Telecommuting 101.com

Bidding

I’m amazed at the number of people who think that it’s difficult to win bids on freelancing websites. When I was a full-time freelancer, I would win one out of every two or three bids I made.

Now acting as a service buyer myself, I’ve seen so many uninspiring bids on freelance websites that I think people need some kind of a tutorial.

The essence of winning bids on a freelancing website is to really make your bid stand out. Give the buyer more information than they ask for, and you’re overdelivering from the start. That wins you a bid immediately.

Also make sure that you are bidding on projects that you are qualified to do and that you can show examples of your previous work. If you have sample articles, send them, or if you’ve had your work published elsewhere, then point the buyer to a link. Talk about your abilities confidently, but don’t claim you can do things you know you cannot.

We here at telecommuting101.com really like GetaFreelancer.com for beginners, becuase it is much easier for you to break into the market as a new provider. At elance and other large freelancing websites, feedback is king, and it can take you months before you can build a solid portfolio. On GAF, over 2/3 of service providers don’t have any feedback, and over 75% of projects are won by new service providers.

Take a look at our newsletter for some more details on doing freelance work, or check out a sampling of some of the projects you can start bidding on with GetAFreelancer.com.