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stephnowhere
Community Member

how to make sure the client is serious

New to Upwork and I've submitted 3 proposals, all three have been canceled by the client before selecting a candidate. I wonder if there is a way to ensure the client is serious before they submit a call for proposals. Perhaps the clients need some skin in the game. Do clients experience any sort of penalty? 

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versailles
Community Member


@Stephanie C wrote:

Do clients experience any sort of penalty? 


Would you post this in the front of your shop?

Clients beware: there is a penalty if you exit this shop without buying anything.

 

Additionally, if a job posting is canceled, it even means that your two connects are returned to you, so at least you have that. Also when a message on Upwork reads that the client has canceled a job, it may mean that Upwork has canceled the job (since Upwork has a problem with individualizing error and service messages).

 

And if Upwork canceled it, it means that it certainly was a scam. So you may have actually dodged some bullets.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

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prestonhunter
Community Member

Hello, Stephanie:


The overwhelming majority of clients who post jobs on Upwork ARE serious. They're not here to waste their time or anybody else's time. They're using their time and effort to post jobs here because they want to find people to help them with their projects.

 

Let me ask you this:

How often do you get into your car, drive to a store, and look around the store when you aren't actually planning to buy anything?

 

SOMETIMES people do this. But MOST of the time, we're serious. We want to buy something. We're certainly not there just to waste the time of the store's employees.

 

But sometimes we don't find what we're looking for. Or sometimes we see something we'd like, but we can't afford it right now. At least not at that store.

 

That's what is going on with Upwork clients.

 

Do clients have skin in the game? Yes: the time they spend posting jobs and looking for freelancers here.

 

Would it be possible for Upwork to charge every client for each job that they post, and penalize clients when they do not hire someone?

 

Yes. That is technically possible. That is not Upwork's business model, but you are welcome to focus your freelancing efforts on OTHER platforms which use that business model.

 

Most Upwork freelancers currently do not want Upwork to transition to that business model because we make more money with Upwork's current business model, which is that Upwork makes it very easy for clients to post jobs and see what kind of responses they get from freelancers.

versailles
Community Member


@Stephanie C wrote:

Do clients experience any sort of penalty? 


Would you post this in the front of your shop?

Clients beware: there is a penalty if you exit this shop without buying anything.

 

Additionally, if a job posting is canceled, it even means that your two connects are returned to you, so at least you have that. Also when a message on Upwork reads that the client has canceled a job, it may mean that Upwork has canceled the job (since Upwork has a problem with individualizing error and service messages).

 

And if Upwork canceled it, it means that it certainly was a scam. So you may have actually dodged some bullets.

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless
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