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mo7aa
Community Member

Bid determination philosophy

I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. This is my attempt to understand the market because I have the impression that we are about to work for free to win the job.

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Your post troubles me greatly. There are clients who view all people in the same category as identical. To compress the story as much as possible, I gave a proposal to a client a decade ago to find a plant, have it moved from China to Africa, set it up, burn it in, find a workforce, train the workforce, find suppliers - - a turnkey operation. They rejected my price ($110K?) for an engineer from India who said he would do it for $5K. They hired him, paid him, called me to ask what FOB Shanghai meant. It meant that all he had done was arrange to buy the plant and have it delivered to a dock. The remainder was up to the client, who had borrowed money from a criminal enterprise to start his business, and the head thug had taken out a contract on his life. What can he do?

 

"First, invent a time machine, then go back in time a year and accept my proposal." Enormous differences will most often arise from someone not understanding what is actually needed. But, as for clients, "You can't fix stupid." Clients looking to buy on the cheap get what they deserve.

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12 REPLIES 12
moonraker
Community Member


Moh M wrote:

I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. This is my attempt to understand the market because I have the impression that we are about to work for free to win the job.


What gaps? 

What gives you the impression you have to work for free?

mo7aa
Community Member

I meant the gap between the higher bid and the lowest one ,
When I see some interior designer willing to design and make a 3d Visualizing to a full apartment for 30$ it's making me sad and unfortunately most clients now like that,
That's why I said we almost going to work for free to win a jop
kinector
Community Member


Moh M wrote:

I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. This is my attempt to understand the market because I have the impression that we are about to work for free to win the job.


I think the time spent on trying to figure out what the market rates are would be spent better on developing a stunning, way superior service than what 99% of your competitors offer.

 

The recipe for victory. 😉

 

Even if I saw other people's bids, why would I let it affect MY pricing?

mo7aa
Community Member

I agree , but from my point of view I have to be flexible with the market changes.
I think some skills has a limit ,after that limit you can't level up anymore, i think I have to make career shafting.
prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. This is my attempt to understand the market"

 

There is not just "one way" that clients make a determination.

 

As a client, I have hired over 120 freelancers. I know that writing a good job posting is key to successful hiring. I wrote very specific, clear job postings. So the freelancers who apply to my jobs tend to self-select and be people who know they can do the work.

 

When I post jobs for short-term work, I often hire the first person who applies. Or if I am hiring multiple people, I will hire the first batch of people who apply, and then close or hide the job posting.

 

That means that most freelancers will never see my job post, because it is online for a very short time.

 

I know there are other clients who hire in a similar manner, but this is not the norm.

Sir you are so professional in what you do, unfortunately most of the clients are not , I know I have to wait to the golden client but that kind of clients very unique
moonraker
Community Member


Moh M wrote:
Sir you are so professional in what you do, unfortunately most of the clients are not , I know I have to wait to the golden client but that kind of clients very unique

Not in my experience.

There are MANY clients on Upwork who are willing to pay well for good quality. Just look at some of the profiles of other freelancers on the platform. Look at the profiles of some of the freelancers in this community, even. 

Freelancers who have the skills and the necessary wherewithal can and do rise above the competition and charge what they think they are worth. 

You have excellent feedback so far, Moh. You should consider raising your prices to lift yourself up out of the bottom categories and start competing for some of the better-paid jobs. 

I am totally agree with Jamie F. There are many clients who do not focus much on cost, they focus on quality of freelancer and the quality of work.
Although the competetion is much because of availability of freelancers at low price, yet you shoud not lower your price to win that competetion.
Moh M, Keep your skills and price up, and keep looking for your level jobs. I wish you a very Good Luck for your future!!

2a05aa63
Community Member


Moh M wrote:

I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. This is my attempt to understand the market because I have the impression that we are about to work for free to win the job.


Be the first ones who send a proposal. Sending one after there's 10+ application is a waste of connects, unless you were invited.

Moh M wrote:

I always ask how the customer sees the bids, especially if the skills are similar among the job applicants, as I see a big gap between the bids submitted. 


You're forgetting that you don't know what's in those bids. In a range of (for example) $25-250, you might assume that the $25 bid means that someone is bidding really low. In reality, that person might be offering a small sample task or a fifteen minute consulation to decide if they make a good fit for that amount. Or they might have bid $25 as a placeholder, saying they'll give the full bid once they've received x details. In terms of the whole project, their bid might end up being the highest by a long way. Numbers alone don't give the whole picture.

Your post troubles me greatly. There are clients who view all people in the same category as identical. To compress the story as much as possible, I gave a proposal to a client a decade ago to find a plant, have it moved from China to Africa, set it up, burn it in, find a workforce, train the workforce, find suppliers - - a turnkey operation. They rejected my price ($110K?) for an engineer from India who said he would do it for $5K. They hired him, paid him, called me to ask what FOB Shanghai meant. It meant that all he had done was arrange to buy the plant and have it delivered to a dock. The remainder was up to the client, who had borrowed money from a criminal enterprise to start his business, and the head thug had taken out a contract on his life. What can he do?

 

"First, invent a time machine, then go back in time a year and accept my proposal." Enormous differences will most often arise from someone not understanding what is actually needed. But, as for clients, "You can't fix stupid." Clients looking to buy on the cheap get what they deserve.

Absolutely right..That's what I meant,,that kind of mentality has been everywhere
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