How Do I Locate & Employ a Shopify Expert?

 The CEOs of Fortune 500 companies or the most successful entrepreneurs of our time, like Gary Vaynerchuck or Tim Ferris, have the same rights 24 hours a day as you do. That sounds both inspiring and terrifying, am I correct? How, when you're buried under a never-ending list of tasks and to-dos, can they manage so much in that short amount of time? You might overlook a lesson in that successful people don't do everything on their own; instead, they focus on what they do best.

They do not build their empires by wearing all the hats; rather, they only wear the one(s) that they can and must wear, and any tasks that they do not need to perform themselves are delegated, hired help for, or outsourced.

That's the approach you should as well use to kick off or level up your Shopify business. With that being said, hiring an expert can be a demanding process if you have never done it before. So, in this article, I'll walk you through the process of how to find and hire the best expert for your upcoming project.

1. Who is a Shopify Expert?

Shopify experts are a collection of independent businesses or people that work with Shopify to support their clientele. This service community is highly trusted and can support you as you grow because a business or individual must demonstrate their expertise to Shopify in accordance with its own standards in order to become a Shopify expert.

From web development to social media marketing and SEO, Shopify experts offer a wide range of services.

2. Why should you hire a Shopify Expert?

When starting an online business for the first time, it's simple to underestimate the amount of work and effort required. Even the most self-assured and driven person might become exhausted and demotivated by the sheer amount of work required on a daily basis to launch a business project.

You might consider employing others to do what you're not good at, like designers or developers, but that is by no means a simpler task. You probably don't have a lot of budget to hire decent employees, so it is difficult to find employees with experience who can carry out your plan and make it successful. Any error in selecting the incorrect candidates could end up costing you a fortune or even sinking your ship. In other words, you really don't have time for hiring mistakes at first. Therefore, isn't it preferable to avoid dealing with employee hiring altogether and locate a service provider who has the know-how to make your business plan a success instead? Shopify Experts can help with that.

You're giving your company the knowledge and experience it needs to take off by bringing a Shopify Expert on board. Shopify Experts will pay close attention to your needs and draw on their years of expertise to help you achieve your objectives.

3. When should you go and find a Shopify Expert?

Undoubtedly, if you're feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or unsure of how to execute your plan, you should speak with a Shopify Expert.

However, you must first identify the issues that a Shopify Expert can assist you with before you contact them. Where, for instance, are you getting stuck in your marketing strategy? What objectives are you attempting to fulfill? You must first be aware of your issues before Shopify experts can use all of their knowledge to create and implement a marketing campaign that achieves your desired results.

Hiring an Expert will cost money, just like everything else in business. Spend some time determining how much money you can spend on this as you're identifying your issues. It will probably be much less expensive than hiring someone full-time, but it's crucial to know your budget before you look for an expert for two reasons. The first is that your budget might not be enough, and the second is that signing an outsourcing agreement if doing so will cause you to go bankrupt is pointless.

It's time to "shop" for an expert once you've established your budget! Let's go on to the section after this. It's important to keep in mind that you should examine the websites of the experts you're considering, their case studies, and their experience portfolios to ensure that they can deliver the desired outcome.

4. Where to hire a Shopify Expert?

First off, to find a Shopify Expert, you'll need to have already had a Shopify account, which I'm assuming you have. If you have not, you can go to Shopify sign up page and create an account in a few minutes.

Then you will need to log in to your dashboard. From there, you can submit a job request that describes the work that you want to hire a Shopify Expert for. After your request is submitted, it will be reviewed by Experts who are in line to take jobs. If an Expert is interested in your request, they will contact you back to learn about your project.

You can follow below steps to submit a job request:

Step 1: Click on Hire a Shopify Expert

In your Shopify admin, click your account menu at the top right and then hit Hire a Shopify Expert.

Step 2: Choose the service that you are looking for

When you click that button, a list of categories will appear. After selecting a category that fits the kind of work you're looking for, you can choose a goal.

Step 3: Enter your requirements and provide price and timeline

Enter the required information for the job that you are requesting, and then click Next. The information that you need to input for your job request varies depending on the goal you need for your store.

Step 4: Enter your preference

Input information about your preference including information about your business, budget, communication language and then hit Next.

Step 5: Send request

Confirm the information of your job request, and then hit Send request.

You need not be concerned because sending a request carries no obligation. You are not obligated to hire the experts you submit your project to in this step; they will simply review your request. If any of the reviewing experts choose to move forward with your project, they will get in touch with you to discuss their fees and the specifics of how to begin. Following the submission of your request, you should frequently check your email in case the expert sends you any messages. The Hire a Shopify Expert page also features the messages.

5. Types of Shopify Experts:

No Shopify experts can handle everything. Here are 5 main categories:

• Shopify designers – who deal with visuals.
• Shopify Developers – who work on the back-end system and apps.
• Setup Experts – who deal with store development and configuration
• Marketing Experts – who can help give you the edge over your competition and bring customers to your store via various digital marketing strategies like SEO.
• Photography Experts – who can help draw attention to your products using strategic positioning and photography.

6. How can you find the right Shopify Experts?

6.1. Ask for referrals:

Asking around is probably the best way to find a Shopify expert who meets your needs and whose knowledge you can trust. Try to locate entrepreneur communities on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit when you launch a new business. Many other business owners will have gone through the same process and found a reliable partner.

But that doesn't mean you should forego doing your research. Take their contact information, ask for their profile, and visit their website to learn more about them before hiring an expert who comes highly recommended from others. Additionally, you ought to look for (or inquire about) their prior projects, case studies, and client endorsements. These small extra tasks can provide you with useful information that will help you determine whether or not that expert is a good fit.

6.2. Go to the Shopify Marketplace:

If you fall into this category because not everyone has friends or knows people who can recommend people for their projects, there is another choice for you. You can look for experts based on the services they provide by visiting Experts Marketplace.

You can use the site to search for experts by name, location, or keyword. If you're trying to find a specialist in your neighborhood, this can be a great option. Local experts are more knowledgeable about the regional market because they are more familiar with it. If you have a set budget, this should be an excellent option because this marketplace also lets you sort by price points.

6.3. Do your due diligence:

It's time to exercise due diligence once you have identified your ideal match, whether through the Expert Market or recommendations. This is a crucial step because not every expert is a good fit for everyone, even if they are the perfect expert for someone else.

Doing your due diligence at this point entails asking them questions about their prior accomplishments, case studies, and other topics. Because you have to pay in both situations, this interview may need to be as in-depth as one for a full-time employee.

If the Shopify expert lives nearby, it might be a good idea to invite them to your workplace or to buy them coffee so you can go over everything in detail. The interview will be a little difficult if the expert does not reside in your neighborhood, but calling them through an online chat program (like Skype) will be sufficient to learn about them and their background.

Remember that this meeting is also an opportunity for the expert to get to know you. The expert will also interview you to see if you're a good fit for them and if the partnership will be profitable for both parties, unless they are desperate and money hungry (in which case you should avoid them).

Be honest and straightforward about everything while you're at it. The only way for both of you to determine if you are a good match is through this, allowing you to move on and save time if you are not.

Last but not least, be wary of Shopify experts who make exaggerated guarantees. Professional experts are aware of what they are doing and what you should anticipate from them. Look for someone who can meet deadlines and accomplish desired goals, but who isn't afraid to push back when your request exceeds their capabilities. The biggest red flag is anyone who makes ridiculous promises or will just nod their head to whatever you want them to do.

6.4. Setting the scope of your project:

Making a plan is what you need to do after doing your research and discovering the ideal partner. This should include the issues you need to be resolved, the project's objective, timeline, KPIs, and any other requirements the expert needs to follow while working on your project. The phrase "the scope of a project" is a common one.

If you've never had to create such a detailed plan before, don't be alarmed. The expert has previously worked with businesses, so they will be able to assist you with the planning and the procedure. If you're working with someone who has the necessary experience, they will ensure that you can enjoy your time working with them.

Go back to your search and find someone else if the agency you're working with is unable or unwilling to assist you with the scope of the project. Take your time here because every minute you spend locating the ideal specialist will spare you a ton of headaches once your project is underway.

6.5. Communicate well:

Communication is clear to ensure that there won't be any misunderstandings or ambiguities between the two parties. Make sure you and your partner communicate your expectations, as well as what you can and cannot accept.

Make it clear to them why you set goals in the manner that you do, why you must deal with the issues you are, and why you require them to do this and that. Communication will be more effective when you keep the why question front and center. Ask the expert to explain why they can only guarantee 6,000 visits for an SEO project when you expect 10,000, for instance, so you can identify the cause of any problems. Additionally, it will help you set reasonable expectations for what will occur.

Keep in touch with the expert as your project progresses, but don't check in too frequently lest you waste their time. You should follow up just frequently enough to be able to tell if the expert is on track to meet your goals. Inquire further if there is anything you can provide to make their job easier.

If you're working on a web development or marketing project, one important tip that can take your communication to the next level is to avoid communicating solely through words. Give the experts illustrative examples from which you got your inspiration for your idea. This will guarantee that they can comprehend your vision clearly. After all, nobody has telepathy.

6.6. Wrap up the project:

Now that your project is getting close to completion, there has been a long time of anticipation, worry, and hope. After working together for a few months, your relationship with the expert has grown stronger, so you should be able to see the results soon.

When that time comes, it's critical to review your project's timeline and scope to determine which milestones have been met and which have not. It is somewhat unrealistic to expect the expert to deliver everything exactly as you had agreed upon at the beginning, but it is reasonable to anticipate that the crucial components will be completed. It's time to put the check list you made during the planning phase and consultation with the expert to use.

Once everything is in order, the expert hands over the project to you, you pay them, and you are both satisfied, you should still keep in close contact with that expert so that you have someone to turn to in case issues arise later.

Last words

Getting the right people on board when your business is just getting started will make all the difference. The risk of blowing your budget and still not getting results can be reduced by making an effort to find, hire, and pay the right Expert. Experts in Shopify can use their years of experience to help you reach your desired level of success.