Buy Local

by Elle Ray | Sep 25, 2016 | Small Business Advice

Is It a Buzzword or Just Good Business Practice?

Call it a trend, if you will. Wherever you live, you’ve likely heard the phrase. “Buy local” is the mantra of the day as we near the end of 2016. You hear it bandied about from boardrooms to back rooms. But do companies that spout the mantra on a daily basis really practice what they preach?

And though you may espouse the principles, are you willing to sometimes pay a little more for the honor of buying local? Do local vendors get extra points when you put out a Request for Proposals (RFPs)? And how well do you search your local area in support of local vendors?

These questions, and many more like them, represent an interesting exploration for business owners of small and large companies alike. Each question demands an honest answer if you want to join the buy local movement. Keep in mind another common mantra that has ruled the world for centuries: “What goes around comes around.” If you expect to be given consideration for being local, then you must take even greater pains to buy local.

Why Bother

First of all, buying local means that more money stays in the local economy, so more resources are spread around to local businesses — very likely, yours too. Local employment benefits when you choose to buy a locally produced product or service instead of buying a cheaper version online or from a big box store.

If you love your town and cherish your way of life, the only way to sustain that environment is to support local business. The influx of major retailers, for example, is what led to the many downtown ghost towns that dot the country today. And finally, when down times hit, as surely they will, your town and your business are more likely to withstand a recessive economy if the biggest portion of your resources circulates locally.

Hold Them Accountable

While individuals often make substantial sacrifices to support local businesses, the buy local movement also should embrace a cadre of monitors to call out those companies who espouse the practice, but don’t put it into effect behind closed doors.

Questions to ask your boss, your local Chamber of Commerce and your city leaders:

• Who did your most recent marketing plan/survey/business analysis?
• How many employees have you hired outside of the local area?
• Who writes your website content?
• Where is your advertising/payroll/recruiting firm located?
• Where do you take clients for lunch?
• Who created your signs/graphics/logo?

The questions could go on and on; the point is that if you don’t hold your employers, professional business organizations and municipal leaders accountable, they can just continue with the front-end image-making nonsense that they spew to get attention for being “good corporate citizens.” And all the while, they can carry out their business-as-usual RFPs that give local vendors no chance to compete.

Give Them Accolades

At the same time, if you ask your professional colleagues those same questions and you get positive, truly common-sense answers that show how they buy local whenever possible, give them loud kudos. As an advocate for the local economy, it behooves you to call out the hypocrites and congratulate the true visionaries who practice what they preach.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

When Outsourcing Pays Off

by Elle Ray | Mar 24, 2016 | Small Business Advice

Why Outsourcing May Be the Right Decision

Amid all the clamor about buying American and keeping jobs in-house, the word “outsourcing” sometimes gets a bad rap. Outsourcing’s reputation stems from a company’s decision to cut good people purely for financial reasons. Employees lose their steady jobs through no fault of their own, and the local economic growth becomes stagnant.

But let’s face it, sometimes you might be better off as a business owner letting go of dead weight that costs you not only a weekly salary, but also healthcare benefits, unemployment taxes and retirement matches. If you’re worried that certain workers are telling jokes at the water cooler or sending messages through their social media accounts, on your computer systems no less, then outsourcing starts to look attractive.

But Really…

Playing devil’s advocate feels a bit like kicking a dog when its leg is bruised already, but the truth is that some workers don’t care much about a business in which they have very little invested. You may get an honest day’s work from your team only when you show them that you appreciate them and reward them sufficiently for their loyalty.

Getting rid of slackers doesn’t mean that you’re un-American or anti-family. It just makes good business sense. So this article concerns the dead weight, not the perfectly good employees, even if you can duplicate their efforts for cents on the dollar in a third-world sweatshop. (That path is un-American and anti-family.)

Improving Quality

Without surrendering any quality — in fact, gaining a higher standard of work — you can outsource some of your internal operations. You can save money and headaches while actually making the environment more enjoyable for your remaining workers. A few departments that are the ripest for pruning include:

• Marketing
• Payroll
• Accounting
• Human Resources
• Tech Support
• Special Projects

Too often, companies rely on current staff to conquer tasks that are way beyond their capabilities. This leads to frustration, inferior work products and eventually lost revenue. So whether you’re in growth mode, struggling to get the work completed, or you’re having trouble with a one-time project, consider outsourcing to capable, experienced and local outsourcing firms and consultants.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

While consultants and outsourcing firms may come with higher price tags than you’re accustomed to paying your in-house staff, remember that these workers don’t use company resources or require health care. They’ll meet your deadlines and give you high-quality work. Their motivation include your repeat business and your referrals to other businesses.

Outsourcing is most practical when:

• You’ve got a deadline to meet. Putting off deadlines because your staff can’t keep up is a dangerous precedent to set. Let’s say your web team is ready to go live with your new site, just in time to launch your latest service or product. But the copy is sloppy and it’s like pulling teeth to get content from your department managers. Call in professional writers and editors like Ray Access to ensure you meet those deadlines with spot-on, perfect content to really make your new site sing.
   
• You need to increase productivity. Sure, your staff may be great at multitasking, but every time they have to switch from one task to another, they lose time and momentum. For example, if your outside sales force is suddenly tasked with making appointments that your new website’s been generating, you may be slowing down their efforts to close new clients. Instead, consider using a call center to handle your incoming calls and set up the appointments.
   
• You want to save money. When outsourcing results in inferior service or quality, you aren’t saving money. But when you can get quality that’s as good or better from an outside firm, think twice before running a want ad for new employees. Software and application creation is one area, for example, that may get you more bang for your every buck with an experienced consulting firm than trying to hire new software designers or relying on your current staff to perform beyond their abilities.

Outsourcing isn’t a dirty word when you’re considerate of your current staff, treat them fairly and communicate your intentions. Contractors and outsourcing firms work much better when your team is happy to have the outside help and when they know their jobs aren’t in jeopardy. Everyone can win — and you can win even bigger accolades with your staff and community when those consultants are local. Outsource to America — and everybody wins.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.