I Submitted 6 Proposals On Freelancer And Received 3 Offers Equaling $5000. This Is How I Did It

I Submitted 6 Proposals On Freelancer And Received 3 Offers Equaling $5000. This Is How I Did It
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I have to admit that I have been on Freelancer a tad bit longer than Upwork. And I don’t get on there as often. I actually like Upwork better.

However Here’s Freelancer Fun Facts Based On My Experiences:

  • I do get 10 projects that I can bid on a day based on the skills I placed on my profile, sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends.
  • I get emails if there is a job near me. If it intrigues me, I’ll apply.

This time the date was August 18th. I decided to apply to 6 freelancer jobs. And I heard back from 3. (By the way August 18th was a killer day for me, I also heard back from the Huff saying that I was a contributor, wahoo.)

Here’s an example of what I sent the clients this time around (along with a video proposal).

Greetings, I’m Alesha!

I’m a native English-speaker with heavy experience on writing, editing, and proofreading. I have published my first pieces at the age of 12. I wear several hats, but for the the purposes of your project (s), I will zero in on my writing. I have 20 years of experience as a professional editor and proofreader. I have done proofreading of fiction books, online articles, novels, poems, ebooks, and college research papers. I’ve assisted with general proofreading and editing of various authors, making recommendations and changes before being published for the Indianapolis Star (Specifically Y-Press, I miss those days) . I go through extreme measures to make sure every document I edit is solid with no mistakes. I have the experience and expertise that you need to complete your project, I look forward to working on your project in an efficient manner so they impress when they are published. I’m happy to be here and I’m happy to help. I have experience in several different fields. Look forward to working with you!

I am an musician, actress and entrepreneur. But in the world of freelancing, I especially zero in on my skills as a writer and proofreader. I avoid my Gemini ways of trying to apply to every project on Freelancer. It’s almost like spreading yourself too thin.

Some of these pointers are similar to my Upwork post, but I approach Upwork and Freelancer differently.

1. Don’t Give Up Because You Can’t Submit Through The Website

If they have an email, try sending them an email directly. Keep it short and simple. Don’t forget to tell them why you are the best for the job. My freelancer emails were a lot longer than my Upwork emails. Some proposals may need certain requirements in order to apply.

2. Read To See What The Client Is Looking For

Sounds simple, but if I don’t think I can get the job done in a day or two (some projects actually look for this in a freelancer) I don’t apply. If you think you can handle this, go for it. Just for the record, I’ve had projects that needed to be done in 2 days flat and some that gave me more time. For instance, one time a client was looking for someone to edit their 20,000 work book in 4 days for $3,000. I submitted my offer stating I will do it in 3 days for $2,500. When I looked at other proposals (the written proposals are between the client and freelancers and I don’t see those) some said they would do in 1 day for $3,000, others said 4 days for $3,000 and a lot of other various offers in between). Whatever you do, make sure you can get it done in the time period that you said in your submission.

3. Try Video Proposals

If you send a video, they can actually get to know the person behind the proposal.

4. Stick With Verified Users As Much As Possible.

That way, you won’t run into issues later. It’s ultimately up to you if you want to stick your neck out there and accept work from non-verified users.

5. Ask What They Looking For Before Accepting The Project

I actually had a few people message me before hand to say they wanted me as their freelancer for their project. I asked specifically what they wanted down to every detail. After that, I made my decision to accept or decline an offer. I’ve actually declined quite a few projects.

6. Build Relationships

I kept in touch with the person who hired me through out the entire project. I called at least once a day along with email. Because of this, they plan on hiring me for the future. If you build a relationship with people on Freelancer, it can lead to other jobs and recommendations which will make other people interested in hiring you.

5. Follow The Rules Of Non-Disclosure Agreements

Like I said on the Upwork post, I can’t really reveal the person’s name or product (unless they say it’s ok) but don’t reveal any details about the work you are working on. It’s nice to post on social media to your friends that you landed a nice paying gig, but doing that will blow your chances at getting hired in the future. It’s not worth it, just keep it under your hat. Are your friends paying you or the client? End of story.

6. Keep submitting proposals/emails

In normal cases you might need to submit 10 times a day everyday until you get a job on Upwork, Freelancer, or other freelance website. Keep track of how many jobs you get accepted or declined from. Whatever you do, don’t give up!

7. Stick WIth What You Know

Like on Upwork, I receive a ton of notifications on Freelancer for what jobs I can apply for and it made my mind spin. However, I stuck with what I know I can do within a day or two (at the latest a week). I’m not saying I won’t ever apply for a music type project, but I zero in on specific projects. Like I said above, I don’t want to spread myself too thin.

8. Start Small, Then Work Your Way Up

I saw jobs for several thousand dollars all the way up to $10,000. Could I have applied to those? Sure! But I looked for jobs around the $200 marker, because I thought at the time my chances of booking the smaller gigs were higher. I figured since I’m new to freelancer, I didn’t want to start in the major leagues just yet, lol. And seriously, everyone is going to go for the higher paying jobs because they see those $ signs.

9. Don’t Expect To Get All Your Money At Once

I wrote that title to get your attention, and sorry to tell you that I don’t get $5,000 all at once or upfront. I get it per hour and/or over time when I get the job done. So I’ll get $50 here, and $100 here. Several times these projects are ongoing and it may take months. The extra money comes in handy to pay a bill or two.

10. Don’t Be Afraid To Charge Your Rates

If you charge $19/hr, tell them when they hire you! Just make sure that you can deliver quality results. If you do a great job, your reputation will spread and people will want to hire you, and who knows? The possibilities are endless!

11. Don’t Focus On The Money, Focus On Adding Value

The less I focused on getting “paid” and actually doing the work, I find personally the more offers I receive. It’s almost like a mindset shift in what I was told growing up.

12. Have a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) When Applying For Work

I’m not saying you will receive every job you apply for, but stay positive! If you think negatively, negative energy will cloud around you and you don’t want that! If you stay positive, the right job will land in your lap.

13. Happen To Be Online As The Project Is Posting? Apply Right Then!

14. I’m A Free User On Both Freelancer And Upwork BUT

It might be worth it to paid for your bid so it lands at the top of the pack. That way, it can stand out and the client will more in likely look at your bid first. Consider becoming a premium user, that way you can apply for more work.

Follow Alesha Peterson On Twitter: https://twitter.com/aleshapeterson

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