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jenkfreelance
Community Member

Should I offer low rates to get first few jobs and reviews?

Hello,

 

I am new to Upwork.

I have received a blow to my confidence as I have submitted approximately 30 proposals and have only received one job so far (which was not in my fields).

Would it be a good or bad idea to offer very low rates to try to get a few employers interested?
Or would this rather be a bad idea because they might then presume my services to be poor/cheap quality due to cheap rates?

I feel that most employers on Upwork are reluctant to choose someone with zero or one review, but how do I get reviews without winning jobs?

I appreciate any advice given.

 

Thankyou Jenny 

13 REPLIES 13
rusphp
Community Member

Try to replay on new job in 5-10 minutes. Or your dont get any job here. And dont change rate.

Thanks for the advice Andrey.

robin_hyman
Community Member


I am new to Upwork.

I have received a blow to my confidence as I have submitted approximately 30 proposals and have only received one job so far (which was not in my fields).

Would it be a good or bad idea to offer very low rates to try to get a few employers interested?
Or would this rather be a bad idea because they might then presume my services to be poor/cheap quality due to cheap rates?

I feel that most employers on Upwork are reluctant to choose someone with zero or one review, but how do I get reviews without winning jobs?


Hi Jenny,

 

Welcome to Upwork!  I also don't think you need to change your hourly rate.  You can still apply to jobs and lower your rate a bit.  Note I would avoid the $5 projects.  I know you are taking them on to get a few testimonials but those clients aren't the ones you want.  They are cheap and never satisfied.  Instead, use your portfolio to attract clients.  Make sure proposals are customized and address how your skills can solve the client's problem.  

 

You are quite talented and I hope you are able to succeed here.  Don't give up.

 

Best,

Robin

If you are trying to get on the board with a few jobs and reviews, but you are worried about presenting a lower rate than you plan to use regularly... Just used fixed-price contracts.

 

A fixed-price contract has NO HOURLY RATE attached to it.

 

So a client will not know that you took a job at half the rate you normally would. All they can see is a total dollar amount and a job title.

Thank you for the words of encouragement!

wescowley
Community Member

Jenny - 

 

Robin's advice is good.  I know it's tempting early on but avoid the low-end jobs - that's not a market you want to play in.

 

I wouldn't worry about the rush to post in the first few minutes as someone else suggested. It's certainly not been my experience that a quick application is needed to land a job. 

 

As to rates, if you haven't done so, look at the profiles of other successful freelancers in your fields to see what they're asking. If you're asking more than they are, you may want to adjust downwards, at least for now. Otherwise, leave your rates be. You can search freelancers by changing the search box at the top from jobs to freelancers. Once you get the search page open, you can filter it for people who are making some amount of money to find the successful ones.

 

It can take time to get started here - what you're seeing is not unusual at all.

 

Thank you for the advice and suggestions @Wes.

martina_plaschka
Community Member


Jenny K wrote:

Hello,

 

I am new to Upwork.

I have received a blow to my confidence as I have submitted approximately 30 proposals and have only received one job so far (which was not in my fields).

Would it be a good or bad idea to offer very low rates to try to get a few employers interested?
Or would this rather be a bad idea because they might then presume my services to be poor/cheap quality due to cheap rates?

I feel that most employers on Upwork are reluctant to choose someone with zero or one review, but how do I get reviews without winning jobs?

I appreciate any advice given.

 

Thankyou Jenny 


Some profile critique:

You have the same text in every of your 3 profiles. That makes no sense and makes you appear sloppy or uninterested. 

You offer very diverse skills, it is a rookie mistake to throw everything out there in the hope that something sticks. Specialize.

Your pic is very nice, but appears so dark on my laptop that I can't really see your face. I wouldn't have mentioned it, but you offer photoshop, so that's bad advertising for your skills.

Lastly, you must stay persistent, not take anything personally, and you will succeed!

Hello Martin

would you like to review ,y profile please i am also facing same issues, not getting work on upwork...should  buy reviews to attract clients?

 

https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0195c8e622410fc872


Umair Z wrote:

Hello Martin

would you like to review ,y profile please i am also facing same issues, not getting work on upwork...should  buy reviews to attract clients?

 

https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0195c8e622410fc872


I don't have to read your profile to know that you don't pay enough attention to detail - or that's the impression you give. Please note that her name is Martina, not Martin!

 

When you write an offer, be very careful of details!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the honesty Martina.

It is hard not to get disheartened.

 

Regarding the profile text, it wasn't due to being disinterested etc. I thought that "that space" was transferred to the specialized profiles too therefore I was trying to cram everything into the one profile. I thought the only things that could be customized between the profile pages were the portfolio and skills section.

Thanks for letting me know that each profile text is also customizable.

 

I wasn't sure if my photo was the right choice either or whether it looked professional enough.

I will lighten it and perhaps change the background.

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback. It's really valuable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oshomojichris
Community Member

You don't have to reduce your rate. Try to work on your proposal and portfolio. I recommend staying on client budget for your first job but don't go for $5 job, a friend of mine got 1 star from a $5 work with a client while i got 3.75 star on my first $25 project

Thanks for the advice Oshomoji.

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