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5 Steps To Finding Your Service Provider With Sortlist
5 Steps To Finding Your Service Provider With Sortlist
This article explains the process of creating a brief, publishing the project, meeting with service providers, and making the final choice.
Updated this week

šŸ’” If you are based outside of Belgium, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, or the MENA region, please refer to our other article describing the Client Process for our International market.

Just like 78,000 before you, you are on your way to finding the perfect service provider with Sortlist.

But maybe there is something holding you back for now.

In case you have any doubts or hesitations, we’re here to break down the process for you. Here’s our guide to explain to you how finding the right service provider works with Sortlist, what you can expect throughout the process and how to make the final choice.

Here are the 5 simple steps to finding your perfect match with Sortlist.

Creating the brief

Once you get to the end of your brief, you can have the option to either keep it as a draft, or publish it. Here’s what those two options mean for you:

Publishing your project or keeping it as a draft

Keeping a project in draft form

By keeping your project in draft, you will still be presented with an initial list of agencies that our algorithm matches from the details you have provided in your brief. However, our team of validators, who approve the projects, will not be able to send the project to agencies that could better fit your specific needs.

If some elements of your brief are missing, you may be contacted by one of our advisors to help you complete the brief or to answer any doubts you may have.

Publishing your project

By publishing your project you’re just a few clicks away from finding your perfect match! Please note that this is not a fixed engagement nor are you under any obligation to the agencies. You can discover their profiles, portfolios, range of expertises, and meet with them at your own pace before making your final choice.

The whole process on our platform is also 100% free of charge.

You will gain access to our fully personalized matchmaking service to find the most suitable service provider. You will receive an immediate list of agencies selected by our AI which you can discover and contact, however, our team of advisors will also send your project over to agencies they find most convenient for you.

What’s the difference between the AI-selected agencies and the ones advisors send my project to?

A project brief is not always black and white.

Let’s say you are looking to develop a content marketing project but aren’t sure on the budget since you are still hesitating on whether you will want video content, textual content, and even a rework of your website.

Although powerful, our AI does not take all these factors into account like a human could. For us to provide you with the most accurate as possible matches, our advisors can often assemble all of these blurry elements to find alternative matches that best suit your overall needs.

Meeting your advisor - if you wish

Every project that comes through our platform is assigned an advisor. They are there to provide you with a personalized assistance to help you find the perfect match.

You can make the choice whether to seek help from the advisor or to simply navigate the process by yourself.

Your advisor is there to help you at any part of the process. You can ask them to:

  • Help you to better understand your needs and fill out your briefing

  • Advise you on the type of partner, budget, and strategy you should aim for

  • Prepare you for the next steps to start meeting agencies

  • Etc.

To book a 15-minute call with your advisor via Google Meet or phone, you can do so directly here

If you are not quite ready yet, you can do it at any time by:

  1. Selecting the option directly in the briefing, (you may already see the option to ā€œGet free assistanceā€ before publishing the brief)

  2. Clicking on the button at the bottom of your AI-generated list of agencies where it says ā€œGet advice, it’s freeā€

  3. With the link at the bottom of the confirmation email you received after publishing your project

Meeting the agencies

Via the advisor

If you agree to speak with an advisor and for them to send your project to agencies, you will receive a personalized introductory e-mail from the agencies (5 maximum at first) who are interested in collaborating with you. The e-mail will include:

  • A brief introduction

  • Their contact information as well as a link to book a call

  • A link to their Sortlist profile

  • A few examples of previous works

  • And some latest reviews from previous clients

Remember that our services for you are 100% free of charge and any meeting you have with a service provider has no cost, we only ask you to respond to the agencies that get in touch with you.

If from these first 5 you are not convinced with their proposals, you can ask your advisor for some alternative options.

Via the AI list

From the list, simply select the service provider you wish you collaborate with, and you will promptly receive an e-mail letting you know whether the service provider feels they are compatible with your project and ready to meet with you.

The final choice

You have found your perfect match! It is time to close your project. Simply let your advisor know via e-mail that you have made your final choice. Also make sure to let the other agencies which you may have spoken with that you will unfortunately not be proceeding with them via your preferred method of communication.

If you are having a hard time making the final decision, you can always discuss things over with your advisor. They can give you further guidance or present you with other agencies if you are not yet fully convinced.

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