An excellent way to achieve success is by delegating parts of your business to an outsourcing professional.

Here are five tips to make the delegation process as smooth as possible:

1. Do your Research

Before handing over your pride and joy (aka your top secret business information and visions) it’s important to do your research to know that you a) find a professional with past experience and b) hire someone who is the right fit for you and your business.

2. Don’t Go on Price Alone

I can’t stress enough that quality trumps quantity EVERY TIME. You truly get what you pay for. You may only pay a pittance for help this time around, but you’ll end up paying more in the long-run. Why? Well, it’s simple. You’ll either end up doing the work yourself or hiring yet another person to fix what the other person started. Go with what you’re comfortable with financially, but don’t always settle for the below-market-value contender before you do your research first.

3. Be Clear About Expectations

No one is a mind reader (and I mean no one, I’m talking to you John Edward!) For that reason, it’s important to be clear about what you expect to accomplish in order to get the job done right. Have a phone or Skype conversation with the person you’re outsourcing to (i.e. Virtual Assistant, Internet Marketing, etc.) and don’t hold back on any of the thoughts, visions or needs you have in order to get your business to the place you want it to be.

4. Ask Questions

As a professional, your outsourcing consultant will have loads of questions for you, but it’s also important to ask her a lot of questions. Some critical questions to ask should include:

- What’s your experience with XYZ (whatever task you need help with)?

- How do you handle confidentiality?

- What are your payment rates and terms?

- What’s your timeline?

5. Start Small

It’s OK to start off small when deciding to take the leap and delegating responsibility of parts of your business! Whether you start with outsourcing articles, outsourcing marketing initiatives or outsourcing administrative work, pick a task that you’re comfortable letting go and go from there. You may find as the trust grows so too will the amount of work you’re willing to hand over.