I got a lot of great feedback from you guys about the ‘I hire the most expensive OFS’ email.

Tola O. said that he doesn’t hire the most expensive VA. He doesn’t believe that the salary set on a jobseeker’s profile proves anything. What he does instead is to offer $0.50 – $1 lower than their asking price. After 3 months, after they’ve proven themselves, he gives them $1-$2 more than their asking price.

Guiseppe doesn’t automatically hire the most expensive OFS either. How much he offers depends on two things:

“1) How well defined are the roles and responsibilities. If I need someone to jump in and figure it out or if I need them to tell me how we’re going to do it, I set the rate higher because I need someone who can bring experience and independent thought to the table. If there’s an exact process doc and instructions that they can follow to the letter, the rate is lower.  

2) Sensitivity of continuity. If this person were to leave, how much would it affect our operation? As a result, I pay VERY well for salespeople (about 2-3X what BPOs offer) because losing a sales rep would cost me over $10,000 in lost revenue during the time it would take to replace them. 

Also, FWIW, I’ve learned that I can get way more mileage out of benefits than I can get out of salary. Health insurance, 2 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks off for Christmas, 14 bank holidays, reimbursements for going to a hotel during typhoons, and a family leave policy in case if they need to prioritize their family over work. My main sales guy just took two weeks of paternity leave and his wife said to him “you can’t quit this job”. 

Do you do the same thing as Tola and Guiseppe? Or do you do things differently? I’d love to hear about it.

John