Frustrated with lack of response to my proposals

[eckelch]

I've had terrible luck getting proposals accepted.

I've been to multiple seminars on profiles and proposals, I feel like I'm doing all the things I'm told to do. I've added testimonials from my freelance clients outside of Upwork.

I've been submitting proposals on webinar for 4months and have had one job.

Is there any way I can get help figuring out what I'm doing wrong?

[martina_plaschka]

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Elizabeth K wrote:

I've had terrible luck getting proposals accepted.

I've been to multiple seminars on profiles and proposals, I feel like I'm doing all the things I'm told to do. I've added testimonials from my freelance clients outside of Upwork.

I've been submitting proposals on webinar for 4months and have had one job.

Is there any way I can get help figuring out what I'm doing wrong?

---

Pretty easy to figure out, I only needed to read the first word of your profile. 

Elisabeth, you can't be serious. You have a nice picture, and I went to your profile to read it and give you some helpful advice. This is disappointing. Probably many potential clients feel similarly. 

[eckelch]

Hello Martina,

Your diplomacy skills and communication seem to be a bit lacking here.

You seem to be implying my problem is a no-brainer. However, I’m still baffled. The first word of my profile is “content writer”, yet you implied there was something wrong from the first word.

You report you went to my profile to read it and give some helpful advice. What is that advice?

[moonraker]

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Elizabeth K wrote:

The first word of my profile is “content writer”,

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The first word is "Profesional" (sic)

The sentence cum paragraph that follows that also needs some work. It's rather cumbersome. 

[martina_plaschka]

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Elizabeth K wrote:

Hello Martina,

Your diplomacy skills and communication seem to be a bit lacking here.

You seem to be implying my problem is a no-brainer. However, I’m still baffled. The first word of my profile is “content writer”, yet you implied there was something wrong from the first word.

You report you went to my profile to read it and give some helpful advice. What is that advice?

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Well, I don't get paid to be diplomatic. Hey, I don't get paid at all.

But you quickly took out the offensive word that Jamie still saw - good for you! 

I see you have tried to implement some of the tips you received, but still most of your text - only perused it very quickly as it's a bit long-winded - is what I call resume talk, a word salad typically found in resumes. Scrap it. It has no place in freelancing. Don't talk about yourself (only). Focus on the client. Look at profiles of other freelancers offering the same skills. 

The video is a good idea, but could be much improved. Use it to your full advantage, meaning also the visuals. You write children's books? Great! I want to see you in your workplace, surrounded by books and whimsical paintings! Set the mood. Emotions make connections. 

You have a good background and ability to present professionally, so you should be doing well once you understand the mindset of freelancing. Good luck! 

Don't forget to take out the contact information that is included in your personal website, upwork does not allow that as it encourages circumvention. 

[MichaelJ]

Hi Elizabeth,

My name is Mike and I work on the Talent Success team at Upwork. I reviewed your profile and am happy to provide some suggestions.

Your profile overview is difficult to quickly scan and understand what your primary skills and experiences are. It seems that it may have been copied and pasted from another source which has resulted in poor formatting and readability. 

In terms of Overview content, focus on how you can help prospective clients achieve their goals. Include words and phrases that potential clients might use when looking for freelancers who have your skills. This can help a feeling of familiarity and can help Upwork’s algorithms to match you with more relevant projects. Also, keep in mind that the beginning of your profile overview displays in prospective client search results.

Your Overview is also cluttered by your listing of work history, education, and certifications. There are separate areas on the profile for each of these. Consider removing them from your Overview.

If you haven't already read this article, here are some additional tips for writing a great Title and Overview.

I hope this helps!

[e_luneborg]

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Mike, as an Upwork employee that has obviously had a look at her profile, don't you think you should also inform her that she should remove the link to her website that contains contact information? 

[MichaelJ]

Hi Eve,

I apologize for excluding this information from my public suggestions as it was addressed privately. I do now see the downside of that and will work to ensure it's clearer that our policies are being upheld.

[eckelch]

Hi Mike,

Your input is full of good guidance.

I will use a bullet points to add focus for my primary skills.

I will reassess at formatting, so that it’s not such a large, ominous block of text.

I will take out any information that is available elsewhere in the profile.

How can I determine what words and phrases are that potential clients might use when looking for freelancers who have your skills?

[florydev]

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Elizabeth K wrote:

Hi Mike,

Your input is full of good guidance.

I will use a bullet points to add focus for my primary skills.

I will reassess at formatting, so that it’s not such a large, ominous block of text.

I will take out any information that is available elsewhere in the profile.

How can I determine what words and phrases are that potential clients might use when looking for freelancers who have your skills?

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I see you have made some changes so let me give you another spin on it. Let's imagine that you were brought in front of a client and before you did you were told that this client is very busy and has the attention span of a gnat. What would you say to that client immediately to get their attention and:

1) make them listen to the end

2) set you apart from every other person who is talking to them

You need to say something interesting in the first two sentences because that might be all you ever have to explain to a client because that is all they see until they click on your profile.  I personally feel it is a mistake to talk about your experience in years because it allows a reader to decide for themselves what that means.

You say 5 years, is that a lot?  Is that a little?  I don't know.  I have more than 20 years experience doing what I do and I don't know if it's too much, does that just make me sound old?  Why would I leave it up to the client to make this decision.  If you are going to say something say it with the intended emphasis attached:

Content writer with vast

Content writer with serious

Content writer with many years

There is a power to being both vague and definitive.  Is it deceptive? I prefer to think of it as leading someone to a positive impression.

But beyond that I think it is almost always better rather than telling someone what you are showing them what you do. Write something interesting there that will definitely strike a cord with your ideal client and assure them you know what you are talking about.

I am a big fan of thinking about what a client needs done and what their fears are and both explaining how you would do it and how you would solve their fears.  If you can find a way in the first two sentences to basically say:

Look Mr. Client I can solve all your problems and if you hire me it will be easy

In a way that speaks to your clients...then the rest of the profile hardly matters.

[MichaelJ]

Hi Elizabeth,

A great way to find out what sort of words and phrases are being commonly used is to simply read through job postings in your category. Even reviewing a handful of them can reveal common keywords clients may be using that you might not expect.

I hope this helps!

[eckelch]

I noticed today I have submitted well over 100 proposals. Yet, I’ve had exactly one hiring. 

I feel as though I have done all the things I can to present my best profile. I have attended workshops and presentations. I’ve had advice from Upwork staffers telling me my proposals look good. I have linked to my non Upwork activities and had reviews from my non Upwork clients.

This is fast becoming a waste of my time.  I want to continue, however I’m feeling very discouraged and need to know what else I can do to get hired. 

[sergio-soria]

What you have to do is to be persistent, but that doesn't mean to send proposals in a crazy way. I am not saying you're doing that but be careful. Apply only to jobs you're 100% sure you can do perfectly well, especially apply to those that are similar to some others you have done before. In that case you can send a sample attached to your proposal. That's always more convincing than what you actually write in profile/proposal. Also don't get too excited when the job you are watching has already received a lot of proposals, or if they are already interviewing a couple. There are many jobs that sound too good to be true, and a lot with vague descriptions, avoid those. Check client's hire rate, and if it's a client without history, well... I will not say it's bad but usually clients without experience will try to find a experienced freelancer. And when it comes to proposals I'd say you should be brief, clients don't like to read that much, so in your proposals be straightforward. Don't spend more than 5 min. writing a proposal, because also it could happen that if you write a lot once you are ready to send they already hired someone. So be brief, if your proposal is interesting they may reply and THEN you can be as verbose as you want, because they are asking for that. Remember you are not being paid for the time you spend in proposals or interviews...

One more thing, there are no formulas here, so I'd say stop attending workshops, watching videos about strategies, etc. because you will just get stressed out. I believe you have enough information by now. Stop changing your profile overview in order to nail it, because it actually worked already! Didn't it? And in my opinion a freelancer shouldn't be watching other profiles to see how others did it, to change it accordingly, because the whole point is to be unique. You need to set yourself apart. If you watch others you will copy sooner or later, even at a subconscious level. By the way, it may surprise you but it's not all about profile/proposals. I have seen lots of disastrous profiles who still make good money. Even profiles with the first line being "Hey, what's up? I'm Jane Doe." Any explanation? Obviously a good profile is important (good grammar, not typos, etc), but in my opinion to find a job here is mostly about being in the right place at the right time.