What small businesses should bring to every contracting relationship

Many small businesses today hire contractors to handle a portion of their business logistics or operations. It just makes sense; contractors can often offer more specialized services for less than a small business can hire someone on staff, and can hire multiple contractors who are experts in what they do to cover multiple part-time tasks.

So, we know what the contractor brings to the table – the contractor has to perform the services you agree to in your contract at an agreed upon price and within the time allotted. There are many other things contractors should bring to the relationship, but we’ll save them for another time.

But what can businesses bring to the relationship in order to make it successful? Well, money, of course, but that’s not all. The way a small business participates in a relationship with a contractor can make the difference between success and failure.

Here are some tips that every business should bring to every contractor relationship: 

·       Communicate – Be specific about what you are looking for up front. Contractors, especially the good ones, can do a lot for you, but they aren’t generally mind readers. The good ones will be able to adapt to your personality and changing needs just like a good staff member would, but they still can’t read your mind. So be specific. Tell them what you are looking for – and if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for up front, schedule regular review meetings to make adjustments to the statement of work along the way.

·       Communicate – If you aren’t happy, don’t wait until the job is done and just walk away. Granted, there will be contractors you will work with that just aren’t the right fit. And you should say that and move on – chances are they will know it too. But if it should be the right fit and you just aren’t happy with something that happened, discuss it. Wouldn’t it be better for them to understand how you feel so they can make it right and make you happy, than to start all over with someone else? 

·       Communicate! Just like your employees, contractors need to hear when they are doing things right. Tell them when it’s a job well done. Offer up a testimonial they can use in their marketing. Tweet something nice about them or post something on your other social media sites. Tell them, and tell others. It’s the greatest compliment you can provide and will go a long way to creating a happy “employee.”

So you see that the pattern here is excellent communication. It is the key to a successful contractor relationship on both sides of the equation. How are your contractor relationships?

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff.