5 Questions To Ask Before Firing Your SEO Consultant
Have you ever got so frustrated with someone you hired (or work with) that you just want to _________ (I am going to let you fill in the blank).
This is especially true when you are communicating technical issues and SEO professionals are for sure one of such victims. In fact, let me tell you a story.
A story about a scientist
OK, I know what you are thinking. You thought I was going to talk about an SEO consultant. Well, I can tell you scientist is also a very technical profession.
So there was this guy who just graduated from a college with a Master degree in science and got a job to work in a cancer research lab. He was not really given a full training despite the fact that he never really worked in that kind of setting. Many techniques were new to him and after about 2 months, his boss started getting frustrated about the fact that this new guy was not getting the things done the way his boss wanted.
This was not entirely this guy’s fault because his boss thought that this guy had a Masters degree in science so he should know what he was doing.
This kind of relationship kept going for a while until one day his boss jokingly saying to the guy, “Maybe you should be fired if you keep making this kind of mistake”.
The guy panicked. He was also very frustrated, because he wanted to learn but no training was given and the workload just kept pilling up. So the guy decided to take a gamble. He would convince his boss that he did not know enough and need more training if his boss wanted to have things done the way his boss wanted.
His boss agreed. Gradually, his boss started to see the guy’s potential. He was a fast learner and whatever was taught to him, he picked it up right away.
Eventually they both built a trusting relationship that would led them to work together for almost 10 years.
How to avoid such drama?
As you can see from the story, there were many miss communication and miss understanding. No only that his boss did not provide what was needed for the guy to do a good job and the guy did not know what was needed for him to do a good job.
In fact, in many cases, when someone who does not do what you ask is probably lacking one or more of the following.
1) Instruction – Does the person know what to do?
Did you provide a clear instruction?
2) Incentive – Is the person motivated?
Is the person well paid? What’s in it for the person? Promotion? Recognition?
3) Tools – Does the person have the right tools?
Did you provide the necessary tools for the person to complete the task?
4) Training – Did the person have the right training?
Is the person educated or trained to complete the task?
5) Time – Does the person have enough time to complete the task?
It’s one thing to have a tight schedule. It’s another to have an impossible request.
Use the “IT” test
I personally call it the “IT” test (2 “I”s and 3 “T”s) and it can be utilized for both parties.
If you are in the position to give instructions, make sure each of the item is full-filled.
If you are in the position to carry out the tasks, make sure you have what you need. Otherwise you will likely to get a very unhappy client, boss, or coworker.
I build websites and use them for testing various SEO strategies and tactics.
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