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g_urgeghe
Community Member

Increase in hourly rate experiences

Hi Everybody, I work on upwork from June 2019 and I gradually increased my hourly rate, I brought the rate to 65 $ per hour and I have an active contract with this rate. I have been working in this field for many years and I think within a year to bring it to 80/90 $ if I'm lucky. I wanted to ask you about your experience during the rate switch, before I received many invitations for small jobs ($ 500/800) now I start not receiving them, maybe because I lost the rising talent status and I'm about to move to my jss. In any case, I would like to focus on complex and profitable jobs, small jobs take up too much time in customer care. I'd like to hear your experiences. Thanks!

11 REPLIES 11
sharonmre
Community Member

Hi Giacomo, I wanted to share my opinion. Upwork is a platform that does not attract a lot of profitable companies. I have also noticed that more jobs are entry level and even the experienced level jobs, the final decision is based on reviews and price. If someone with the same reviews as you charges less, they will get the job. That's how it works on Upwork. I think Upwork needs to create a separate section that targets companies and only people with a certain approval rate would be allowed to apply for those jobs, because at the moment experienced people end up competing with less experienced freelancers and are losing those jobs simply because they are charging more. 

Thanks Sharon for sharing your experience, I noticed a lot of entry level jobs and many Freelancers starting their careers. You're right, maybe many will be attracted by the low price but then they will have a cheap job. let's see in the coming months how it evolves.


Giacomo U wrote:

Thanks Sharon for sharing your experience, I noticed a lot of entry level jobs and many Freelancers starting their careers. You're right, maybe many will be attracted by the low price but then they will have a cheap job. let's see in the coming months how it evolves.


Giacomo, with your portfolio and experience you should only be bidding on expert-level jobs. It doesn't matter if most clients are looking for cheap prices; there are still enough clients who want good work that I don't think you need to worry. In fact, I don't see why you can't go to $80 or $90 sooner rather than later. Once you have your JSS/top rated status, that will undoubtedly help.



@Sharon

 "I have also noticed that more jobs are entry level and even the experienced level jobs, the final decision is based on reviews and price. "

 

Yes, this is how it works everywhere. People base their purchasing decisions with regards to their belief in the value of the product which is also influenced (to a greater or lesser extent) by what similar folks have said about the product. Additionally, for almost all, cost is a key factor. 

 

"If someone with the same reviews as you charges less, they will get the job. That's how it works on Upwork."

 

Not just Upwork but everywhere. If you have two identical products with the only difference being price, I would suggest 99% of people are going to get the cheaper one. Isn't that logical?

 

" I think Upwork needs to create a separate section that targets companies and only people with a certain approval rate would be allowed to apply for those jobs"

 

I would prefer clients make their own decisions of which they can set requirements for JSS, hours worked, etc., within a job posting. What about new freelancers who may have tons of great experience but are just getting started on UW. Should clients lose out on the chance to get a great freelancer because that person doesn't have an approval rating yet? Let's let the market work here and allow UW to do what they can do best which is to create a platform for making introductions.

 

"at the moment experienced people end up competing with less experienced freelancers and are losing those jobs simply because they are charging more. "

 

If the more experienced freelancer is losing out it's because they failed to convince the client that their experience was worth the rate they are asking. This "failure", however, doesn't always mean the freelancer did something wrong. Not all relationships work and not all jobs have the same cost/benefit ratio. Again this is a free market and you must be able to convince a client why you actually are worth more and why that will in the end cost them less or make them more successful. If a freelancer cannot do that, then yes, they will lose out to others. Just like in all aspects of business inside our outside of Upwork.

browersr
Community Member

You should be charging today (right now) what you believe your time and expertise is worth and for which you are able to demonstrate through past work or during the interview. Raising your rate slowly is for what reason? You wish to continue to offer a discount on the value you bring? You are perhaps assuming that people may have a stock ticker on their desktop that is tracking Giacomo's rates. All of a sudden they see a major spike and they run in panic looking to understand what happened. Of course  I am being silly here but we as individuals aren't that important. This isn't like the Fed in the US who may have to balance how quickly to raise interest rates given its impact on the economy and markets. Net, set the rate you feel you are worth and can demonstrate, right now. Current contracts are not impacted, this only about the new ones. When/if people ask you about your rate, discuss the expertise you bring with confidence and don't be afraid to lose those that won't or cannot respect your worth.  

Scott you are right, I don't want to give my work for free, but on upwork the visibility of my profile is managed by an algorithm, without the first jobs and without gains I think I would have been buried in the results. my rising talent badge helped me, now I have to win the top rated. thank you for your opinion

lysis10
Community Member

Best thing I ever did on this site was jack mine up. I didn't find $65 was a good place to be. I think $80-$100/hour is a good place but that's for my area. I didn't look at your profile but you can kinda get a feel for what works after a few months.


Jennifer M wrote:

Best thing I ever did on this site was jack mine up. I didn't find $65 was a good place to be. I think $80-$100/hour is a good place but that's for my area. I didn't look at your profile but you can kinda get a feel for what works after a few months.


Yeah, $65/hour is too low for a senior level designer; even $80/90 is a bargain. The thing is, clients who are looking for cheap prices aren't going to hire you at $65 anyway, so you may as well start charging the rate that you feel you're worth. (If your invitations declined after you raised your rates, it was probably just because you were rotated in the search results.)

Yes you are right! the last week in the searches results I was in the first 3/4 pages for some topic, now I can't find my profile anymore. I'm curious to have my jss, surely I will shortly bring my rate to 80 $. Thank you


Christine A wrote:


Yeah, $65/hour is too low for a senior level designer; even $80/90 is a bargain. The thing is, clients who are looking for cheap prices aren't going to hire you at $65 anyway, so you may as well start charging the rate that you feel you're worth. (If your invitations declined after you raised your rates, it was probably just because you were rotated in the search results.)


Yeah, exactly. That's why I will bid on random stuff even if I know there is a good chance I will lose. IDC if I lose, but sometimes you never know who is more interested in me than price. I don't blame clients for trying to get someone good for cheap. It works a lot on here it seems.

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