One of the biggest problems that freelancers struggle with is getting enough projects to make a healthy income. Like other freelancers, I got my first projects from referrals from friends.
But what do you do when you run out of referrals?
I turned to Elance, now known as Upwork, to prospect for new clients. A lot of freelancers hate job bidding sites because you have to compete against low bidding workers from offshore countries.
But what a lot of freelancers don’t know is that good clients with reasonable budgets post jobs on here too. And if you can find them, you can easily make a full time living freelancing.
In this article, I’ll share some tips on how I was able to land $10,000 worth of freelance projects in a month on Elance (now Upwork).
1. Prospect Regularly
My top tip for landing steady and predictable work when you are just starting out is to prospect regularly. One of the nice things about Upwork is that the people that are posting projects are ready to buy.
To make sure you have a steady stream of work, you have to bid on projects regularly, even if you are currently working on a project. Most people wait until their project is over or almost over to bid on new projects.
As an experiment, I wanted to see what would happen if I bid consistently every day. I made sure to look through and bid on projects once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
The result was landing $10,000 worth of website projects. Not all of it came that month, but one of the projects we bid on came through a couple months later.
By the way, if you win too many projects at once, then you’re probably charging too little.
2. Differentiate from Your Competitors by Developing Your Skills
If you want to charge higher prices and increase your chances of getting hired, then you have to continue developing your skills. I’ve hired many freelancers myself and some are actually a bit lazy when it comes to developing their skills.
Before responsive sites became standard, we were offering them to our clients. Learning about marketing also helped because I could have intelligent conversations about website marketing and setting up a website to generate leads.
Continue to develop yourself so that you can have an edge against your competitors.
3. Provide Top Quality Service and Communication
Over-deliver and provide top quality service and communication. Some web developers I worked with in the past only did what was required, but I would do everything I could to set my client’s website up for success.
Simple tasks that took very little time like installing Google Analytics and spam blocking scripts helped increase customer satisfaction.
You might also be surprised at how many freelancers are bad at communicating. Keep your client updated regularly and let them know if you’ll be away at certain times, like the weekends.
4. Ask for Repeat Business and Referrals
You might be surprised at how many times I got repeat business just by asking my client if they had any more projects. One of my first regular repeat clients came from simply asking for more work.
A lot of clients might just have one project, but if you do a great job, then sometimes they can refer other clients to you. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals if your client is happy with your work.
5. Don’t Compete on Price, Compete on Value
I’ve won bids on jobs where my bid was the highest bid by far and I’ve also hired other people that bid significantly higher than everyone else. Many freelancers on Upwork feel like they have to bid low or else they’ll lose the project to another competitor.
However, many businesses that are hiring are willing to pay more for a good contractor. Even being from the USA or being able to speak fluent English might be enough to win a project.
I always bid higher than the average bidder. While some people may be looking for the lowest price, there are plenty of others that are more concerned about things like quality and having a good experience.
Whether you are using freelance bidding sites or using other tactics, prospecting regularly is a great way to get more consistent results, even if you are just starting out.
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