Is picking an outsourcing partner kinda like dating?

How do you date?

It varies by person, but some possibilities would be:

• You use an app.
• You get set up by a friend.
• You go to the bar or club and try to meet people.
• It’s arranged. (Hey, it happens.)
• You just keep kissing frogs until you find that prince.
• You use a matchmaker.
• Complete luck?

And now, how do you find outsourced business partners?

Again, it varies, but some possibilities:

• You use an app.
• You get set up by a friend (referral).
• You meet someone at the bar at a trade show who tells you about this great potential partner.
• You tried a few other outsourcing partners and the work was not quality, off-deadline, and too costly, so you kept trying new partners.
• You use a third-party or affiliate program (“matchmaker”).
• You read reviews and they were true and real and you got lucky on the first “date” and got a long-term outsourcing partner.

Maybe dating and outsourcing are not that different…

If you go to the bar looking for someone, what are you looking for?

• Attractive
• Easy to talk to
• Good personality
• Maybe pays for drinks
• Quality and expertise (MEOW)

If you go looking for an outsourcing partner, what are you looking for?

• Attractive: Good client base, has worked in similar industries
• Easy to talk to: Becomes an extension of your team
• Good personality: Same, easy to work with, extension of team, can talk about different timelines and projects and urgent matters that come up
• Maybe pays for drinks: Say, a refund policy
• Quality and expertise: The outsourcing partner and the software developers are the best at what they do

We sometimes draw these thick lines between what we want from work (buzzwords like “cost efficiencies” and “value-add team models”) and what we want from personal (fun times, respect, free drinks, maybe a family), but the reality is that the process to find both is very similar.

You want someone that is a quality person, does quality work, works well with you, respects you, and gets done what you need done, whether that is taking out the trash or creating new software development projects in different industries.

Now, does that mean you should get some drinks when evaluating outsourcing partners, pretending you are at the club or the bar? No. We would not recommend that. But it does mean you can think about finding a work partner much in the same way you can think about a personal partner. Honestly. 

And if you want to know some of the main factors to consider in an outsourcing partner, we’ve also made that list: