PART 9 - Go To Part 1
How To Go From No Job To Your Own Business For Under $300 - Getting Started
(Part 9)
Working The System: Bidding Effectively On Elance
As with every new skill, it may take some time to get comfortable bidding for your own jobs. You may be extremely talented in your area of expertise, but setting a price for your hourly work might seem daunting. Perhaps you've comfortably set an hourly wage, but can't effectively estimate each scope of work to insure that you reach your desired income. Relax. Once you understand the bidding process, even through trial and error, you'll become much more adept at working the system.
Customize your bids
To get noticed by your buyers, you should fine tune your bids to fit the buyer's needs. If you have examples of previous work that are of a similar nature to the buyer's needs, include them. The key here is that you are talking to this individual person about their specific needs. Just as you would look an interviewer in the eye and use their body language and words to gage the way you present yourself for an employment position, bidding for online work should not be much different.
Instead of keying in to the employer 's body language, you are paying special attention to the wording of the buyer's description of job scope. A one size fits all bid will read that way, just as the mass mailings you quickly toss into the garbage from your mailbox, you cannot express personal attention in a form letter. While paying attention to the buyer's wants and personalizing your bids may get you in the door of a few jobs, conscientious, good quality work will win you more bids yet.
Get feedback
One of the best ways to win bids with Elance is building a solid reputation on site. If you constantly maintain the highest level of quality in your work online, you will get positive feedback in return. These good reviews turn into free advertising for you.
Take, for example, your own business dealings. Before trusting your money to a company for a major purchase, like home repairs, don't you check their background? What makes you feel more like using that company; many years in business with satisfied customers to sing their praises or a good ad campaign? Okay, a good ad campaign can win customers. But it won't bring return business, and a good ad campaign will often discuss past experience and customer testimonials as well.
No feedback?
If you have no feedback, one way to attract a buyer is to quote some non- Elance feedback in your bid write-up. This sneaky tip may help while you are getting started.
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