There other two plans, Silver and Gold at $30 and $60 per month for 15 and 30 tasks per month.

Here’s the problem. The only tasks included in the $20 p month plan are the most menial and easy tasks. I was explained that in general they should only take 20 minutes or less. Specifically, they provide:

• scheduling appointments and meetings
• making restaurant reservations
• 411 info
• access to messenger services (only available in Manhattan)

If you look closely at the list, they don’t do much! Making a restaurant reservation takes literally 8 seconds to do. And hiring them to do so would take up one of your precious ten requests per month. Scheduling appointments may save you one to two minutes each. And 411 info? Give me a break. Text message GOOGLE at 466453 for anything you need - free. As far as messenger services, only ten million of the country’s 300 million residents live in Manhattan - so this is a moot point.

$20 per month buys you squat at AskSunday. But I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The other plans of $30 and $60 per month buy you phone calls that need to be made (store hours, directions, customer service), travel reservations, finding services, making purchases on your behalf, and that’s about it. This is a huge addition - but I can not justify $30-$60 per month to have them do this for me. If you feel like you can - by all means go for it. But I won’t be in your boat. Bear in mind - all requests must be less than 20 minutes.

All plans give access to something they call SUNDAY PROJECTS - time-intensive or heavy tasks. This is particularly what I’ll need. Creative, detailed, and thorough results to be delivered to me so that I can use them. For example - provide a list of ten manufacturing companies with ten phone numbers which all work, and all ten companies will be interested in my product idea. And so on. The catch is, Sunday Projects bills you at $15 per hour, in addition to the monthly charge. $20 per month buys you nothing, as we already know. So I really couldn’t justify spending $20 per month just to have the option of paying an additional $15/hour. I might as well call up my sister-in-law in India and ask her to do me a favor.

A fair starting salary in India for a virtual assistant could be $2400 per year or $200 per month (8000 rupees monthly). Turnover is very high with India’s fast paced environment, so you can expect to pay more to retain good people. So the way that I see it - paying $2 per hour for wages and an additional $3 per hour for maintenance is a fair price to pay hourly. NOT $15.

Sorry AskSunday - the services you offer for the prices you charge are not nearly competitive enough for my liking. You’re fired.

About two years ago - I read a fantastic article by the chief editor of Esquire magazine and what he’s manage to outsource. Since then - I’ve been wondering how I can take advantage of having a virtual assistant. They’re based internationally to take advantage of currency differences, so all their assistance is based via phone, email, and Internet.

I signed up with a company called ASKSUNDAY.COM. However I’m still testing them out. So far they have two major strikes against them. Their “Sunday Lite” program at a mere $19 per month apparently only includes the easiest tasks. I’d imagine that I can outsource the tasks that are preventing me from following through on my entrepreneurial ventures (contacting manufacturers, finding competitor data, etc.) I’ll write a detailed review after this period ends.

Outsourcing tasks to a different culture is hard. But if you can master the delegation art, you’ll be saving valuable time. It’s difficult to justify the costs - which is why I’ve giving this a trial whirl. As investing - everything requires thorough research in order to succeed. This is no different.