Ask Questions about Project before Submitting Proposal

[renegadeslim]

I am new to the Upwork site.  Often (always, in fact), before submitting a proposal, there are various questions I'd like to ask about a project.  Perhaps I'm just not seeing the proper place to do this, but is it actually possible that the site is so ill-conceived as to not facilitate this?  Please advise me of how I could communicate such critical questions to client without being forced to submit a proposal based upon grossly inadequate knowledge of the project.

Upon reading similar posts in this forum, it appears that the site indeed does not support this.  This is inexcusable and reeks of rampant incompetence.  (How could a team of designers and programmers work to build such a site for so long without even considering this basic concept?)  So I suppose the main point of my current post is not to hear a lame excuse for why this isn't supported, but whether it will be supported soon.

[mtngigi]

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@William N wrote:

I am new to the Upwork site.  Often (always, in fact), before submitting a proposal, there are various questions I'd like to ask about a project.  Perhaps I'm just not seeing the proper place to do this, but is it actually possible that the site is so ill-conceived as to not facilitate this?  Please advise me of how I could communicate such critical questions to client without being forced to submit a proposal based upon grossly inadequate knowledge of the project.

Upon reading similar posts in this forum, it appears that the site indeed does not support this.  This is inexcusable and reeks of rampant incompetence.  (How could a team of designers and programmers work to build such a site for so long without even considering this basic concept?)  So I suppose the main point of my current post is not to hear a lame excuse for why this isn't supported, but whether it will be supported soon.

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It won't be supported anytime soon (in fact, never), for all the reasons stated in similar posts. Because that feature, when it was available on Elance, got abused by idiots bombarding clients to an unprofessional degree. If it were offered here, the same thing would happen.

If an RFP is too vague for you, ignore it. Or ... ask questions in your bid.

[msublette]

I usually don't talk about money at all in my bid.  I often ask a lot of questions.  Most interested people are happy to start a quick message with you so you can chat prior to making the first milestone.  Of course if it is hourly, they can see your hourly rate.  I might say something like "a typical technical, 15-question survey takes 2-3 days to complete depending on feedback and access to subject matter experts."  But lots of times I have no idea how many questions they plan or need so there is no way to bid a specific amount.

I didn't look to see what line of work you are in, but it all seems fine with my clients since they often have no idea what they want when they post their job.

I really think that you should just think of your bid as opening a dialogue with the client and letting the client know that you have the skills he or she is seeking.  You might even talk about your working style (collabortive or not), how you would approach the problem, etc.

[jcullinan]

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@William N wrote:

I am new to the Upwork site.  Often (always, in fact), before submitting a proposal, there are various questions I'd like to ask about a project.  Perhaps I'm just not seeing the proper place to do this, but is it actually possible that the site is so ill-conceived as to not facilitate this?  Please advise me of how I could communicate such critical questions to client without being forced to submit a proposal based upon grossly inadequate knowledge of the project.

Upon reading similar posts in this forum, it appears that the site indeed does not support this.  This is inexcusable and reeks of rampant incompetence.  (How could a team of designers and programmers work to build such a site for so long without even considering this basic concept?)  So I suppose the main point of my current post is not to hear a lame excuse for why this isn't supported, but whether it will be supported soon.

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Michelle gave you good advice, and Virginia gave you the basic answer - why on earth would Upwork want to open clients up to that kind of spam?

Opening your inquiry with accusations of "rampant incompetance" shows a lack of willingness to learn how the system works before bashing it.

Yes, it's frustrating that most clients don't post enough information in their job descriptions for freelancers to really work up an accurate estimate of what the work will cost or how long it will take. My standard line is, "In order to develop an estimate for you, I will need to know blah blah blah blah blah." Accept that the bid isn't really a bid: it's a request for an interview. If your portfolio is strong and you ask intelligent questions in the proposal, you have a better chance of getting that interview than if you try to make up an estimate from nothing.

But bottom line: you get to choose what you bid on and what you don't. Don't whine.

[kat303]

William - Once, years ago, Elance, which became Upwork, did have the option of asking questions in a certain section. Freelancer started to abuse that by writing their proposals in there, thus saving their connects/bids, or they started to "harass" the client by posted many message begging for work. It got to the point that Elance/Upwork took that function away.

Part of freelancing is marketing. Freelancers need sales and marketing skills so they can "sell" their proposals to clients. When a job doesn't have enough description, you can either skip it, or you can submit a proposal (as other have said) asking questions about the job in your proposal or listing basic services that pertain to the clients job. The whole point of a proposal is to hook the client, once they respond to your proposal, you then reel them in when they open a dialog with you..