Enterprise client request working outside of Upwork

[maraneca]

Dear community, 

Yesterday I just received a wonderful Skype interview with an Enterprise client. 

It went so smoothly and chilly, till to the point the main question popped up:  

Would you consider working outside Upwork if we hire you?  

I've asked what is the reason for that, and what else, it's: Because of the fact that the fee to pay for us freelancers is too gamy. My answer was a strict NO with the fact that this isn't acceptable and against Upwork's T&C, and I'd known that my chances as an option or potential for this role were already "0"  and indeed, my no-no resulted in losing this job opportunity.  

After our conversation ended and after I've collected my thoughts, I've continued thinking about how to prevent such happening for the future. Is it by using the given voice conversation tool provided by Upwork? 

Please let me know if you had a similar issue and advise which tool you are using to negotiate with a potential client.  Is it always the Upwork tool, is it Skype? Are there other options?

Cheers! 

[petra_r]

---

Marijana T wrote:

Yesterday I just received a wonderful Skype interview with an Enterprise client. 

It went so smoothly and chilly, till to the point the main question popped up:  

Would you consider working outside Upwork if we hire you?  

---

Was that a genuine ENTERPRISE client? (With the Enterprise icon on the job post????)

---

Marijana T wrote:

Please let me know if you had a similar issue and advise which tool you are using to negotiate with a potential client.  Is it always the Upwork tool, is it Skype?

---

I will communicate with a prospective client any which way the client prefers. I do NOT use the call-function in Messenger, as it has failed every single time I have tried it and I have given up on it.

I don't believe Upwork record the conversations via the messenger, which would be illegal in many jurisdictions unless consent had previously been granted.

[maraneca]

Hi Petra, 

Thanks a lot for your prompt and in detail reply on this topic. I appreciate your time very much. 

In regards to the client, allow me to correct myself. It was an Upwork Plus Client, w/ icon - I've attached.

Regarding the messengers and it's recordings, it is indeed illegal and needs to be announced before the conversation starts. The other party needs to accept or decline to be recorded and this would not benefit in any way for us to start a conversation like:

Hello there, my name is xxx on a recorded line. 

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

---

Marijana T wrote:

Hi Petra, 

In regards to the client, allow me to correct myself. It was an Upwork Plus Client, w/ icon - I've attached.

---

Upwork Plus is meaningless, many of them don't even have a verified payment method, and even scammers have used it.... "Enterprise" would have been a different matter altogether!!

Just report the client. The way to do that is to go to the job post and to click on "Flag as inappropriate"

[maraneca]

Thanks again for your answer and perfect advice.  
Now I see where this might go. They have been flagged and reported. 

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Marijana T wrote:

Hi Petra, 

Thanks a lot for your prompt and in detail reply on this topic. I appreciate your time very much. 

In regards to the client, allow me to correct myself. It was an Upwork Plus Client, w/ icon - I've attached.

---

Upwork Plus clients and Enterprise clients are two very different things. Upwork Plus clients just pay a bit of money for a few extra perks (and I believe that some clients are offered a free trial, so there wasn't necessarily even a mimimal financial commitment on the part of your particular client). It doesn't mean that they're more trustworthy or reliable or that they've been vetted in any way. 

[maraneca]

This client has  100K+ spent and seemed trustworthy, although, he might be recruiting using Upwork, with spending only a particular amount on us contractors to hold the trust bound with a contract. 

.... and the rest is either history or lucky payment.