In my new job role, I work with a fantastic US designer who I will write about in another post soon, But this post has been about my experience using an Elance resource found when I posted my first job on that large and growing service.
A big part of my approach to B2B marketing is content development. I believe it is the great equalizer - helping innovative young companies compete head to head with their well-heeled established competitors.
I was looking for an efficient and cost effective way to deliver a broad range of content to the digital marketing industry. So, on a recommendation from a friend, I decided to try Elance. I posted a job and received a variety of proposals for the work. Among them was a Pakistani design firm called Emagegraphic.
Elance enabled me to review past work from all of the designers who expressed an interest in the project, and several had strong work, Emagegraphic really stood out for me. It was the range of styles and attention to detail that impressed me most. The portfolio offered everything from B2B brochures to bodybuilding products to prayer books.
You don't fly blind with Elance.The service shows ratings and comments from people that have worked with the designers so that you have a better sense of their strengths (or red flags.)
I did a jump ball between them and another designer, awarding the job to both resources. While both did a good job, Emagegraphic impressed me with how they followed the creative direction, went an extra mile to really give great fit and finish to what they did. Interactions with Raheel, the head of the company, were cordial, professional, and clear.Turnaround times were great. And the finished product was a delight. Attention to detail deserves specific mention because I produce long form content and edits are often numerous. But Emagegraphics did it all right the first time.
Since then, the team there has developed about 15 items for me - each one a great piece of work. And over time, they've created a set of content development aesthetic standards that I didn't even know to ask for but which have made each document better than the last. Raheel understands what a brand is, and is able to deliver brand-compliant - and brand enhancing - work every time.
We have a great working relationship, and I think part of that is recognizing my responsibility to provide clear direction and pay promptly. Many Elancers use the service as a primary source of income, so I would imagine many have tales of people who don't pay on time, or even at all. I wanted to be different. By contrast, sometimes I pay before they have completed the final round of changes, particularly if my carelessness led to an extra round.. For me it is an expression of trust, as well as a recognition that people have bills to pay. And, indeed, we've built up a strong trust so that I know that deadlines will be met, and they know that Paypal payment will be prompt. After all, it's a do unto others system.
True confession: part of the reason why I occasionally pay early is that I want to be clear that I am looking for a longer term relationship with someone - one that lets each side benefit and gets past some of the doubts that can come from being 5,000 miles apart. And the designer is assuming far more risk in these relationships than the buyer. If I can put a mind at rest paying a few hours before something if finished, then they know that I want to create win-wins.
And I can also say that I trust Raheel to always deliver.
In total, my experience with Elance has been stellar. But I think THEY THE SERVICE would be the first to admit that what makes a great experience are buyers and sellers that are aware of their responsibilities and work toward building strong relationships. Emagegraphic has made my Elance experience stellar, and if you are looking for new ways to buy creative and tech services, I really do recommend you try Elance and Emagegraphic in particular. Raheel and team do outstanding work every time, and deliver exactly what and when they promise. Just don't monopolize ALL of his time as I need to keep working with him! ;-)
Raheel didn't ask me to write this - I just want to see him succeed even more, and if my little blog here can help, well then there you go!
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