Using a freelance website can be a bit overwhelming and daunting at first, but it will get easier over time. I will try to provide you with steps to succeed in buying or providing services on a freelance website.
Let’s define a freelance website first. These websites provide a marketplace for freelancers (ie, web designers, system administrators, programmers, artists, authors, etc.) to purchase and provide their services. Companies or individuals can complete these services from remote locations. Examples of these types of websites are RemoteGurus.com, GetAFreelancer.com, and Elance.com. The way it works is that buyers post items (or jobs) and suppliers bid on items (or jobs). The buyer communicates with the supplier and awards the project to the bidder. The bidder will accept or reject the project. Buyers and suppliers enter into further communication. What you need to understand about a freelance website is that it can be a very positive experience or a very negative experience. In this article, you’ll learn the best practices for getting the most valuable experience as a buyer or seller. Now that we know the definition of a freelance website, let’s get started.
Buyer
Never bite the first bid. You must wait at least 24 hours before winning the bid. Before you win the bid, you need to communicate with potential winning bidders. You must ensure that you and the bidder have a clear understanding of the project.
Clarify the payment terms. You should clarify your payment terms to potential winning bidders. I recommend making escrow payments only. Escrow payment is a payment made through a freelance website, but the payment is suspended in a so-called escrow account. Once the payment is in escrow, the buyer can only transfer the money to the provider and the provider can only cancel the payment. This gives both parties 50% control over the payment process without misleading each other. As a buyer, you only pay the supplier after the project has been completed. Never pay upfront for any level of service. If the provider can’t provide you services without wanting money, then it’s probably not serious business. Any real company, business, or provider knows that you have to take risks to become a service provider. In my opinion, any genuine service provider who can support their work can take the risk because buyers lose more if they lose an excellent service provider. Escrow payment is the best option.
Know when and how to renegotiate. Things don’t always go perfectly, often you have to make concessions to the conditions in order to meet the conditions of the service provider. Legitimate service providers usually watch out for illegal buyers who let them hold the bills. Therefore, service providers sometimes have their own terms and conditions, which sometimes include prepaid fees, to determine whether the buyer is serious about retaining their services. In this case I suggest not transferring any amount, I suggest insisting on escrow payment, but in the rare cases where it is absolutely necessary you keep the service of the service provider and prepayment is an absolute requirement , then I recommend to the service provider Do not transfer money until you are satisfied with a live demo (sample) of the service they will provide you (ie a website demo), you should ask anyone who can verify their work and make sure that you check their referrer on the freelance website Comments/Reviews (if applicable). When you renegotiate your terms, make sure you get it in writing (e-mail). These terms are good for you and the service provider.
Be professional and polite. You must respond and respond to every offer. A simple “thank you” is enough. This lets the provider know that you are serious about maintaining the service and that you have noticed their attitude. In communication it always ends with a warm departure.
Payment will be made to the supplier in a timely manner after the project is completed. Honesty and reliability will get you further on the internet. If they complete the project completely, you always pay the agreed amount to the provider.
Provide feedback to suppliers. Always leave feedback for the provider who completed the project for you. Give your honest opinion and make suggestions to other members who intend to use the provider’s services.
supplier
Understand the needs of customers. Understanding customer needs is extremely important and indispensable to the potential to become a successful bidder. When bidding on a project, you must express your interest and explain how you will complete the project. develop
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Never bid on projects you do not intend to complete. If you don’t have a plan to complete the project, don’t have the skills to complete the project, or have a predetermined schedule, you should never bid. Make sure you have the skills, experience and time to complete any project you bid on.
Double your efforts and build professional relationships. Your customers are the most important aspect of your business. If you’re doubling your efforts to help customers, you’re doing something different than others. Be an honest and reliable service provider and make sure every transaction ends on a positive note. Do the above and more for customers. Don’t do too much that makes you uncomfortable or lose a lot of money, but do enough so that the service you provide is considered to be of high quality and your customers are happy with your service. If you’re a master of the work you do, you shouldn’t want a project to be marked as complete (letting go) until you’re sure the project has been completed perfectly.
Personalization and specialization. When bidding on projects, you should always personalize your information. Call the buyer by the buyer’s name or username. Talk about project details and provide detailed information about your background and experience. Never send generic template messages to bid on projects. I recommend always using “check private message board” to bid on projects, and then you have to be personal and professional in PMB. Always conduct business in a professional manner, even if the buyer displays anger or rudeness.
Accept buyer’s payment terms, but understand your value. You should never have payment terms that go beyond the scope of a freelance website or buyer terms. You should always be willing to make escrow payments or on-site transfers. In fact, this is a buyer’s market and as a service provider you simply want to retain customers. The best way to show your customers that you trust your work and take your business seriously is to accept the buyer’s suggested payment terms. You can even ask the buyer to add some or all of the money to the escrow until the work is completed. In addition, you must understand your value and offer the amount that you find reasonable, fair and comfortable. Most of the time, you need to assess not only your skill level, but also your feedback and ratings to understand your online worth. Your feedback and rating play an important role in the amount you bid. Sometimes you have to lower your salary to get the job. If you have little or no feedback, you should work hard for feedback and reviews instead of giving the money (return), the money will come in time, but you need to establish yourself first. I am certainly not suggesting that you cheat yourself or offer extremely low prices that make you feel uncomfortable. Only bid if you are satisfied (or the bare minimum you are willing to accept), otherwise it could result in you doing poorly or not being interested in the project. Think about the number of hours you will spend on the project and the number of hours you are willing to spend debugging or troubleshooting after the project is completed.
Leave buyer ratings and request supplier ratings. Ratings are usually important for obtaining project rewards. Buyers usually refer to feedback from other people who have used your service in the past. This is an effective way for buyers to review you and help you make the final decision. You should always leave honest buyer feedback and ask buyers to leave feedback ratings for you as well. When you have completed a project, I recommend that you leave buyer feedback ratings for at least 72 hours after successfully completing the project. After 72 hours I will contact the buyer and make sure everything goes smoothly. If all goes well, you should ask the buyer to leave a feedback review on the freelance website. If you have successfully completed the project and followed the steps above, the buyer will probably leave a good comment for you and give a good comment.
The above steps will surely give you a more valuable experience in finding talented professionals and finding freelancers. In time you will have a good idea of who you can trust and who doesn’t take business seriously. In addition, you have a new network of contacts who can expand your business by offering you services or recommendations.
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