Since the start of global lockdowns from the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, companies have increasingly recruiting freelancers online to cope with work demands. As a result, the number of available freelance and work-from-home jobs has seen a rapid rise.
Freelancing platforms like Upwork, People Per Hour, Freelancer.com and the likes offer a wide array of freelancing jobs. The task of bidding and winning a freelance job however, could be quite challenging even though you’ve created an online portfolio to show.
Writing an attention-grabbing bid sets you apart from the crowd of freelancers who normally send out a generalized application for every job they bid.
Having worked as a freelancer since 2009, I share with you three most important factors on how to bid for freelance projects successfully. When applied, the following strategies will significantly improve your chances of winning freelance projects. Here we go!
How to Bid for Freelance Projects Successfully?
1. Are you really right for the job?
This perhaps, is the first hurdle that you need to clear. Before bidding, make sure you read all parameters of the project thoroughly so that you can be sure you possess the skills needed to make the client’s dream a reality. 🙂
For example it’s common for a freelance graphic designer to advertise that they have skills in logo design, advertising and web design and thus bid for jobs in these broad categories. Whether you’re right for the job will be apparent quite quickly, and keeping up the pretense of being an expert Jack-of -all-trades will hamper the entire project bidding and negotiation process.
It’s best to go for projects that are more suited to your skills. You’ll increase your success rate in landing valued projects by concentrating your scope to fields that you have a lot of experience in. This is where you can comfortably call yourself an expert. It’s easy to stand out by doing what you say you can do.
2. Be engaged
A key point to winning a project is to engage clients with clear communication. The benefits of this goes two ways. On your end, you’re able to get clarity about the project requirements. It helps you find out what they precisely want. This in turn will make it much easier for you to share your ideas and suggest the right solutions for the project. For the client, they’ll be able to ascertain your intentions without misunderstandings.
Be sure to also communicate your boundaries at the beginning of a project so that you can manage client expectations well. Things like outlining project deliverables, work hours and payment terms helps prevent burnout and resentment.
So be engaged well and nurture your professional relationship with the client. A good relationship goes a long way and could win you more on-going projects in the future.
3. Be more interpersonal
Generic, round-robin bidding messages and project proposals often don’t convey a genuine interest of the freelancer in the project that they’re bidding.
To avoid being rejected out of hand by the client, it helps to be more interpersonal. In addition to attaching your portfolio and work experiences, take some time to also acknowledge the individual who posted the project, and be sure to address him/her by their names and/or the name of the company they are attached to.
Ensure also to identify your skills relative to the project. Go the extra mile and suggest to the client how you could help.
Here are some examples sourced from Freelancer.com of good bids and bad ones.
By being more interpersonal, clients feel cared for as it shows you’re attentive to their needs. This will significantly increase your chances of winning the project.
4. Final thoughts
You may find it challenging to apply the above factors especially if you’re new to freelancing. But as you continue ahead on your freelance path, working on these practices consistently pays dividends. You will not only get your bids noticed, but also be on your way to building a network of good clients to work with in the long run!
If you need more help promoting your freelance services, consider getting a personalised marketing consultation tailored to meet your needs.