THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ATTRACTING, CONVERTING,

AND KEEPING EXCELLENT CLIENTS ON UPWORK

BY MIKE VOLKIN
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my wife Audrey and offer her my sincerest thanks, for
not only allowing, but for also encouraging my entrepreneurial dreams.
I also dedicate this book to the staff at Upwork, who encouraged me to write
this and provided fantastic insight.
Lastly, this book would not have been possible without the professional work
of Harry Carver, the best copywriter/editor/proofreader/ghostwriter a guy
could ask for. You were patient, thorough, careful and a joy to work with. For
anyone who might need Harry’s services, you can find his Upwork profile here:
Upwork.com/freelancers/~018217147a72860031
MASTERING UPWORK.
Copyright © 2021 by Mike Volkin.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without
permission in writing from the author or the publisher.
Legal Notice
Under no circumstances will I hold any blame or legal responsibility against the publisher, or the author,
for any damages, reparations, or monetary losses for the information contained within this book, either
directly or indirectly.
Disclaimer
Please note that the information contained within this document is for educational and entertainment
purposes only. We have made every effort to present accurate, up-to-date, reliable, and complete
information. No warranties, express or implied, are made by the author or the publisher. Readers
acknowledge that the author is not engaged in rendering legal, financial, medical or professional
advice.
ISBN: 978-0-578-81148-2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
Who Am I?
Updated Content
Why Freelance?
Equipment You Need
Set Goals
Why Freelancing Is the Best Job in the World
Yes... Freelancing Can Suck Sometimes
The Ups and Downs of Freelancing
You Are a Business—Treat Yourself Like One
Understanding Connects and Upwork’s Fee Structure
SECTION 2: ATTRACT
Pick a Niche
Determine Your Hourly Rate
Nineteen Elements that Will Make Your Upwork Profile Rock
Establishing Your Value
Determine How You Want to Charge
Use the Skyscraper Technique to Jumpstart Your Creativity
Aggregated Listening Technique
How to Create Your Upwork Profile and Avoid Amateurish Mistakes
How to Build an Optimized Profile, Get Noticed, and Earn What You’re Worth
Using the Project Catalog Feature
Understanding the Algorithm
All about Badges
All about the Job Success Score (JSS)
Recovering from a Bad JSS
Top 12 Things You Should Never Do on Upwork
SECTION 3: CONVERT
Avoid Catastrophe: Researching Your Prospect Is the First Crucial Step
How to Create High Converting Proposals that Will Wow Your Prospects
How to Get a Flood of Invites and Score More Clients
How to Save Your Best Clients Using the PML Technique
Making a Killer Video
Conveying the Right Message
SECTION 4: KEEP
How to Get Great Reviews and Crush Your Competition
Private vs. Public Feedback: How to Separate Fact from Fiction
How to Command a Premium Price While Getting More and Better Clients
How to Avoid Problems with Clients
What to Do When the Fit Hits the Shan
How to Keep Clients and Prospects Happy with the “I Noticed” Approach
The Art of Developing Strong, Profitable, and Lasting Client Relationships
How to Have Great Client Communications Without Sacrificing Your Sanity
SECTION 5: CLOSE
4 Upwork Mega Earners Share Their Stories and Reveal Their Success Tips
My Proven Recipe for Long-Term Success on the Upwork Platform
SECTION 6: APPENDIX
A Categorized List of Freelancing Websites by Name and URL
 SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION
 WHO AM I?

My name is Mike Volkin, and this is my least favorite section of the book.
This is where I have to talk about myself, which I don’t like doing because I
am a humble person. However, I need to do this so you will understand why
you should listen to me.
I am a marketing strategist and entrepreneur coach. And, at the time of this
writing, an expert-vetted (top 1%) Upwork freelancer, featured on Upwork’s
home page.
Like many of you, I was once a newcomer to the freelancing game.
Because of my background as a scientist, I approached Upwork freelancing
with a different mindset than most—I experimented with everything!
As a scientist, I am trained on how to do tests. So, I analyzed and tested
every aspect—every variable involved with being a freelancer. This included
countless tests on Upwork’s platform. After many iterations of my profile, my
photo, titles, hourly rates, proposals, availability, skills, videos, and much
more, I learned what worked, what worked better, and what didn’t work at all.
I didn’t start out as a successful freelancer. I earned dual bachelor’s and a
master’s of science degree. While in college, I spent countless hours in a
water chemistry lab performing tests, writing reports and analyzing results.
When I graduated, I landed a job and realized I didn’t enjoy working for the
company. So, I bounced from job to job, convinced it was the company I didn’t
like, but eventually I realized it was working for someone else that I didn’t
like. Even then, though, I didn’t jump into freelancing full time.
Three days after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I joined the Army,
with zero knowledge of what I was getting myself into. I just felt an urgent
need to serve my country. It was an unstoppable urge. My legs practically
walked themselves to the recruiter’s office. After handing my application to
the recruiter, he looked at me, laughed and said, “Why do you want to enlist in
the Army? You have a master’s degree. Why don’t you go the officer route?” I
was so naïve I didn’t even know what that meant. In civilian words, he meant,
“you’re about to take the hard road, son.” A few weeks later I was eyeball to
eyeball with a drill sergeant in basic training, seriously doubting the choices I
made. But I dug in, adapted, and gave 100% of everything I had. Six months
later, I was an honors graduate with a specialty in Nuclear, Biological and
Chemical Warfare training. Not long after that, I was in Iraq, where I spent a
year fighting in Operation Enduring and Iraqi freedom. I returned with an Army
Commendation Medal (probably my most coveted achievement to date).
What impact did this have on my freelancing? It gave me the confidence and
leadership skills I needed to take command of my career. Ever since then, I
have been an entrepreneur and freelancer.
Before becoming a full-time freelancer, I built and sold 4 companies and
authored several books (one bestseller). Some might consider that a
success, but I didn’t. Some might say that makes me smarter than the
average person, but I’m not. I never achieved above average grades in school.
In high school, I graduated in the 50th percentile of my class, and I scored in
the bottom 20% on my SATs. During my first two years in college, I was on
academic probation with a GPA of less than 2.0, and I studied my ass off.
Success has little to do with intelligence. Success is all about focus, setting
goals, tenacity and perseverance—all of which are achievable by anyone.
Know what you want, set ambitious goals and go after it with all that you
have, otherwise you will never achieve your highest expectations.
Live by that phrase and you will live a very fulfilled life.
You will learn that buying this book is the best decision you can make for
your freelancing career—doubling, tripling, even quadrupling your earnings or
more! All you have to do is apply what you learn here.
Some additional points—although Upwork centric, what you will learn in this
book applies to other freelance platforms.
Freelancing is a romantic concept. It invokes visions of financial
independence, freedom to work from exotic places, and the joy of
entrepreneurship—being your own boss! Sounds wonderful, but there are also
harsh realities with which all freelancers must contend.
Being a freelancer also means that you are in business for yourself, bearing
full responsibility for your success—or failure.
Providing you with the knowledge you need in order to avoid failure is
precisely why I wrote this book. As we know, knowledge is power, and, with
the information in the following pages, you will achieve the ability to
command and control almost every aspect of your freelancing career, from
attracting clients, to converting clients, and, most importantly, to keeping
clients.
So, what are you waiting for? Start reading—start earning!
 UPDATED CONTENT

Upwork is a dynamic enterprise, constantly improving, growing, and striving

to meet the changing needs of freelancers and employers alike.
Changes, large and small, may occur or have occurred since I published
this book.
As a service to my readers, I maintain the following website to keep you
informed of said changes:
https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook.
 WHY FREELANCE?

Freelancing is an attractive income option for many reasons, however, the

three principal factors in choosing a freelancing career are 1) the ability to
control your own schedule, 2) no upper limit on earnings, and 3) being able to
take advantage of a broad variety of opportunities.
Other advantages include the ability to work from home, the beach, or your
favorite coffee shop. If you live in a developing country, freelance work can
give you access to higher pay than you might find in local job markets.
It is also a plus to put that punishing commute to work behind you. In the
U.S., the average, one-way commute time is 26.1 minutes, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau. So a commute to and from work averages 52 minutes. If
you have no commute, that’s a lot of time savings. Do you know what I can do
in 52 minutes? Here are some examples:

Workout/stretch/yoga,
Educate myself on my craft,
Prospect for more work,
Watch my favorite TV show,
Spend more time with my family,
Get a billable hour in (almost),
Meditate/creative visualization,
Sleep in,
and so much more.

Given that there are 20 workdays in a month, that’s 17 hours a month of extra
free time. Don’t let it go to waste.
If you live in a developing country, freelance work can give you access to
higher pay than you might find in local job markets. I know many freelancers
in countries that would typically earn $10-$20/hour working for local clients
but can charge $50/hour, or more, for clients in the U.S. because they
specialize in a skill that U.S. companies find highly desirable. Such
freelancers use platforms like Upwork to find great job opportunities.
In short, there are as many reasons to choose a career in freelance work as
there are individuals.
 EQUIPMENT YOU NEED

No one-size-fits-all equipment list exists, because the variety of services

freelancers offer is extensive. However, everyone will need:

a reliable Internet service provider;

If you have qualms about the quality of your service, take an Internet speed
test. This service is available free, through multiple providers, easily found
with a Google search.
a laptop/desktop computer with adequate storage and RAM for your
work;
software, specific to the services you offer;
a printer, preferably a combo model, with scanning, copying, and
printing functions;
a desk, sufficiently sized to meet your needs;
a comfortable office chair—ergonomic, and supportive of good body
posture; and
miscellaneous small office supplies—stapler, paper clips, paper,
pens, pencils, etc.
 SET GOALS

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of setting goals for your
freelance business. Honestly, how can you measure your progress unless you
establish goals? You must inspect what you expect!
I’ve made this easy for you by including a spreadsheet to track your
progress. You will find access to it here:
https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook.
You will need to answer the following questions to complete your Goal
Setting spreadsheet:

1. What is your annual income target?

2. What percentage of this income is from Upwork, from another
freelance platform, and/or from your full or part-time job? (The
percentages must total 100 percent)
3. What is your hourly rate?

When you enter your total yearly revenue goal, the spreadsheet calculates
your monthly revenue goal automatically. Once you enter the remaining
values, the spreadsheet calculates the hours you need to work per month, per
week, and per day (based upon a 5-day work week) to meet your goal. At this
point, you can begin fine-tuning the spreadsheet to ensure that your goals are
realistic.
I recommend a maximum 6-hour workday. This allows you up to two hours
each day to prospect for work. Regular prospecting, searching and applying
for jobs, is not only key to meeting your goals but also improves your ranking
in client searches.
Your hours per month should be about 120, but no more than 160.
Remember, any hours above 120 cuts into your job prospecting time and it is
crucial that you are always prospecting, no matter how busy you are. Some of
my best opportunities have come when I am at my busiest. When you’re busy
and you have more work you can accept, this is your chance to raise your
rates. It’s the concept of supply and demand. When you are in high demand,
you raise your rates!
Turning your attention to the Billable Hours Log portion of the spreadsheet,
it is important to note that you are recording actual billable hours. This
section of the spreadsheet is not intended to reflect currency—hours only!
Since the Upwork work week ends at midnight on Sunday, to ensure
consistency, it would be best to record your billable hours for the week after
midnight on Sunday and before you begin any work for the coming week.
The onboarding list, which occupies the right-hand side of your
spreadsheet, is where you will enter your client’s name, and the estimated
hours per month devoted to that client. The rate comes from the amount you
previously entered into the Hourly Rate cell.
I’m going to contradict myself and tell you that occasionally you may need
to change the hourly rate in the onboarding list to reflect the terms of your
agreement with the client. As a practical matter, not all clients will pay the
same rate. With fixed-rate clients, you will need to calculate the number of
hours manually. Do this by dividing the fixed-rate by your hourly rate. For
example, if you have a fixed-rate client that is paying $50.00 for the job and
your hourly rate is $25.00, the number of hours you will enter is 2 (50/25=2).
The onboarding list serves to track clients and give you a fair estimate of
your potential monthly earnings and total hours worked per month. This
information appears in the upper right-hand portion of the spreadsheet.
These cells are color-coded. Red shows that you are short of your goal, and
green shows you are at or above your goal.
Believe me when I tell you using this spreadsheet is the single best thing
you can do for your business. If nothing else, tracking your activity with this
spreadsheet will reduce your stress and relieve your anxiety, even if you don’t
meet your goals, but you will, because you are reading this book.
Revenue goals are important, and while that is typically going to be your
first consideration, don’t lose sight of other goals crucial to your success. For
example, life goals, key performance indicators, your schedule, and
continuing education (learning). If you aren’t learning, you’re falling behind!
It’s also important to reward yourself for your successes. A nice dinner out,
a weekend getaway, or a lazy afternoon at the beach, for example. You work
for yourself, so if you don’t reward your accomplishments, who will?
 WHY FREELANCING IS THE
BEST JOB IN THE WORLD

When you have the best job in the world, you can wear what you like, work the
hours you want to work, make the income you deserve, be your own boss,
leave office politics in the rear-view mirror, and work from anywhere you like,
and fulfill your life’s purpose. That is freedom!
As an in-demand freelancer, you have the luxury to accept only the work
you want, and the work that makes you happiest, working with clients you
love.
As a freelancer, you can earn much more money as compared to a
corporate job because your potential is unrestrained by a boss, a corporation,
or corporate culture.
Freelancing presents you with an opportunity for personal and professional
growth unmatched in the salaried world, where you are often siloed—limited
to using only a few specific skills. Five years of experience as a freelancer is
the functional equivalent of 20 years of experience in the salaried world. The
result is that you will be more confident in your work and in your life. I’ve been
freelancing for well over a decade, and I’ve served over 400 clients. I can’t
name very many marketers who have experience working in over 36
industries with clients in over 20 countries. The experience I have gained is
absolutely unmatched in the corporate world.
You will enjoy greater job security as a freelancer, and you will meet and
work with a broader range of people than you can imagine.
A freelance career provides you freedom, with enjoyable, fulfilling work,
with the opportunity for a better income, with unlimited personal and
professional growth, and with greater job security than those in a private
sector, salaried position can ever hope to have.
Wait! Did you say GREATER job security?
 Yes! Many people just default to being a corporate employee because that
is what their parents did, that is what their friends did, and that is what most
of society does, because it’s comfortable and secure.
If you are a skilled freelancer, you have more security than you would at a
corporate job.
If you get fired from your one corporate job, what percentage of employed
are you? The answer is zero. If you are a freelancer with 10 clients, and you
lose one client, what percentage of employed are you? The answer is 90%.
You still have income and you can get another client.
The worst part about being a corporate employee is the risk of getting fired
for things completely outside of your control. Just look at what happened in
2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people lost their jobs.
Conversely, many freelancers thrived.
For these compelling and factual reasons, in my opinion, freelancing is the
best job in the world.
 YES... FREELANCING CAN
SUCK SOMETIMES

Freelancing isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Every occupation has its
drawbacks, and freelancing is no exception. Here are some reasons
freelancing sucks:
Competition
Recent estimates place the number of freelancers, globally, at around 1.1
billion. That is 35 percent of the world’s workforce. Experts predict that
number will grow to 80 percent of the global workforce by 2030. In a word,
competition is exploding!
Overcoming your competition is best accomplished by branding yourself in
a niche that aligns with your passion. If you are good at what you do, have a
prospecting system in place, and know how to close and service clients, you
won’t have to worry too much at all about your competition.
Self-motivation
Freelancers have no taskmaster and, for many, that is part of the attraction to
freelance work. However, in the absence of a boss, getting motivated to do
the work, is a problem for many others.
I believe those who are motivated to freelance are individuals who know in
their gut a regular job is not for them.
Self-motivation may not be part of your DNA. In that case, you will need to
read self-help books about motivation and/or take self-motivation courses.
You can learn to motivate yourself!
Loneliness
Most freelancers work alone. Many find this to be a tough adjustment, and
loneliness is a common complaint. The famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh said,
“A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and
passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”
I think what Van Gogh meant was that no one listens, which is a common
complaint I hear from the freelance community.
There are ways to overcome loneliness. For example, you could follow the
path of countless freelancers and work from the local coffee shop, or rent
space in a co-op office near you.
Work/life Balance
Achieving a work/life balance is not a problem unique to freelancers. People
in all professions struggle, to some extent, with drawing the line between
their work lives and their personal lives. However, freelancers are vulnerable
because most work from home.
This means freelancers must learn to manage distractions. Although this
can be difficult if you have children, pets, or an elderly person in your home,
but—lines must be drawn!
Another distraction arises when freelancers achieve some success.
Suddenly, everything becomes an opportunity, at which point everything can
become a distraction. It is important that you don’t allow success to throw
you from the path that earned you that success. You should embrace and
pursue opportunities, but not by jeopardizing the success that is working for
you.
Finding Clients
One of the greatest hurdles and major source of stress facing freelancers is
finding clients. When you work for someone else, it’s their burden to find
clients or customers, not yours. Gaining the skills needed to find clients is an
absolute necessity. I will address this in greater detail later in the book.
Adjusting to the Hours
If you enter freelancing from the typical 9-to-5 work environment, you will
face adjustments. For example, your client may be on the other side of the
globe, in a completely different time zone. Your client’s Saturday may not
have started, but yours is half over. Or, while you may be ready for bed, your
client’s workday is just starting.
In my experience, it is best to avoid taking the same days off as other
freelancers. Take different days off—don’t forego days off. Taking time away
from work is important for your mental and physical well-being.
You should have set hours and let your client know your work schedule up
front. Make it clear to your prospects when you work and when you don’t. If
they email you when you’re not working, they won’t expect a fast response.
Lack of communication is the biggest factor souring a client relationship. In
many respects, doing a poor job for a client, but communicating well is the
same as doing a superb job but not communicating well.
Lack of Corporate Benefits
Speaking of well-being, another downside of freelancing is the lack of
benefits, such as paid time off, sick days, health insurance and paid vacation
time. This makes it critically important that you diligently manage your health
and fitness.
Difficult Conversations
Many of us are hard-wired to avoid confrontation. Freelancing requires that
you discuss your pay, your scope of work, and reasonable deadlines with your
client. These can be stressful conversations. The good news is that
experience will resolve these problems, even to the point where such
negotiations are rarely necessary.
 THE UPS AND DOWNS OF
FREELANCING

As I said earlier, freelancing is not all rainbows and unicorns. Like most
pursuits, freelancing has both positive and negative aspects. Let’s get an
overview of the upsides and downsides of freelance work.
The Upsides

Freelancing has minimal start-up costs. In most cases, prospective

freelancers already have the equipment they need.
You can pursue more than a single line of work. For example, you
may offer writing services and proofreading, or illustration and
design. Freelancing gives you the flexibility to pursue many
passions, whereas corporate work is often siloed to a specific skill
set.
Because you set your own hours, you can start freelancing part-time
(often referred to as a side-hustle), while maintaining full-time
employment. You have the freedom to transition to full-time
freelancing whenever you achieve the comfort level to do so.
Working where you want and when you want, from the comfort of
home, a cooperative office space, the corner coffee shop, or the
local library. You get to set your own hours, with no time parameters
to work within. Your only time sensitive obligations are the client
deadlines.
Imagine telling your boss that you really do not care for that
assignment and would prefer to work on something else. Such a
statement could earn you a shortcut to the unemployment line in the
corporate world. However, freelancers are free to turn down clients,
 and even the tasks clients assign. Freelancing gives you the, here’s
that word again, freedom to take a pass on work that you don’t enjoy.
Variety in your work is an upside that receives less attention than it
deserves. Variety not only makes your work more interesting, it also
helps you learn and grow professionally and personally. If after being
a full-time freelancer you decide to return to a corporate job, your
work experience will blow away anyone you’re up against for a job.
By avoiding the daily commute, you can save money that you would
otherwise spend on fuel, vehicle maintenance, tolls, parking, or train
& bus fare. Incidentally, no commute helps the environment and
reduces your carbon footprint.
Speaking of savings, as a freelancer you avoid the expense of
maintaining a separate professional wardrobe, and the cost of
meals, coffee, and snacks purchased away from home, which can
add up to hundreds of dollars over the course of the year. I’ve had
many web meetings with freelancers who are working in their
pajamas, which is a perfectly acceptable dress code when meeting
with certain people (not prospects or clients though).

The Downsides
Even established freelancers experience ebbs and flows in income.
When you work a salaried job, you know what your earnings will be at
the end of the pay period. Freelancers do not! This can be stressful
and result in no small measure of anxiety. This is the reason I
developed the Goal Setting spreadsheet—to help you overcome that
stress and anxiety. I believe the single biggest reason those with
corporate jobs decline to pursue their freelancing passion, is
because they fear inconsistent income.
Freelancers, at least those working in the USA, pay income tax.
These taxes will be a higher percentage of your income than you
might expect. When you are on someone’s payroll, the employer pays
around 50 percent of your tax burden as payroll taxes. Being self-
employed, you handle 100 percent of your income tax obligation. The
IRS requires you to pay quarterly, estimated tax payments, besides
filing your 1040 by the April deadline. Don’t worry about
understanding taxes as a freelancer, getting a good bookkeeper is all
you need to do. A good bookkeeper will remind you of what
payments are due and when. Later in the book I will show you how to
save for taxes so there are no surprises when you write those checks
to the state and federal government.
Most self-employed individuals work more than a forty-hour week. If
you turned to full-time freelancing so you could work less, you may
have made a mistake. However, if you position yourself correctly, it
doesn’t feel like work.
Sadly, not all clients are worthy of your trust. Clients can be
problematic, demanding, and may vanish without paying you for
completed work, yet another reason I am a proponent of Upwork.
They have a payment protection plan for freelancers. Later in the
book, I’ll teach you prospect vetting techniques and which prospects
you should avoid.
Time management is crucial for freelancers. The freedom you enjoy
can lead to procrastination. If you lack self-control and do not
develop time-management skills, trouble is on the horizon. Stay
motivated by taking regular breaks and allowing time for yourself.
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Find the schedule that
works for you and procrastination will be less of an issue. I did a
Facebook live event on how to avoid distractions. You can view it at:
https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook.
 YOU ARE A BUSINESS—
TREAT YOURSELF LIKE ONE

Like it or not, as a freelancer you are a business, and that carries a unique set
of responsibilities from those you had as a salaried worker bee. Sure, you are
your own boss, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you are also the
accountant, the marketing director, the HR department, the worker bee and
more!
You are a business and you need to act like one before things get out of
hand. It is your responsibility to make everything happen and to keep
everything running smoothly.
Treating your freelance career like a business is essential to its growth and
financial success. Approaching freelancing as a business serves several
strategic purposes.
First, a business mindset will encourage you to approach your work
professionally. You will be more inclined to meet deadlines and consider your
client’s needs. You will also recognize the importance of planning and
growing your client base.
A business approach means keeping your business and personal finances
separate. Consider carving out a paycheck for yourself, rather than co-
mingling the proceeds of your freelance work in your personal account. This
will be a significant benefit to you come tax time and will also help you
mitigate the ebbs and flows in your income stream that I spoke about earlier.
The way you approach your relationship to others is key to your business
success, especially on Upwork, where each client can publicly review you.
Former UFC champion Frank Shamrock has a strategy for building
relationships that he refers to as “Plus, Minus, and Equal.”
For the Plus, find someone more successful than yourself, not necessarily
monetary success, but your definition of success. Look for someone with the
qualities you want to achieve, a person at the level where you want to be at
some point. This is an individual that would make a great mentor.
Frank defines a Minus as someone he can teach. Teaching not only helps a
Minus, but also helps you increase your understanding of what you’re
teaching. After all, you can’t effectively teach a subject unless you know it
inside and out. This is especially important if you are, or want to be, an
agency owner. Owning an agency will put you on the phone selling to
prospects rather than being in the weeds carrying out projects. Having a
Minus to mentor allows you to stay educated on things that may have
changed in your industry, or on a specific software program that is important
to your clients (or your business).
Frank refers to an Equal as a peer—someone with whom you can share
feedback as you scale your business. These shared struggles and success
stories build on mutual experiences and inform future decisions for even
better outcomes.
The people you choose as a Plus, Minus, and Equal may change frequently
because as you reach your goals you will set new ones. For example, if your
goal was to have a side-hustle that earns $25,000 one year, your next year’s
goal could be to be a full-time freelancer earning $100,000. The next goal
may be to scale to $250,000. Each of those milestones creates a need for a
new Plus, Minus, and Equal.
Start networking now to find a Plus, Minus, and Equal. Beginning this
process will put the wheels in motion to treat your business like a business.
 UNDERSTANDING
CONNECTS AND
UPWORK’S FEE STRUCTURE

Connects
Connects are Upwork’s cryptocurrency, and you can buy them for a few cents
each. Every job you apply for on Upwork displays the number of Connects
required to apply for the job—between one and six.
Each Freelancer Basic account receives 10 free Connects every month,
while the Freelancer Plus plan provides 80 connects per month.
Unused Connects, up to 200, will automatically roll over each month. The
Freelancer Plus option is best for those new to the platform, because you are
unlikely to receive invitations until you have fleshed out your JSS. Invitations
to submit proposals require no Connects.
Upwork rewards freelancers (and agencies) with 10 free Connects each
time a proposal is submitted, an interview is won and a response is given.
Upwork caps this at a maximum of 50 Connects per seven days.
As a new freelancer, when you successfully register with Upwork, you will
receive 80 Connects, and the opportunity to win an additional 40 Connects
when you successfully complete the Upwork Readiness Test.
Considering the cost of purchasing 80 Connects, the few extra dollars you
pay each month for the Freelancer Plus plan is easy to justify, given the five
additional perks you receive as a Freelancer Plus member:

1. Prevents Upwork from hiding your profile in the event of extended

inactivity.
2. Allows you to customize your profile URL.
 3. Displays the low, high and average bid on any job.
4. Permits you to activate a setting that keeps your earnings private,
which is a tremendous benefit should you decide to raise your rates
(which you will want to do after reading this book). Prospects won’t
question why you’re charging them more because they won’t know.
5. Provides extended reports and enhanced functionality.

When Upwork introduced the concept of Connects, freelancers took to the

Internet and complained—loudly. Comments streamed through forums and
sites like Reddit, claiming Upwork did this to get more money and squeeze
every dime from the freelance community. I, on the other hand, couldn’t have
been happier. Those who complained didn’t understand why Upwork
implemented Connects.
Let’s review some pros and cons of paying for Connects.
Pros

Competition for jobs will decrease.

Clients will find it easier to sort through applications.
Only freelancers genuinely interested in the job will apply.

Cons

Freelancers shoulder an expense to apply for work.

Clients may have fewer applicants for jobs.

As a freelancer, I don’t mind paying for Connects. Without Upwork,

professional freelancers could spend as much as 12 percent of their revenue
prospecting for new clients, and this assumes freelancers have the marketing
expertise needed to prospect for clients.
Imagine not having platforms like Upwork and having to track down your
own prospects. A new freelancer, with little to no network, would have a
tough road ahead. Sure, you could set up complicated marketing funnels that
start with paid ads on Facebook and Google. You could also try networking
and growing an audience on social media. These are arduous processes that
take copious amounts of time. These are tactics that require skills. Paying a
few cents for each Connect is nothing to complain about when you consider
your alternatives.
Besides, it weeds out competitors who aren’t serious about the job in the
first place, and your application gets more attention as a result. It’s a no-
brainer in my book.
As a client who does a lot of hiring on Upwork, I view Connects as a
tremendous benefit. Gone are the days when I would post a job for a
developer and be slammed with over 50 applicants who didn’t even read my
job post. The quality of applicants has improved dramatically.
As a freelancer, I’ll gladly pony up a few cents to have my proposal taken
seriously.
Upwork’s Fee Structure
A business only exists if it can turn a profit. Upwork is a business and without
sustained profits could not exist. Upwork does not charge freelancers a
registration fee, it doesn’t clutter its platform with annoying ads, and it
doesn’t spam your mailbox. What Upwork does is take 20 percent of your
earnings. Once you have reached the threshold of $500 in lifetime earnings
from a client, Upwork reduces the fee to 10 percent and when you reach
$10,000 in lifetime earnings with a client, the rate drops to 5 percent.
As a freelancer, I appreciate that I do not need to spend my time (and
money) browsing job boards, placing ads, or maintaining a website. Upwork
does that for me, and with greater efficiency than I could reasonably expect to
achieve on my own.
How can you put a price on the convenience of simply logging in to Upwork
and browsing the hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs that Upwork has already
sourced for you? More to the point, you only pay Upwork if you earn. There
are no mandatory upfront fees on the platform.
So at first, Upwork’s fees may seem pricey. Twenty percent is a big bite out
of anyone’s paycheck! However, you must look at these fees realistically.
You’re a businessperson, an entrepreneur, and you need to market your
services, right?
Marketing is an expense, and statistics show that businesses spend
anywhere from 5 to 12 percent of their gross revenues in marketing costs.
Business to business (B2B) firms spend closer to the high-end, and you know
what? You are a B2B enterprise!
 My point being, it is not unreasonable to view ten percent of the fees you
pay to Upwork as a marketing expense that any business would incur in the
ordinary conduct of business. But what about the other ten percent, you ask?
Great question! I view this portion of the Upwork fee as an insurance
premium. Upwork’s hourly and fixed-rate protection programs guarantee
payment for your work, providing you follow all applicable rules. Feeling
better about those fees? No! Then simply increase your hourly or fixed price
by 20% and stop fussing about it!
I was a freelancer long before Upwork came into the scene, and I’ll tell you,
it was pricey and time-consuming sourcing clients. Sometimes I would put
together marketing campaigns that cost thousands of dollars and have no
revenue to show for it. That’s the mental equivalent of trying to touch the
bottom of your foot with the back of your head, it’s hard to imagine and it
hurts like hell.
SECTION 2
ATTRACT
 PICK A NICHE

To ensure we are all on the same page, I will define niche in freelancer terms.
A niche is similar to a specialty. Medical doctors, for example, specialize in
certain aspects of the medical profession. They may specialize in treating
cancer (oncology), they may specialize in surgery, they may further specialize
in cardiac surgery, to name just a few examples. Lawyers also specialize.
They narrow their practice to corporate law, torts, criminal law, family law,
wills, personal bankruptcy, and more!
Why do doctors and lawyers find a niche—a specialty? They do so for the
identical reasons you should do it. They enjoy the work. They are very good at
it. They can develop a level of expertise that earns them a solid reputation,
which will allow them to charge higher fees. Freelancers select a niche for the
same reasons.
I know what you’re saying to yourself, “But if I choose a niche, won’t I be
alienating all those people who want to hire me?” It would seem that way but
the answer is no. There are many millions of dollars to make in just about any
niche you can imagine. If you specialize in a niche, everything you do will be
centered around attracting the right client. Some of the major advantages to
being in a niche are:

Your messaging will speak perfectly to your prospect.

You will increase your perceived (and actual) value.
You will be able to make more money per hour, or per project.
You will be able to more easily convert prospects into clients.

These are the steps you should follow to define your niche, while making it
sufficiently specific to filter out potential clients that are not compatible with
the services you offer. Focus on a specific deliverable, and/or a specific
industry, always mindful of the sweet spot that is the nexus of your interests,
passions, and skills with your target client’s needs.

If you haven’t already done so, identify your interests, passions,

and skills.
An effective niche is one that incorporates your interests, your passions, and
your skills. Securing jobs that align with your interests, feed your passions,
and comport with your skill set changes the dynamic of work completely.
Work is no longer drudgery; it is a joy! When you are happy in your work, you
naturally accomplish it more quickly, and with greater precision.
Understand how your interests, passions, and skills can solve a
client’s problems.
To be effective in your niche, you must appeal to prospective clients. You
accomplish this by demonstrating exactly what your unique skill set
contributes to solving the prospective client’s problem(s). You can explain
how you will solve the problem(s) in your proposal, and you must likewise
describe it in the text of your profile. I’ll have more for you on this in the
Optimizing Your Profile section later in the book.
Research your competitors.
After you’ve finished steps one and two, you need to research the competition
you will face in the niche you have chosen. Begin by searching freelancer
profiles that match your chosen niche. In the ribbon that appears at the top of
Upwork pages, you will see a search box. Click on the arrow and select
Browse Talent, then click the search icon. The freelancers listed represent all
categories of talent. Use the Filter By options to narrow the field to those
freelancers that most closely identify with your proposed niche, and that
mirror your skills.
Continue your research as you apply for jobs in your niche. The prospect’s
job posting contains a wealth of information, especially if the individual or
company posting the job has previously hired on the platform. You should pay
particular attention to the freelancers the prospective client hired previously.
If the freelancer’s name appears in green text, all you need to do is click on
their name to see their profile. If the freelancer’s name is not in green text,
that means their profile is private or they are no longer on Upwork. By looking
at the profiles of previous hires, you can get a sense of what may have
attracted the client to that freelancer, what the freelancer earned on the job,
how the freelancer rated the client, whether the client has hired this
freelancer in the past, and other valuable information.
I encourage you to undertake this research for at least thirty days, take
notes, and look for patterns. Incorporate what you have learned into your
profile, your title, possibly even your hourly rate. In short, put what you
learned through your observations to work.
Make an assessment of the potential earnings available in your
chosen niche.
In the course of your research, you will also get a general idea of what
working in your niche pays. This will give you, at the very least, a baseline for
the earnings you can expect to receive. This, in combination with the number
of jobs, a statistic that appears next to this symbol in the top left of the
search page, and the number of proposals that jobs in your niche receive, will
provide you valuable information regarding the earnings and hiring potential
in your chosen niche.
Test your idea.
This is where the rubber meets the road. After having decided upon your
interests, passions, and skills, understanding how they are used to meet
client needs, researching the competition (and potential clients), and
assessing your earnings potential, you must put your findings to the test,
tracking the frequency with which your proposals results in hires, how often
you receive invitations to interview, and determining whether your earnings
are meeting expectations.
Don’t worry! Choosing a niche doesn’t have to be permanent. Your interests,
desires and goals will change over time, and so should your niche.
Go to https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook/ to
download a worksheet on how to find your niche.
 DETERMINE YOUR HOURLY
RATE

Let me say this at the outset, the hourly rate you select for your profile is not
nearly as important as the overall quality of your profile. Hourly rates are all
over the map in Upwork and if you review as few as 10 random profiles you
will be hard-pressed to understand how these freelancers determine their
rate.
For example, I just ran a search for Marketing Strategists and found hourly
rates ranging from $13 per hour to $240 per hour on the first page of the
search results. The average hourly rate for these ten freelancers worked out
to around $112 per hour. And before you say anything about their locations, 7
of the 10 are from the United States, and only one is from a developing
country, and that freelancer was not the one to offer the lowest hourly rate!
I’m not saying that you should just plug in a number, but of all the concerns
you will confront as you pull your profile together, this is not among the top
five. After all, as you bid for jobs through the proposal process, you are going
to be making an individual assessment as to the value of your work on a
case-by-case basis. The hourly rate you post in your profile is a placeholder.
However, it is important that the placeholder you settle on is credible. You
don’t want to drive prospective clients away by charging an exorbitantly high
hourly rate or by posting an hourly rate that is so low your reliability and skill
set will be in doubt.
Arriving at a decision about what hourly rate to charge begins with some
basic research and the exercise I shared with you earlier isn’t a terrible place
to start. If you price yourself properly, you improve your chances of winning
better-paying jobs with great clients.
Your hourly rate not only speaks to your ability; it also reflects your
perceived value. Prospective clients usually regard freelancers that charge
higher rates as being of higher quality, they attract higher paying work and
they earn more.
Another exercise you can try to test your rate involves creating a client
account in Upwork. This is easy to do. Just click on settings, scroll down to
Additional Accounts, click on the New Client Account button, and follow the
prompts. Then, create a job in your niche and select two freelancers, one with
a low rate and one with a high rate. Make sure that both offer the same
service in the same niche, have a similar JSS, have worked on Upwork for
about the same time, and are both from the United States. In most cases, the
freelancer with the higher hourly rate out earns the low rate freelancer. So,
what does this tell you?
It suggests that clients view the freelancer with a higher rate as being
superior. This is the client’s perceived valuation of the freelancer.
Of course, clients can’t know which is the better freelancer until they’ve
hired them and the freelancer completes the job. All a client can do is assess
the facts and make an educated guess. So creating perceived value is
important. If you position yourself to appear more valuable, you increase your
chance of being hired, while avoiding those clients who place a premium on
price over value. I’ll have more on this topic later in the book.
The most important factors in securing work are your proposal letter, your
work samples, the quality of your overall profile, and client satisfaction.
Determining your hourly rate on Upwork isn’t that tough. It’s just a matter of
understanding what clients will pay for your service. Upwork provides all the
information you need—all you have to do is look for it.
For the sake of illustration, let’s assume you are considering freelancing
and need to replace your current take-home of $50,000/year. If you are
working in the U.S., about 30 percent of your earnings go for taxes, but your
employer pays 15 percent of those taxes. This means you will need to earn an
additional $15,000 annually to cover your tax liability.
Freelancers may also need to shoulder the costs of their health insurance,
business insurance, hardware, software, business supply purchases, and
marketing expenses.
Below is a sample of the Hourly Rate Calculator, the Excel worksheet I
provide for you to download at:
https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook/.
 How to Calculate Your Hourly Rate
Current salary or yearly goal $75,000
Revenue per week $1,500
Needed to save for payroll taxes/year
(15%) $11,250
Insurance cost/year (Estimated - Can Vary) $12,000
Business expenses $4,800
Marketing
$103,05
Total 0
Work weeks/year 50
Hours/week worked 20
Revenue needed per week $2,061

Your hourly rate should be $103.05

It’s also a good idea to pad your rate by 10 percent to counter the inevitable
dry spells that you will experience in your freelancing career. Remember, you
have the power to raise or lower the hourly rate in your proposal.
NINETEEN ELEMENTS THAT
WILL MAKE YOUR UPWORK
PROFILE ROCK

Everyone understands the importance of first impressions, and that is the

definition of your profile—a first impression. Until you complete your first job,
your profile may contain the only information your prospect can know about
you, your services and your abilities. For these reasons, a well thought out
profile is crucial to your success.
Fill out every part of your profile. Take full advantage of this opportunity to
introduce yourself to prospective clients.
Every Upwork profile includes these elements:

1. Photo
2. Name
3. Location
4. Job Success Score (JSS)
5. Badges
. Total Earnings / Hours Worked
7. Number of Jobs (Completed and In Progress)
. Title
9. Introduction / Bio / Overview
10. Hourly Rate
11. Video (Optional)
12. Availability
13. Employment History
 14. Other Experiences
15. Languages
1 . Verifications
17. Education
1 . Testimonials (Employers outside of Upwork) | Certifications and
Awards
19. Skills (Tags)

We will examine each of these elements, one-by-one, and I will provide you
with insights, suggestions, and the resources necessary for you to create
your best profile. Obviously, there are elements of your profile over which you
will have no direct control, such as your name and your location. However, as
you will learn, you have direct or indirect control of most of these elements.
Before you complete your profile, I strongly recommend a thorough review
of Upwork’s Terms of Service. This will save you potential grief down the
road. It’s important, because violating Upwork’s Terms of Service can get you
booted from the platform, and once you’re booted, it’s very hard to get back
in.
Photo
Many elements of your profile are subject to Upwork verification. You are, at
some point, required to take part in a brief video chat with an Upwork
representative, so, if you use someone else’s photo in your profile, you may
very well find yourself excommunicado—not the best beginning for your
freelancing career.
The first thing to catch your eye in any Upwork profile is the photo. It isn’t
by chance your photo occupies a prominent space. Images have impact—a
significantly greater impact than text. So, it is important that you have a high
resolution photo, a good background, adequate lighting, and acceptable
attire.
To paraphrase Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, “If only we
could see ourselves as others see us?” How can you be sure you have a first-
rate photo? Well—there’s an app for that! Photofeeler.com is a free online
application that scores your photo for any of 3 uses:
 Business
Social
Dating

For your Upwork profile, you will want to choose business. After you upload
your picture to photofeeler.com, their viewers rate it from one to ten for each
of the following criteria:

Competent
Likable
Influential

The service is free, and you are not limited to just one photo. You can earn
views for your photos by viewing and rating other users’ photos. However, if
you prefer, you can purchase credits for faster test results. The website is
incredibly user friendly, and it has information on how to take your own
professional headshots, so try it!
Name
You must use your actual name. Upwork will require you to submit a
government ID such as your passport, or driver’s license. Obviously your
name must match your ID.
Location
Claiming to work from a location you believe has the potential to attract a
higher rate of pay is tempting. For example, if you live in India and want high
paying clients from the United States, stating that you live in the U.S. may
seem like a great idea. However, it is a flawed idea. There are multiple ways
Upwork can find out. Time zones are one, and your IP address is another.
Your IP address reveals your location, and then there is the matter of your ID.
Honesty is always the best policy. Besides, you have a secret weapon, this
book. It doesn’t matter where you are located, after applying the principles in
this book, you can charge whatever rate you want because you’ll be a
premium freelancer.
Job Success Score (JSS)
Upwork’s Job Success Score is something over which you have indirect
control. You earn your JSS and it only appears in your profile after you have
completed a job and received a rating from the client. I will have a great deal
more to share with you on this topic later in the book. For now, let’s say that,
although an important part of your profile, the JSS is not something that you
directly control.
Badges
Badges, like your JSS, are earned. They have the potential to bring you more
work, more invitations, and more money. Earn them by consistently providing
a great work product to your clients. We’ll talk more about badges later in the
book.
Total Earnings / Hours Worked
Upwork tracks your total earnings, and hours worked. These statistics are a
function of the fees clients pay you and the hours you work. However, if you
only accept fixed price work, your profile will always reflect zero hours
worked. As a practical matter, most freelancers work a mix of hourly and
fixed price jobs.
Number of Jobs (Completed and in Progress)
Total jobs include completed jobs and jobs in progress. Upwork deems a job
to be in progress until the contract ends. It is the client’s responsibility to end
the contract when the freelancer satisfactorily completes the job. Freelancers
may end the contract in the absence of any action on the client’s part. I’ll take
a deeper dive into this in the chapter on the JSS, but for now, this is all you
need to know as it relates to your profile.
Title
Your profile’s title must be very clear and succinct. It must convey exactly
what you do. Use power words. Words that pack a wallop! Examples of power
words include amazing, epic, thrilling, misleading, tested, ironclad, and little-
known, to name just a few. Make it interesting so you get the prospect’s
attention and hold it. It should also intrigue, which encourages the prospect
to continue reading. Make the prospect want more! Importantly, the title
should emphasize the prospect’s goals—not yours.
Introduction / Bio / Overview
An overview is very much like an elevator pitch, a synopsis of your work
experience and background. Your overview should contain as much
information as possible in the first sentence or two. When prospects browse
freelancer profiles, this is what they see.

It is very apparent that freelancers have but a small window of opportunity to

grab the prospect’s attention. Therefore, it is critical to have an impressive
title, and an overview that gets quickly to the point. In short, be brief and be
persuasive. I’ll have more on how to do this later in the book.
Hourly Rate
Upwork freelancers are free to choose the hourly rate they wish to charge.
However, it helps to know that from the prospect’s perspective, hourly rates
of less than $20 are entry level rates, rates of $20 to $40 are intermediate
rates, and rates above $40 are expert rates. On this basis, make an honest
assessment of your skill level and set your hourly rate accordingly. It would
only make you look foolish to say you have intermediate skill levels and then
charge an hourly rate that reflects an entry level skill set.
Video (Optional—but not really!)
Although Upwork rates your profile as complete, with or without a video, I
strongly recommend including one. As mentioned earlier, I did a great deal of
testing regarding my profile. I estimate that only 5 to 8 percent of freelancers
include a video on their profile. Including a video puts your profile in the upper
90th percentile of all the profiles on Upwork.
My research reveals that a video can boost your click through rate
substantially, as much as 31 percent. Later in the book, I’ll tell you what you
need to know to make a killer video that converts like gangbusters.
Availability
This setting informs potential prospects of your availability to work. The
primary setting allows you to choose between available & unavailable. If you
choose available, there are 3 sub-settings:

Over 30 hrs/wk
Less than 30 hrs/wk
As needed—open to offers

Note: If you choose the unavailable setting, Upwork does not display your
profile to prospects searching for freelancers.
Employment History
Record your employment history in this section, giving particular emphasis to
those jobs that parallel the type of work you seek. Here is your opportunity to
use keywords you want to rank for. Many freelancers skimp on the
descriptions in this section. Don’t skimp! A well thought out and thorough
employment history will separate you from 90% of the other freelancers on
the platform and the Upwork algorithms will love you for it.
Other Experiences
Take full advantage of the opportunity to share experiences you believe apply
to the services you offer. This may include knowledge that you have gained
through volunteer work or travel.
Languages
This setting permits you to choose your language and your level of
proficiency in that language. Avoid embarrassing yourself by choosing the
proficiency level that best describes your abilities.
Verifications
Account verification is the simple process of scanning and submitting a
government ID, such as your driver’s license or passport, to Upwork. A video
chat with an Upwork staffer, usually lasting less than ten minutes, completes
the verification.
 Phone number verification is optional, unless specifically requested by a
prospect or by Upwork.
Once verification is complete, you receive a badge beside your name, which
looks like this:
Education
This is where you will list your educational achievements, especially
important when a credible link exists between your academic background and
the services you offer.
Testimonials (Employers Outside of Upwork) | Certifications and
Awards
If you’ve yet to land a job (and even you have), the option to solicit
testimonials from former employers outside the Upwork platform is one you
should pursue. An endorsement from former employers adds value to your
profile. Few freelancers take advantage of this. So, if you do, it sets you apart
from the crowd.
By all means, showcase any awards or certifications relating to the
services you provide your prospects.
Skills (Tags)
Freelancers may choose a maximum of ten skills to display on a profile. I
recommend using the maximum number. They are easy to select via a drop-
down box. Having more skills listed will get you invited to more jobs, and
you’ll appear in more results from companies doing searches.
I firmly believe the most successful profiles are those with the most
relevant information, targeted to the prospect’s needs and in line with the
services you offer.
 ESTABLISHING YOUR
VALUE

Value-added is one of many buzzwords used in the business community, but

it is an under-used tactic in the freelance community. The term’s definition
varies, depending on its context. In freelancing, the term means showing your
value to the prospect—upfront—before you enter any formal contract.
Value-added means that you enhance the perceived value of your services.
By adding value to your service, you create an incentive for the client to
choose your services over the services of your competition. You accomplish
this through your profile, through your proposal, and sometimes, after the
contract ends.
It is critically important that you listen to your clients so you can determine
what they truly value.
Add value to your service by highlighting the expertise you bring to the job,
or by offering additional services at no charge. For example, if you are a
writer, you might offer to include unlimited revisions, or a no plagiarism
verification via a Copyscape screen shot. Even services that face tremendous
competition, such as writing, can be differentiated from the competition by
including a service that adds perceived value.
When you add value to your service, you will attract more clients and
generate higher earnings. Here are six ways you can establish your value:
Show-off Your Pedigree
Highlight, in your profile and/or in your proposal, any special training,
certifications, licenses, qualifications, or accreditations related to your niche
and/or to the job for which you are applying. In short, whatever you have in
your background or experience that shows you are qualified to do the job.
Endorsement from an Authority
If you have work experience with influential individuals or with a well-known
person in a relevant field, get a reference. Upwork calls them Testimonials
and you can make requests directly from your Profile page. Such
endorsements add value to your profile and to your proposal so, be sure to
mention any relevant testimonials in your proposal. While testimonials from
such persons are valuable, any credible reference is a plus.
Social Validation
If you are freelancing on Upwork’s platform, you are automatically receiving
social validation via the Work History section of your profile. You can and
should augment this by using the Testimonial feature. Always reference
relevant client feedback in your proposal.
You can also use quotes from performance reviews, reference letters, or
LinkedIn testimonials to use in your proposals. This is helpful for new
freelancers who have yet to develop a Work History. Be certain to choose
quotes that sound personal, authentic, and are specific to skills needed in the
job. Avoid generic or bland quotes. For example, if organizational skills are
important in the job, then choose a quote that speaks to that.
Value Related Keywords
Using keywords and active verbs will add value to your profile and your
proposals. Examples of active verbs include such words as analyzed,
advised, amended, brainstormed, boosted, budgeted, challenged,
coordinated, critiqued, developed, directed, drafted, edited, eliminated,
endorsed, focused, fueled, formulated, generated, graphed, grouped, helped,
handled, headed, identified, implemented, induced, judged, launched, led,
managed, minimized, motivated, negotiated, navigated, networked, owned,
oversaw, organized, proposed, planned, pioneered, queried, qualified, quoted,
resolved, rewarded, reviewed, secured, simplified, supported, trained,
transformed, tested, updated, upgraded, undertook, validated, visualized,
verified, weighed, wrote, and won.
Determine the keywords and key phrases you should use in your proposal
by scouring the job posting. Mirror the important relevant words and phrases
in your proposal. Use these keywords and phrases to show how you
successfully helped other clients.
Prove Your Value through Theory/Logic
Occasionally there will be instances when you know that you are a logical fit
for the job, but you don’t have the credentials to prove it. In such cases, the
best approach is to make your argument in a clear, simple, and
straightforward manner. For example, if a client is looking for an editor to edit
his self-help book, consider headlining your proposal with, “Editor with five
years of experience editing self-help books.” This is a simple but effective
approach.
Under no circumstances am I suggesting you misrepresent yourself or your
abilities. What I am suggesting is that you find as much commonality as
possible between your experience and the prospect’s needs.
Tell Your Story
Express your value by telling the story behind a similar job you successfully
handled in the past. One in which your client faced comparable problems to
those of your prospect. Define the problems and the solutions you put
forward to resolve them.
You can do this in a narrative style or through bullet points.
For example, let’s say you were asked to develop a marketing strategy for a
company trapped in a niche that seemed too small to develop into a
profitable enterprise.
Solutions:

Introduced new subsites to increase traffic

Boosted ad revenues through the addition of new sponsors
Launched e-commerce store that generated $250,000 in revenues

Results:

Drove a 100 percent increase in revenues by expanding the

company’s niche, which opened up new opportunities.

When a prospect reads your story, they can visualize how you would impact
their company, resolve their problems, and capitalize on their opportunities.
Consider adding value to your client relationship, even after you have
successfully completed the job. Show the client you appreciate and value
their business. One way I have done this is by sending high value clients gift
baskets as a gesture of my appreciation for the work. If you have just
wrapped up a contract valued in the thousands, why not send a $30, $40, or
$50 gift basket?
This gesture has worked well for me, and I see no reason it won’t work for
you. I have found that sending clients gift baskets increase my earnings by 22
percent. These clients stay with me an average of 3.5 months longer. These
two factors more than offset the expense.
If you decide to try this, don’t be cheap! Just Google corporate gift baskets
and choose a reputable firm. This is a great way to strengthen client
relationships!
 DETERMINE HOW YOU
WANT TO CHARGE

Earlier in the book, I went into detail regarding the factors involved in
determining your hourly rate. However, many jobs on Upwork are fixed price,
not hourly. Be assured, you haven’t wasted your time. You will use the hourly
rate, over which you labored so intensely, as a benchmark to arrive at a fixed
price in your proposal.

For example, in the above job posting, you will see the line immediately below
the job description provides you with valuable information.
 It defines the job as being fixed price,
They require an expert level freelancer,
The client expects to pay $10 for the completed job.

To determine whether to apply for this job, you must ask yourself:

1. Am I an expert and have I identified myself as an expert in my

profile?
2. Does my hourly rate reflect the value an expert would place on
his/her time?
3. How long will it take to complete the job as described?

If your answer to numbers 1 and 2 is yes, then you must estimate the time
you will need to complete the project. Personally, I believe the minimum time
needed to accomplish any job, however small, is 30 minutes. If you determine
this job will take one-half hour to complete, and your rate is $35/hour, you will
need compensation in the amount of $17.50 for the job described. However,
the prospect’s budget is $10, so should you submit a proposal?
Probably not, but let’s dig deeper and look at the prospect’s feedback.

I have selected three fixed price job reviews for similar work that reveal
information key to your decision whether to apply. First, we see that Hannah I.
has been selected on two previous occasions for similar work, and received
five-star reviews. This begs the question; will Hannah I. be invited to this job?
Second, you see that the prospect routinely pays freelancers at a rate below
your expected rate of compensation. At this point, you can decide. I would
not apply to this posting. What would your decision be?
 As you know, you can filter your job search. You can choose one of three
options shown below.

The question of how you want to charge (by the hour or fixed price) needs to
be addressed. If you search for jobs that only pay by the hour, you are leaving
a lot of potential work (and money) on the table and vice versa. To illustrate
this, I created the chart below. Let me be clear—these results were based on
data for a single day. It is a snapshot, not an exhaustive research project.
On that day, almost 36 percent of jobs were fixed price jobs, while 64
percent were hourly rate jobs. If you were only accepting hourly jobs on that
day, you would have left over one-third of all potential jobs on the table.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of fixed price jobs.
Pros

Broadly, fixed price jobs are easier to land.

Because fixed price jobs are more likely to have a rapid turnaround
compared to hourly jobs, freelancers, especially newbies, can quickly
build a Work History, which is important because it is the principal
driver of your JSS.
Fixed price jobs usually pay faster than do hourly rate jobs, with
funds being available as soon as five days after client approval.
Upwork bases hourly jobs on a weekly billing cycle, Monday through
Sunday, and releases payment for the hours worked during the billing
cycle ten days after the billing cycle ends.
Since fixed price jobs are usually completed quickly compared to
hourly jobs, you can complete more jobs, which not only provides
you with enhanced potential to gain experience and learn new skills,
it also increases your activity level on the platform.
Cons

Although funds can be available in as few as 5 days, clients have up

to 14 days to review and approve the release of funds.
While positive reviews can be achieved rapidly through fixed price
jobs, negative reviews can escalate just as quickly. You must never
lose sight of the fact that a negative review risk is associated with
any contract.
Reviews for fixed price work typically exert less of an impact on your
JSS than do long-term, hourly contracts because fixed price
contracts are usually worth less. The larger the value of the contract,
the greater the impact on your JSS. However, all ratings and
comments are visually impactful. The client’s eyes are drawn to 5-
stars and positive comments first, and then to the value of the
contract, if at all.
No matter how careful you are, it is difficult, from a net earnings
standpoint, to win with fixed price contracts. Unless you are very
experienced and have a very clear scope of work, it usually works
out that the hours you spend completing the job do not line up
favorably with your hourly rate. In short, most freelancers
underestimate the time needed to complete the job. This could
result from your miscalculation or the client’s failure to define the
project’s scope—or a combination of these.
High fees are another issue with fixed price jobs since these jobs
rarely exceed the $500 threshold necessary to avoid the 20 percent
fee. Again, let me be clear—the results displayed in the chart below
were based on data for a single day. It is a snapshot, not an
exhaustive research project. On that day, of all available Upwork
fixed price jobs, just under 25 percent had a budget greater than
$500. Please understand, there will be variations in these
percentages from niche to niche, and day to day. The point is that
fixed price jobs valued over $500 are a fraction of the total number
of fixed prices jobs.
On the day represented by the above graph, you would have had a 1
in 4 chance of avoiding Upwork’s 20 percent fee on a fixed price job
(see chart below).
 Repeat hires by the same client are a potential workaround, but do
you want to bank on that possibility?

Most fixed price jobs will fall into the first bucket. If you do several fixed price
jobs with a budget of less than $500 that total $1500, you will pay $300 in
fees. Conversely, if you land one hourly job for $850, and another for $650,
you will pay only $150 in fees—one-half of your fee expense on fixed price
jobs.
Hourly contracts also have pros & cons, which are discussed below.
Pros

Hourly rate contracts are almost always more interesting than fixed
price contracts because their scope is broader, often representing
the entire project, while fixed price jobs are often a small part of a
larger project. For example, an hourly job editing an entire book, vs. a
fixed price editing job for one chapter. I think everyone would agree
that it is easier to avoid burn-out if you involve yourself in interesting,
even challenging work.
You are much more likely to build long-term relationships with hourly
rate clients than fixed price clients. Over a longer term, trust,
perhaps friendship, can blossom between client and freelancer,
which is not a bad outcome in the lonely world of freelancing.
Sustainability is an important goal for any business and a difficult
one to achieve as a freelancer. However, by grooming a loyal
following of hourly rate clients (I call them anchor clients),
sustainability is achievable and relieves you from the stress of
seeking a constant stream of new clients.
Hourly and fixed price contracts both provide you with the
opportunity to upsell additional services, however the longer-term
client relationship, inherent in hourly contracts, gives it the edge.

Cons

Hourly contracts can be more difficult to land, from a time

standpoint. Even if you have an interview with the prospect, it is
 probably one of several the prospect is conducting, making it several
days or longer before the prospect decides.
Fixed price jobs are typically well-defined and leave little doubt
regarding client expectations in terms of deliverables, while hourly
rate jobs are less well-defined. Often, for hourly jobs, it is more
difficult to gain a complete understanding of what the client expects
compared to fixed rate jobs, and what they expect will usually evolve
over the course of the contract. This can be unsettling.

The fact is, as you begin your freelance journey, you will be so hungry that
your instinct will be to eat everything on the table. I can’t tell you what course
to chart, but I can show you how to best reach your destination of
sustainable, interesting, and plentiful work.
 USE THE SKYSCRAPER
TECHNIQUE TO
JUMPSTART YOUR
CREATIVITY

Inspiration can be scarce sometimes. A writer might refer to this situation as

writer’s block, an artist may say they are experiencing creative block, or an
athlete may acknowledge that he has fallen into a slump.
The skyscraper technique is a useful method to kick-start your imagination
and find inspiration by using someone else’s written word as a jumping off
point, make it your own and make it unique to you. It is an effective technique
to use on your competition.
In the examples that follow, I will show you how to use the profiles of your
competitors to gain inspiration for your profile. In this example, I am choosing
the proofreading niche.
Begin the process at the Upwork menu bar. Click on the white triangle to
reveal the drop-down box. Then highlight talent.
After that you will see a screen that looks similar to this:

You will want to choose freelancers in your niche (competitors), so select the
writing category. Once that is selected, click on the green arrow (upper–right)
and select Editing & Proofreading from the drop-down menu.
Begin browsing the profiles until you see something that inspires you.

After browsing 110 profiles in this niche, I found the two examples above that
provide me with inspiration. In the first example, I found inspiration in the
frank approach and the clever reference to Dr. Frankenstein. The second
example offers a play on words that captures my attention.
If I were freelancing in the Editing & Proofreading niche, I would have no
trouble building on these ideas. That’s skyscraping!
To be clear, unlike plagiarism, skyscraping is all about finding inspiration
and using that inspiration to create something uniquely your own. Plagiarism,
on the other hand, is the act of copying another person’s work, word-for-word,
without attribution and without quotation marks. That is not skyscraping!
 AGGREGATED LISTENING
TECHNIQUE

You are, no doubt, acquainted with the old saying, “There’s more than one way
to skin a cat.” Well, the tip I’m sharing with you in this chapter has nothing to
do with cats, but everything to do with another way of finding jobs on Upwork.
The old-fashioned method is to log into Upwork, go to Find Work, create
and/or apply your search and browse the jobs.
All this takes time, and your time is valuable. If you could bypass those
time-consuming steps, would you? If you could receive those Upwork jobs in
your email account instead of checking Find Work multiple times during the
day, would you? Sure you would!
You can accomplish this in two simple steps, 1) sign up for a free RSS feed
reader, and 2) activate your Upwork RSS feed. Personally, I use Blogtrottr. It is
free, and user friendly, however, there are dozens of such applications
available on the Internet, such as NewsFlow, RSSOwl, and Omea Reader to
name a few. Just Google free RSS reader and browse your options.
Upwork offers two options for activating your RSS feed. Once you log in,
click on Find Work in the menu bar.

This brings up My Feed and your first opportunity to select your RSS feed as
shown below. In this example, you click on the 3 dots inside the circle.

This activates the drop-down box from which you select RSS, which is a
widely used feed format. The Atom feed is an RSS alternative, meeting
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards. The only significant
difference between the two is that RSS provides either plain text or escaped
HTML as formats, while Atom can feed in a broader variety of formats. For
this task, RSS is the better choice in my opinion.

Your second option is to select a feed based upon one of the saved searches
you have created. When you select a saved search, you’ll see a small green
icon immediately to the right. Click this to open your saved search.

Then you will see this icon. Click it and select RSS.

Regardless of the icon used, when you click on RSS it brings up this screen of
gobbledygook you see below. Don’t worry about the gobbledygook. Just copy
the URL and paste it into Blogtrottr or whatever RSS reader you have selected.
All that remains for you to do is to create a folder for the feeds sent to your
email. In the example below, the freelancer has created a sub-folder in their
Gmail account for the emails generated by the feed. If you wish, you can
create a filter that automatically directs these emails into the sub-folder.

I call this technique aggregated listening! It will save you gobs of time and
improve the speed at which you learn about jobs that perfectly fit your skill
set, which translates into more jobs for you.
Occasionally Blogtrottr has an issue with long URLs and returns an error
message. If this happens, you can solve the problem by pasting the URL into
Bitly.com or a similar link shortener. Then paste the resulting shortened link
into Blogtrottr. This should resolve the problem.
Now, given all of the above, there is an easier way to get instant alerts not
just from Upwork but from many other top freelancing sites. Go to Vollna.com
and open an account. With Vollna, you simply enter a few pieces of
information of the type of jobs you are looking for, set your alert and Vollna
sends off matches. What’s great about Vollna is you can see important stats
on how many times you are hired vs how many times you applied for jobs.
Knowing this is critical to your success if you have specific goals. For
example, if you know that for every 10 jobs you apply to that you will be hired
for 2 of them, and that your average customer is worth $5000, then you know
that for every 10 jobs you apply to that you will receive $10,000 (2 X $5,000).
Check out Vollna, I use it, and you should too.
 HOW TO CREATE YOUR
UPWORK PROFILE AND
AVOID AMATEURISH
MISTAKES

You have been creating the information for your profile from the moment of
your birth. Everything you’ve learned, every class you’ve taken, every job
you’ve held, every life experience you’ve had—all these, and more—could
impact your Upwork profile. That’s why every freelancer’s profile is unique,
just as each individual is unique.
As you go through life, you will have new experiences, and gain new skills,
which will alter your profile. This is important to remember. Your Upwork
profile isn’t written in stone. You can edit and alter it to reflect fresh
experiences and new skills. Your profile is not a once-and-done proposition. It
requires constant attention because you are constantly changing. Fortunately,
Upwork allows you to edit your profile. Understanding that changes to your
profile are possible should relieve any stress you are feeling about creating
your profile.
Although I can’t create your profile, I can tell you how to create your profile.
Think of your profile as a picture puzzle, a puzzle with nineteen pieces. These
pieces must fit together perfectly to create the overall picture. Each piece has
its role to play, and if you force just one piece of the puzzle into a place where
it doesn’t belong, the picture will be corrupted.
Earlier in this section, you read the chapter Nineteen Elements that Make
Your Upwork Profile Rock. These elements are the pieces of the puzzle that
make up your profile. Let’s look at them again.
 1. Photo
2. Name
3. Location
4. Job Success Score (JSS)
5. Badges
. Total Earnings / Hours Worked
7. Number of Jobs (Completed and In Progress)
. Title
9. Introduction / Bio / Overview
10. Hourly Rate
11. Video (Optional)
12. Availability
13. Employment History
14. Other Experiences
15. Languages
1 . Verifications
17. Education
1 . Testimonials (Employers outside of Upwork) | Certifications and
Awards
19. Skills (Tags)

Creating a basic profile need not be a daunting task. Many of the puzzle
pieces are self-resolving, meaning you have no direct input. These include
Job Success Score, Badges, Total Earnings/Hours Worked, Number of Jobs
(Completed and In Progress), and Verifications.
With these eliminated, only 14 remain. Of these 14, three are
straightforward and require no thought or preparation. They are Name,
Location, and Languages. That leaves only 11 profile puzzle pieces which
require careful thought and thorough preparation, and one of these 11, the
Video, is optional. However, I would definitely recommend that you include a
video because it has a measurable impact on rankings. I’ve already
addressed what you need to know on this subject in Making a Killer Video,
found in the Convert section so jump ahead and use that information to
create your video. That leaves ten remaining puzzle pieces, and the rest of
this chapter will focus on those.
Launching your Upwork profile is a simple task if you do all the prep work
beforehand. For example, you should complete your Title, and Introduction /
Bio / Overview in MS Word or similar software. This will give you complete
flexibility to edit, spellcheck, and perfect the text. Then, when complete, just
copy & paste into your profile.
I’ve already addressed what you need to know regarding these elements
below in the chapter Nineteen Elements that Make Your Upwork Profile Rock. I
understand that toggling back to an earlier chapter can be frustrating as you
work on completing your profile, so I have duplicated my remarks below.
Hopefully, this not only makes it easier for you but also ensures that you
overlook nothing.
Photo
Many elements of your profile are subject to Upwork verification. You are, at
some point, required to take part in a brief video chat with an Upwork
representative, so, if you use someone else’s photo in your profile, you may
very well find yourself excommunicado—not the best beginning for your
freelancing career.
The first thing to catch your eye in any Upwork profile is the photo. It isn’t
by chance your photo occupies a prominent space. Images have impact—a
significantly greater impact than text. So, it is important that you have a high
resolution photo, a good background, adequate lighting, and acceptable
attire.
To paraphrase Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, “If only we
could see ourselves as others see us?” How can you be sure you have a first-
rate photo? Well—there’s an app for that! Photofeeler.com is a free online
application that scores your photo for any of 3 uses:

Business
Social
Dating
For your Upwork profile, you will want to choose business. After you upload
your picture to photofeeler.com, their viewers rate it from one to ten for each
of the following criteria:

Competent
Likable
Influential

The service is free, and you are not limited to just one photo. You can earn
views for your photos by viewing and rating other users’ photos. However, if
you prefer, you can purchase credits for faster test results. The website is
incredibly user friendly, and it has information on how to take your own
professional headshots, so try it!
Title
Your profile’s title must be very clear and succinct. It must convey exactly
what you do. Use power words. Words that pack a wallop! Examples of power
words include amazing, epic, thrilling, misleading, tested, ironclad, and little-
known, to name just a few. Make it interesting so you get the prospect’s
attention and hold it. It should also intrigue, which encourages the prospect
to continue reading. Make the prospect want more! Importantly, the title
should emphasize the prospect’s goals—not yours.
Introduction / Bio / Overview
An overview is very much like an elevator pitch, a synopsis of your work
experience and background. Your overview should contain as much
information as possible in the first sentence or two. When prospects browse
freelancer profiles, this is what they see.
It is very apparent that freelancers have but a small window of opportunity to
grab the prospect’s attention. Therefore, it is critical to have an impressive
title, and an overview that gets quickly to the point. In short, be brief and be
persuasive. I’ll have more on how to do this later in the book.
Hourly Rate
Upwork freelancers are free to choose the hourly rate they wish to charge.
However, it helps to know that from the prospect’s perspective, hourly rates
of less than $20 are entry level rates, rates of $20 to $40 are intermediate
rates, and rates above $40 are expert rates. On this basis, make an honest
assessment of your skill level and set your hourly rate accordingly. It would
only make you look foolish to say you have intermediate skill levels and then
charge an hourly rate that reflects an entry level skill set.
Availability
This setting informs potential prospects of your availability to work. The
primary setting allows you to choose between available & unavailable. If you
choose available, there are 3 sub-settings:

Over 30 hrs/wk
Less than 30 hrs/wk
As needed—open to offers

Note: If you choose the unavailable setting, Upwork does not display your
profile to prospects searching for freelancers.
Employment History
Record your employment history in this section, giving particular emphasis to
those jobs that parallel the type of work you seek. Here is your opportunity to
use keywords you want to rank for. Many freelancers skimp on the
descriptions in this section. Don’t skimp! A well thought out and thorough
employment history will separate you from 90% of the other freelancers on
the platform and the Upwork algorithms will love you for it.
Other Experiences
Take full advantage of the opportunity to share experiences you believe apply
to the services you offer. This may include knowledge that you have gained
through volunteer work or travel.
Education
This is where you will list your educational achievements. It is especially
important when a credible link exists between your educational background
and the services you offer.
Testimonials (Employers outside of Upwork) | Certifications and
Awards
If you’ve yet to land a job (and even you have), the option to solicit
testimonials from former employers outside the Upwork platform is one you
should pursue. An endorsement from former employers adds value to your
profile. Few freelancers take advantage of this. So, if you do, it sets you apart
from the crowd.
By all means, showcase any awards or certifications relating to the
services you provide your prospects.
Skills (Tags)
Freelancers may choose a maximum of ten skills to display on a profile. I
recommend using the maximum number. They are easy to select via a drop-
down box. Having more skills listed will get you invited to more jobs, and
you’ll appear in more results from companies doing searches.
What I’ve shared with you in this chapter will allow you to hit the ground
running as you begin your freelance career. However, it is only a beginning. In
the next chapter, I’ll show you how to build on the foundation you’ve just laid
and take your profile to even greater heights!
 HOW TO BUILD AN
OPTIMIZED PROFILE, GET
NOTICED, AND EARN
WHAT YOU’RE WORTH

In my experience, the success of your Upwork profile depends entirely on a

thorough understanding of the interplay between the elements involved. Your
profile’s success or failure turns on three factors—the skills, experiences, and
expertise you bring to the table, a thorough understanding of what your
prospects need, and, too often overlooked, what Upwork needs. Yes. What
Upwork needs!
As an Upwork freelancer, you need to please not only your clients but also
Upwork. Early in the book you read Understanding the Algorithm. It is no
accident that this is one of the longest chapters of the book. In this chapter
you learned the factors Upwork deems important to the success of its
business model. Since Upwork’s success and yours go arm in arm, I urge you
to re-read this chapter before optimizing your profile.
If you want to know if you are pleasing Upwork, just go to your My Stats
page. This can be found in the drop-down menu under Find Work. Upwork’s
algorithm is rather complex, and I won’t pretend that the My Stats page is all-
encompassing, however, it is the best insight available to you as an Upwork
freelancer. Ignore it at your peril.
In the previous chapter, How to Create Your First Upwork Profile and Avoid
Amateurish Mistakes, I’ve covered the nineteen elements of the Upwork
profile. In this chapter, it is my aim to concentrate on those elements which
can be optimized, taken to a higher level, and improved in order to make your
profile stand out. After all, the purpose of your profile is to attract the
attention of prospects. If you cannot gain their attention, how can you earn?
Below are the elements I have selected as the foremost candidates for
optimization:
Photo
As I’ve said many times, a great profile picture is priority #1, #2, and #3. Kick
it up a few notches! Is it taken with an HD camera? Is the background free of
distractions? Are you dressed your best? Are you well-groomed, smiling,
leaning forward, looking open and friendly? Have you used photofeeler.com
to assist in your selection? Is the lighting acceptable? If your answer to any of
these is no, then optimize your photo.
Job Success Score (JSS)
At this juncture in your freelance career, you are no longer a newbie. What
level of job success is reflected in your score? If you have ten jobs under your
belt and only three clients liked your work, that nets you a JSS of 30 percent.
You know full well that you must have a JSS of 90 percent and above to
compete successfully on Upwork’s platform. You must optimize your JSS!
Review the chapters, All about the Job Success Score (JSS) and Recovering
from a Bad JSS.
Badges
Badges are a function of your JSS. If you haven’t earned one, re-read All
About Badges. You will need to optimize your JSS in order to earn a badge.
Total Earnings / Hours Worked
Having progressed beyond the newbie stage, it is important that you grow
your Total Earnings and Hours Worked stats. Prospects can filter based on
these statistics, so optimizing your profile means growing these numbers.
Until you do so, your profile may never cross their gaze.
Number of Jobs (Completed and In Progress)
This is not a filterable parameter, but it is an important one from a prospect’s
perspective. The more completed jobs your profile reflects, the greater the
prospect’s confidence in hiring you will be (and the happier Upwork will be). If
you have a JSS below 90 percent, optimize your portfolio by increasing
successful job completions.
 In Progress jobs frequently reflect long-term clients. Long term clients are
clients that have worked with you consistently for a period of 3 months or
more. They may be long-term hourly jobs or fixed price jobs with milestones
or a combination of both. Having a 25 percent or higher percentage is a
factor that will boost your JSS. If you are not there, optimize!

Title
Your title is extremely important to your click through rate (views), second
only to your photo, or arguably tied for first. Once again, I direct you to the My
Stats page. If your profile is not being discovered—that’s an issue. If your
profile isn’t discovered, you aren’t getting invitations.

A low discovery number means that you need to optimize! A title needs to
entice the prospect and convince the prospect to take a deeper look. Does
your title describe exactly what you do? For example, does your title read
Article Writer, when it should read Compelling Article Writer for High Traffic
Blog Sites?
Beyond enticing, a title must reveal exactly what you do. It must use words
that pack a wallop (power words), and it should focus on meeting your
prospective clients’ goals, not your goals.
 I’ve spoken often about testing titles. Don’t be bashful about changing up
your title if it isn’t creating the desired results—one change at a time, please.
Since we are not all talented writers, consider hiring a freelance copywriter to
assist you in perfecting your title (and overview). It may prove to be money
well spent!
Introduction / Bio / Overview
A freelancer’s overview shares many characteristics and functions of the
title. They work in concert, so any disconnect will cause a problem. An
overview must be succinct and get to the point immediately. Powerful,
descriptive words are just as important to your overview as they are to your
title.
As you know, prospects browsing your profile see only the first couple of
sentences. You must craft these opening sentences in such a way that the
prospect is inspired to click on the preview and learn more about you.
Testing is important! If your overview falls short of your expectations, make
integral changes. Document the results and, if need be, try something else.
One change at a time! You’ve heard the adage, “You have to spend money to
make money.” There is no shame in getting expert help with your overview
and title. Hire a copywriter—on Upwork’s platform, of course!
If you aren’t getting the results you need, don’t ignore the problem hoping it
will go away. Be proactive—optimize!
Hourly Rate
Hourly rates are rarely an issue with rankings. However, inconsistencies must
be avoided. For example, if your hourly rate is entry level (less than $20/hour)
and you are expecting intermediate or expert jobs—that will not happen.
Optimizing your profile’s hourly rate means ensuring that your skill set,
background, JSS and client reviews support the hourly rate your profile
reflects. If not, change it!
Video (Optional)
Upwork suggests that a video is optional. From my perspective, it isn’t. A
quality video makes your profile stand out. If you don’t already have a video,
create one! I have tested the effects of a video on click-through rates
extensively. A video will increase your click through rate by as much as 31
percent and put our profile in the 90th percentile of profiles on Upwork’s
platform.
If you have a video, but aren’t getting the results you expected (YouTube
shows the number of views) then consider optimizing your video.
Use a better camera, ensure there are no lighting issues such as shadows
or glare, make sure there is no distracting background noise and that your
voice is clear. How’s your background? Are there distractions, such as clutter,
or someone wandering through your camera’s field of vision?
How is your delivery? Do you capture the viewer’s attention in the opening
few seconds? Is your delivery natural, or does it seem overly rehearsed and
formal?
Are you telling a great story that creates an emotional connection with your
prospect? Does your video include a call to action? Have you over-delivered?
If your answer is no, on any of these points, then you need to optimize! I
suggest you begin by re-reading Making a Killer Video.
Employment History
Are you using your employment history to emphasize your skills? How closely
does your employment history match what you offer to do for prospects? Not
so much? Then you need to optimize!
Other Experiences
Have you taken full advantage of the opportunity to showcase life
experiences related to your work? If not—optimize!
Education
Is your focus in this section to highlight how your academic credentials
support the work you do? If your answer is no, then you must optimize.
Testimonials (Employers outside of Upwork) | Certifications and
Awards
This is one area of the profile that freelancers often neglect. Have you
reached out to former employers for a testimonial? Have you added relevant
certifications and awards? If not, why not? If you don’t have any certificates
or awards, are you planning to earn them? Being proactive is key to your
success. Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement. If you are out of
groceries at home, do you just sit and starve? Of course not. So please
explain why you sit on your hands when the work isn’t coming in? Do
something!
Skills (Tags)
Review your skill tags. Do they align with the work you are offering to do for
prospects? Skills are searchable! You are allowed ten, so make sure you use
all ten!
If your skill tags are out of kilter with the work you do, or if you haven’t used
all ten, then optimize!
Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, your profile isn’t a once-and-
done affair. As you change, so must your profile. Without exaggeration, I
update/change my profile at least twice a month.
You can’t really lay claim to an optimized profile until you’ve created a
Specialized Profile. If you’ve been staring at that banner for weeks on end,
wondering if a Specialized Profile is worth the aggravation, if it delivers on its
promise, if it’s going to be a hassle, let me assure you it is worth your time, it
delivers, and it’s easy to do!

You may choose to create a new Specialized Profile or to create one using
your general profile as the basis for your Specialized Profile. Using your
existing general profile, although the easier path, defeats the purpose and
spirit of having a Specialized Profile in my view.
One advantage of using the Specialized Profile is the ability to add multiple
skills, whereas your regular Profile limits you to just ten.
Freelancers can, and should, be creative in completing step #3, Describe
your specialty. Employ what you have learned in Use the Skyscraper Technique
on Your Competition, How to Create Your First Upwork Profile and Avoid
Amateurish Mistakes, and what you have learned in this chapter.
Just as with your general profile, you can return to it, make revisions or
delete it entirely. Upwork has given freelancers a high level of control over
their Specialized Profile. It is an exciting feature—use it—test it; benefit from
it!
Oh, another advantage of having a Specialized Profile that no freelancer
should overlook is that it offers you the ability to create a Portfolio to
showcase your best work.
I’m an Army Veteran, but I have the utmost respect for the unofficial mantra
of the Marine Corps—improvise, adapt, and overcome.
 USING THE PROJECT
CATALOG FEATURE

The Project Catalog is a relatively new offering from Upwork. It represents a

host of benefits for freelancers and a substantial convenience for clients.
Client Benefits
Clients can find exactly what they need without having to endure the
hassle of posting projects and reviewing proposals.
The Project Catalog dramatically shortens the time clients must
invest in getting a project off the ground.

Freelancer Benefits
Fewer hours spent pouring over job descriptions.
Tedious proposal write-ups may be a relic of the past.
Eliminates struggles with pricing considerations.
No more stressful negotiating sessions.
Jobs sourced through the Project Catalog do not use Connects.

Freelancer’s will pay Upwork fees on the same basis as a fixed price project,
20 percent for projects priced at less than $500.
Upwork is investing mightily in marketing this service through press
releases, social media platforms, and other media channels. With this level of
investment, freelancer job opportunities have the potential to soar, so
freelancers should get onboard with the Project Catalog program as soon as
possible. Earnings may skyrocket! I’ll walk you through the basics of setting
up a project.
 From the menu bar, go to Find Work and select Profile from the drop-down
box. Scroll to down until you see Your Project Catalog, then click on Manage
Projects.

That brings up the Create Project page. You will see this blurb just below the
Menu Bar…

I strongly suggest that you browse through several projects posted by other
freelancers to get a feel for this new service before attempting to create your
own project. The screenshot below shows you how to get to these projects
(use your client account to see these).

Having browsed the projects in your niche and, after using the skyscraper
technique for inspiration, you are ready to create your project. Click the
Create Project button.
That brings you to this page, where you click on Create Project.

This brings you to:

Then it’s just a matter of completing each of the seven steps outlined below
the Upwork menu bar. Upwork’s instructions are straightforward and easy to
follow so I won’t take you through each of the seven steps. What I will do is
provide you with some tips on maximizing your exposure.
Images
Once you’ve created your first project, you will undoubtedly decide to create
other projects. With this in mind, it is valuable to use the Project Catalog as
an opportunity to create your brand by using a consistent theme and photo.
As you build a client base, your clients will become familiar with your theme
and photo, placing them in a position to choose you for future products.
Consider using canva.com or unsplash.com to create or find images that best
represent your offer.
Communicate
Your project’s title is of primary importance. It must convey, clearly and
concisely, what the client will get when selecting your service. Upwork’s
project template begins every freelancer’s project title with the following
three words: You will get. This is followed by an example which you must
overwrite in your own words.
 Upwork allows a maximum of 75 characters in the title and you must have
a minimum of 7 words. As I said—concise!
Spying AKA the Skyscraper Technique
It’s important to have a grasp on what your competition is offering. As I
mentioned earlier, browsing other freelancers’ projects is crucial and also
provides the opportunity for you to gather inspiration for your own project.
Build on the ideas of your competitors and make them uniquely yours.
Specificity
The more specific you are the better. The Project Summary allows a maximum
of 1200 characters (120 character minimum), which all but forces you to be
specific. Target a specific industry or other demographic. I like to use the
analogy of spearing a fish as opposed to casting a net. When going
spearfishing you are looking for a very specific type of fish and have the
proper tool to capture it. When casting a net however, you’re not sure what
type of fish you’re going to pull up. Remember, specificity is the key!
 UNDERSTANDING THE
ALGORITHM

My testing reveals 30 factors that can affect the quality of your profile’s
visibility. How I came to these conclusions could be another book in its
entirety, so I’ll leave the details out. I spent years (and still do) testing many
aspects of the algorithm, meticulously logging search results with each
change of my profile. Of course, Upwork shares its algorithm with no one, but
I am convinced that these factors cover 95 to 98 percent of how your profile
appears in search results. The factors listed below determine how your
profile ranks when clients search for freelancers on Upwork.
Profile completeness
Having a 100 percent complete profile is an absolute must. You can verify
that your profile is 100 percent complete by reviewing the My Stats page,
which appears in the drop-down box under the Find Work tab. You cannot
achieve a 100 percent complete rating without a profile photo—it’s so
important that I have an expanded section on creating your profile photo later
in the book!
Availability
Verify your availability by clicking the Profile tab in the Find Work drop-box. In
the upper right-hand corner of your profile you will see a Profile Settings box
highlighted in green. Click on this and choose Public. If your setting is Private,
your profile will not appear in client searches. Next, return to the Profile
screen and scroll down to Availability. Click the pencil icon and select
Available. While you are on this screen, select one of the three options listed,
1) More than 30 hrs/week, 2) Less than 30 hrs/week, and 3) As needed -
Open to offers. Clients can filter on these three options, so let’s look at these
from a client perspective before making a selection.
 You should know the As needed - Open to offers option is a relatively recent
replacement for a previous option, <10 hours/wk. Clients who have been on
the Upwork platform for some time may view this option as having a similar
meaning. Clients looking for freelancers may view the As needed - Open to
offers setting as one used by freelancers just looking for extra income—a
side hustle. Freelancers choosing the Less than 30 hrs/week option could be
perceived as part-timers and not committed to freelancing for their principal
livelihood. By indicating More than 30 hrs/week, you are more apt to be
viewed by clients as a professional freelancer—dependent on freelancing as
your sole source of income. I recommend that you make your choice based
upon the client’s perceptions.
Video
Having or not having a video will not affect your profile completeness
percentage. However, my testing shows that a video produces a greater than
30 percent increase in visibility. Based on this statistic, you need a video.
Keep it short, under 3 minutes, shoot the video in HD with a good camera,
have a good background, and dress professionally. Do not script the video. It
is best to work from bullet points, otherwise the result may be stilted. I will
address this in greater detail later in the book.
Status (badge)
The status badge speaks to your overall performance as a freelancer. If you
have earned a badge, it will appear to the right of your Job Success Score,
and below your name. The 3 most common badges are Rising Talent, Top
Rated, and Top Rated Plus There is a fourth badge, Expert-Vetted, held by the
top 1 percent of Upwork freelancers, and offered by invitation only. It
represents freelancers and agencies pre-screened by Upwork’s Talent
Managers for a high level of expertise and excellent soft skills.
Upwork reserves the Rising Talent badge for new freelancers they consider
being the best new members on their platform. They qualify by completing
their jobs on time and as promised, maintaining a 100 percent complete
profile that accurately showcases their skills, regularly submitting proposals
on jobs that match their skill set, adhering to Upwork’s Terms of Service (TOS)
and remaining active for 90 days, or have joined Upwork in the past thirty
days. When Rising Talent badge-holders earn a work history, the badge will be
replaced with a Job Success Score (JSS).
To qualify for the Top Rated badge, you must have a 100 percent complete
profile, maintain your Rising Talent and/or a JSS of at least 90 percent for 13
of the previous 16 weeks, show a minimum 12-month earnings of $1000,
have an Upwork hire that is at least ninety days old, maintain your Available
status, be in good standing (no account holds), and have a record of activity
on the platform such as proposals, invitations, and/or earnings over the past
90 days.
Earning the Top Rated Plus badge requires that you hold a Top Rated badge,
earned over $10,000 in the past 12-month period, and worked on at least one
large contract in the preceding 12 months. The definition of a large contract
is specific to the contract’s category. Certain categories may have a $5000
minimum value to qualify, while other categories may range as high as
$30,000 to meet the large contract definition.
12-month earnings
This reflects the money you have earned in the previous 12 months. These
are gross earnings before Upwork deducts its fees. These earnings appear in
your My Stats page and should not be confused with lifetime earnings, which
appear in your Profile.
Client recommended
When a contract ends, Upwork asks clients for private feedback as to whether
they would recommend you as a freelancer. Clients rate the freelancer from
one to ten, with ten being the best possible score. This differs from the public
rating, which is expressed by the familiar one to five-star rating that appears
in your profile. Conceivably, a client could give you a 5-star public rating but a
lower rating in his private feedback to Upwork. The statistic that reflects the
overall private feedback of your clients is shown as a percentage on the My
Stats page, just to the right of the statement,” Clients who would recommend
you.” Unless clients share this information with you, you will never know their
private feedback to Upwork.
How much weight private feedback has on the algorithm is not something I
wanted to experiment with, but because it absolutely affects your ability to
rank well in searches, maintaining a high percentage is vital. I recommend
that you work closely with your clients to ensure their total satisfaction
before the contract ends.
Client retention
Keeping a client is accomplished by grooming clients capable of providing
you work for a period of at least 3 months. I am not clear on how much
weight client retention carries with regard to your ranking, but it has an effect.
Upwork wants freelancers who can keep clients. Upwork knows which
projects are long term, it is part of the job creation questionnaire, so Upwork
sees both sides of the equation. Therefore, it is safe to assume that
freelancers with the capacity to keep clients would have a greater likelihood
of being matched with long-term projects. However, I cannot test the weight
this holds on the algorithm because Upwork doesn’t display the long-term
client percentage on the freelancer profile.
My best guess would be that Upwork would want to see about a 20% long-
term client ratio. Hourly contracts, as opposed to fixed price, would be easier
to gauge if you can keep a client for at least 3 months. However, fixed-price
contracts could be quite lengthy (i.e. large website build outs), so it is unclear
how Upwork considers these types of contracts in their long-term client
percentage statistics.
Recent account holds
The My Stats page provides statistics on recent account holds (within the
past 90 days). Account holds are triggered by violating Upwork’s terms of
service. While the most common violation is receiving payment for work
performed outside the Upwork platform, there are other violations capable of
triggering a hold. These include account sharing, questionable identity, failure
to perform on contracts, misrepresenting your business, your skills, your
qualifications, or your services.
Also, contact information sharing, particularly in your profile, which must
not include your phone, email, or other direct contact information, such as a
Skype ID.
Excessive messaging, or spamming prospects with proposal and cover
letter templates unrelated to the specifics of the job and/or the client’s needs,
can earn you an account hold. So can feedback abuse, which comprises
pressuring clients to provide positive feedback by withholding work, or using
other unethical ploys.
Account holds for any of the above reasons are reflected on your My Stats
page and will strip you of your Top Rated, Top Rated Plus, or Rising Talent
badge for 90 days after the resumption of your account. I cannot overstate
the importance of abiding by Upwork’s terms of service, as it is not a simple
process to rectify account holds.
Reply rate
Also found in the My Stats section is reply rate, which is not based upon how
often you reply to invitations, you should always reply, but on how quickly you
reply. Installing the Upwork mobile app and allowing desktop notifications will
enhance your ability to reply. Stay on the right side of this statistic by replying
within 24 hours because this affects your Upwork ranking.
For one month, I reduced my reply rate from 100 percent to 50 percent and
saw a 16 percent decrease in my invitations to interview. That means 16
percent fewer people invited me to jobs. As someone who gets 100+ job
invites per month, that was a significant enough reduction from normal
variations to know that the reply rate has an impact.
Marketing Effectiveness (My Stats Page)
Application frequency
By application frequency, Upwork means how many times you submitted job
proposals in the prior 90 days
Application views
This is an important statistic that sheds light on the quality of your proposal.
It compares your result to peers competing in the same category.
Interview rate
Again, a peer-to-peer comparison of the frequency your proposal results in an
interview.
Hire rate
A peer-to-peer comparison of how often your interview results in your being
hired.
Profile views
This statistic tells you how many times prospects discovered your profile in
the past week and also provides a percentage change from the prior week’s
result. It speaks to the quality of your profile, especially in terms of keywords.
Therefore, you must use keywords to structure your profile in such a way that
it appears in client searches.
Click-through rate
No stats are directly available to you on click-through rates, although the four
previous bullet points offer clues. While views are important, how often
prospects click on your profile is more important. A quality picture and
keyword rich headline are essential elements.
Understanding what prospects see in their search results will help you
develop the best possible profile. Prospects see your picture, your headline,
your JSS, your location, your hourly rate, and the number of hours you have
worked, so clearly, these are the elements on which you must concentrate.
Feedback
So many aspects of your JSS hinge upon positive client feedback that I
cannot stress too strongly its importance. Five star reviews coupled with
glowing comments are crucial to your success as a freelancer. I often refer to
it as the lifeblood of a successful freelancing career. Positive feedback is so
important that I would encourage you to refund your client if you expect an
unfavorable review is forthcoming. Refunded clients cannot submit a review.
Keywords
I touched on this earlier. It is important that you use a few keywords and
keyword phrases throughout your profile, but particularly in your title and in
the first paragraph of text.
Follow Upwork on social media where they publish an annual list of popular
keywords searches used by clients. Use that list to choose keywords relevant
to your line of work to increase your visibility and click-through rates.
Job success score (JSS)
In simple terms, your JSS represents your overall reputation by measuring the
ratio of positive contract outcomes to negative contract outcomes.
Skills (tags)
Although my testing does not reveal that skill tags have a significant impact
on ratings, they represent the services you can perform. Upwork allows a
maximum of ten and I urge you to use all of them.
Categories
While categories do not impact your rankings, prospects use categories as a
component in filtering freelancers for jobs, so make sure that yours reflect
what you do.
Hourly rate
Your hourly rate appears prominently in client searches, appearing just below
your profile photo. Consequently, it plays a significant role. Although your
hourly rate, high or low, has no effect on your ranking, it impacts your click-
through rate, which is a very important metric. Also worth noting, is the fact
that clients can filter their freelancer searches by hourly rate.
Account activity
Upwork and clients want active freelancers. Log into Upwork a minimum of
once every two weeks, and I need to stress—that is a minimum. Clients can
filter by activity, and it is one of my favorite filters when searching for a
freelancer to hire because active freelancers get back to me more quickly.
Freelancer type
Being a freelancer or an agency has no effect on your ranking, but there is a
client filter for this category, so make certain that if you are listed in the
agency category, that you can take on larger clients with very specific needs.
Location
Yes, clients can filter by location, but location does not affect your ranking.
There is no point in using a false location. Upwork has safeguards in place to
catch this unethical activity, so all you will accomplish by trying is being
banned from the Upwork platform. It is common for people outside the U.S.
who could fetch a higher rate by appearing to be in the U.S. to try to falsify
their location. Upwork has seen this trick many times and isn’t fooled, it’s not
worth the risk.
English proficiency level
Although this doesn’t affect your ranking, clients can filter for this.
Experience level
Upwork will ask you to describe your experience level as entry level,
intermediate or expert. Although this is an arbitrary answer, an honest answer
will serve you well. You will only alienate clients by misrepresenting your
abilities. You are setting yourself up for a bad review. Clients can filter for
experience level, and clients have every right to expect candid evaluations.
Hours billed
The algorithm favors freelancers with higher numbers of hours worked, and
they rank higher in search results. Clients can filter for hours worked before
and after they post the job.
Jobs completed
Successfully completed jobs improve your ranking. Increasing your ranking
through completed jobs will take time for those new to the platform. If you
have clients that set multiple milestones, persuade them to set the
milestones up as new jobs instead. You can improve your ranking more
quickly this way. It is better for your profile to reflect three successfully
completed jobs than one successfully completed job with three milestones.
Use this tactic sparingly though, as it is easier on your client to just do
milestones.
Profile visibility
Your profile’s visibility is set to visible by default. You can go to Profile
Settings and choose one of three visibility options, Public, Private, or Upwork
users only. Obviously, you garner the most exposure from the Public setting.
Communication
Timely communications are important, and where these communications
relate to invitations, they can affect your stats. I’ve already explained that
excessive messaging can earn you an account hold, which will cost you any
badge you may be holding.
Stay away from troubles by responding quickly and succinctly to your
client. Upwork is not a social media platform—don’t treat it like one. It is best
to take your cues from the client. By all means, reach out if you have
questions relative to the job at hand, but don’t be a pest! For example, it is
better to group five questions in one message than to send five different
messages with one question each.
 ALL ABOUT BADGES

Badges play a vital role in any successful freelancer’s Upwork career. They
represent a vote of confidence from Upwork’s community of clients, which
you can use to leverage your ability to get work on the platform.
Let me walk you through each of the four Upwork badges.

Upwork reserves the Rising Talent badge for its newest freelancers—those
lacking a full Work History or Job Success Score.
Rising Talent badges are earned/awarded to 1) freelancers having a 100
percent complete profile that exhibits the freelancer’s extensive experience
outside the Upwork platform, 2) evidence of positive performance, such as
high-quality proposals and success in being selected for jobs, and 3) full
compliance with Upwork’s Terms of Service (TOS).
Benefits
The badge is prominently displayed in your profile.
Fees on Featured Jobs are reduced to 10 percent.
Recipients of the Rising Talent badge receive a one time bonus of 30
Connects,
And they have access to a specialized customer support team via
chat and ticket support.

Once the freelancer achieves an adequate Work History, the Rising Talent
badge is automatically replaced by the JSS.
Top Rated badges are earned by freelancers (and agencies) who 1) show their
ability to deliver high-quality work to multiple clients, 2) maintain a JSS of 90
percent or greater, 3) maintain an up-to-date, 100 percent complete profile, 4)
accurately represent their availability for work, 5) have a strong earnings
record, and 6) comply with Upwork’s TOS.
Benefits
A Top Rated badge displayed in your profile to all clients.
Reduced fees (beginning at 10 percent) on Featured Jobs. These
Featured Job clients have paid Upwork an additional fee to have their
post standout from the crowd. Apart from the Featured Job banner
and reduced fees for freelancers, these jobs are no different from
any other job posted on Upwork.
The privilege of making occasional requests to remove client
feedback.
Automatic enrollment to the Jobs Digest email, which matches your
skills to open jobs on the Upwork platform and notifies you to apply.
Upwork waives the 5-day security hold for Top Rated freelancers and
agencies so you are paid five days earlier than freelancers and
agencies not holding the Top Rated badge.
Eligible for Premium customer support by phone or chat.
Upwork’s Talent Specialists working on behalf of clients, may single
you out for job invitations based upon your skills. This is a free
service that increases your visibility to clients, You need not enroll,
as the service kicks in upon receipt of your Top Rated badge. Jobs
secured by invitation are Connect free!
You have the option to opt out of this program.

To earn the Top Rated Plus badge freelancers (and agencies) must have a
successful track record with long-term and/or large contracts. These
freelancers (and agencies) receive repeated positive feedback on all their
contracts, including high-value contracts. These freelancers represent
Upwork’s top three percent.
Top Rate Plus badges are earned by freelancers (and agencies) that 1) have
$10,000 ($20,000 for agencies) in total earnings over the previous 12 months
while maintaining their Top Rated status, and 2) have worked on at least one
large contract (ten percent of all contracts for agencies) in the prior 12
months with no negative outcomes.
Note: Individual freelancers can only qualify for Top Rated Plus by being a
Non-Exclusive Agency Contractor.
Benefits

Prominent display of the Top Rated Plus badge in the freelancer’s

profile.
Reduced fees for featured jobs (starting with a ten percent
reduction).
Able to request feedback removal.
Invitations assisted by Upwork’s Talent Specialists.
Automatic enrollment in the Jobs Digest program.
Waiver of the 5-day security hold for hourly contracts.
Premium customer support.

Expert-Vetted is a badge reserved for Upwork’s top one percent. Only

freelancers in Web, Mobile and Software Development; Design and Creative;
and Sales and Marketing are eligible for this badge. These freelancers (and
agencies) have been tested by Upwork’s technical Talent Managers for their
expertise and soft skills to ensure they are of the highest quality,
professional, and have excellent communication skills. Freelancers do not
start this process—it is by invitation only!
Benefits
The Expert-Vetted badge on a freelancer’s profile establishes them
as the best-of-the-best.
Expert-Vetted badge holders enjoy all the privileges of Top Rated
Plus badge holders.
Upwork says additional benefits are on the way! I’ll keep you posted.
 ALL ABOUT THE JOB
SUCCESS SCORE (JSS)

If you take away nothing else from this section/chapter, take away this: Be
obsessed with your Job Success Score. I say this because so much hinges on
your JSS. Your badges for one. You cannot receive a Top Rated, Top Rated
Plus, or Expert-Vetted badge with a JSS of less than 90 percent. Badges are
important, which makes your JSS equally important. While newcomers to the
Upwork platform may be awarded the Rising Talent badge, the moment that
their Work History becomes sufficient, Upwork replaces the Rising Talent
badge with your JSS, whether the JSS is good or bad.
This begs the question, how is my Job Success Score calculated, what are
the components, and what level of control do I have over my JSS?
In the simplest of explanations, Upwork determines your JSS by subtracting
your negative outcomes (feedback), N in the equation, from your positive
(successful) outcomes, P in the equation, and dividing the result by total
outcomes (P-N÷Total = JSS). Upwork calculates JSS scores in rolling
windows of 6, 12, and 24 month intervals, and the highest of these scores
becomes your JSS. You may encounter differing reports from unscrupulous
pretenders, but I assure you that Upwork uses the highest score, not the
lowest, and not an average. I have verified this with Upwork’s management.
Unfortunately, the overall JSS is more complex than this simple formula
implies. Feedback is just one element of the JSS, which also includes long-
term relationships, inactive contracts, and private feedback. You’ll be happy
to know that as of November 2020, Upwork discontinued its practice of
counting contracts that end with no feedback as negative outcomes in the
JSS calculation.
At least three additional factors impact the JSS. They are:
Inactive contracts
You should carefully monitor hourly and fixed price jobs listed as In Progress
in your profile’s Work History. If they languish for too long with no activity,
they have the potential to lower your JSS. If you have dormant jobs In
Progress, it’s a good idea to reach out to those clients and request they end
the contract and provide feedback.

Long-term relationships
Upwork’s JSS calculations smile favorably on long-term relationships. These
relationships may take the form of active In Progress jobs and also repeat
business from previous clients over a long time period. To be more specific,
the percentage of clients that continue to give you work for at least three
months.
Private Feedback
Most freelancers are keenly aware of the impact public feedback has on their
JSS, however, few are aware of the significant impact private feedback has on
their score. Private feedback is requested of every client when a contract
ends.
Upwork assures clients that this feedback will never be shared, and it never
is. Clients are asked to rate freelancers on a scale of one to ten, with ten
being the best possible rating. This feedback is, by design, different from the
public 5-star feedback with which we are all familiar. I say, by design, because
Upwork understands many clients promise a 5-star rating in their job post,
while other clients are simply reluctant to post a negative review. The private
feedback Upwork receives from clients allows them to form a realistic picture
of freelancer performance.
Don’t worry too much about difficult clients that have left negative
feedback, public or private. Upwork’s algorithm detects patterns of
unreasonable client behavior and feedback from these clients will not count
against you.
 One final factor that impacts a freelancer’s JSS is the frequency of hires.
The Marketing effectiveness section of the My Stats page will provide clues
on this subject. In the example below, you see this freelancer has only applied
to 12 jobs in the past 90 days. This is not a high level of activity, averaging
about one proposal per week. The algorithm likes activity.
You were viewed stats speak to the effectiveness of the freelancer’s profile,
specifically regarding keywords and the impact of the title and first paragraph
of the overview.
You were interviewed results address the quality of the freelancer’s
proposal.
You were hired data suggests the freelancer interviews well and makes a
persuasive pitch.
Your profile was discovered tells the freelancer how often their profile
received clicks during the week.

Use these statistics as a guide to improve relative aspects of your profile.

Activity, clicks, interviews, and hires all impact the algorithm and by
extension, your JSS. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
 RECOVERING FROM A BAD
JSS

When your JSS tumbles, it seems like a career-ending catastrophe. The good
news—it isn’t! Recovering from a JSS that has plummeted, however, requires
some serious effort.
The first step is to determine the cause. If you don’t understand why your
JSS took a hit, it will happen again. I’ve listed the eight most common causes
below.
Negative Public Feedback on a significant percentage of small jobs.
Think of small (low value) contracts as battles and a positive JSS (90 percent
+) as the war. This helps put the impact of Public Feedback for low-value
contracts in perspective. You can lose a few battles and still win the war, but
lose too many battles and you lose the war. Always keep the basic formula
for the JSS top of mind—subtract negative outcomes (feedback) from
positive (successful) outcomes and divide the result by total outcomes. Just
to remind you, this is the formula where P equals the number of positive
outcomes and N equals the number of negative outcomes (P-N÷Total = JSS).
How to recover?
Remember the formula! It is basically a percentage, which you can improve by
landing and completing jobs that end with positive feedback. In other words,
increase the value of P in the above equation.
Negative Public Feedback on a large contract (high value job).
How to recover?
In this scenario, you can achieve a recovery in much the same way as
outlined above, increasing the value of P. This isn’t easy, because high-value
contracts carry more weight than low-value contracts and you will need many
small jobs with positive feedback to overcome a single incidence of negative
Public Feedback. Alternatively, land high-value jobs, do outstanding work,
don’t over-promise and under-deliver, and earn 5-star Public Feedback.
Upwork provides the freelancer with the ability to allow clients to change
their feedback. To get to this screen, click My Jobs in the menu bar, then
select Contracts from the drop-down menu. Then scroll to the job that you
want to offer the client the opportunity to change feedback and click on the
job title. At the top of the screen you will see this ribbon.

Selecting FEEDBACK will bring you to the screen below, and then just click
on Enable client to change feedback.

Try communicating with the client. If the poor rating was undeserved, make
the case, and encourage the client to improve your rating.
If you are unsuccessful in getting the client to change your rating, then you
must make your case by responding to the client’s rating. While this will not
improve your score, it may increase your ability to land future jobs. Be factual
and respectful.
Negative Private Feedback.
How to recover?
Whether you have received negative Private Feedback is largely unknowable—
it’s private! There is a clue, however, and we addressed that earlier in the
chapter on Understanding the Algorithm. If you will recall, this clue appears on
the My Stats page (see below). If you see a significant drop in the percentage
of Clients who would recommend you, then chances are you have been the
victim of negative Private Feedback.
Even if you are reasonably certain which one of your clients gave you
negative Private Feedback and convinced them to change it, Upwork’s policies
make no provision for the client to do so.
Top Rated and Top Rated Plus freelancers may exercise their occasional
right to remove feedback. However, this only applies to Public Feedback.
Private Feedback cannot be removed, therefore your JSS may not change, and
may even fall further if you delete positive Public Feedback in a futile attempt
to delete Private Feedback. Only you can weigh the risk vs. benefit of taking
this action.
Dormant (inactive) jobs in your Work History.
How to Recover?
If you follow Upwork’s forum, this subject has been hotly debated. The
consensus, however, is that inactive jobs pose no threat to your JSS unless
there has been zero monetary activity. As long as money has changed hands
between client and freelancer, further inactivity does not count against your
JSS, so make certain that happens!
Past positive feedback drops from the calculation because the
moving window has placed them outside the scoring formula’s
time-frame.
How to recover?
The preferred method for avoiding the perils of the moving window is to
maintain a consistent record of high-quality work that earns 5-star Public
Feedback. As I’ve explained, Upwork calculates JSS scores in rolling windows
of 6, 12, and 24 month intervals, and the highest of these scores becomes
your JSS.
So if, for example, the initial 6 months of your Upwork career was
outstanding, and earned you a positive JSS, but over the following 6 months
you turned in a lackluster performance. This diminishes your JSS in the 12-
month window because you have increased the denominator in the equation
(P-N÷Total = JSS). As time passes, and the initial 6-month window falls out of
the JSS calculation, your JSS will decline, all else being equal. It’s worth
repeating. A consistent record of high-quality work that earns 5-star Public
Feedback is key to a positive JSS.
Poor Marketing Effectiveness
Marketing effectiveness has three components, 1) views, 2) interviews, and 3)
hires.

How to recover?
Extended periods of inactivity can hurt your JSS. As I’ve said before, the
Upwork algorithm loves activity. The real problem rests with invitations. If
you’re going to be away from the platform for any reason, vacation, hospital
stay, whatever—set your profile to Not Available. By doing this, you protect
your JSS from being dinged for slow response times to invitations.
Loss of Long-term Relationships
Long-term relationships are calculated on a percentage basis. This
percentage is found on the My Stats page under Client satisfaction, which
shows where you stand in terms of long-term contracts. It is generally
accepted that 25 percent and above improves your JSS. Conversely, if you
lose enough long-term relationships to cause your percentage to dip below
twenty-five, the impact on your JSS will be negative.

How to recover?
Your best option for developing long-term relationships is found through
hourly jobs, which provide increased opportunities for long-term interaction
with your clients.
Hiring frequency drops dramatically
Accepting and/or winning fewer jobs can negatively impact your JSS. Upwork
uses only accepted contracts as the basis for determining your JSS.
How to recover?
It is important to understand that when you have fewer jobs, negative
feedback will have a greater effect on your score. For example, one incidence
of negative feedback out of five will carry more weight than 2 instances out
of twenty.
Clearly, the best course of action is to apply for more jobs, draft winning
proposals, and accept more contracts. I will expand on drafting winning
proposals later, in the chapter titled How to Create High Converting Proposals
that Will Wow Your Prospects.
 TOP 12 THINGS YOU
SHOULD NEVER DO ON
UPWORK

All businesses have policies, and Upwork is no exception. Upwork designs its
policies to protect the business and its clients. Respect, follow, and
understand these policies. Online businesses refer to these policies as Terms
of Service (TOS).
Upwork’s TOS, like all others, is a dull read, but I recommend you do so
anyway. I’ll be covering some of the most common violations in this chapter,
but please don’t assume it is comprehensive. What follows is best described
as a list of dos and don’ts.
Do not violate any of Upwork’s policies! Once your account is banned, it is
nearly impossible to get it reinstated. These are the most common violations:

1. Do not provide contact information in your profile or proposal. You

may not share contact information until a contract is agreed upon
and accepted by both the prospect and freelancer. Contact
information includes email addresses, Skype IDs, phone numbers, or
any other direct contact information.
2. Do not agree to any payment arrangements with a prospect outside
of the Upwork platform. Clients and freelancers pay fees to Upwork.
This provides an incentive for clients and freelancers to arrange for
payment outside of Upwork’s platform. It’s not worth getting caught!
3. Do not impersonate anyone else. Do not use someone else’s photo
for your profile. Do not falsify your location. It’s not worth it.
 4. Do not allow anyone else to use your Upwork account. For example,
your friend’s account has been placed on hold for a TOS violation
and the friend asks your permission to use your account. The answer
must always be NO!
5. Do not engage in spam or harassment. You must treat everyone on
Upwork with the utmost respect and courtesy. I have used many
platforms that provide leads to freelancers and Upwork stands out
as the platform where freelancers are responsive, honest,
professional, and courteous. Aggressive statements, insults, and
repeated follow up attempts to prospects who don’t respond is not a
business practice you want to engage in.
. Do not bribe clients for positive feedback. Great feedback is earned,
not extorted. While it is perfectly alright to make sure that clients
understand the importance of positive feedback (public and private)
to the success of any freelancer, never cross the line by saying or
offering something that may be construed as coercion or bribery.
7. Do not fail to perform on your contract with your client. Much like
writing a check is a promise to pay, accepting a contract is the
equivalent of a promise to complete the job to the best of your
ability.
. Do not misrepresent or exaggerate your qualifications, services, or
skills. To do so will only bring grief to you and to your client. Grief to
you in the form of a negative Public and/or Private Feedback, and
grief to your client resulting from your poor work product. It is even
possible that a payment dispute will arise.

One through eight above are TOS violations. TOS violations can trigger a
minimum 90-day account hold, which, incidentally, strips you of any badge
you may have earned. To quote Upwork, “Account holds lead to account
interruptions, and consequences could include the inability to continue
working on Upwork and the loss of your hard-earned reputation.”
Items nine through twelve below are not TOS violations but they are things
you should not do if you want a successful freelancing experience on
Upwork.
1. Do not ignore job invitations. Even when the job invitation comes at
a bad time, does not align with your skills, or just does not suit
you...respond! This is not only the polite way to handle an invitation,
but failing to respond can give prospects a negative impression.
Remember, prospects can see your response time, and you don’t
want them to see that it is greater than 24 hours. Be courteous—
respond, even if you are declining the offer. It takes only seconds to
decline.
2. Do not let your profile become stale. Rotate keywords regularly and
test the effects of any changes you make in what should be an
ongoing effort to improve your profile. Make only one change at a
time. Leave the change in place for at least one month and watch
the My Stats page for any changes, positive or negative,
concentrating on the Marketing effectiveness section of My Stats.
3. Do not accept jobs unless you research the client. Remember, every
contract represents a risk for negative Public or Private Feedback.
Review Avoid Catastrophe: Researching Your Prospect Is the First
Crucial Step in the Convert section of this book.
4. Do not make it a chore for prospects to respond to your proposals.
Instead, try to start a dialogue by asking easy to respond to pertinent
questions.
SECTION 3
CONVERT
 AVOID CATASTROPHE:
RESEARCHING YOUR
PROSPECT IS THE FIRST
CRUCIAL STEP

As freelancers, we often feel that we’re under the microscope—Private

Feedback, Public Feedback, Job Success Scores—it can be quite stressful.
Clients receive a Public Feedback score too, but as freelancers, we need to
understand that these are not always meaningful because many freelancers
are fearful of giving a client a bad score. Why bite the hand that feeds you?
This chapter will not only help you mitigate the risk of negative Public and
Private Feedback, but also prevent you from wasting Connects. After all, one
negative review can crash your JSS and Connects, for the most part, aren’t
free.
You should conduct your research on the prospect before you submit a
proposal. Although it is possible to withdraw the proposal, you have spent
your Connects and Upwork will not refund them just because you changed
your mind.
Your approach to researching a prospect must be methodical. Don’t worry,
after you develop a system, it becomes almost second nature and, once you
know what to look for, it only takes a couple of minutes. It is important to
accomplish your research quickly because you want to be among the first to
submit your proposal. While prospects don’t necessarily receive proposals in
the order submitted (“best result” matches may rise to the top), the
prospect’s screen still shows just ten proposals per page, so if you are
number 35, it is unlikely that the prospect will make it to your proposal.
Therefore, prospect research begins with a strategically designed job filter.
Configuring the Filter
Begin by selecting the Category that best aligns with your chosen niche. Click
on Select Categories to reveal the list and make your choice(s). The filter
allows you to check multiple boxes. Then choose the Experience Level or
levels you wish to include in your search. The number in parentheses
represents the number of jobs available in each selection. This is followed by
Job Type where you can choose hourly, fixed price, or both.

I will not insult your intelligence by walking you through every available filter.
Instead, let’s focus on filters that have the potential to eliminate undesirable
jobs. The first on the list is the Number of Proposals filter shown below.
Logically, if a job post has already received 20 or more proposals. The chance
of a prospect seeing your proposal is not good! I would recommend checking
only the first two or three boxes.
Second, is Client Info. This filter tells you at a glance if any of your previous
clients have posted a job. Upwork also provides this information through the
Notifications page. If you have had a positive experience with your former
client and the job fits your skill set, it’s a good idea to reach out. This helps
you build relationships. If My Previous Clients is at zero, then you must
consider checking Payment Verified. While prospects with a Payment Verified
status may give you that warm, fuzzy feeling, consider that you might
eliminate some worthy clients whose only sin is not having taken the time to
set up their payment method.

Third is Client History. This filter gives you the option to explore the jobs
offered by prospects with no experience, intermediate experience, or
substantial experience. Personally, I do not believe there are right or wrong
choices in this category. Prospects with no hires may need hand-holding,
whereas prospects with 10+ hires are likely well-versed on the platform.
Last is Client Location. Freelancers have varying comfort levels. Some may
prefer to work with prospects in their own country. Others may prefer to work
with native English speaking prospects. The Client Location category can be
of help to such freelancers. There is no right or wrong selection—personal
preference should be your guide.

These handy filters help with preliminary prospect research, but they only
take the process so far. When you select a job that interests you and click on
the posting, the opportunity for additional research begins.
What stands out in the posting below?

1. It is unusual to see so few proposals on a 4-day-old job posting.

2. An almost 5-star review—no surprise there!
3. The average hourly rate is rather low.
Digging deeper, we see that the prospect has:

1. Already hired 2 freelancers (fulfilling his stated quota.)

2. Sent 15 invitations of which 10 have gone unanswered.

Looking through the Client’s recent history, I see several red flags. The first, a
2.4-star review. Second, the absence of feedback from the client.
Below are several more from the Client’s recent history where no feedback
was given on either side.

Let’s summarize what we have learned from our research.

No one is beating down the door to work for this prospect. The job
posting is 4 days old and we see only 10 to 15 proposals. This
prospect has sent out 15 invitations and received only 5 responses.
Although, to be fair, the prospect acknowledges they are looking for
the cheapest rate, the prospect’s average hourly rate is quite low.
Two freelancers have been hired for this job, meeting the prospect’s
stated requirement. If you submit a proposal in these circumstances,
you may be wasting your Connects.
The prospect received a 2.4-star review, which is very unsettling.
Freelancers are usually reluctant to offer negative feedback to
clients.
 The prospect doesn’t leave feedback for their freelancers, and while
this doesn’t hurt your JSS, it does not help it either.
The prospect’s history shows no instances of repeat hires, which
may suggest that the prospect is very hard to please, or it may
suggest that freelancers have no interest in working for this
prospect again.

Contrast that with the Client review history below. This prospect takes the
time to enter a review and comment on the freelancer’s performance. Unlike
the former prospect, their history shows repeat hiring, which speaks to the
sincerity of the review. You will frequently see prospects that say “will
definitely hire again!” but the Client review history doesn’t reflect any
occurrences of rehiring past freelancers.

You need to understand that these interpretations and conclusions are

subjective, however, you must read between the lines to avoid exposing
yourself to difficult clients that burn up Connects and do nothing to advance
your JSS.
 HOW TO CREATE HIGH
CONVERTING PROPOSALS
THAT WILL WOW YOUR
PROSPECTS

Let’s begin by defining what a proposal is so that we are all on the same
page. A proposal is the initial query into a job opportunity. For our purposes,
proposal and bid carry the same meaning and are interchangeable terms.
Prospects are busier, have more choices, and higher expectations than ever
before. Couple these facts with an exploding number of freelancers and you
will understand why a powerful, standout, succinct proposal is so important.
Submitting a proposal begins with the click of the Submit a Proposal button
in the upper right-hand corner of the job posting (top arrow). To the right of
the bottom arrow is the button that activates Upwork’s Save Job feature.
While the Save Job feature can be useful for some, for others, it becomes a
crutch for the procrastinator that lurks within us all. Too often, saved jobs
aren’t viewed again until they are well past their expiry date! Use this feature
sparingly.
If you are using my aggregated listening technique and have set up your
RSS feed, you will learn that you have no practical use for the Save Job
feature.
I’ve made it clear throughout the book that I have done years of testing to
determine what works best on Upwork’s platform and proposals are no
exception. Testing has shown that proposals of over 100 words convert at a
24.3 percent rate, while proposals with less than 100 words convert at a rate
of 27 percent. In other words, keeping your proposal under 100 words
increases your response rate by 11.1 percent—that’s huge! In a separate test,
I found that including a video link in the proposal raised my response rate
from 25.9 percent to 31 percent, which is an increase of almost 20 percent.
When you consistently combine these two key elements in your proposals, it
could mean thousands more dollars in revenue through increased client
acquisition—that’s really huge!
Before you submit your proposal, ask yourself if it accomplishes the
following objectives:

Does it make me stand out?

Have I shown the prospect who I am and that I am a good fit?
Did I show the prospect that my skill set and/or experiences are
relevant to the job?
Have I motivated the prospect to respond?

Components of a Great Proposal

1. Always create customized text that is specifically tailored to the
prospect’s project. Cookie-cutter language and cut & paste
proposals are unacceptable to most prospects and your proposal
will be dismissed out-of-hand. You must reference the prospect’s
project and show that you understand what they need done. This
gives your proposal credibility with the prospect.
Your proposal will get a 3.8 percent better response rate (I know
because I’ve tested this) if you reference the prospect by name. I know—
rarely does a job posting include the name of the client. However, I’ll
share this trick that will reveal the prospect’s name in most instances.
The greater the amount the prospect has spent on Upwork, the more
likely it is that you will learn their name. Here is an example from a job
posting. Note that the client has spent $5,000+ on hiring freelancers for
previous Upwork projects.

Scrolling through the prospect’s reviews, you can quickly find an

example of a freelancer that has referred to the client by name.

I like to find a second example, just to erase any doubt about the
accuracy of the name, and as you see below, another freelancer has
confirmed the prospect’s name to be Roger.

2. Tell the prospect who you are and refer to past jobs and former
clients that you have helped in similar circumstances. This instills
trust in the prospect.
3. Appeal to the prospect’s needs and pain points. Pain points are
specific problems that your prospect is experiencing. Pain points are
problems, plain and simple. Let the prospect know that you have the
experience required to solve these problems, and you enjoy doing
 the type of work needed to resolve them. This shows the prospect
that you have done it before and can do it again, which also builds
trust.
4. Create a custom video. Use Loom.com or similar services to create a
short video to include in your proposal via hyperlink. Do you want a
leg-up on your competition? As I’ve mentioned before, I am not only
an Upwork freelancer; I am also an employer, and I can tell you from
personal experience that 98 percent of the proposals I receive do not
include a video. Remember, a custom video boosts your response
rate by 20 percent!
5. Keep your proposal short, on point, and polite. Convey confidence—
not arrogance.

I want to share these helpful tools—tools that will enhance your proposal
response time, increase prospect response rates, and improve your overall
productivity. They are:
Auto Text Expander
Auto Text Expander is a free Google Chrome Extension. Just type Free Auto
Text Expander for Google Chrome into your browser and click on it. That
brings up the screen you see below. Then click on the Add to Chrome button.

That brings you to this screen, where you can program your shortcuts. Adding
a shortcut is easy. Click on Add (top arrow) and insert the shortcut (bottom
arrow) followed by the text that you want to insert whenever you type the
shortcut. Each time you add a shortcut, remember to click on Refresh and
Save. This activates the shortcuts you have entered. I urge you to test your
shortcuts. If you see that you’ve made an error, trash it, and start over.
Loom.com
This free resource, Loom.com, will make creating custom videos for your
proposal almost effortless. When you open Loom.com, you will see the
following screen. The website is very user friendly, so there is no need to walk
you through the details.

Sample High Converting Proposal Letter

I created the following sample for you to use as an inspirational guide. Make
it your own, using the skyscraper technique you learned earlier in the book.
Hi [Insert Prospect’s Name],
Improve your response rate 4 percent by using the prospect’s name. Use
the trick I showed you earlier!
Interesting job post. Too often, I just see “need help” in these posts, so
the detail you provided was great.
Give the prospect a compliment—flattery will get you everywhere!
I’m a CMO and have built and sold 4 of my own companies. I have
experience managing teams of experts with multi-million dollar budgets
as well as creating marketing strategies for startups bringing their
product/service to market.
Tell the prospect who you are. Talk about your skills and experiences,
making certain that they align with the prospect’s needs.
I made this video for you: loom.com/sofhasodfi9823lidfoas8dfasd
This is the personal touch that has the added benefit of increasing your
response rate by nearly 20 percent!
Do you need an entrepreneurial-minded marketing leader?
Ask an easy-to-answer leading question that addresses the prospect’s
pain point and also encourages a response from the prospect.
Let’s schedule a quick discovery call. Please provide two dates and
times that work for you this week.
This is a call to action intended to elicit a response from the prospect and
works in concert with your leading question, but you aren’t asking the
prospect to do this, you’re telling him to do this.
-Mike
P.S. Be sure to check out my profile. One of my 5-star reviews is from
[Insert Name], where I completed a job very similar to yours.
 Referring to your review encourages the prospect to look at your profile.
This is especially important if you are applying for the job rather than
responding to an invitation. Obviously, if you received an invitation, the
prospect has looked at your profile. In terms of being read, email studies
show postscripts are second only to subject lines.
Final Thoughts
If you stick to the guidelines I have outlined above, your proposal won’t take a
long time to create, but these few minutes will land you more jobs and more
money. The principal objective of your proposal is to snag the interview, not
to get hired on the spot. If you focus on getting hired, your proposal gets
bogged down in details and the prospect may lose interest. After all, having
interviewed, you may decide that you don’t want the job!
 HOW TO GET A FLOOD OF
INVITES AND SCORE MORE
CLIENTS

What is an Upwork Invitation? It is like being pre-selected to apply for a credit

card. The card issuer has looked at your credit report, noted your credit score,
your debt ratio, and other important factors, and concluded that you would be
an excellent candidate for their credit card, so they invite you to apply. When
you receive an Upwork invitation to interview, it means the prospect has
clicked on your profile, noted your JSS, your Public Feedback, and other key
factors, and concluded that you would be a fit candidate for the job.
You are notified of this invitation by email, and through the Notifications
tab in Upwork.

Click on the bell and look for the rocket icon, which is associated with job
invites and other critical notifications.

Personally, I receive three to four invites per day. My testing shows that
getting an invitation means you are 3 times more likely to win the job. Sadly,
my research also shows that 82 percent of invitations go unanswered. This is
unacceptable! Not only is it discourteous, but it also impacts the response
time stats in the Communication section of your My Stats page.
While your failure to respond to invitations within 24 hours, or at all, is not
considered by the Upwork algorithm, it is reflected in your profile (see below)
and may deter prospects from extending future invitations. You don’t want
this! After all, when you apply to a job via invitation, it doesn’t cost you any
Connects! Freelancers that apply to invitations within one hour are practically
a shoo-in for the job. If you aren’t interested in the job, an invitation still
deserves a polite decline within 24 hours. You may not be aware of this, but
clients are only allowed a maximum of three free invitations per job posting,
after which they must pay a fee.

So, how do you generate more invitations? I’ve identified six key factors:

1. Maintain a 100 percent complete profile.

2. Ensure that your portfolio displays the most current examples of
your work. Outdated portfolio items are off-putting and suggest to
the prospect that perhaps your best days are behind you.
3. Continuously experiment with your title and make sure it is
compelling (clickable). Be attentive to the keywords you use in your
 title, making certain your keywords correspond to the work you do.
Use them frequently in your introduction and always reference your
highest and best work.
4. Maintain a JSS of at least 90 percent, or, if you are a new freelancer,
work on getting Rising Star status.
5. Quality writing converts! Editing your own writing is a challenge, so
consider hiring a freelance copywriter on Upwork to review your title
and introduction. Use the following link to access recommended
copywriters that can make your Upwork profile read flawlessly:
https://freelancermasterclass.com/upworkmasterybook/
. Test—Test!!—and Test again!!! Rotate keywords in your title and in
your introduction. For example, Great Designer with 10 Years’
Experience could be changed to Great WordPress Website Designer
with 10 Years’ Experience. Experiment with a variety of profile photos
using Photofeeler.com, and don’t be afraid to experiment with your
title.

Review your My Stats page frequently. The My Stats page reflects your results
on the characteristics Upwork has defined as being crucial to your success.
As these stats improve, so will the frequency of your invitations!
 HOW TO SAVE YOUR BEST
CLIENTS USING THE PML
TECHNIQUE

Early in the book, we talked about the ups and downs freelancers will
experience in their income. We also discussed the necessity of adding a ten
percent cushion in our hourly rate to compensate for these inevitable
difficulties.
This is no revelation, but we often lose sight of the fact that our clients’
businesses also have ups and downs. Sometimes clients want to keep
working with us, but because of a money crunch, they don’t have the cash
flow to keep freelancers on. In a money crunch, freelancers will get cut before
full-time staff. That is why I developed my PML technique. This technique
allows both parties to keep working. PML is an acronym for Pay Me Later.
Don’t worry, I am not suggesting you work for free. However, I am asking
you to put some faith in your client, much like they put faith in you when they
hired you. In order to use the PML technique effectively, your client should
meet the following criteria:

A long and consistent history of working together. The length could

be 3 months or 3 years, whatever you feel is comfortable to gauge
what a solid working relationship would be.
A history of consistent and timely payments.
A business model you believe has a future.
A staff you believe can grow the business.
A genuine feeling that the business has upside in the near future.
Reserve this technique for long-term clients, clients who value your work,
have shown their loyalty, and have paid you repeatedly, on time, without fail.
The benefits of the PML technique are:

The client continues to receive the services needed.

The freelancer remains on the job.
It makes an already strong working relationship even stronger.

This is difficult to implement on Upwork’s platform, but you can accomplish it

on fixed price jobs through milestones. For example, if the total fixed price for
the job is $1500, establish milestones with nominal payments ($25.00 for
example) and create a final milestone that is essentially a balloon payment
for the bulk of your work. This will keep your client’s costs at a minimum.
Work this out with your client based on mutually agreed terms.
If the job is hourly, ask your client to transition it to fixed price.
This is not a tool that you should use lightly. There is a risk of loss which
you must weigh against the potential benefit. However, I have found it to be
an effective technique and a wonderful client saver when used properly.
 MAKING A KILLER VIDEO

The three most important reasons for including a video in your profile are: 1)
a video will make your profile stand out, 2) a video helps you create an
emotional connection with prospects, 3) a video will get you more responses.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Only a fraction of
freelance profiles includes a video, so a video automatically makes you stand
out from the crowd. A video gives prospects the opportunity to connect with
you, and to learn how your skill set can help resolve their problems.
This chapter will speak to the production elements that should be
considered in creating your video, how to convey a persuasive message
through your video that will deliver results, and a few technical tips that will
enhance the impact of your video. First, the production elements.
Camera
Don’t delay posting your video because you feel you don’t have the right
equipment. Do you have a smartphone? If you have a video capable
smartphone, then you can create your profile video. Obviously, use the best
camera available to you and if that’s a smartphone—use it!
Lighting
Lighting can make or break your video. Avoid shadows and sitting in front of
windows. Ring lights are inexpensive and produce excellent results. If you
wear glasses, be aware of reflected glare. If you can manage without your
glasses, do so.
Sound
Choose a quiet spot to record your video. Traffic noises, dogs barking,
children playing, are distractions you should avoid. Your viewers must be able
to focus on you and hear your message clearly.
 Frankly, most laptop microphones do not deliver the performance needed
for a great video. If it is within your budget constraints, I strongly recommend
that you purchase a well-reviewed external microphone. A quality microphone
is an excellent investment, one that will pay for itself many times over
throughout your freelance career. You will use it for video calls, etc.
Background
You will need a suitable background, one that does not distract the viewer
from your message, so avoid a cluttered background. If you can’t get a
background you’re happy with, consider a software program that will remove
your background and replace it with whatever you want. Xsplit Vcam is one
that I have used in the past, and it works very well. Xsplit Vcam will remove
your background and replace it with any image you want as your background.
 CONVEYING THE RIGHT
MESSAGE

I’ve broken this down into four steps.

Grab the viewer’s attention in the first few seconds of your video.
We know this as the hook! Include something in the first few seconds of your
video that commands the viewer’s attention, piques their interest, or their
curiosity. This is going to vary based on your niche. For example, a
proofreader may begin by saying, “Do you know why it is so difficult to find
errors in your own writing?” Opening with a question is a common tactic for
hooks.
Create an emotional connection.
Remember what I said in the chapter titled, How to Command a Premium
Price While Getting More and Better Clients—people don’t buy a service; they
buy a story. A story creates an emotional connection with the viewer. Give the
viewer an experience, a story in which they can see themselves and that tells
them who you are. I’m not suggesting that you weave a story that tugs at their
heartstrings. Instead, I want you to simply and effectively convey what drives
you to do what you do, and how you came to be in your field of expertise.
People want a mirror, so give it to them.
Motivate the viewer to take action.
You want prospects to not only watch your video but also be compelled to
take action. The emotional connection does a lot of this work, but you need
to take it a step further. You’ve told them why they should hire you, now ask
them to hire you.
Over-deliver.
Your video is a visual introduction, and you want yours to be powerful. You
are making a first impression with your video, and, as the adage goes, you
don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. Take the time you
need to do it well. In short, over-deliver!
Tips

Dress professionally, not necessarily a suit and tie, but, for the guys,
at the very least a collared shirt, and for the gals, a neat button-down
shirt or blouse with or without a blazer.
Make certain you are well-groomed.
During the first few seconds of your video, definitely be smiling. It is
important to convey a friendly and open demeanor throughout your
video, so well-timed, occasional smiles as your video unfolds are
also a good idea.
I suggest avoiding a script. You want your video to be as natural as
possible. Instead, using bullet points to remind you of the key points
you wish to make, will keep you on target.
Keep your video short—two to three minutes at most. Otherwise you
risk losing the prospect’s interest.
A video thumbnail is the still image that people browsing your profile
see before they view it. When you upload your video to YouTube, you
can choose a thumbnail from the three options that
YouTube generates automatically. Be sure the option you select is
the most flattering one available.
Alternatively, you can create a thumbnail using Canva.com. Canva
offers some high-quality free (and paid) templates that you can use
to create a custom thumbnail for your profile video, or you can
contract an Upwork freelancer to do it for you.
Don’t create an overly produced video with special effects and don’t
use an animated explainer video that doesn’t show your face.
If you cannot afford Xsplit Vcam to replace your video’s background,
free options exist. YouTube offers tutorials on the subject. Just
search for how to remove a video background.
If you follow this advice, you will have a killer video that gets you noticed and
lands you more jobs. As with other aspects of your profile, don’t be afraid to
experiment. Change the thumbnail, or make another video. Keep track of your
results and don’t make more than one change at a time! Making more than
one change at a time will skew your data. For example, if you notice an uptick
in job invites one week after changing your headline and your video, how can
you know which change caused the uptick in invites?
SECTION 4
KEEP
 HOW TO GET GREAT
REVIEWS AND CRUSH
YOUR COMPETITION

Great reviews begin with exceptional work. There are no shortcuts—sorry. You
will not get a five-star review unless you’ve given a five-star performance.
Sadly, freelancers must also face the fact that a five-star performance does
not guarantee a five-star review—or any review at all!
Before we go any further, let’s look at the six performance categories that
make up a client’s Public Feedback. After all, if you don’t know what you’re
going to be graded on, it’s hard to prepare for the test! As you see below the
client rates freelancers on 1) skills, 2) quality, 3) availability, 4) deadlines, 5)
communications, and 6) cooperation. It is important for you to recognize that
work quality represents only one-sixth of the overall score.

Arguably, all six of these categories are subjective, except for deadlines. You
must train your client throughout the course of the contract by reminding
them of how important their review is to you. Tell them from day one that you
are working for that great review. Every conversation with your client
represents an opportunity. For example, when submitting a milestone, ask the
client if they are satisfied with the quality of your work, and use the occasion
to remind the client of how much importance you attach to a positive review.
Show your skills at every opportunity and, within reason, make sure you are
available to address the client’s questions, and concerns. Respond quickly to
the client and cooperate with your client to the fullest extent possible.
Deadlines are critical, so inform your client of the reasons behind any delay
you may encounter in meeting that deadline.
Clients that do not leave feedback are problematic. The absence of
feedback does not hurt your JSS, but it doesn’t advance it either. Upwork has
acknowledged the importance of client feedback and automatically reminds
clients seven days after they end a contract to submit a review. Upwork sends
these reminders via email and also via notifications on the client’s screen
when they log in. Although helpful, it is no substitute for being proactive in
your approach to clients.
Remember what you learned in the chapter titled Avoid Catastrophe:
Researching Your Prospect Is the First Crucial Step. Information in this
chapter can help you identify prospects that are unlikely to provide Public
Feedback.
I want you to tear out this page and hang it on your wall! This 6-point
checklist sets the stage for each client to give you that great review.

1. Always be honest and straightforward. Never exaggerate your skills.

Set realistic expectations, be clear on pricing, deadlines, and, if
applicable, revisions.
2. Keep your client informed. In any relationship, communication is
crucial. Keep clients updated on the status of their projects, quickly
alert them to any issues that arise, and respond to their questions as
quickly as you can. Use these opportunities to seek feedback, ensure
you are on the same page as your client, and remind the client of
your goal to provide five-star service. Use these hiccups as
opportunities to train your client.
 3. Under-promise and over-deliver. It is always, always better to
exceed your client’s expectations than to disappoint your client with
work that does not conform to what you have promised your client.
Always look for opportunities to over-perform. In short, try to delight
your client rather than simply satisfy your client.
4. Take a comprehensive approach. Show the client that you are
committed to the success of the project. Offer meaningful
suggestions that advance the client’s goals.
5. Guarantee your work. By this, I mean making it clear to your
prospect or client that you are committed to delivering five-star
work. And, if that requires you to make revisions or re-work some
aspects of the job, you will do so. I like to say, “I’m not happy until
you’re happy.”
. Never argue with a client. There are no winners in this scenario.
Rather than arguing, try to see things from their perspective. While it
is acceptable to explain your thinking and rationale, don’t press your
views to the point the client perceives you as argumentative. Instead,
ask for direction so you can match their expectations.

When a client ends a contract, always take the time to email or message the
client, thank them for the job, express your interest in working for them again,
and remind them of how important leaving a review is to your success as a
freelancer.
Let me share a tip with you that is best suited to high-value contracts. It
has been my secret for a very long time.
When creating your proposal, offer a discount for giving a review, don’t ask
for a five-star review, that would violate Upwork’s TOS. In the proposal, give
the prospect two options, the first is your full rate, and the second, a
discounted rate for leaving a review within one week of completion.
This approach provides two important benefits. First, the prospect almost
always selects the discounted option, which all but guarantees they will leave
a review. Second, by offering option A and option B, you have deterred the
prospect from further negotiation. For example, you don’t ask your child what
they want for breakfast. You ask your child if they want oatmeal or pancakes.
Asking them an open-ended question will take you into the lunch hour!
 When the contract ends, send the client an email similar to the one below.
Thanks again for hiring me. I enjoyed working with you and would love to work
with you in the future. As you know, we made an agreement while creating the
scope of this project to leave an Upwork review within one week. Please leave
your Upwork review as soon as possible. If you felt I did a great job for you, I
look forward to reading your positive review.
I’ve enjoyed phenomenal success with this approach, and I’m happy to share
this tip with you.
A closing thought. If you feel you did less than great on a contract (it
happens), then give the client the benefit of the discount and tell him not to
bother with a review.
 PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC
FEEDBACK: HOW TO
SEPARATE FACT FROM
FICTION

I’m sure that, by now, you are clear on the fact that you can improve your JSS
based upon positive public and private feedback from one or more clients,
and your JSS may also decline because of poor public or private feedback.
You also understand that feedback, public and private, carries more weight
with the Upwork algorithm when it pertains to a high-value job as opposed to
a low-value job.
Since public and private feedback are two factors impacting your overall
JSS, it is a topic worth looking at again. Even though we have previously
touched on this subject, the subject is sufficiently important to be worthy of a
second look.
In 2015, John J. Horton (Leonard N. Stern School of Business—New York
University) and Joseph M. Golden (University of Michigan and Elance/oDesk)
published a research document titled Reputation Inflation in an Online
Marketplace. You can download the paper from the Internet as a PDF. It is a
technically difficult but fascinating read.
But first, a brief history. A few years ago, two of the largest freelance
platforms were oDesk and Elance. Late in the first half of 2014, these
companies announced they would merge into a single company under the
oDesk banner. About one year later, they announced a relaunch under the
name Upwork, with a new platform of the same name. Upwork promised to
combine the best of oDesk and Elance plus innovations. One of those
innovations was an enhanced algorithm to improve the site’s ability to match
freelancers and clients. Private and public feedback play significant roles in
this algorithm, which is why I am including this chapter.
I offer you a summary of the researchers’ conclusions below, but you can
download it for free and read it yourself.
Summary
The researchers saw that average public feedback scores given to
freelancers had strongly increased over time, and no marketplace changes or
improvements in performance could adequately explain the change.
Researchers offered two theories to explain this, “(1) it costs more to give
bad feedback than good feedback when feedback is public because buyers
fear retaliation and (2) this cost is increasing in the market’s average [public]
feedback score. Together, (1) & (2) push the market towards an equilibrium
where feedback is always positive, regardless of performance. To address
this problem, the marketplace allowed and encouraged buyers to additionally
give private feedback. This private feedback was more candid and more
predictive of future worker performance. The marketplace experimentally
revealed aggregate private feedback scores which influenced employers’
hiring decisions.”
Reputation Inflation in an Online Marketplace explains the reasons Upwork
includes private feedback for clients and freelancers alike. It also explains
why feedback, both public and private, play significant roles in your JSS.
 HOW TO COMMAND A
PREMIUM PRICE WHILE
GETTING MORE AND
BETTER CLIENTS

I thought about calling this chapter Sell Me This Pen, a reference to the iconic
movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, which is based upon the life of Jordan Belfort.
However, Belfort was an unsavory character, a criminal actually, so I decided
against it. However, there are lessons to be learned from even the worst of
people.
Sell Me This Pen Teaches Freelancers Important Lessons
People buy because of emotion and then try to justify it with logic.
Here’s a real-life example. A potential customer had emailed me with dozens
of questions regarding my Upwork Mastery Class. One week later, his order
had not materialized. So, I emailed him to see what happened. “Oh!” he
responded, “I’m broke. I just spent $700 on a new iPhone.” He tried to justify
his purchase with logic, suggesting that his new iPhone would allow him to
respond quickly to clients and communicate more effectively.
Of course, his logic is highly flawed. Rather than spending a few bucks for
a course that would enable him to earn thousands, he spends his last $700
on a new phone and has no clients! Go figure.
People don’t buy into a product or service; they are buying their way out of
something.
Successful travel agents, for example, don’t sell destinations based on clear
blue seas, sunny skies, and pristine white sand beaches. They sell escapes—
escape from stress, escape from the daily grind, etc.
People don’t buy a service; they buy a story.
Your years of experience, your stellar academic credentials, and your
monotonous list of skills will not be long remembered by a prospect.
However, if you convert your value into a compelling story that explains why
you do what you do, they will never forget you.
It’s All about Perception
You must create a perception of value; the value of the work you create. If you
want to earn higher fees, then focus on providing and communicating your
value to prospects and clients. Communicating is the key word!
Experiment!
I’ve told you, throughout this book, about the value I place on testing and
experimentation. Here’s what happened when I experimented with my hourly
rate.
I started my freelance career charging $85/hour. Then, overnight, I changed
it up to $150/hour, and today my rate is $350/hour. This experimentation
produced the following results:

I landed more clients.

These clients were superior in quality.
My clients were less inclined to micro-manage my work.
I logged more billable hours.

It turns out that my higher hourly rate instilled confidence in the prospect, and
increased their level of trust in my abilities. Your fees are rarely the
determining factor for landing a job. Instead, the determining factor is that
you create value, and a perception of value, that aligns with your hourly rate.
Focus on providing and communicating more value. That is key!

How Do I Command a Premium Price?

Begin by listing a minimum of twenty benefits that your clients receive
because they chose you as their freelancer. By doing this exercise, you learn
that the value you provide your clients is worth substantially more than what
you are charging (even if you raise your rate), and it changes your entire
outlook on freelancing. Importantly, it also informs you on what you need to
measure so that you can better communicate your value to prospects. For
example, if you are a writer specializing in website copywriting, you can
measure the increase in conversions on your client’s website.
Make sure that you have defined your niche. Refresh your memory by
reviewing Pick a Niche, in the Attract section of this book. A niche turns you
into a specialist and attracts prospects that are looking for solutions to
specific problems. The more closely your niche aligns with a prospect’s
needs, the greater your perceived value becomes to that prospect. So, don’t
be a blog writer, be a blog writer specializing in pet related content, not a
marketing expert, but a marketing expert for SaaS enterprises, or, rather than
being a graphic designer, be a graphic designer specializing in product
packaging.
Finally, sell benefits, not features. This is key. Your focus should be less on
what you do, and much more on how the benefit of what you do impacts the
prospect. For example, a virtual assistant explains they can check your
emails and respond to customer enquiries.
What the virtual assistant should say is that I can save you hours of your
time every week. After all, prospects usually have only two objectives: 1)
make a butt load of cash, and 2) save time so that they can make even more
cash.
Earlier, I asked you to list a minimum of twenty benefits your clients receive
from your work, now I am asking you to memorize that list. Why? If you
memorize the benefits, the less likely it is that you will focus on features in
your communications with prospects.
HOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS
WITH CLIENTS

Avoiding problems with clients begins with avoiding problem clients, as

outlined in the chapter, Avoid Catastrophe: Researching Your Prospect Is the
First Crucial Step. That said, freelancers can take additional steps to avoid
problems with clients. Here are six proactive steps you can take.

1. Be wary of job postings that lack a detailed description of the work

expected of you. Equally troubling are ambiguous job postings—
postings, for example, that cause you to wonder if the prospect is
looking for an editor or a ghostwriter.
2. These types of job postings should raise a red flag. You will probably
end up wasting a lot of time and money when you accept such jobs.
Always insist that such prospects clarify their expectations before
you agree to a contract.
3. I deplore job postings that contain the phrase, easy work. If it’s easy,
why doesn’t the prospect just do it? More to the point, these
individuals place little or no value on what you do.
4. The same goes for prospects who suggest that the proposed job
should only take a short time, is a few minutes’ work, or can be
completed in less than an hour. If that were true, why would a
prospect spend any time at all placing a job post, when they could
simply use that time to do the job?
5. Clients that try to micromanage your work can stress and frustrate
you. Too often, this discourages you from delivering your best work,
because the client has taken away your ability to explore other,
possibly superior, solutions. Set limits for your client from day one. If
 you get in the habit of responding to emails or messages at
midnight, you are toast.
. Clients that can’t or won’t communicate with you are obstacles to
your success. Too often this problem isn’t discovered until the work
has begun. Look for hints in the clients’ past reviews from other
freelancers.
7. Avoid prospects who clearly express a preference for the cheapest
option. As a freelancer, you should be proud of the service you
provide and the benefits you extend to your clients. Prospects who
seek the cheapest option do not value your, nor do they value their
business.
. Clients that are slow to release funds after a job is completed can be
very annoying, especially if you have been rushed to complete the
job. There isn’t much you can do about clients like this except to
refuse their work going forward.
 WHAT TO DO WHEN THE
FIT HITS THE SHAN

Eventually, you’re going to encounter a client that makes your life a living hell.
It isn’t a question of if it’s going to happen, but when—and this chapter of the
book will help you navigate the experience.
I firmly believe that prevention is the best cure, which is why Avoid
Catastrophe: Researching Your Prospect Is the First Crucial Step is such an
important chapter. However, nothing is foolproof and, no matter how carefully
you vet a prospect, a difficult client will eventually slip past you and the fit is
going to hit the shan.
Difficult clients broadcast warning signs:

The client becomes unresponsive. This can slow your progress on a

job and slowed progress can give rise to additional problems you
wouldn’t otherwise need to address, such as deadlines.
They are clingy. If a client is reaching out to you constantly for no
valid reason, don’t make the mistake of responding too quickly. This
will encourage only more unwanted contact.
The client has high expectations for your availability. This has ties to
the clingy client. Just because you have a contract with a client, you
have no obligation to be available to that client 24/7. It is always a
good idea to let clients know your windows of availability.
Scope Creep! This is when a client asks you to perform work above
and beyond what they have agreed upon in the contract. And yes, it
happens frequently.
They ask you for free work. This is a huge warning sign! It suggests
they do not value your work, or they hate to spend money.
 The client frequently questions your rate or your billable hours. Not
only is this irritating, it wastes valuable time. Questions regarding
your rate—refer the client to the contract. Questionings regarding the
validity of hours billed are an insult to your integrity. It is very difficult
to be productive in an atmosphere of mistrust. This may be a point
at which you consider ending the relationship. Always consult your
contract and review the termination clause before you act.
Clients, especially those who do not understand what you do, often
have unrealistic expectations regarding turnaround times (TAT). You
need to communicate your concerns to the client immediately.
Worse than not understanding what you do, is the client who does
not know what he/she wants. This may mean they aren’t reviewing
your work, or they only know what they need as an end result.
Clients who complain about other freelancers will complain about
you too. This negative energy will only diminish your positive energy.
Vague answers or an unwillingness to answer your questions are
problematic. This often means that the client doesn’t want to risk
giving a wrong answer, preferring to allow you to take the blame if
something goes awry.
Exercise caution with a client that questions almost every line of a
contract. Sure, one or two items may warrant discussion, but beyond
that is being unreasonable. Other clients may want you to sign their
contract. This is not a good idea.
Sometimes a client just gives off a bad vibe. In my experience, it is
always a good idea to follow your gut instincts.
Nitpicking clients will suck the life right out of you.
Clients that micromanage will cost you your sanity.
Paying late, or worse yet, not paying at all, is all the justification you
need to part ways with a client.
Clients that refuse to pay a portion of your fee upfront represent 80
percent of the clients on my Bad Client List. Need I say more?

Interventions that May Resolve Problems

 Reaffirm expectations. Do so early and with whatever frequency the
circumstances demand. In severe cases, create additional, lower
value milestones. By doing this, if you must end the contract, at least
you’ve cut your losses.
Non-payment is an extreme case. So, when it gets hairy, demand
payment, or consider stopping work altogether.
In certain instances, you need to decide to cut your losses. While
ending a contract prior to its completion may seem unprofessional, it
may be the best course of action because the client is such a
headache.
Maybe it’s my military background, but I always write up an After
Action Review (AAR) when I end a job with a client that went badly. It
is important to document the events that led to this.

How to Get Rid of Hard to Deal with Clients

1. In a worst-case scenario, you may unilaterally end the contract. This
will trigger the client to request a refund if the contract is fixed price.
I encourage you to follow up with a message to the client explaining
your reason for ending the contract. This will also become a record
for future reference.
2. Maintain your integrity. If you receive a harsh email response to the
termination, avoid that knee-jerk reaction to respond in kind. Always
remember that tone can sometimes be difficult to assess in written
communications, so,
3. Always be polite and professional. For example, when you receive an
email that upsets or angers you, wait a few hours before responding.
Let your temper cool, formulate your response, and then reply. It is
amazing the clarity you can achieve when you are not trying to peer
through an angry red haze.
4. Written records are invaluable. Maintain everything in writing, even
phone conversations via a transcript.
5. Keep any further engagement with the former client to a minimum
and always stick to facts. Do not make the mistake of becoming
 emotional. Just the facts!

Personality Types
I thought I’d share some personality traits often associated with problem
clients. I stumbled onto these at https://www.practiceignition.com.

Party-member Patrick: He can’t make a single decision without

consulting with someone back in his office.
Know-it-all Nancy: She knows your business better than you do and
she’ll tell you everything you’re doing wrong at the top of her lungs
until you wonder why she’s bothering to hire you in the first place.
It’s a simple job Jason: Declaring that everything is simple and easy
and you won’t have any trouble, while asking for a million
customized details and complex systems.
Emergency Edith: Everything needs to be done yesterday. Edith has
no concept of the fact you have other clients and expects you to
bend the space-time continuum to meet her impossible deadlines.
Bitching about the bill, Bill: Bill scrutinizes every detail of your
invoice and tries to eke out as much free work as possible.
Terrible Terry: Terry screams down the phone at your staff members
and berates you in public over seemingly minor issues about your
work. You sleep with one eye open.

Over the course of my freelance career, I’ve dealt with all of these personality
types. Perhaps you have too. If not, I can almost guarantee that you will. Just
make sure you see the early warning signs.
 HOW TO KEEP CLIENTS
AND PROSPECTS HAPPY
WITH THE “I NOTICED”
APPROACH

Samuel Goldwyn, the G in MGM, once said, “When someone does something
well, applaud! You will make two people happy.” Samuel Goldwyn was on to
something! Jorge Moll and his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health
conducted a study in 2006 which found that giving [a compliment] activates
regions of the brain associated with social connection, trust and pleasure.
The recipient of a sincere compliment (client or prospect) also feels happy—
happy to be noticed! As a freelancer, you know all too well that compliments
are hard to come by. Think about it for a moment. As children, we frequently
received praise from our parents, but as adults, praise is a comparatively
scarce commodity. This is the reason the I Noticed approach is so effective.
Imagine the effect a little flattery can have on a prospect (most are adults)
that probably haven’t heard a kind word in days. Believe me—it’s powerful! I’ve
touched on this before in the chapter, How to Create High Converting
Proposals that Will Wow Your Prospects, but it’s important, so I’m going to
expand on the subject.
Complimenting a prospect can be helpful or unhelpful, depending on your
approach. If you can find nothing to praise in the prospect’s proposal, you
certainly shouldn’t invent an insincere or over-the-top compliment! That will
only call your credibility into question. Instead, take the time to do a little
research on the prospect and find something that you can flatter—their
website, their LinkedIn profile, their freelancer reviews, or something else
positive you may learn about the prospect in a Google search.
 It is equally important to compliment your client. Compliments are not only
a factor in landing a job, they are a factor in retaining clients and developing
long-term relationships, which are extremely important in terms of your
earning potential, not to mention your JSS.
Here are five tips to keep you on point in the flattery department:

1. Only compliment professional effort. Avoid praising inconsequential

or irrelevant information you may learn about a prospect or client.
For example, it’s fine to compliment a recent award they received,
but it is inappropriate to compliment the tie they wore in their photo.
2. Ask for advice, but not on the subject matter for which you were
hired, because that would show incompetence. While not strictly a
compliment, asking for advice shows that you respect them and
value their opinion, which suggests that you have professional
ambitions. For example, you might say, “I’m impressed with the
charts and graphs you’ve used in your project. May I ask where you
learned this skill?”
3. Always keep your compliments sincere and professional. Avoid
overused phrases like “Good job!” or “Nice work!” These can come
across as insincere simply because they are overused, nor do they
feel tailored to the situation. Use words such as exceptional, terrific,
tremendous, or fantastic instead of great. Replace nice with kind,
delightful, lovely, or charming, for example.
4. You should never offer compliments at another’s expense. Putting
someone else down to lift-up your prospect or your client is always a
bad idea. This can foster mistrust, which is the exact opposite of
what you want to accomplish. For example, you shouldn’t say, “My
last client was clueless regarding what needed to be done, but you
have outlined the project beautifully!” What if your last client turned
out to be this client’s business partner!
5. Don’t go overboard! There is a fine line between giving a sincere,
well-deserved, well-timed compliment and sounding ridiculous. Use
professional verbiage, be brief, and to the point. For example, rather
than saying, “Wow, that’s a cool idea! Sure is going to save us lots of
 time.” you should say, “That is an impressive idea, and it will
definitely enhance our efficiency.”

Your key takeaway in this chapter is that landing the interview, and being
awarded the contract are only stepping stones to your eventual goal, which is
only achieved through your ability to develop a mutually rewarding, long-term
relationship with your client.
Look, it’s like this. You ask a girl out, she says yes. Then you find that you
really like her. Later, you fall in love and your goal is to marry. After you’re
married do you stop complimenting her? Do you quit surprising her with small
gifts? Will you never again bring her flowers? Of course not! I’m no marriage
counselor, but I’m reasonably certain that continuing to do what makes her
happy is the best course of action.
This isn’t so different from a client relationship, which is also hard won, and
once won, you must continue to nurture it or you will lose it.
 THE ART OF DEVELOPING
STRONG, PROFITABLE, AND
LASTING CLIENT
RELATIONSHIPS

Landing a client is an expensive proposition. Even though Upwork shoulders

marketing expenses, freelancers spend much of their own time and energy in
prospecting for jobs, enhancing their profiles, and brainstorming
improvements in their proposals. I’ve emphasized the importance of
prospecting frequently throughout the book, even encouraging you to work
only 4 to 6 hours per day so that you will have time to prospect. Let’s be frank,
time is money!
Did you know that it is nineteen times harder to land a new client than it is
to keep an existing client? Let that sink in for a minute!
Not surprisingly, there are several reasons you need to care about existing
customers:

Better conversion rates. Existing clients are already sold on you and
your services.
Less marketing effort and expense because they already know your
value.
Higher profitability because they will pay what you are worth.
No learning curve. You’re already familiar with the client and/or
business.
Enhanced opportunities to cross sell and/or up sell your services.
This is a good time to examine the reasons you might lose a customer.
According to SuperOffice.com, 1 percent are lost because of death, 3 percent
leave the market, 5 percent choose a friend to provide the service, 9 percent
are won over by a competitor, 14 percent are dissatisfied with your service,
and 68 percent believe you don’t care about them.

Source: https://www.superoffice.com/blog/customer-retention-tips-with-crm-software

Having read this book, you should not be losing 14 percent of your clients
because they are dissatisfied with your service! If you are losing clients for
this reason, you have a fundamental problem with the quality of your service
and/or communications. If you have followed my advice and maintained after
action reviews (AAR) as suggested in What to Do When the Fit Hits the Shan,
you won’t have this problem.
This begs the question, “How do I, as a freelancer, show my clients that I
care?”

1. Avoid becoming dependent on the client’s help to get the job done.
Sure, clients want to help, but that help is limited to providing you
with information, needed passwords, and access. I call this
managing up, which means getting everything you need to do the job
up front from your client. They do not want to help you do the work.
That’s why they hired you in the first place!
 2. Inspect what you expect! Measure everything you can. There is no
more convincing way to show clients that you have made a positive
impact than by giving them cold, hard facts. Being able to show your
value to a client is key to keeping that client. For example, if you’re a
writer writing a blog post for an ecommerce client. Take baseline
stats to note the conversions of previous blog posts on their website
to the product page. Then note your stats. If your conversion rates
are higher, that means higher revenue for the client which enhances
your value and increases your chance of not only getting more work,
but being able to charge more.
3. Make your schedule transparent to your clients. Nothing POs a client
more than your unscheduled absence.
4. Always under promise and over deliver. Words to live by!
5. Meet/communicate regularly with your client.
. Ask your client how (stats, video, images, etc.) and how often they
would like to be updated. What’s reasonable will vary from job to job.
The important take-away is that you need to set expectations
regarding frequency and establish in advance the day and time this
should take place.
7. Make your clients aware of all your skill sets. If your clients are
aware of your capabilities, you may not need to up sell or cross sell
them, they will up buy and cross buy with you. More importantly, your
clients won’t be looking for other freelancers to do what they know
you are perfectly capable of doing.
. Maybe a gift? It’s a great way to kick-off a large project, and I almost
always gift a client for referrals. It need not be an expensive gift—
something as simple as a $10 Starbucks gift card.
9. Be overly nice, not only polite, but really, really nice—even if it is a
one-way street. This includes owning your mistakes. Don’t blame the
client, your subordinate, or make lame excuses. Owning your
mistakes (and we all make them) will earn your clients’ respect.

Following all or most of these suggestions will all but guarantee you a
fantastic client retention rate.
 HOW TO HAVE GREAT
CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS
WITHOUT SACRIFICING
YOUR SANITY

I’m going to begin this chapter by addressing a pet peeve I have with
Upwork’s messaging system. A simple settings change will dramatically
reduce the number of messages you send and, if you share this tip with your
clients, it will cut the number of messages/email notifications you receive—by
half or more!
Do you see the gear icon in the message box? Click on it!

This will open the dialogue box you see below.

The first arrow points to the default setting. With this setting, each time you
press enter/return, you send a message. If you’re composing a message
containing four or five sentences, your client will receive four or five email
notifications. How annoying is that?
With a click on the radio button to the left of the second arrow, you
eliminate this annoying feature, while, at the same time, eliminating the flurry
of email notifications your client receives.
Choosing this setting means you must use the send icon (right arrow) to
forward your message (see below). Clicking on the phone icon (left arrow),
allows you to begin a Zoom, Upwork, or phone call.

You can also access this and other settings by clicking the gear icon that
appears above your message list.

Don’t forget—share this tip with your clients! You deserve your sanity as well.
Another feature, that can save you some embarrassment, is activated by a
click on the gear icon in a previously sent message. When clicked, a drop-
down box gives you the option to delete the message. This can be a lifesaver!
 Upwork provides all the communication tools you need. Never use Skype or
WhatsApp. First, it violates Upwork’s TOS to engage in off-platform
communications with prospects before the hire. Second, external
communication tools such as these are productivity killers. Two of the very
worst are Slack and text messaging.
Slack is a major productivity killer, and it destroys your ability to maintain
focus. Clients expect an immediate response, which makes the use of Slack a
major distraction. Slack is not designed for task management, although many
companies try to use it for that purpose. Slack is more like a giant chatroom,
offering little direction and lots of distraction. You will be bombarded with
notifications and possibly earn your client’s ill will by not following up as fast
as your client expects. Slack will crush your soul with an avalanche of
notifications. If a client wants you to use Slack, politely but firmly decline.
Inform your client that the only communication you use outside the Upwork
platform is email.
Text messaging has similar drawbacks. Clients expect immediate
responses and lose all respect for your hours and your time. Like Slack, you
can’t flag action items for follow-up and you certainly can’t remember the
details of all the texts you receive. Again, politely inform your client that
email is the only acceptable off-platform means of communication.
SECTION 5
CLOSE
4 UPWORK MEGA EARNERS
SHARE THEIR STORIES AND
REVEAL THEIR SUCCESS
TIPS

I asked four Upwork mega earners to share their top Upwork tips. It is
common knowledge that if you want to be successful, you need to learn from
and be around successful people. Well, here is your chance to learn from the
top earners on Upwork.
Name: Courtney Allen
Upwork Profile: https://www.upwork.com/fl/courtneyallen
Lifetime Earnings: $1M+
Hourly Rate: $125.00
Specialty: Presentations - PowerPoint Wizard
Website: www.16X9design.com
Lovingly bestowed the title of PowerPoint Wizard from past clients, I’ve been
a presentation specialist full-time for eight years. That’s a fancy way of
saying I beautify slide decks for a living. In 2016 I hopped into freelance work
full time. Through Upwork I’ve gotten incredible opportunities to work with
Microsoft as an Art Director to oversee template creation for Office 365,
design event templates for Adobe, remaster dozens of sales training modules
for Yelp and Red Bull, connect with clients across three dozen countries, and
help startups raise millions in investment funding.
I build templates from the standpoint of their usability, align training
modules into new branding, and am the late-night hero who will turn your
keynote or pitch deck into polished goods overnight. Having clients feeling
prepared and confident is a job well done.
But you don’t get to managing 300 clients a year without some stumbles
and falls along the way. Having a heavy workload and high expectations is
like a game of Tetris—sometimes you miss your mark. Just recently I
replicated a client’s beautiful website in presentation form. Thinking that’s
what he wanted. He retorted that his company’s tagline is “Don’t copy, create”
and asked for a refund. Ouch.
However, through years of trial and error, I’ve picked up a few things. Here
are my Top 5 Tips for finding success on Upwork.

1. Setting client expectations. I attribute my success freelancing to

client management more than my design capabilities. Before signing
a contract, I send over a written proposal with detailed scope (and
specifying what’s out of scope), timeline, and budget to ensure we’re
in full agreement. If I expect any adjustments needing to be made to
 deadlines and especially to the cost, I inform the client in advance
for approval. Having the project requirements is important for flat-
rate projects, where scope creep is the name of the game. If we’re
exceeding the initial parameters of the project, I can quickly inform
the client of any potential additional fees. Clients really appreciate
the transparency throughout the process. As another example of
setting expectations, if they’re looking for a super quick turnaround, I
always enforce a rush fee… that quickly separates those who needed
it done “yesterday” versus tomorrow.
2. Be reliable. The reason I keep 65% of my clients for repeat work is
that I’m always consistent and on time in my deliverables. Like your
favorite meal, it never gets old. I often hear complaints from clients
that their original go-to designer takes days, even weeks to respond
to emails or turn around tasks, and they finally got frustrated and
looked elsewhere. Although I work with up to two dozen clients at
one time, I always try to make each one feel prioritized and respond
to their messages in a timely manner.
3. Provide a WIP draft. I adopted this practice a few years ago and
never looked back. You don’t want to waste your client’s budget or
your time on work that isn’t approved. Get a temperature check
midway through a first-draft—clients like being active participants.
I’ve found that clients are very receptive to me creating several initial
options for them to choose from, even at an additional cost. Win-
win.
4. Learn to estimate your projects accurately. I still struggle with this
but have learned some methods of becoming more accurate with
your bids.
Don’t be afraid to estimate higher than the budgeted amount or
hourly rate listed in the job posting, especially if you are invited
to the job.
When determining your rate for a flat fee, always add at least
10-15% above your hourly rate X hours you think it’ll take,
particularly if they’re a new client.
If you want to go above and beyond, keep a spreadsheet of
clients, total budget, and hours worked to get your effective
 hourly rate. I’ve been doing this for the past several months and
in horror realized a $5000 project ended up with me making
about $10/hr. It really puts things in perspective and helps you
realize where and how you might be underestimating.
5. Not all money is good money. Be very selective in what projects or
clients you take on. I always pre-screen potential new clients—I read
their reviews to see if other freelancers have flagged them for lack of
communication or payment in the past, assess their experience on
the platform, and see if their average rate paid on past projects is in
the ballpark of my hourly rate. Don’t accept lowball offers, provide
free work, or endure poor attitudes. And if you encounter the latter
mid-project, learn to walk away with grace—the stress isn’t worth the
money, trust me.

Name: Olzhas Alexandrov

Lifetime Earnings: $800k+
Hourly Rate: $150.00
Upwork Profile:
https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~018e2d48fa8a42e825
Specialty: Full Stack Developer
Website: N/A
Hello, my name is Olzhas, a full-stack developer who specializes on the web,
mobile, and desktop applications distributed as websites and through the app
stores. My working niche is broad as I need to provide clients with
infrastructure and backend solutions that power the client-facing applications
for various platforms. To cover such scope, I continuously attempt to
generalize and standardize the workflows that I offer. That is how I ended up
as a full-stack developer who primarily specializes on the event-driven web-
based solutions that are distributable to any platform (device). Whereas on
the infrastructure, I have experimented with various providers and different
approaches and ended up specializing in Amazon Web Services (AWS)
defining infrastructure as code and creating serverless event-driven
solutions. To date, I completed over 115 contracts with over 10 thousand
hours and overall earnings of about one million dollars on Upwork. I got
certified by AWS by taking all the highest possible professional AWS exams
(Solutions Architect and DevOps Engineer) scoring almost the highest
possible scores on those exams and also got certified in AWS Machine
Learning Specialty.
Overall, my experience on Upwork is a cheerful story and I honestly do not
feel any pressure or stumble upon any difficulties nowadays. However, my
first probably 60 contracts were not always pleasant and to be more
transparent, I almost constantly was under stress. The stress was about
different aspects of a freelancer’s lifestyle: the necessity to find contracts,
the desire to work on contracts that bring an opportunity to further polish
skills, the unpredictability of contracts, the necessity to always be
psychologically stable and prepared for all possibilities, etc. Looking back, I
believe I never really had any unsolvable situations, or zugzwang, and
everything in the past now seems pretty normal and simple to solve.
 Let me please attempt to share my top five tips for finding success on
Upwork. I direct the tips to my former self; I know these tips would have
helped me back then:
1. Self-presentation
Self-presentation includes everything about your profile, you, and the way you
communicate with the client. The bad part is it takes time to identify the
aspects that apply to your particular niche, you, and your clients. The good
part is you are completely in control of how well you present yourself. As with
everything else, if you are just beginning your journey, start by identifying the
best professionals in your niche and copy everything they do. If you are not a
beginner, still monitor top professionals’ workflows to be informed about
potential optimization opportunities. As time goes on, stay open-minded and
question every aspect of your previous decisions in this area. Such a detail-
oriented approach would positively make you stand out among the
professionals in your niche.
2. Set client’s success as your number one priority
If you genuinely attempt to solve clients’ cases by trying to bring value with
every message and action on the client’s project, the probability to fail in a
project would drastically decrease. Many employees do not make the client
their number one priority, then the client feels it and those employees become
one step out of the project.
3. Continuously network and search for new opportunities
Even if you do your work perfectly, there is still the risk of losing a job
because of various possibilities that are out of your control. Rarely, but
especially during economic recessions, the clients’ or their representatives
might not inform you of their hardships, trying to not distract you from work.
It is important to always be on guard and prepared for such cases by either
constantly having options for new opportunities, or splitting your working
time between clients, so you diversify such risks.
4. Communication
Almost every freelancer understands the importance of keeping the client up
to date in terms of the progress, potential obstacles, and other notable
aspects of the workflow. However, the typical case when knowing what is
right and doing that rarely align is in times of hardships. Freelancers, as any
other people, have a natural desire to communicate only positive news, which
results in poor communication. There are two strategies that help me the
most in such cases:

Plan the communication as detailed as possible. It would help you

rid yourself of all emotional/feelings related weaknesses as you
would worry less with a more predictable workflow because of
having a planned course of action for different communication
scenarios.
Attempt to do your best while looking at everything from a third-
person point of view. It does not mean that you should not care
about the client, this mentality keeps your head cool at all times.

5. Analyze your rate

Whenever you start, you set your first appraisal of yourself as a resource by
setting your rate. Then, as you work for clients, you will receive other offers.
The longer you are in your industry, the more you understand the demand.
The simplest way to set an appropriate price tag on your services is by
decreasing the rate when no one is hiring and increasing the rate when you
receive too many offers and proposals. Sometimes, you might feel
discouraged when clients are unwilling to hire. Treat this as a sign to improve
not only professional skills but also every other aspect of your self-
presentation. Continuously work on improving every nuance of your services
and self-presentation.
Name: Jaime Hollander
Lifetime Earnings: $1M+
Hourly Rate: $250.00
Upwork Profile: http://www.upwork.com/fl/jaimeh2
Specialty: Content Strategist and Copywriter
Website: https://rrdali.com
I’m Jaime Hollander and I’m a Content Strategist and Copywriter on Upwork. I
first joined the platform—then Elance—in September 2012. My background is
in media and magazine publishing, having worked at Conde Nast
Publications, Meredith Corporation, Time Out New York, and more. Since
joining Upwork, I’ve worked with Fortune 500 companies and enterprise
leaders in countless industries.
In terms of terrible experiences that became learning experiences, I have a
few. Most, though, come back to accepting the WRONG jobs with the WRONG
clients—typically jobs I felt unsure about going in.
While this has happened a few times—and I’ve learned! One case in
particular stands out. A client was vulgar via email and on our pre-
hire/interview calls. He hated my work, criticized everything, said I was too
expensive, and objected to my initial suggestions. We also had a significant
language barrier, and he’d often correct my work—but his corrections weren’t
“correct,” and he’d get angry when I pushed back.
In short, he was rude. But the budget was VERY high, I was a newbie to
freelancing, had bandwidth—so, when he hired me, I dove in.
The project was a disaster. He would approve content then, days later, rip it
apart and tell me he hated it. He would “correct” my copy, making it worse (or,
most times, incorrect), then yell when I pushed back on his changes. He was
rude and resorted to name-calling very quickly. I spent close to 100 hours and
I wound up walking away, making nothing.
There are several other examples like this — each cost me time (and other
jobs…) and caused unnecessary anxiety, stress, and frustration. Now, I trust
my gut—even if I really want the job.
Some notes on this…
 In freelancing (especially in the beginning), there’s a genuine feeling
of scarcity—that you have to take EVERY job that comes your way
because there might not be another. I get it. I was in the same boat—
and, honestly, I still have to fight the “yes” urge sometimes. But BE
SMART. Yes, in the beginning you SHOULD be focused on building
your portfolio, you DO NOT (and should not) say yes to everything.
Sometimes a client isn’t a good fit—or you can tell you aren’t a good
fit for that client. If you think you can make it work, great. If, though,
you’re feeling apprehensive or flat-out know it’s a poor fit, AVOID.
Chances are, this contract will cause you more stress, frustration,
and disappointment. Move on and find a new project that sync—and
that you can happily deliver on.
A poor prospect is a bad client. The person who challenges your
rate, pushes back and makes you jump through hoops to get a job
will not suddenly become a great client. A poor prospect will be a
poor client. A good test? If you DREAD seeing an email from a
prospect or feel anxious or angry when reading/responding to their
messages, move on. It’s not worth the angst.

Tips

Be firm—but flexible—about your rate. Especially in the beginning, be

flexible about your rates...to a point. You need to build an Upwork
portfolio—it’s great you have experience, but your Upwork
reviews/ratings matter most in this environment. I recommend
setting a low but reasonable rate—in the beginning I charged
$25/hour despite having more than a decade of experience in senior-
level roles. Each time I booked a new job or two, I raised my rate by
$5/hour. When I was fully booked, I increased by rate by $10/hour.
That’s the process I used—now I bill $250/hour, consistently. That
said, I AM flexible if a client needs long-term work or wants to book
lots of hours— especially if it’s a client I want to work with. All of this
said, be firm but flexible. If you’re charging $25/hour, don’t let a
client sell you on making $5/hour. It goes back to scarcity—there’s
always another job out there. That said, if a client you want to work
with has $20/hour budgeted, don’t be afraid to say YES. I’ve had
freelancers push back over a few dollars—it’s good to know your
value, but there’s a difference between being flexible and being taken
advantage of.
Be a good partner—but be aware of where the line is. I typically
include 2 rounds of revisions in my work—it’s important to have a
limit. That said, if a client comes back and asks a quick question or
wants an alternative title option (or something equally minor), I do it.
That’s being a good partner. I’ve had freelancers refuse to make a
quick tweak or rephrase a sentence because they’ve hit their revision
limit. I get it—no one likes scope creep but, again, it’s about knowing
what’s being a good partner versus what’s being taken advantage of.
There’s a line—but I always lean back on the Golden Rule. And when
it’s clearly scope creep? Be sure you outline what’s included and
what’s not upfront in writing—a proposal, email, SOW, etc. That way
you can lean on that should the scope start creeping. I wouldn’t
spring “we’re out of revisions!” on your client— remind them, “this is
round 1 of revisions—are there any other stakeholders who need to
be included?” or “this is the second round of revisions—anything else
we’ll need before wrapping this draft?”
Respond to invites professionally. Just because you were invited
doesn’t mean you have the job. Don’t say, “Let’s get started.” Remind
me why I invited you. I probably sent dozens of invites.
Dedicate the time. In the beginning, I spent 1 hour/day applying for
projects. Don’t sit back and wait for invites—they aren’t coming
unless you’re an active, successful Upwork freelancer. Commit the
time and find/apply for the jobs professionally. THIS is your job until
you find a job.
Don’t demand payment until the client approves. We all want to get
paid, but requesting payment before the client even looks at your
work isn’t appropriate and makes it seem more transactional than a
true partnership. Be a partner, not a ticket-taker.
Be open to feedback—and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re
unclear. Getting incomplete revisions back is frustrating and slows
down the process.
Expand your reach—but stay in your lane. Upwork clients expect
expertise—if you’ve never used Mailchimp, don’t paint yourself as an
expert. It’s unfair to your paying client and detracts from your
reputation and Upwork’s.
Commit the time—in the beginning, I spent 1 hour/day applying to
projects. Over time, that became an hour a few times a week, then
JUST responding to invites. But too often new freelancers send a
few proposals or complain they don’t get invites...you REALLY have
to put in the time and expect that you won’t get responses to most
proposals you submit.
Those proposals need to sell YOU—without making the client work
too hard. Hit the highlights in your opening paragraph, then
elaborate. Who have you worked for/with? What types of projects do
you excel at? What samples did you attach, and how are they
relevant to my job post? And don’t send 1000 samples... send 3 that
really speak to your talent and to the project. Your proposals don’t
have to be long. They just have to be engaging and show me how I’ll
benefit from working from you.
Be willing to work for less—my first job was $20... I wrote a few
hundred words to accompany a recipe. I had been in publishing for
almost a decade. But the work was quick, and I got a 5-star review
within 24 hours. That led to another job with that client, and
subsequently, I was able to build my profile. My first rate was
$10/hour. I knew I was worth a lot more, but you have to start
somewhere. Within a week I was at $15/hour and another week
$25/hour. Every time I got a project at a certain rate, I raised my rate
$5/hour. Within a year I was at $75/hour. Now I’m at $225/hour.
While you might command a lot more in your industry, you’re starting
over here. THAT SAID, I wouldn’t suggest taking on a MASSIVE
project for $15/hour, I would recommend doing a quick 1 to 2-hour
project for that rate. Get the review. Make the connection. Move on
to the next thing. You can do several of those in a week—a day, even
—and build your profile FAST.
Look for red flags, and don’t ignore them—scope creep, unrealistic
expectations, scam-y clients... unfortunately, they exist everywhere.
 Do your best to sniff them out. If someone doesn’t have time to write
a thorough job post, I don’t apply. “Write my website” as a job post
shows me the person doesn’t know what they want. There’s a good
chance this is someone who will not give good feedback/inputs—
these are often difficult clients who, because they don’t know what
they want, won’t be happy with what you produce. Avoid! You’re a
thoughtful freelancer who deserves thoughtful clients.
DON’T respond to invites with “thanks for inviting me, I’m interested.”
I haven’t hired you... yet. Submit a thorough proposal, knowing
you’ve already got an edge on the other proposals...
Be an SME (subject matter expert)—pick an area of focus and start
there. Be open, but be respectful that clients are looking for
EXPERTS. If you don’t know Mailchimp or Instagram or AdWords,
don’t learn on a client (unless they know you’re learning...). There are
TONS of jobs on Upwork—focus on the ones you’ll enjoy doing and
will do well. You’ll be happier, less stressed, AND your client will
probably be happier with the results.
Then, once you’re hired:
Lay out a proposed timeline for the client to review/approve.
Industry-standard is two rounds of revisions (IMO)...be willing to do
at least two rounds. I’m usually willing to do a quick “tighten” after
that. You want to avoid scope creep, but you ALSO want to be an
accommodating partner.
If you don’t understand something, ask questions—and better yet,
give an example so I know what you’re envisioning.
Think about what OTHER value you can lend the client. I enjoy having
a small circle of freelancers and contractors. If you did a good job
and can lend more value to my business, tell me!
Check in with former clients every few weeks. Some of my favorite
clients are long-term clients—we only planned to work together once
but, now, 8 years later, we’re still chugging along.

Name: Doug Shaw

Lifetime Earnings: $990k+
Hourly Rate: $ 75.00
Upwork profile: https://www.upwork.com/fl/dougs
Specialty: Ads for Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, YouTube + Tag Manager
Website: N/A
I have high praise for Upwork, as it truly delivers on its foremost
aim - matching job posters with freelance contractors.
If you have big dreams or even modest goals, Upwork provides you the
means to achieve either. You can count on Upwork as a mature system that
balances both the needs of job posters and contractors. If you read the Wiki
and other posts about the firm on the internet, you will find evidence of a
deep history, a notable merger and a record of stable, thoughtful, carefully
crafted growth. That will give you confidence.
The first step for new users is simply to search current job postings that
require your skill set. If there are dozens and dozens of postings going back a
couple of weeks, then dig deeper and really size up the demand with more
precision and also your eligibility to provide fulfillment. Read the job posts,
judge your candidacy, and score your chances.
So, assuming you have a match between what you offer and ample suitors
in Upwork, your next step is substantiating your background for your Upwork
profile. Most of what you have in your LinkedIn profile will help fill out the
basics - and that includes work history, certifications, degrees, testimonials
and before-and-after visual representations of successes. After you get all
the basics out of the way, hustle and search for job posts that match your
skills.
How to Get Jobs
If you prefer regular, and varied work in your field, the foremost tactic you can
implement at the beginning is to underprice your service relative to your
experience. SMB’s who are more mindful of value - will be more inclined to
sign up with you. All of us want to catch a rising wave, to get in on the ground
floor of a significant investment. That sentiment existing in Upwork favors
the job poster.
 Many small businesses and start-ups have smaller budgets for contract
labor, but still need a job or task done by an expert and lack the internal
resources to do so. This group will trade on fewer available bona fides within
Upwork, if they can acquire your services at a rate that appears to be
conveying a lot of value. I am sure many reading this will be reluctant to lower
their rate, but there is a very important side benefit to doing so–the potential
of a glowing positive review of your services in Upwork. Reviews of your work
in Upwork are currency and the key to your growth.
So, if you are willing to implement this tactic for the next few months, it is
time to apply for jobs. Create a boilerplate proposal that summarizes your
value proposition and vary it based on the job post. Always address the
client’s specific needs in your proposal. Ask one or two thoughtful questions
that reveal your expertise. Sometimes include a question that elicits a
response that allows you to judge them as well. As a digital marketer, I
always ask for their website URL. If possible, offer some brief thoughtful
advice, owing to your value prop. If you can get a dialogue going, ensure that
you respond within a couple hours. Be mindful that you are likely among a
half dozen other contractors they are actively considering. Keep a log of the
dialogues you make and tally the response rate of your pitches.
The next step is scheduling a call via Upwork to discuss the project in more
detail. I strongly suggest that you take a phone call with every potential
client. Talking with someone on the phone personalizes the relationship,
builds trust going both ways, and allows you to get a better sense of their
expertise and their expectations. Their job post is typically far short of an
RFP. The phone call provides you a means to get a greater understanding of
the client’s needs. If you are inclined to proceed with the client, offer to
provide a written summary of the tasks performed, what the deliverables or
milestones would be, and the timeline to complete. Ask the client to send you
an offer.
Getting a great review follows directly from exceeding expectations. So
over deliver. That includes providing companion advice beyond the agreed
upon deliverable. As a digital marketer, I am charged with setting up
advertising campaigns. However, along the way I inevitably discover many
things my clients are lacking on their websites or sales funnels. I alert them
to these things and that advice is typically greeted warmly.
How to Thrive
Repeat the optimal sequence I described above over several months. Slowly
increase your rates. Upwork algorithms will take notice of your results and
give you favor. Much like Google.com, Upwork has an algorithm that cedes
you in search results on the job poster’s side. You will gradually get more
invitations to make proposals because of favorable reviews. When this
happens, it is a sign that you have made it as a contractor.
Conclusion
There is ample advice within Upwork’s official help files and highly active
forums. Make a point of understanding of all the ways to position yourself for
success. The benefits of providing consistently outstanding work are almost
unbounded. There are many achievement levels that lead to more and better
opportunities, and higher levels of income as well.
Finally, know the Upwork rules and follow them to the letter. If you end up
relying on Upwork as a major source of income, getting suspended or banned
because you tried to circumvent their systems will end up as a major regret.
The best aspect of Upwork is its many subject areas, and endless pipeline of
opportunities. So, keep your eye on the ball and be around for the long term.
 MY PROVEN RECIPE FOR
LONG-TERM SUCCESS ON
THE UPWORK PLATFORM

Your long-term success on Upwork’s platform largely depends on

understanding and proactively applying the three pillars we have discussed at
length in the previous pages of this book. They are:

1. Attract
2. Convert
3. Keep

It is no accident that these are the names of three sections in this book. My
experience as an Expert Rated Upwork freelancer makes it clear to me that
long-term success is built on these three pillars.
Attract
You achieve long-term success by selecting the right niche for what you do.
Recognizing that what you do, the interests and skills you have, are going to
change. We must continually address these changes in every aspect of our
profile.
Attracting the right prospects is your mission. Never forget that because it
is critical to your long-term success. Your badges, your JSS, your profile, your
understanding of the algorithm, and your adherence to Upwork’s terms of
service all play into your staying power on Upwork’s platform.
Convert
Honing your ability to spot potential problem clients, creating exceptional
proposals, securing more invitations, setting up RSS feeds (or setting up an
account at Vollna.com) that allow you to respond quickly to jobs of interest,
conserving current high-value clients using the PML technique, and crafting a
profile video that creates interest and emotional connections with prospects
are all essential to your long-term success and detailed in the Convert section
of the book.
Keep
Understanding what is necessary to get awesome reviews; grasping the
nuances between Private and Public Feedback; knowing when to increase
your rate and how to leverage that increase to gain more and better clients;
learning to spot job posts that signal potential problems with prospects;
being well-versed in what to do when a job goes south; and lessons in
keeping clients happy are all contained in the Keep section of the book.
In short, the recipe for long-term Upwork success is written in the pages of
this book. If you follow this recipe—this guide, your long-term success is
assured!
SECTION 6
APPENDIX
 A CATEGORIZED LIST OF
FREELANCING WEBSITES
BY NAME AND URL

General Freelance Jobs

Upwork
https://www.upwork.com

FlexJobs
https://www.flexjobs.com

SolidGigs
https://solidgigs.com

Fiverr
https://www.fiverr.com

CloudPeeps
https://www.cloudpeeps.com
Indeed
https://www.indeed.com

College Recruiter
https://www.collegerecruiter.com

Freelancer
https://www.freelancer.com

Guru
https://www.guru.com

ServiceScape
https://www.servicescape.com

Craigslist
https://sfbay.craigslist.org

Freelance Writing Jobs

Contena
https://www.contena.co

Freelance Writing Gigs

https://www.freelancewritinggigs.com

Blogging Pro
https://www.bloggingpro.com/jobs

Journalism Jobs
https://www.journalismjobs.com

Morning Coffee eNewsletter

https://www.freelancewriting.com/newsletters/morning-coffee-jobs-
newsletter

Freelance Writing
https://www.freelancewriting.com/jobs

All Indie Writers

https://allfreelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs

Freedom With Writing

http://www.freedomwithwriting.com

MediaBistro
https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs
Paid to Blog
http://paidtoblog.com

Due
https://due.com/guest-post-on-due

Pub Loft
https://publoft.com/writers

Contently
https://contently.com/register

Freelance Design Jobs

99 Designs
https://99designs.com

Behance
https://www.behance.net

Dribbble
https://dribbble.com

AngelList
https://angel.co

Art wanted
https://www.artwanted.com

DesignCrowd
https://www.designcrowd.com

Envatostudio
https://studio.envato.com

Coroflot
https://www.coroflot.com/design-jobs
Smashing Magazine
https://jobs.smashingmagazine.com/jobs

CrowdSPRING
https://www.crowdspring.com

Working Not Working

https://workingnotworking.com

Freelance Developer Jobs

Codeable
https://codeable.io

Gun.io
https://www.gun.io/

Lorem
https://www.storetasker.com

Joomlancers
http://joomlancers.com

Rent a Coder
https://www.rent-acoder.com

10X
https://www.10xmanagement.com

gigster
https://gigster.com

Talent Cupboard
https://www.talentcupboard.com

Programmer Meet Designer

http://www.programmermeetdesigner.com
YouTeam
https://youteam.io

Freelance Photographer Jobs

Craigslist
https://sfbay.craigslist.org

The Creative Loft

https://photography.thecreativeloft.com

Cruise Ship Jobs

https://www.cruiseshipjob.com/photographer-jobs.html

Photography Jobs Central

https://www.creativejobscentral.com/photography-jobs

JournalismJobs
https://www.journalismjobs.com

Thumbtack
https://www.thumbtack.com

Photography Jobs Online

https://www.photography-jobs.net

Freelance Photographer Jobs

https://www.indeed.com

Freelance Marketing Jobs

peopleperhour
https://www.peopleperhour.com

Remotive
https://remotive.io

Aquent
https://aquent.com

Maple
https://www.mayple.com

Virtual Assistant Jobs

Belay
https://belaysolutions.com/our-company

timeetc
https://timeetc.com/us/be-a-virtual-assistant

Clickworker
https://www.clickworker.com

Amazon Mechanical Turk

https://www.mturk.com

VA Networking
https://www.vanetworking.com

Assistant Match
https://assistantmatch.com/become-a-virtual-assistant

Zirtual
https://www.zirtual.com/jobs

Fancy Hands
https://www.fancyhands.com/job/apply

Boldly
https://boldly.com

Freelance Video Editing Jobs

Behance
https://www.behance.net/joblist
Mandy
https://www.mandy.com

ProductionHUB
https://www.productionhub.com/jobs

Stage32
https://www.stage32.com/find-jobs

Assemble
https://www.assemble.tv

Freelance Sales Jobs

ZipRecruiter
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Freelance-Sales-Rep

CommissionCrowd
https://www.commissioncrowd.com/listings/commission-only-sales-
opportunities/opportunities

Red Hat
https://www.redhat.com/en

Sales Force App Exchange Job Board

https://appexchange.salesforce.com/jobs

Skipthedrive
https://www.skipthedrive.com/job-category/remote-sales-jobs

Freelance Customer Support Jobs

Workana
https://www.workana.com

We Work Remotely
https://weworkremotely.com
VirtualVocations
https://www.virtualvocations.com/q-telecommuting-customer-service-
jobs.html

Support Driven
https://jobs.supportdriven.com