In the end it is all about links.
not really, its about analyzing google's algorithm... I also think of that at first but as time passes by I got bored on same linking procedure and notice that site's ranking are losing so you need to get on track in google's update and changes thats the job of SEO and not just linking...In the end it is all about links.
If you're a link builder, you're job is just getting links, and SEO do all those jobs including analyzing.
I had trouble wiyh xtreeme sitemap software also. I feel I wasted alot of time with it.
Outsourcing link building is a viable option once you have found a reliable and trustworthy partner who would do the job for you. Telling them specifically what you want and the results you need should be clear enough so that there would be no misunderstanding. Saving time on link-building is important for many site owners as they can focus more on other more analytical things.
I think Google has its own sitemap generator, anybody want to correct me?