Clients never respond

fahad_bhutta · ‎12-05-2019

So I have joined Upwork about a month ago and had a wonderful experience with 2 clients. Was not hard to get my first job.

But since my joining, I have posted well defined professional proposals to about 50-60 clients. And, although some may have found a better freelancer than me, most of the potential clients remain inactive or never hire anyone or not even send calls for interviews. This thing bugs me most, even more than rejection because at least that way I won't have my hopes high on that job.

There must be some accountability for that inactive/ non-responding client as well. I have spent above 30$ on the connects in the first month itself and I am, personally, not satisfied with these clients behaviour. There must be something that if a client doesn't respond in that specific time frame, there should be some penalty and all the connects of those freelancers, who applied must be returned back.

And before someone points out to look for clients that have these and that verifications/jobs done etc, I look for them as well. In fact, my first 2 clients had posted their first job on which I worked on (had no ratings, no job done before... just payment verified). So, there is that as well.

Please seniors, would love to know your take on this issue. If I am missing something, guide me! If there is some improvement needed to support new freelancers, then that must be considered as well.

This is not a rant! I am considering working on Upwork as my fulltime and i don't want to deal with non-responsive clients.

Thanks and have a great day.

petra_r · ‎12-05-2019

I am considering working on Upwork as my fulltime and i don't want to deal with non-responsive clients.

Then freelancing on Upwork is not for you because non-responsive clients are a fact of life on any and every platform.

There must be something that if a client doesn't respond in that specific time frame, there should be some penalty

This is not going to happen. It's not going to happen here any more than when you go into 3 shops and only buy something in one of them. The other two can't then "impose a penalty"

It is also horrendously poor business to "impose penalties" onto those who bring the money because guess what? Those clients won't come back, won't post any jobs, won't hire and are lost to freelancers.

As someone who does work full time on Upwork, I want to hit my head against a wall every time someone suggests that there should be "penalties" imposed on clients. Sure, such a destructive suggestion will never be implemented, but the sheer short-sightedness of freelancers suggesting it is sad because it shows that the freelancer does not understand that making clients leave the platform raging, means less money in all Freelancers' pockets.

The less Upwork does to interfere in my relationship with potential clients and the less they do to chase clients away, the better for freelancers.

Those who need their hands held and clients "penalised" because they "don't want to deal with non-responsive clients" are not ready to freelance.

Fahad B wrote:
I am, personally, not satisfied with these clients behaviour.

You don't have to be "satisfied" - Clients don't exist to "satisfy" you. Shopkeepers are "not satisfied" with people who visit the shop and buy elsewhere (or not at all...) It's a fact of doing business. If you don't like that, stay in employment. Freelancing is not for everyone.

Fahad B wrote:
If there is some improvement needed to support new freelancers, then that must be considered as well.

Upwork does not exist to "support new freelancers" - in fact Upwork has way too many freelancers as is.