Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
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It's been a while since I wrote about Upwork. Many new faces want to freelance, so this is just an update on the landscape for those of you who want to do it but aren't sure where to start.
Is Upwork Still Worth It in 2022?
Yes. Not only is Upwork still worth it, but it has become the single biggest freelance platform, the biggest source of easily accessible clients, and the best way for a brand new freelancer to start earning money even as soon as their first week. Upwork has spent countless millions expanding its reach, especially within U.S. markets. They are attracting more enterprise clients than ever, and all of those clients need quality freelancers.
What Does it Take to Earn Your First Client?
There are more people freelancing now than at any previous point, but what it takes to earn your first client hasn't changed. Most freelancers suck. They barely fill out their profiles. When they do, it's some copy/paste spam, or worse, it's stolen from somebody else. Most freelancers still talk about themselves too much in both their profile and their proposals.
Tips that will help you EARN your first client fast:
Success on Upwork today is not about being a good employee. If you want fast success on Upwork, you need to become what this forum is all about becoming... an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs create value in the world, and until you learn how to create value (largely by doing the things I described above) you will struggle to find clients who want to work with you.
Do NOT Approach Upwork Like a Job or Else...
It will trap you. Upwork clients will suck the life energy out of you. Approach Upwork like an entrepreneur and like someone who is there to create value while learning to become self-reliant. If you treat it like a job or a career where you plan to cover your bills with freelance money, you will meet a harsh reality. You'll quickly discover that clients are unreliable. Pay is unsteady. Consistently earning enough to pay your bills on time is challenging until you have a strong process for client attraction. As a result, you will find yourself in a state of desperation.
Becoming more desperate by the day, you will turn to low-quality clients with bottom-feeder rates just to keep money coming in. Those clients will have high expectations and a chip on their shoulders and when you make even the slightest error, they will close the contract and leave negative feedback. Now it will be 10X harder to get your next client because this will affect your JSS score and client perceptions of you, which will force you to lower your rates even further and to spend more time applying to gigs. All of this leads into a cycle of desperation instead of into the place of high-profit freelancing that you originally intended to enter.
Approach Upwork like an entrepreneur. It's a side-hustle. Get in. Get paid. Get out. Move on. You can come back to Upwork and freelancing anytime you want, but don't get caught up in it like it's some kind of Fastlane business (unless you grow your freelance operation into a specialized agency with other freelancers doing the work for you).
Is it Still Possible to Earn $1,000/week Freelancing?
Yes.
How to Solve ALL of Your Bad Client Problems.
Virtually all bad client experiences can be solved through a combination of two things:
1. Client Filtering
Choose clients carefully. Only work with clients who:
2. Clearly Communicate Expectations
Communication breakdowns are the NUMBER 1 REASON why projects turn sour, clients go bad, and contracts end in negative feedback and skipped payments. It is ALWAYS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to lead communications and set expectations. If you fail to clearly communicate your expectations of the client, and your processes as a freelancer, then it does not mean that a communication breakdown caused the gig to go bad. It means that your failure to clearly communicate expectations resulted in the gig going bad.
When you fail to communicate expectations before you start a project, then the client is left to form their own expectations based on their personal experiences. The problem with this is that when those expectations are different from your expectations (and they almost always are) then it creates a misalignment of expectations which results in disappointment for everyone.
For instance:
Client's Non-Communicated Expectation: Work will be delivered within 4 hours.
Your Non-Communicated Expectation: Work will be delivered in one week.
In this scenario, both the client and yourself are disappointed and probably pissed off at each other because of the other's "impossibly unreasonable" turnaround times.
Freelancer expects to be paid for their work, but client doesn't pay = disappointment
Client expects a 2,000-word article and receives 500 words = disappointment
Freelancer expects autonomy and the client is constantly breathing down their neck = disappointment
It is always your responsibility because that is the only thing you have control over. This needs to happen before the contract starts.
How to Price Yourself & Ensure You Get Paid
All pricing has pros and cons.
Hourly Pricing Pros & Cons
Pros
To ensure you get paid with hourly, always use Upwork's time-tracking app.
Fixed Rates Pros & Cons
Pros
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Q - I'm not getting responses to my proposals, what should I do?
A - Try a different approach.
Q - Clients respond to my proposals, waste my time, then disappear.
A - Stop sending proposals when you aren't the best fit for the job. Stop approaching clients who aren't a good fit for you.
Q - Do I have to get on live calls?
A - No. But you also don't have to earn much money either.
Q - Isn't Upwork saturated?
A - No.
Q - How important is it to be the first to apply to a gig?
A - Not important because Upwork no longer displays freelancers to clients based on when they applied.
Q - A freelancer who earned $100k on Upwork told me to ignore your advice.
A - That freelancer probably earned $100k across the last 10 years or more. Context matters.
Is Upwork Still Worth It in 2022?
Yes. Not only is Upwork still worth it, but it has become the single biggest freelance platform, the biggest source of easily accessible clients, and the best way for a brand new freelancer to start earning money even as soon as their first week. Upwork has spent countless millions expanding its reach, especially within U.S. markets. They are attracting more enterprise clients than ever, and all of those clients need quality freelancers.
What Does it Take to Earn Your First Client?
There are more people freelancing now than at any previous point, but what it takes to earn your first client hasn't changed. Most freelancers suck. They barely fill out their profiles. When they do, it's some copy/paste spam, or worse, it's stolen from somebody else. Most freelancers still talk about themselves too much in both their profile and their proposals.
Tips that will help you EARN your first client fast:
- Start now. Don't be a pussy.
- Target ONE niche. Not more than one. Just ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Build your entire profile around one problem that clients in that niche want solved.
- Add at least eight portfolio pieces demonstrating your skill.
- If you don't have portfolio pieces, get some.
- If you can't come up with a creative way to get portfolio pieces from scratch, then quit, because you aren't cut out for this.
- Critical thinking and problem-solving are the MOST important skills.
- Only apply to gigs when you are reasonably confident that you are the BEST person to do the job.
- Being the best person for the job doesn't always mean being the most experienced.
- If you are not the best person for the job, you will waste your time and connects.
- Send no more than 3 high-quality proposals per day. This isn't a numbers game. It isn't cold calling.
- Stop yapping about your education and experience. Nobody cares.
- Talk about the client and keep all of your messaging focused on the problem they want solved.
- Leverage relevant credibility. That means only bring up credibility (like college degrees) if they are closely related to your skill.
- When sending proposals, make an offer too good for the client to refuse.
- Start at $5/hr. Get over your pathetic ego. You aren't worth $10/hr, $25/hr, $100/hr unless clients are willing to pay that much to hire you, and since they already have a lot of better choices than you who have way more feedback and proof of earnings and results, you have to go through this Rite of Passage if you want to make it.
- The only exception to the $5/hr rule is if you are highly skilled in persuasion or if you bring a lot to the table (i.e. proof of past results from working with clients beyond Upwork).
- Never lie.
- Always over-deliver.
- Be willing to get on a live call during interviews.
- Be available.
- Be responsive.
- Be professional.
- Be willing to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone.
- Be willing to learn on the fly.
- Be willing to do what other freelancers won't.
- Test any theories you have.
Success on Upwork today is not about being a good employee. If you want fast success on Upwork, you need to become what this forum is all about becoming... an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs create value in the world, and until you learn how to create value (largely by doing the things I described above) you will struggle to find clients who want to work with you.
Do NOT Approach Upwork Like a Job or Else...
It will trap you. Upwork clients will suck the life energy out of you. Approach Upwork like an entrepreneur and like someone who is there to create value while learning to become self-reliant. If you treat it like a job or a career where you plan to cover your bills with freelance money, you will meet a harsh reality. You'll quickly discover that clients are unreliable. Pay is unsteady. Consistently earning enough to pay your bills on time is challenging until you have a strong process for client attraction. As a result, you will find yourself in a state of desperation.
Becoming more desperate by the day, you will turn to low-quality clients with bottom-feeder rates just to keep money coming in. Those clients will have high expectations and a chip on their shoulders and when you make even the slightest error, they will close the contract and leave negative feedback. Now it will be 10X harder to get your next client because this will affect your JSS score and client perceptions of you, which will force you to lower your rates even further and to spend more time applying to gigs. All of this leads into a cycle of desperation instead of into the place of high-profit freelancing that you originally intended to enter.
Approach Upwork like an entrepreneur. It's a side-hustle. Get in. Get paid. Get out. Move on. You can come back to Upwork and freelancing anytime you want, but don't get caught up in it like it's some kind of Fastlane business (unless you grow your freelance operation into a specialized agency with other freelancers doing the work for you).
Is it Still Possible to Earn $1,000/week Freelancing?
Yes.
How to Solve ALL of Your Bad Client Problems.
Virtually all bad client experiences can be solved through a combination of two things:
1. Client Filtering
Choose clients carefully. Only work with clients who:
- Have paid freelancers on Upwork previously
- Have received good feedback from other freelancers
- Have an operational business that is already profitable
- Are NOT looking for an employee
- Care about who they hire
- Put time, effort, and energy into writing their job post
- Do not ask you to get paid outside of Upwork (initially)
- Are willing to pay for ALL work, even trial projects
- Have problems that you can help them solve
- Are not communists who think production magically manifests from the wind
- Are not micro-managers
- Are located in your country
- Can clearly communicate in your language
- Respond in a timely manner
- Treat you like a professional
2. Clearly Communicate Expectations
Communication breakdowns are the NUMBER 1 REASON why projects turn sour, clients go bad, and contracts end in negative feedback and skipped payments. It is ALWAYS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to lead communications and set expectations. If you fail to clearly communicate your expectations of the client, and your processes as a freelancer, then it does not mean that a communication breakdown caused the gig to go bad. It means that your failure to clearly communicate expectations resulted in the gig going bad.
When you fail to communicate expectations before you start a project, then the client is left to form their own expectations based on their personal experiences. The problem with this is that when those expectations are different from your expectations (and they almost always are) then it creates a misalignment of expectations which results in disappointment for everyone.
For instance:
Client's Non-Communicated Expectation: Work will be delivered within 4 hours.
Your Non-Communicated Expectation: Work will be delivered in one week.
In this scenario, both the client and yourself are disappointed and probably pissed off at each other because of the other's "impossibly unreasonable" turnaround times.
Freelancer expects to be paid for their work, but client doesn't pay = disappointment
Client expects a 2,000-word article and receives 500 words = disappointment
Freelancer expects autonomy and the client is constantly breathing down their neck = disappointment
It is always your responsibility because that is the only thing you have control over. This needs to happen before the contract starts.
- "Here is what you can expect from me..."
- "Here is my process..."
- "Here is my turnaround time..."
- "Here are my rates..."
- "Here is how I price my work..."
- "Here is when you can contact me..."
- "Here is when I will deliver a draft by ..."
How to Price Yourself & Ensure You Get Paid
All pricing has pros and cons.
Hourly Pricing Pros & Cons
Pros
- Payment is guaranteed when using Upwork's time-tracking app
- Puts some clients at ease about total costs
- Can add up sometimes to MORE than what you would have earned on fixed-rates
- Can be particularly useful when a client allows you to enter time manually
- Payment is faster and more regular
- You are limited in pay by the number of hours you can work
- You cannot easily bill over $100 per hour because most clients simply won't pay that much (on hourly)
- For time-tracking, Upwork will record your screen and potentially audio, video etc.
- Hourly is much more likely to turn you into a freelance employee
- Some clients don't like that it is harder to determine how much they will spend
- Manually input hours can be rejected by the client
To ensure you get paid with hourly, always use Upwork's time-tracking app.
Fixed Rates Pros & Cons
Pros
- Easier to justify higher prices and set expectations
- Upwork does not track you at all
- Separates your time from your income
- Allows you to bill for things like consultations
- Easier to escape problem clients
- Payment tends to take longer
- Upwork does not guarantee payment
- Higher upfront costs may scare some clients away
- It's more effort for clients to fund each milestone
- Requires you to overcome limiting beliefs about self-worth
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Q - I'm not getting responses to my proposals, what should I do?
A - Try a different approach.
Q - Clients respond to my proposals, waste my time, then disappear.
A - Stop sending proposals when you aren't the best fit for the job. Stop approaching clients who aren't a good fit for you.
Q - Do I have to get on live calls?
A - No. But you also don't have to earn much money either.
Q - Isn't Upwork saturated?
A - No.
Q - How important is it to be the first to apply to a gig?
A - Not important because Upwork no longer displays freelancers to clients based on when they applied.
Q - A freelancer who earned $100k on Upwork told me to ignore your advice.
A - That freelancer probably earned $100k across the last 10 years or more. Context matters.
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