I have been operating in Elance since 2007 and got considerable success in Web Design and Development projects. In this article I have shared my experiences to help the new Elancers who are looking to land on their very first web design and development job in Elance. I hope you’ll find it useful!
1. Get an Attractive Portfolio:
Nothing can show off your skills better than a well-organized Portfolio. Particularly for web design and development jobs, you must send your proposal with live samples. [This is a must not only for Elance, but also for anywhere else you work]. Now the question is, how can you have live website sample if you have never got a client before? The answer is simple: you need to create 3-5 attractive demo websites. While creating demo websites, you have two options:
i. Create Portfolio sites each in a new domain:
If you are really serious, create fully functional small websites with imaginary info. For example, if your target market is small businesses who just want to get web presence, you can develop 5-page brochure-type websites and put those in your portfolio as demo show-case sites. Create 4-5 of those for different industries/sectors i.e. Local Fitness Center, Roof-repairing service, Real Estate Agency, Restaurant etc. Make sure to pay attention to detail in each page so that whenever someone browses any page, s/he gets a feeling that you really care for your work. So, when you’re done, you’ll have these in your portfolio:
- www.localgym-demo.com [Local Gym Site]
- www.roofrepairing-demo.com [Local roof-repairing biz Site]
- www.housing-demo.com [Real Estate Company Website]
- www.localfood-demo.com [local restaurant site]
Usually, seeing the sample websites each in its own domain [as above] makes the buyer assume that those are (likely to be) separate websites from different projects you’ve already worked on. So, your chance is to be a little tricky here. Unless the buyer specifically asks about the history of the sample sites, you need not to comment on those. But be honest if you are asked. Also, in the demo websites, clearly specify somewhere that these sites are created just for demo purpose.
Building portfolio sites in this way will cost around $10/domain [and you may operate those from a single hosting package]; but trust me, this technique is worth it. Alternatively, you can offer your friends and acquaintances to build free website for them in exchange of domain and hosting cost.
ii. Create Portfolio sites in sub-domain:
This is the easier option. You can just buy a single domain [may be your site] and hosting package to setup your own website yourname.com and then create sub-domains. Your portfolio site URL would look like these:
- localgym.yourdomain.com [Local Gym Site]
- roofrepair.yourdomain.com [Local roof-repairing biz Site]
- real-estate.yourdomain.com [Real Estate Company Website]
- restaurant.yourdomain.com [local restaurant site]
However, if I am the buyer, I won’t be convinced to see this list. That list clearly tells me that you are an amateur and you do not have any live samples other than your own ones.
You can see, although you put the same efforts to design and develop the demo sites, you are more likely to win buyer’s attention when you play this small trick. This is just a psychological game! Another thing to remember - you’ll have less than 10 seconds to create the first impression. So make sure your demo sites have catchy-yet-elegant look.
Very important: Never use some else' work as your own work!
2. Create a Credible Elance Profile:
As a new provider you do not have anything to show in the ‘Snapshot’ or ‘Job History’ sections in your profile [which are very crucial as you get going in Elance]. Nevertheless, you’ve got to create credibility from whatever options you are given here. I recommend you focus on these sections:
i. Skills:
You can specify your skill sets in the Elance profile choosing from the wide variety of skill-lists. You can self-rate the skills or can opt-in to take tests. To build credibility, it’s essential that you take the tests. Who cares how much you rate yourself anyway?
A good thing about the tests is that they can be taken for free. So, if you are a WordPress expert, do take WordPress tests and get verified scores. The ‘verified’ mark looks really cool in the profile! Most importantly, a verified decent score in the test removes doubt from potential buyer’s mind about your claim of expertise.
ii. Portfolio:
Employers do not always look into your portfolio section, rather they mostly look into whatever you mentioned in your proposal; nevertheless you can’t take any chance with it. Take time to upload screenshots of your best works in Elance Portfolio section. However, screenshots are not always adequate to convince the buyer; so you need to add URL of your live samples and specify the detail [i.e. what the highlighted site is all about, what are special about it].
iii. Write-ups:
There are two major write-up sections in Elance: ‘Overview’ and ‘Service Description’. I just suggest you put something interesting to read there instead of general sentences such as “XYZ Ltd is a leading firm in USA with 30 employees that has been creating state-of-the-art websites… bla bla…“. For God’s sake, do not bore people! In my understanding, these write-ups are the mostly ignored by buyers. Yet you need to put something decent and worth reading there.
3. Look for the right project:
Now that you’re equipped with your Portfolio and Profile, you’re ready to search for your first project. With limited ‘Connects’, you cannot afford to waste any connect bidding in the wrong project! Two things to look for here:
i. Identify the projects that match your expertise:
Obviously I do not need to say you this. This is very basic thing.
ii. Study your buyer:
Elance lets you see you buyer’s track record. Carefully study buyer’s ‘Award Ratio’, and Feedback [received and given]. You’ll have amazing info from these little studies [i.e. name of the buyer].
If your buyer is also new to Elance, I suggest you bid on that [once the project matches your expertise]. Somehow I got more success with first-time buyers and I feel they are more open to ideas and can be convinced more easily if you act reasonably.
4. Prepare a Smart Proposal:
Providers in Elance struggle most with proposal writing. It’s safe to say that merely the lowest bid would never win you your first project in Elance if your proposal is not smart enough. Here is what you need to do to create the amazing web development project proposal:
i. Read the full description:
Take time to read the entire project description no matter if that feels like a crap. When you read the entire description you at least get some idea on buyers’ mindset – whether or not they have clear ideas of what they actually want. A well-written description would clearly specify the requirements and you can prepare your response from that. However, if you feel the buyers have no clue of what they want, that’s an opportunity for you! You can then simply identify the basic idea from the keywords and build your proposal on that.
ii. Study the example sites and/or existing sites:
Always have a thorough study on any website that buyers may want to follow in terms of design/feature. Also, make sure to have a look into the existing website [if there is any]. This will help you get a clear understanding the gap between what is already there and where it needs to be. If no example site is mentioned, it’s almost always a good idea to ask if there is any.
iii. Ask questions:
Never hesitate to ask for clarification on any point. That being said, I suggest first you specify the things you’ve already understood, then point out what else you need to know to make a complete understanding. Why do this? This is because mentioning what you’ve understood assures buyers that you’re not asking questions just for the sake of asking; rather, you are already aware of most of the requirement.
iv. Make your write-ups interesting:
Do not start saying how good you are and how you’ve dedicated your life on developing websites! Rather, start with something unconventional. For example, if you see a project has already got 35 proposals in opening two 2 days, you can start with this … “I see you’re already overwhelmed with proposals! Just wondering … are you still accepting proposals?” Then go straight to the points.
v. Suggest ideas:
Whenever possible, explain your thoughts and ideas. For example, the buyer wants to update contents with ease. If you think WordPress can be a handy solution, say that. Explain why you are recommending WordPress. Also show a WordPress ease-of-use demo. The idea is – propose the solution and back that up with facts and examples.
vi. Show Relevant Samples:
Whenever possible, present relevant samples from your portfolio. Buyers are always looking for people who developed similar sites previously. Anyway, many-a-times new providers would not have matching samples in their portfolio. What to do in that case? Well, once I played a trick there. I searched and found similar sites from net and asked the buyer if he wanted something like that. I never stated that I developed that example site, but my clear understanding of the requirements and along with the presentation of the example site convinced the buyer about my abilities. He never really asked if I developed it!
vi. Answers to the questions asked in the description:
This is a very basic rule, yet many providers miss it. When buyers wants answers of exact questions, it’s obvious to assume that best answer providers will be shortlisted.
vii. Elaborate your ideas with supporting demo:
It’s always a good idea to show a sketched/designed layout that will demonstrate your understanding of the project, particularly when your portfolio lacks similar sites. However, make sure you show the sketch/draft only as a supporting material of your proposal. Do not ever offer any complete mock-up or anything for free.
viii. Keep it short and specific:
Something in my Business Communication course that has been proved to be very effective – never use any unnecessary words as if each additional word would cost you $1!
ix. Do not bid until you’re sure about the requirements:
Elance gives you the option to submit bid amount later. So, place the proposal only when you’re confirmed about the entire working scopes. Also, bidding late allows you to see summary of other bids [Highest/Lowest/Average Bid] that is sometimes helpful.
x. Call buyer by first name:
At times you may find the buyer’s name at the end of project description, or also in the buyer’s feedback page if you’re lucky! Call the buyers by first name to give it a warm touch. I never prefer to call by their weird Elance user name or by adding Mr. Ms. etc. In my observation, employers in elance for smaller projects [below $1000] prefer informal tone.
xi. Charge less and offer to take no upfront payment:
For your first project, you may want to charge little lower that you would do later on. This will increase the probability of your getting selected. But make sure to charge a reasonable price; you don’t want to be mark yourself as ‘desperate’!
Also, it’s a good idea not to charge anything upfront. Tell the buyer to deposit the award amount in escrow and release the fund when each milestone is completed.
xii. Respond Early:
Early response is very crucial. Say, after receiving 20 proposals, the buyer sends some more queries to 5 shortlisted providers including you. If you can respond to the queries earlier than anyone else, you automatically create a positive vibe and that may just give you the edge over the other providers.
5. Always follow Elance Policy and Guidelines:
Never try to mess with any Elance Policy. That is a recipe for disaster. I have always wondered how closely Elance watches provider activities! The simplest of policy violations eventually get caught, not to mention the big ones. And (unfortunately) Elance is very strict with providers’ violations. They do not hesitate much to suspend provider accounts in order to keep it a happy place for buyers! Just for your information – A number of new provider offers Fully-Free work in order to win their first project, but this is a sheer violation of Elance policy.
6. Bottom line:
Be reasonable and honest. Do not claim anything that you cannot justify. Elance is a wonderful marketplace for freelancing and worthy freelancers can definitely take their places there.
I've just shared my two cents here... Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas!
Disclaimer: The article was written in 2013. This article was written from real-life experience of the writer. The writer does not claim that all the info mentioned here is correct. Please use your own understanding and judgement to accept or reject the writer's thoughts. Writer won't be responsible for any misuse of the article.
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