Independent Talent Triples a Marketing Team’s Productivity

A virtual talent bench to do more and cost less

CompuVision has a one person marketing team that produces as if it were a 12-person team. Cara Bedford, former Director of Marketing, accomplished this by forming relationships with independent talent through Upwork. Bedford’s strategy not only multiplied the department’s output, but compared to local rates, Upwork saved her department 70%.

Her success convinced leadership to increase productivity by partnering with Upwork across the company. While leading adoption, Bedford faced resistance from employees who were accustomed to a traditional work model.

Proving independent talent provides control and results

Expansion took hold when Bedford showed managers potential gains and built in accountability. Here’s how she transformed mindsets:

• Buy-in from all levels
• Quantify benefits by showing potential budget efficiencies
• Provide resources to request funds for contracting freelance talent
• Involve whole teams and keep team members accountable
• Assess and adjust to optimize independent talent use

Forming relationships with the world’s top professionals not only enables teams to handle more complex projects, but it also tripled the company’s productivity. Bedford’s staff was so accustomed to using the work marketplace that they coined the phrase, “What can I Upwork?