No doubt winning jobs on Upwork can be daunting, especially for newbies, with the growing competition on the platform. The increment in Upwork currency (connect) for applying for jobs has made it harder for freelancers to find jobs. Everyone wants to join the platform and start getting clients immediately, but the truth is it is not always that easy.
Landing clients on Upwork may take days, weeks, or even months, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It is a journey that requires lots of dedication and consistency and most things I see freelancers do is give up easily when their proposals aren’t gaining visibility, but persistently sending proposals to the right clients yields results (visibility) and over time increases your chances of getting hired.
If you new to freelancing on Upwork or an experienced freelancer struggling to win jobs on Upwork? then this blog post is for you
Misconception About Upwork
Many freelancers, when reflecting on their work journey, had initially thought of the platform as saturated, and had many low-paying jobs. However, over time they discovered the platform’s potential, made positive outcomes, and gained reasonable income from the platform.
Why Clients are not coming to you?
Not landing jobs on Upwork could be one of the following reasons
- Poor Proposals
- Your profile is not optimized
- You are targeting the wrong clients
- You are going for big fishes
Best Tips to Win Your First Client.
Are you ready to win your first client on Upwork, continue reading.
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Well Written Proposal
In this post we are focusing on how to write the perfect Upwork Proposals that can land clients.
Proposals are the first point of contact between a client and a freelancer, first impressions matter a lot, think about how you want the clients to perceive you and how a client perceives you starts from your proposal. A good proposal show your intending clients that you know what you are up to, it shows confidence.
Best tips for proposal writing
Carefully read the job description
You already read the job description, always read job descriptions line after line, and do not skip or scan them. Most clients often make specific requests “Start your proposal with Apple”. Missing such details already reduces your chances. Clients do this to make sure you read the job details to the last.
Understand the job description
Understanding the job description is one of the crucial step in creating a good proposal. Take a minute to fully understand what the client needs, imagine yourself as the client, and what kind of solution would you love to see in the proposal.
Personalize
Personalize your proposal but do not make it about you, start with the client’s first name, just a little research will get you that, Scroll down to the bottom where you have reviews from past freelancers. From this review, you can learn more about the client’s business and what other freelancers experience working with the client.
Personalizing your proposal with your clients details makes your proposal stand out from what others are doing.
Strong Introduction
A strong introduction always does the work. The first 3 lines of your proposal are vital, this is where you show your understanding of the client’s needs. Be sure to make your introduction attention grabbing. If your introduction is boring, clients will likely skip it.
Alignment
Explain how your skills and experience align with their needs, and shift the focus from yourself to the client’s needs. Avoid “ I will do this and that” rather than “ You will save 3 hours of your time if you hire me as your VA”. Here, provide “links” to your past works to showcase your abilities.
Error-free Proposal
Ensure proper punctuation and grammar in your writing while avoiding jargon and unnecessary words. Make your proposal concise and easy to read. Itemize relevant experience and consider using tools like Grammarly and Quillbot for error correction and paraphrasing wordy sentences. Grammatical errors can be a turn-off to clients
Call to action
The conclusion must be as impressive as the introduction. Concentrate on prompting a reply, possibly initiating contact. Asking reasonable questions shows your analytical mindset. Clients don’t want to spend time figuring out what to do next, let your call to action be direct and clear. “I am eager to jump on a quick Zoom call to further discuss this project on Mondays and Wednesdays” (insert your timezone)
- PS: Always ask reasonable questions before the Call to action, it shows your critical thinking since you can foresee what the client doesn’t know he needs.
Conclusion
If you are struggling with landing clients on Upwork as a freelancer, take your time and go over your proposals, optimize your profile, target the right clients and start landing high paying clients. I hope this post was helpful and if you have any questions on how to write a good proposal feel free to drop a comment