Advice regarding proposals

[#1]

Hello, guys!

I feel like my case is rare... almost all my proposals never success (of course not ALL per se, like 60%), but, I get invited often... so, I need some advice about writing proposals. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.  My proposals are like this:

"Hello there!

I have experience in [required field], I worked on [past jobs like this one]  and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards!

Juan."

Is there anything wrong?

Thank you all!

[#2]

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Juan Diego N wrote:

  My proposals are like this:

"Hello there!

I have experience in [required field], I worked on [past jobs like this one]  and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards!

Juan."

Is there anything wrong?

---

Yes. That kind of proposal is not in any way special. Clients get dozens of proposals, so boring proposals that are like all the others will not result in any hire.

[#3]

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Petra R wrote:

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Juan Diego N wrote:

  My proposals are like this:

"Hello there!

I have experience in [required field], I worked on [past jobs like this one]  and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards!

Juan."

Is there anything wrong?

---

Yes. That kind of proposal is not in any way special. Clients get dozens of proposals, so boring proposals that are like all the others will not result in any hire.

---

But it seems he's still hired about 40% of the time, so is he the exception that proves the rule?

[#4]

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John K wrote:

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Petra R wrote:

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Juan Diego N wrote:

  My proposals are like this:

"Hello there!

I have experience in [required field], I worked on [past jobs like this one]  and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards!

Juan."

Is there anything wrong?

---

Yes. That kind of proposal is not in any way special. Clients get dozens of proposals, so boring proposals that are like all the others will not result in any hire.

---

But it seems he's still hired about 40% of the time, so is he the exception that proves the rule?

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If that's what he really meant, then he should be GIVING advice on writing proposals, not asking for it. 😏

[#5]

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Petra R wrote:

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Juan Diego N wrote:

  My proposals are like this:

"Hello there!

I have experience in [required field], I worked on [past jobs like this one]  and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards!

Juan."

Is there anything wrong?

---

Yes. That kind of proposal is not in any way special. Clients get dozens of proposals, so boring proposals that are like all the others will not result in any hire.

---

Excuse me? It is the specifics of the included content that makes the proposal "special." Juan Diego's approach is pretty much mine; I don't usally talk about "me"; sometimes I lead with the questions. Up until my current spate of still-active proposals, I have long consistently topped the charts for interview rate and hire rate in my field.

And as someone else has pointed out, a 40% hire rate from cold proposals is pretty **bleep** good.

[#6]

1. Make sure your proposal is unique and written specifically for each client.
2. Your proposal is not a place to boast about your abilities or past accomplishments. It's a place to entice the client and show them what they can achieve with your help. You're out to make them the hero of the story, while you're just there to enable that success.
3. Help them say "yes." Simple calls to action like "Why don't we setup a meeting in a few days to discuss the rest of the details?"

Bottom line is, it's only ever about what you can do for that client on that specific project. The proposal is your customized menu, and your portfolio should wow them as an appetizer. Then if you get hired, you deliver a stunning main course, and a thorough, polite (yet honest) review for dessert.

Obviously I should not post before dinner...

[#7]

A client gets a proposal. The only way he or she can tell if it is unique is if it stands out from the other proposals. None of us can gauge what an original/unique proposal is as we are not the ones who  have posted the jobs. 

And if we have posted jobs, we can only judge what is unique in relation to our own requirements and the proposals received. 

I have tried just about everything to entice a client, but what mostly works for me is brevity. "I like the sound of your job tell me more about it and these are my rates." A sort of "If you show me yours, I'll show you mine" kind of proposal. We are not applying for a lifetime job, we are applying for a one-off gig, that could lead to others. 

[#8 · Accepted solution]

Juan Diego, I think your formula is better than what most people write. Clients see only the first couple of lines of your proposal so if I were you I'd get rid of "hello there" and start with "I worked on [past jobs like this one]" Like this:

Please see attachments of [past jobs like this one] I worked on. I have experience in [required field] and I [brief description about me]. Please [questions about the project so the conversation keeps going].

Best regards,

Juan

Edited to add: Increase your rate!

[#9]

Thank you all of you! It was really meaningful reading your responses, specially knowing you're all experts on Upwork. One thing I need to ask: Why increase my rate? It's sufficient to me, and I just have 100 hours of work

[#10]

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Juan Diego N wrote:
Thank you all of you! It was really meaningful reading your responses, specially knowing you're all experts on Upwork. One thing I need to ask: Why increase my rate? It's sufficient to me, and I just have 100 hours of work

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Because you don't want to charge based on how many hours you have on Upwork. You want to charge based on your ability and experience as a whole. And since you're a native Spanish speaker who is verified to be fluent in English, that's worth way more than the number you have on your profile.

Charging a very low rate can cause clients to think you don't have a lot of confidence in your skills, and as a result, they may be reluctant to hire you. Also, people who have low rates to attract jobs harm others in the same field, as clients will expect more freelancers to charge such low rates, thinking that's the norm. It creates a race to the bottom, and that's a race where nobody wins.

As to what to charge, that's something only you can answer based on your exprience, ability, and what other professionals in your area charge for the same work. You want it to be high enough that it shows you're confident in what you can provide, but not so high people think you're ripping them off.