When you do something day in and day out, you forget that other people in the world may not know what you actually do. After having a conversation with a friend this week I realised that the term “White Label Partner” is not something all the WordPress community know about. They may be new to the industry or not very active in communities where this type of service is known about and discussed on a frequent basis.
So, what is a white label partner?…
In a nutshell
A White Label Partner is an individual or team who do work on your clients project but appear to be part of your core team. They use your branded email, your chosen Project Management tool (PM) and might even go as far as creating an alias on social media from which to talk directly to your end client.
This partner may work with several web, marketing, digital or other agencies, freelancers or consultants to provide deliverables to the agencies they work for and in turn, those agencies present the work to their clients. The agency is happy and the client is happy – it’s a win-win scenario.
What are the benefits for my agency?
Outsourcing work is nothing new. Though the core benefits may not be so obvious:
- It enables your business to scale without the commitment of adding to your workforce and annual salary costs.
- You can spend more time developing processes, training staff, and chasing leads.
- Clients are sent work on-time and on budget, making you their go-to person in the industry.
- It gives you the one thing that everyone is after – MORE HOURS IN THE DAY.
The other beauty of outsourcing is you don’t have to hire inside your own country, city, or local area. Outsourcing allows you to work with anyone and in any country you desire. You can technically run 24/7 by outsourcing work to different timezones. I know a few agencies who do just that.
What pitfalls and red flags should I look out for?
I’ve made outsourcing to white label agencies sound amazing so far, right? Well, it’s not all rainbow kisses and unicorn… magic. There are dangers to outsourcing to any 3rd party and white label agencies are no different.
Unicorn… ugh magic anyone? ?♂️
When you pick a white label agency you have to be sure they’ve got your back and are properly prepared to deliver a truly white label service. Here are some of the things to make sure your white label agency partner is doing.
- White label email – Will they use your email domain when setting up the WordPress site or will they use their own email and give the game away?
- Blank avatar – Your white label partner, your client and you may all have the same social groups in common or circle of friends. If your white label partner is putting their face over everything it’ll soon give the game away that you hired outside help, which reduces your agencies expert status in the eyes of your clients.
- Workload/Capacity – One of the key reasons agencies outsource is so they can free up their time, or that of their team. The last thing you want is for your partner to be rushed off their feet that they let deadlines slip after promising they can deliver to your deadline.
- Flexibility – Now there is some give or take on this one. Your white label agency partner should have their own preferred tools, ways of working, operating procedures, quality assurance and business hours BUT they need to be a bit flexible. After all your agency is unique from the others they work with. See where the flexible parts are and if the partner can cater for your needs.
- Tools and Procedures – This is crucial. Does your partner have the right tools to deliver on their word? Do they have processes for ensuring that their work is efficient and repeatable at the same high standard every time?
- Communication – The key to any healthy relationship, personal or business, is good communication. At the very least does your partner keep you up-to-date with the goings on? Are you waiting for days, weeks or months before you hear back? Are you chasing and hearing nothing back? Your partner needs to have a clear cut and defined way of ensuring that you and your client can be kept in the loop at every stage of the process.
- Do they ask questions? – No questions? Are they sure they understand your brief and what is required? Do they send screenshots asking for feedback or confirmation? If there are little to no questions you either have a genius working with you and all will be awesome, or someone who is winging it and might not know the answer and is instead doing what they think is right, which is likely not the case.
Approve your white label partner by vetting them
Working with an approved White Label Partner means you get to enjoy all the benefits we covered at the start of this post, without a single red flag!
Avoid them red flags!
Vetting can be as simple as asking them a few questions. However, don’t just ask us white label agencies how much we cost. Yes, we have to be affordable, though there are ways to negate this too, but we have to be trustworthy too. Making a financial loss because you spent a bit too much is far better than getting a bad reputation from working with a cheap but dodgy partner.
So, how do you actually go about vetting a web agency that you will entrust your dear clients with? Well, I’ve got you covered. We’ve produced a vetting sheet you can have on your desk when you call or meet a white label partner. Simply ask the questions, or ones similar to them and make notes. Come back to it later and make an informed decision.
At NO LABEL Studios, we’re dedicated to being a truly white label partner for our marketing agency clients. We design and deploy WordPress websites, funnels and checkout flows using Elementor, and other partner solutions, for a number of agencies around the world.
If you’d like to talk to us about your white label needs or just want to receive our Getting Started Guide and other documents send an email to oliver@nolabelstudios.co.uk. Or visit our website https://nolabelstudios.co.uk and fill in our enquiry form.