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Liana's avatar
Liana G Community Member

Not getting anymore clients

Hi there!

In the span of 1 year I have written to over 158 clients and only have got 3 clients to do a contract with. And the last client was in January of this year. And now I can't get anymore clients, they don't even view my proposal or if the view it they don't even contact me. My work is high-quality but I can't get clients anymore.

 

Could someone help me please, I don't know what to improve anymore.

 

Thanks!

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Clark's avatar
Clark S Community Member

Liana,

 

You are making good attempts with an average of three proposals per week. Unfortunately, there have been sharp declines in quality jobs from serious clients over the past year, so your experience is not surprising.

 

The problem might be your proposals and the approach you're using, but your profile also needs work. Even though your work is high-quality, many freelancers use stock images/photography in their portfolios, so clients may not know the difference and need to hear your approach to 3D rendering.

 

There are several areas you can improve to make your profile more appealing to clients; both small things and not so small things. Here is what I would do to improve your profile:

 

Title: Capitalize the first letter of each word in your title; this will help it stand out. Also, remove the brackets and don't repeat words: Expert 3D Rendering Developer | Modeling | Texturing | UV

 

Overview/Summary: You offer a lot of great skills, but skills aren't enough to convince clients to hire you. There are thousands of 3D modelers/renderers on Upwork and they all list the same skills using Blender or other 3D modeling software. You must go beyond skills to offer your value proposition. A value proposition is what differentiates you from other 3D renderers and convinces clients that you are the freelancer they should choose.

 

1) Remove the first line of your summary:

 

celgins_0-1721078514718.png

 

You should remove the first line because it repeats your title and wastes space. Clients will see only the first two sentences of your summary when they see your profile preview. This means you have very little space to get their attention. You want clients to see their goals (your services and results) in this small space--not repeated words.

 

2) Telling clients you have 4 years of experience with Blender is great, but how does that benefit them? Never assume clients know the benefit of your skills or expertise. I recommend adding more substance to show clients why your experience matters. For example:

 

I am a 3D artist with 4+ years of experience creating designs using Blender and other tools. I build 3D models, animations, textures, and visual effects for interior design, product showcases, video games, and for film, television, and advertisements. I have designed hundreds (or an actual number if you have one) of realistic environments and objects using Blender to improve product marketing and so my clients can make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

 

(Then, go further to show clients more value and what it's like to work with you.)

 

When I start a 3D modeling project, I communicate directly with you to blend my creativity and technical expertise with your ideas to create visually compelling and functional 3D assets for your home, corporate office, studio, conference center, automobile interior, concert hall--whatever you might need!

 

(If you tell clients you have experience/skills, like you did below, tell them why it matters.)


You can view my past works below. I also have knowledge in Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, Photoshop, and DaVinci Resolve. This knowledge extends my skill set and allows me to create more precise 3D renderings that represent space, dimensions, lighting, textures, and colors, and helps in planning and executing the design more effectively.

 

You can change the wording to fit your style and approach, but you get the general idea--focus on the client and how your services will benefit them. If you want to add more value--without making your summary too long--you can add things like:

 

  • Tell clients about your schedule and when you're available.
  • Do you provide unlimited revisions? Do you offer follow-up support after a 3D design is delivered? If you do, use a sentence or two to tell  clients.
  • Since 3D designs are projects, mention your time management and organizational skills.
  • Can you hiighlight any 3D modeling projects you have worked on over the past four years and your accomplishments?
  • If there are benefits to your schedule/availability, mention it.

 

3) You should add other relevant skill categories to your skills list. I recommend 3D Rendering, 3D Texturing, 3D Texturing & Lighting, Game Asset, and 3D Design. All of these are relevant to your services and should appear in your skills list since they exist in your title, summary, and portfolio. Upwork uses these skill categories to match you with relevant jobs, and to help your profile appear in search results when clients search for those skills.

4) You may want to add one or two Specialized Profiles that focus on specific services or completely unrelated services. Having a specialized profile can help increase a freelancer's searchability.

 

I know this is a lot, but I really think it will help improve your profile and increase your chances of being considered when clients view your profile.

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26 REPLIES 26
Ravindra's avatar
Ravindra B Community Member

 

Some freelancers would find this link useful: https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Get-Profile-Feedback-from-Experienced-Freelancers-on-U...

 

"Certa bonum certamen"
John William's avatar
John William G Community Member

I am in agreement. There is something fundamentally and seriously wrong about UpWork's business model in its current form. Its a 100% race to the bottom and a funnel for sending every opportunity overseas to the lowest bidder. Nobody can make decent money on this site from North America; in some fields perhaps but overall I defy anyone to counter.

 

I have mastery in my profession. 100% total mastery. Way more than Gladwell's 10,000 hours. So I expected results and invites and interviews. I sent 33 proposals that cost me say around $100 bucks and nada. Zip. Nothing happened. Why?

 

Before I explain we must understand that there are two operating fables underpinning this site. The first theme is your portfolio needs revamping. The second theme is rookie status. UpWork encourages you to fix, spend and apply - and re-apply until you overcome your rookie status and land a contract. Rinse, wash and repeat. Keep going no matter how long it takes. Its BS.

 

I don't buy it. All things being equal something should have happened in the 33 proposal stack I sent out. Something. I don't need to re-write and send 3000+ proposals. My work is awesome, my written work is awesome. Therefore I surmise buyers (clients, whatever you wanna call them) in my field are the lowest of the low. They appear to lack business acumen, good judgement, thoughtfulness and imagination. From 50,000 feet I feel they are woefully poor at managing projects and basically very low end.

 

So fond farewell. I'm outta here. I can waste no more time on a flawed eco-system known as UpWork.

 

My opinion, I call it like I see it.

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