#WISDOMWEDNESDAY
Freelancer, Get the Contract You Want in Upwork by Adding This Link to Your Proposal
Plus, the steps to outline your killer proposal in Upwork.
Are you a Freelancer? Yes? me too.
Upwork is one of the most popular platforms for starting your freelance career in any field you are a crack in.
Upwork is the platform that has made me more money, but it is also the platform that takes me more time to find high-quality job proposals. Although in my experience it is Upwork where I have found proper companies and entrepreneurs who will pay at a fair rate.
I’m curious, how has your experience been freelancing with Upwork, and with Fiverr as well. Recently, I enrolled in a quick course in Fiverr where the educator manager sets as a differentiator between Fiverr and other similar platforms, that:
In Fiverr, you don’t have to be a half-time seller. In Fiverr, freelancers do their job without pitching clients.
Something like that, I am just paraphrasing.
I honestly felt it was a throw of a stone to Upwork. — Didn’t you feel the same?
Well, this is indeed true. In Upwork, you have to dedicate time to pitch clients, send proposals and choose which proposals to apply. However, Upwork has the argument that you submit proposals to any job and project you are the most interested in. You work the way you want, they say.
But do you really get the job that you want in Upwork? Or do you just submit your proposal to a job you wish to be hired for?
First, let’s note that freelancing in Upwork is not free because Upwork will make you buy connects, and then will take 20% of your earnings.
This should be a HUGE trigger for you to take action and insert THIS link to your proposal and get THAT contract in Upwork.
The link I am inviting you to add to your proposal is a link that directs your potential client to a YouTube video where you are going to do the following:
- You will show your face and tell what makes you unique
- Turn your humble accomplishments into your major asset
- Tell how your skills, knowledge and background will solve your client’s life
- And finally, you will open a window to further communication with your potential client
I know that recording a video to talk about yourself may require guts and value. Not everybody has the skills to feel comfortable in front of the camera. I was one of those since I pushed myself to do it to potentially increase my earnings. Next #WisdomWednesday I will write about how you can also push yourself to finally put your smiling face in front of the camera with ease. Subscribe to my newsletter so you receive a notification next Wednesday when I publish the article.
I know what you are thinking, and before you say it out loud, here is your answer:
No, you don’t need a professional gear to record your video. You need to look professional and market yourself as the best product you have. Because you really are the BEST that you have.
And lucky you, you don’t have to figure out how to write the script of such video because here is divided into sections for you to take it and create the best pitch ever to market yourself as the professional you are and finally GET THAT JOB IN UPWORK.
So next time you submit a proposal in Upwork, assure you include your LINK, where your potential client can actually see your beautiful smiling face.
Here is the outline to write your script to present yourself in the video that you will link to your proposal in Upwork
But first, I want to mention that it could be difficult to talk about your outstanding skills because impostor syndrome may attack.
It happened to me. I didn’t know what to write because I haven’t accomplished so many incredible things. Then I realized I already am an incredible everything. So like you!
Hopefully, your self-esteem and self-love are on point so you don’t have to go through this. Having mentioned this, here we go:
1. What is your name, and what makes you unique
It is easy to say: Hi, this is Gladys. But then what?
In my case, my script follows like this: I am a BILINGUAL content and copywriter. Spanish is my first language, but I speak fluent English and I can also communicate with you in French.
In this first section, you want to find something that traces a difference from the rest of the freelancers. Among the other copywriters, perhaps I am the only one who can communicate in French and that is the reason the client is going to decide to work with me.
Here are other examples that you can use to set a differentiator from the other freelancers who are your competitors:
- Your age
It is fascinating to see how a young freelancer is fearless and brave to pitch clients. Also, if you are not too young, it is admirable how you can reinvent yourself. You can make your age the best quality.
- Skills and background
You may have other skills that complement the service you offer. For example, if you are a video editor, you may also have some graphic design skills. In my case, as a content writer, I have experience with WordPress and I know a bit about web design.
You just have to dig into yourself to find other skills and make them an outstanding key point on your proposal. This complement may also be your differentiator.
- Your personal interests
There is nothing better than finding a person who is head over heels about the same topic as you.
Regardless of your service is not focused on a niche, surely you have a deep passion for a single aspect of your craft.
For example, in my script, I mentioned that because I am a Mexican newcomer in Canada, I am genuinely interested in projects about travelling, language learning, ex-pat living, immigration and Latin American cultures. Followed by a disclaimer: Although my services include in-deep research, I can write about any other topic.
Do the same. Say, I have the passion for THIS, but I can totally do THAT other thing.
2. Turn your humble accomplishments into your major asset
Tell me if it happened to you too, aren’t there some freelancer’s bios that leave you thinking what the heck have you been doing with your life?
The difference between those amazing bios and the one you will write is the confidence of the person who writes it.
You don’t need to have impactful accomplishments or lie about them. You just have to be honest and enhance them.
For example, I mentioned I used to have a self-hosted blog. This is useless and even discouraging because this blog didn’t take me anywhere. This is irrelevant until I add the following information:
Having a self-hosted blog taught me how to fluently use the platform WordPress, to use plugins like Yoast SEO, Insights, Affiliate Amazon. And how to incorporate marketing tools like ConvertKit. I also know about web design because I designed my blog basically from scratch, as you can see. *I added a screen recording*
You just have to put confidence and pride in your career and the septs you have made. Honestly, when I started writing my script, I was lost. Though I didn’t have that many successful stories to add. But little by little I remembered how chingona* I am.
*Mexican bad word to say that someone (female) is enough and beyond. If you are a male, you are a chingón. So you and I, are chingones and we’ll gonna make it happen!
3. Solutions, base your pitch on the solutions you’ll bring to your client’s life.
One of the biggest mistakes I did when I started freelancing is that I asked my potential client HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
Don’t be like Gladys in the past. Let’s envision the situation like this:
Your client has a symptom that is bothering them, you as an expert, have the job, as a doctor, to find WHICH the illness is, WHAT is the treatment and HOW fast will your client recover.
Answer all these questions FAST, before anyone else. OK, you are making one single video to submit to several proposals. How can you bring solutions to everybody?
Think about your potential client. Which their kick bones are?
In my case, I say: If you don’t have the time to learn how to write SEO articles, I can do it for you. Same, if you don’t have the time to write an ebook, I can ghostwrite the free e-book you will offer to your audience as a lead magnet.
In this part, I also tell my potential client how which steps I am following to write an article for them.
First, I will research your audience and your keywords. Then I will pick words that best resonate with your audience and add your keyword smoothly. Among other details, but here it is synthesized for you to know how to craft your killer proposal in Upwork.
Bring a plan of how you work, and what possibilities you offer. So if they are interested in your service, they can bring up their questions based on what you mentioned in your video proposal.
OK, now that you brought your cards to the table is time to place your last proposal: Let’s have a quick conversation. This leads me to the next point.
4. Open a window to further communication
At the end of your pitch, mention that you would like to have a quick conversation to get to know the details of the project.
Here I want to highlight to add your contact information somewhere visibly. Either in the video or in the description. You can even add a link to the description to Calendly or a similar app so your potential client may schedule a 10 minutes call with you.
Preferably avoid giving your rates because you know that as a freelancer rates could vary according to many, many factors. Therefore, you want to have a call with your client, to get to know the details and offer a plan to follow, as mentioned previously.
In this part I also added that I am excited to work with YOU, this is why I am applying to this proposal. I would like to know more about you as well. Regardless if you don’t know your potential client yet, show genuine interest and the GANAS* to be hired.
*Ganas: willingness, a strong desire
- Top Tip: Show yourself energetic! Next #WisdomWednesday I will come with tips to overcome the cringe to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive a notification on your email for the next #WisdomWednesday.
Now your turn!
Recording myself is something I wouldn’t contemplate before, as I had panicked at the cringe of seeing my face on a video. I was always afraid of becoming viral or becoming a meme. Then I realized I am not fun enough to be a meme.
In the future, I will share with you how adding this link to my proposal boosted my contracts and my earnings in Upwork.
By now, I can totally tell you that seeing myself in a video talking about how CHINGONA I am is just WOW. This will happen to you too.
I’d like to watch your video, share it with me. I want to see how chingón / chingona you are.
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