Got this from Zakir on a recent YouTube video:
“Why I have to sell myself each time I apply to job? I have top rated status with 96% so called bullshit. Clients come upwork on their last resort if they didn’t find anywhere and they don’t believe they will find. And that’s why they don’t bother to respond.”
Sigh.
Being a top rated freelancer with a good job success rate doesn’t somehow magically absolve you of needing to compete for work. You’re always gonna have to sell yourself and compete. Even outside freelance sites. You’re still competing… you just don’t see it so directly.
Let me make this more clear.
If I go on Upwork, into my client account…
And, search freelancers for the term: “wordpress”.
Probably a pretty common thing a client would do if they need somebody to work on their WordPress site. If I filter for freelancers who have a 90% job success rate or higher, guess what? 27 of the first 50 freelancers all have the “Top Rated” badge.
That’s just over 50%
If I remove that filter…
It’s still 19 of 50… so, 38%
Lots of freelancers on there have those designations.
You’re still gonna have to compete with them.
But, beyond that even…
Look, clients don’t undergo some sort of uber-logical decision-making process when hiring a freelancer. Buying decisions are emotional. So, they’re not gonna do a search and just pick the freelancers with the highest job success rate and the pretty little “Top Rated” badge.
They’re gonna look at your picture…
Skim your bio…
Read a few reviews…
Look at your portfolio…
All very quickly and just try to “get a feel” for you.
And, like it or not… they’ll make their decision to invite you based on that.
I’m simply trying to get you to give them a “good feel”…
(Ok, not like that, you perv!)
As for Upwork just being full of desperate clients…
That’s just so obviously false.
If I do the same “wordpress” search from my freelancer account, one of the first projects is from a client who has hired 92 times before. They’ve spent 30k+ on the site and have a 5-star rating from the freelancers they’ve worked with.
Sounds like Upwork is their FIRST resort, not their last.
And, another…
A client that’s spent 100k+ and has 4.98 rating.
Another that’s spend 80k+ and a 5-star rating..
None of these clients seem desperate or to be using Upwork as a “last resort”. And, imagine if you landed a project with one of these clients and really impressed them. How much would work might you get in the future from just that one client?
So, I’m the one calling “BS” here.
These clients are there.
You just need to get over yourself…
And your “Top Rated” status…
And realize you gotta compete.
If not here, then out on the open web.
Nobody is going to give you the work.
You gotta go get it.
That said, there are ways you can stack the chips in your favor. Subtle tweaks you can make to your profile, your bids, your entire approach on Upwork… that will tip the scales in your favor and make it much easier to get hired and paid more for your work.
Not to mention be more appreciated and valued.
I show you all this in my Upwork 101 course which you can get FREE on SkillShare. Just sign up for the 2-month FREE trial… that’ll give you plenty of time to get through the course and then if you want, cancel before the trial is up. And VOILA… you got my course free.
Plus, my PHP 101 course is there, too.
Anyway, start the trial here: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare
Later,
John
