Insourcing – Keeping “outsourced” tasks in America

Reposted from The Press Enterprise

‘Insourcing’ outsourcing to other American firms a benefit

Sarah Cullins

04:03 PM PDT on Saturday, August 20, 2011

Outsourcing has become a dirty word in the American labor market, because it brings to mind the image of employers sending jobs overseas to countries where they can pay workers less than a dollar an hour.

Many companies have realized that outsourcing comes with its own set of problems, as customers complain when they have trouble understanding customer service reps based in other parts of the world. Outsourcing also can cause quality control or supply line issues, as seen in the recent Japanese earthquake.

However, many American companies have opted to outsource some of their in-house services to American contractors. This has been termed “insourcing.”

The work is contracted out of the company, but remains with American businesses. Companies often decide to insource auxiliary work, such as accounting, public relations and IT, which are important, but not central to the company’s mission.

Here are some of the reasons why companies opt to do this:

It’s cheaper. If you have to pay an in-house HR or IT person, it will probably cost you at least $3,000 a month in wages. When you add on benefits, you are looking at a total cost of more than $4,000 per month. For many companies it easier to pay an outside company $2,000 for the same services. Employers also know there is no way they can find a top-level employee for $2,000 per month.

It’s more efficient. When you insource some of your duties, you send the work to a person who is not going to get caught up in office politics or water cooler chat. Most contractors realize that if they don’t perform, they don’t get paid. This ensures that the work will be done right and done on time. Insourcing also allows you to hire experienced people who have the skills to complete projects faster.

Insourced workers can also adapt to change faster. One of the biggest complaints about working in a large organization is trying to implement a new procedure. The decision has to be kicked up several layers of management, and it can take months for it to be approved. With a contract employee, the decision can be made fairly quickly since they do not have to go through as many layers.

It allows you to focus on what you are really good at. If you make tires, you want to focus on making tires and not have to worry about accounting, HR or public relations. A large company has divisions to focus on these areas. But in small companies it is the owner that has to handle all of these duties. Of course, while he is doing this, he does not have time to focus on his actual business. Insourcing this kind of work to contractors frees up the owner’s time and allows him to concentrate on actually running his business.

From the points I have listed, it is easy to see why more and more American companies are moving to towards insourcing work, as a way of staying leaner and meaner. In today’s market companies are constantly looking for ways to shave fat off the bottom line, and increasingly that means sending work to local contractors who save time and money.

Sarah Cullins is president of Finesse Staffing in Rancho Cucamonga. Reach her via 909-466-9933 or scullins@finessestaffing.com.

Henry Isaacs

http://www.Henry-Isaacs.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Outsourcing Institute – Top Ten Reasons for Outsourcing

Some companies don’t need a reason to outsource to the experts in their field. Others feel that they can get by in their mission by keeping matters in house. All that being said, if you would like your business or organization to achieve more in any of the tasks listed below, you should consider outsourcing to the experts!

The Top Ten Reasons Companies Utilize Outsourcing

1. To improve company focus. Outsourcing sets up a framework that an outside expert assumes responsibility for. That leaves management free to focus on more important business issues related to customer service and marketplace demand.

2. To obtain world-class capabilities. Because of their specialization, outsource providers bring an extensive skill set into the corporate environment. Such leading edge technology and expertise helps companies better satisfy customers and increase productivity.

3. To accelerate re-engineering benefits. Organizations realize the benefits of re-engineering more quickly if they contract with an outside organization that is itself already re-engineered to state-of-the-art standards.

4. To share risks. Outsourcing enables management to turn over to its suppliers certain risks, such as demand variability and capital investments. Unlike the buyer, the outsourcing provider can spread those risks over multiple clients.

5. To free up corporate resources. Outsourcing permits an organization to redirect its resources from non-core activities to ones that have the greatest impact on business performance.

6. To make capital available. Contracting out certain functions as operational expenses can reduce the competition for capital, since the outsourcing entity provides the capital investment as part of its overhead.

7. To obtain a cash infusion. Outsourcing can involve the sale of assets to the provider, typically as a combination of cash and a loan.

8. To control operating costs. Access to an outside provider’s lower cost structure is one of the most compelling reasons for outsourcing.

9. To obtain resources not available internally. Outsourcing is a often viable option for companies experiencing rapid growth, expansion into new geography or spin-offs from the parent company.

10. To deal with management or control problems. Control problems are often cited as the reason for outsourcing. However, the underlying cause, such as unclear expectations or difficulty in measuring performance, is often not solved by outsourcing.

Source: The Outsourcing Institute, 2004

Jewish PR 101 – Posting on Shul Lists? Here’s how to write your post correctly…

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Jewish PR 101 – Posting on Shul Lists? Here’s how to keep readers attention…

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Jewish PR 101 – Posting on Shul Lists? Check out how to write it…

Re-posted from http://www.businesswordsmiths.com

Like we mentioned in the previous post, marketing to the Jewish community through community email listservs has become very popular (mainly because it’s free). Yet standing out from the mass amounts of emails is a challenge. If you read the previous post, you’ll understand how to handle reader’s short attention span. Now, we’ll deal with how to keep that attention span focused on YOU and how to take them to the NEXT STAGE.

Web Copywriting Tips:

How to Keep Your Reader on the Page

In the previous article, I covered the 3 Keys to Handling Today’s Short Attention Span.

In this article, I’ll cover several ways that you can format your web copy to adhere to the three keys listed above and keep your website visitor’s attention long enough to get them to take action.

* Using headings and subheadings

There are three primary ways that you can effectively use headings and subheadings on a web page:

They tell a story…
They build excitement…
They act as compass “waypoints” in your copy
Headlines that tell a story

What if your reader only read the headings and subheadings in your copy? Would he or she get all the information they needed to make a decision?

You’ll see that longer sales pages or landing pages will often use this technique. For example:

At first I didn’t believe it was true…
Then, I saw the results of our first test…
And our second test was even better…
Now, I’m convinced…
In between each of the above subheadings will be one to three paragraphs that offer convincing evidence that the subhead is credible, and builds on the unstated promise that “you can get these results, too.”

* Headings that build excitement

The example above manages to build some excitement as it tells a story. You can also build excitement by highlighting the key emotional benefits of your product in your subheadings.

For example:

Why women won’t stop staring at you
Feel confident in any situation
Spend your time at the beach, and let the paperwork do itself
These types of headings speak directly to the core desire of the reader, while also offering a promise that your product will fulfill that desire. When we speak of “benefits,” we’re talking about the ways that your product fulfills the core emotional desires of your prospects and customers.

* Headings that act as compass waypoints

This article is an example of the compass waypoint subhead. Each subhead acts as a marker, or pointer for a specific point. Readers can quickly scan the subheads until they find the specific point or tip that will help them the most.

* What to do after each heading or subheading

There are very clear guidelines about what works and doesn’t work with online or web copy.

Short, snappy paragraphs. Keep each paragraph to no more than three sentences. In spite of what your English teacher taught you, one-sentence paragraphs are not only acceptable, they’re often preferable online.

Focus on the first sentence. Because we scan online, make the first sentence of each section and each paragraph count. Restate a benefit in another way, or make a strong point that steers them toward your call to action.

Vary your sentence length. In terms of readability, your copy will be more interesting when you vary your sentence length. Some sentences are short. Some are much longer. And, yes… you can begin sentences with “And.”

Build on the subhead or headline. If your subhead states a benefit, use the next couple of paragraphs to offer proof that the stated benefit is believable. Be brief, factual, specific… all while maintaining the emotional tone of your stated benefit.

Lead to a call to action. Your copy should lead to a call to action. Connect with their core desire, amplify the desire with clear benefit statements, offer a solution with sufficient proof that your solution works, and give them an easy way to follow through.

* Putting it all together

Every web page on your site should have a compelling headline that identifies with your reader’s core desire and offers some kind of promise of fulfillment.

Your subheadings strengthen the emotional bond created by the headline and lead them to want to believe you.

And the body within the subheadings amplify the desire, strengthen the promise, and lead them to the conclusion that you can fulfill the desire.

Henry Isaacs

www.Henry-Isaacs.com

Jewish Advertising 101 – Print Is Alive and Well By The Jewish Audience

Print marketing has certainly gotten a bad rep in the eyes of advertisers and media buyers. With news and information moving at the speed of light, waiting for a print publication can seem a bit outdated and slow for advertisers seeking instant and quantifiable results.

But for the Jewish market, print newspapers and media outlets are thriving due primarily to the weekend Sabbath (as noted in The Jewish Week article). For Orthodox Jewry, the Sabbath has certain restrictions regarding computer, television, and internet use, leaving print as the traditional source of information and roundup of Jewish news.

In certain ultra-Orthodox sects of Jewry, print is even the sole source of information of news, business, and advertising, due to even stricter sect restrictions on internet, telivision, and computer usage. Though not too common a restriction outside of certain communities (such as Williamsburg, Boro Park, and parts of Rockland County), print publications are still a vibrant source of advertising and marketing. With Jewish families tending to be larger than the average US family size, the Jewish market is growing faster than the average US consumer, especially in the Greater New York area.

Within the Greater New York market, pockets of Jewish consumers in Orthodox communities hold great purchasing power. Flatbush, Teaneck, Five Towns, Boro Park, Monsey, and Great Neck hold affluent Jewish markets that utilize their weekly print publications for purchasing decisions. In fact, these communities tend to have numerous print publications to service these communities. Flatbush alone has nearly a dozen print newspapers, media outlets, penny savers, and magazines servicing their community. 

In modern and non-Orthodox communities that don’t strictly adhere to internet, television, and computer restrictions on Sabbath, print is still a traditional media outlet that helps them connect to the weekly holiday. And as such, certain print media outlets cater to the market as intensely as the Orthodox print publications. And of course, many print media outlets have supplemental web and email services, as well as innovative approaches with Jewish wire services, that provide breaking news and weekly roundups of Jewish international news.

The main issue for Jewish advertisers and mainstream advertisers looking to  looking to target the Jewish consumer is knowing how to sort out the print publications for quality, subscribers, and demographics. Within the New York area, print is definitely the primary way to reach the Jewish consumer.

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Henry Isaacs | Jewish Marketing & Communications Consultants

 

 

P. 201.357.2622  |  E. Info@Henry-Isaacs.com  | www.Henry-Isaacs.com

 

 

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Jewish Event Tip – The One Thing NOT To Skimp On

The Jewish event can be an extremely lavish one or a cost effective basic one. Depending on the event, the location, the geographical region, or the target audience, the Jewish event ranges from a Bar/Bat Mitzvah featuring the Black Eyed Peas to a small Synagogue dinner for congregants. Most of us will probably deal with events basically in between those types – mainly average sized weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, organizational fundraisers, and even School Journal dinners.

But there’s one commonality in every type of Jewish event that determines the success and “must return” factor for the people attending (by success, I’m referring to whether or not people spread the word positively or negatively). And its the one thing never to skimp on. It’s the food. From the hor dourves to the dessert. Above all, the food is the main thing that will be discussed, critiqued, praised, and remembered at any Jewish event.

And in some cases, the food goes beyond just taste and abundance. Food becomes a social requirement. For certain social events, the Jewish market will go to many lengths to ensure Jewish foods, such as Israeli, Bukharian, Persian, Moroccan, etc, are able to be provided by their Kosher caterers. Once a Jewish ethnic group finds a caterer that provides their brand of food and great quality, they stick with it for ALL their special events. For organizational functions, having glatt kosher food, as opposed to simply kosher, attract a different crowd of people and thus a different type of donor.

Let’s face it – the Jewish demographic loves to have great Kosher food. We think the food fascination comes from a tradition rich in long holiday seasons, lifecycle celebrations that closely mingle joy and food, and even the Jewish family’s revolvement around the kosher kitchen. So certainly for the Jewish market’s special events they attend, after inquiring about the type of event, their second question is “So what’d they have?” The food is the main focus for the Jewish event. The venue could be glorious, the flowers magnificent, the orchestra toe-tappingly good; if the food isn’t up to the standards they’re anticipating, you’re event may not get the high marks you’re aiming for.

Now, for the occasional wedding, social event and one-shot event, that desirable word of mouth and buzz factor may not really matter, but for the organizational, non-profit, or corporate event that happens year after year, word of mouth/buzz is a driving force behind increased fundraising, attendance, sales and return customers. As frequent travelers can attest, free breakfasts at hotels is a great draw to get new reservations, but the quality of the food at these hotels has to be top notch for repeat business. Same for the Jewish event. The food doesn’t need to be innovative nor particularly creative – the food simply needs to be great and available in relative abundance. With this in mind, the one place you may be able to cut corners could be dessert, but ONLY because the rest of the meal was fantastic.

Overall, when planning an event, the food will make the difference between a good event and a great memorable event!

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Stylish Event Planners for the Jewish Event

P. 646.833.8604  |  E. Events@HighStyleEvents.com

www.HighStyleEvents.com

Weddings | Bar/Bat Mitzvahs | Social Events | Non-Profit | Corporate

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The brains behind this blog.

Ever wondered “What does Kosher mean?” or “How can I sell more during Passover?” Henry Isaacs Marketing‘s blog, JewishMarketing101.com, has the answers. Run by the top Jewish digital marketing and Kosher advertising agency in New York, JewishMarketing101.com was built to help companies discover, understand and benefit from the thriving Jewish, Kosher and Israeli customer base.

Henry Isaacs Marketing is a New York digital marketing, social media strategy and advertising agency, with a specialty in Jewish marketing consulting and strategy. We create complete digital, social & traditional marketing strategies for our clients. With expert insight, beautiful design & strategic gameplans, we create positive, effective & successful marketing for your brand. We love it when a plan comes together. Read a case study…

Perhaps you have a Jewish themed product? Maybe you’re going kosher? Opening a business in a Jewish community? Israeli company targeting American customers? JewishMarketing101.com has the answers to start you off. Henry Isaacs Marketing has the marketing strategy to help you benefit. Let’s get started…

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 www.henryisaacs.net | info@henryisaacs.net | 646.833.8604