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matt-schuessler
Community Member

Submitting Proposals for inadequate Job Descriptions

How can you approach a proposal for a Job Description that is extremely under detailed?

 

Case in point. I came across a job decription where the client wanted to have 3 mobile apps created and listed the technology, and the names of the apps. That was all.

 

How am I supposed to bid that for time or money? I don't want to pass it up, and i dont want to **Edited for community guidelines** myself with horrible terms.

 

Thanks

Matt

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wlyonsatl
Community Member

After a few years on Elance and now Upwork, I assume that a client who posts a cryptic or extremely short project description doesn't understand the project themselves. Someone told them or they read someone that they need something, so they've come to online freelancing to see if they can find someone to make for them cheaply.

 

That doesn't mean there is no reason to respond to their bid for proposal, but I recommend you reply in great detail, including all the major questions that you need answers to in order to make an educated proposal to them. With you initial proposal include a rock-bottom bid price and make it very clear that is just a placeholder until you both agree on the work that needs doing and what it will cost the client.

 

If they're willing to read through your long proposal and smart enough to understand you can't make a realistic bid without more information, they may be a client worth having.

 

You can also expect they know very little about how Upwork works, so be prepared to walk them through all the Upwork processes and explain what they need to do with each step forward.

 

If you don't hear form them after sending this proposal, don't bother giving them another thought. Better that they should figure out what they need and post a better proposal or just go elsewhere for the help they need.

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3 REPLIES 3
matt_it_grow
Community Member

Matt, you and me both buddy, I've asked that question of the Gurus myself, in my own experience I have replied to the job posting, basically expressing my interests in learning more, so that I could provide a more factual proposal, it's a 2 connect dice roll.

 

Good Luck, Matt

Matthew

wlyonsatl
Community Member

After a few years on Elance and now Upwork, I assume that a client who posts a cryptic or extremely short project description doesn't understand the project themselves. Someone told them or they read someone that they need something, so they've come to online freelancing to see if they can find someone to make for them cheaply.

 

That doesn't mean there is no reason to respond to their bid for proposal, but I recommend you reply in great detail, including all the major questions that you need answers to in order to make an educated proposal to them. With you initial proposal include a rock-bottom bid price and make it very clear that is just a placeholder until you both agree on the work that needs doing and what it will cost the client.

 

If they're willing to read through your long proposal and smart enough to understand you can't make a realistic bid without more information, they may be a client worth having.

 

You can also expect they know very little about how Upwork works, so be prepared to walk them through all the Upwork processes and explain what they need to do with each step forward.

 

If you don't hear form them after sending this proposal, don't bother giving them another thought. Better that they should figure out what they need and post a better proposal or just go elsewhere for the help they need.


Will L wrote:

If they're willing to read through your long proposal and smart enough to understand you can't make a realistic bid without more information, they may be a client worth having.

 

I like Will's answer better than my own.

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