80 to 3. WOOHOO!!

Ok, to clarify what I’m talking about here:

Friends, I am 80 bucks away from $3000 earned on Elance.  Yayyyyyyyyyyy!  Hard work, perseverance and being true to myself – are paying off in the nice form of tangible greenbacks.  Clams, smackers, dough, bread, moolah – pick one, any one.  Because the bottom line is that it's coming in and it SURE is a good feeling to have a quantifiable way to measure this freelance success. 

(image courtesy of liz-green.com)

This hasn’t been without sheer determination and a TOTAL round-the-clock devotion to my clients and their respective projects. 

Sorry – just HAD to get this mini-rave out there.

By the way, if you are reading this and decide you want to join up – please do it through this link  That way, I get to enjoy a small reward for latching you onto Elance. 

~F

My 10% Policy

Striving to beat deadlines.

As I triumphantly hit the ‘send’ button, shooting off that assignment with the latest travel article I owe to the international travel agent I’m writing for these days, I had a smug smile on my face thinking of all the headache I’d just saved myself for the upcoming weekend.  Entering the word ‘DONE’ on my work plan spread sheet always gives me a liberating feeling and one that motivates me to continue operating in this way.  As a rule, since I’ve been freelancing on Elance, I tend to assign a deadline for myself that is 10% sooner than the actual deadline – hence the 10% Policy.  This has worked wonders for me so far and there’s no sign of my changing this fantastic formula thus far.  Here are a few reasons why I find it’s working so well:

Happy Clients

If you’ve read my website (yes, it’s simple I know but I have actually gained some business through this little old site, so I’m happy with it for now) then you will know that my mantra is “A Happy Client is the Best Client.  Plain and Simple.”  Well, folks – it truly is as simple as that.  Turning in work early, without a doubt, has resulted in happy clients, time and again.  And I, for one, am not ready to get off THAT boat anytime soon. 

Regular Work

Happy clients usually mean clients that want more.  So, in my quest to set up a regular and consistent stream of work (more on that in another post), when I get a repeat client it’s MY turn to be the happy one.  The thing is, (going on a slight tangent here) when you know you have work coming and in certain batches that you come to know of and expect, it makes it easier to live life and earn well at the same time.  For me, this translates into being able to plan well and actually BE a (reasonably) successful mother of three, wife of one (does polyandry even exist anymore?  I think not) and friend/colleague of countless more.  So yeah, regular work is good and if turning in work before the deadline makes it more likely to happen, then more power to you.

Leeway

Let’s face it – life has its ups and downs and quite unlike the real workplace where your boss can pretty much see that you’re not doing so hot, an online work place offers the slight challenge of needing to prove yourself remotely.  (Imagine the myriad of excuses most online employers must have to face when it comes to why deadlines haven’t been met or shoddy work was submitted.)  So when I suffer my newest migraine the only conversation I want to have is with my pillow and two fat Excedrins.  Knowing that the product descriptions I promised the newest beauty products entrepreneur in North American are done, is terrific!  AND if, for some reason, IDIDN’T get the chance to complete an assignment, the leeway I get from having tacked on an extra 10% of play time (in my mind, anyway) is paramount.

Flexibility

The more projects that pile up, the more flexibility I need.  Not only do I appreciate the ability to switch around what I’m working on, on any given day, but I also highly value the capability to offer that same flexibility to my clients.  In the short time thus far that I’ve been using Elance as a freelance platform, I’ve already been faced with several requests to do something on an urgent basis.  It was my planning and hindsight and this awesome 10% policy that paved the way for me to say “YES! I can take care of it for you in the next 24 hours!” or “Ok, we can go to the park to play today again.”

Now, THAT’s a GREAT feeling folks J

To publish or not to publish your earnings – THAT is the question

Well, now that I’ve been using Elance for just about three months now, I finally unveiled my earnings (Elance allows you to keep your earnings private for the world to keep guessing – even though you can finagle your way in and see the figures of another provider).  I knew my clients and potential clients were able to see the cash I’d already pocketed to date but I wasn’t ready to share with other service providers like me on the site.  Not until now.

Let’s go over the whys or why nots.

Zeros Are Not Attractive.  They Just Aren’t. 

For one thing, as a new member the last thing you want to do is attract attention to that blaring ‘EGG’ (another way of saying ZERO).  I even had one client answer me point blank when asked why he didn’t select me even though I was an expert on that subject.  His answer?  “You don’t have any projects on your belt”.  Granted, having no projects is one thing but even showing really low numbers is not a good indication of high quality.  The last thing *I* wanted to do was to appear to be a sell-out.  Even though I employed one questionable strategy (you can read more about that here) of doing a LOT of work for very little money as an ice-breaker, I didn’t want to expose that right way.  I got lucky and since that first insanely low bid many projects have been pouring in.

Your Freelance Colleagues Bidding on the Same Projects Are Your Competitors.  Simple As That.

Any way you cut it, a freelancer is looking for work.  Usually.  And if they are actively seeking out projects, including bidding on the same ones you are bidding on – well, genius – they are vying for the same job!  I’m not saying they are not sincere or awesome people or that they deserve to be ostracized.  No, nothing like that.  But at least until you are an established E-Lancer, I don’t see the value is devaluing yourself (some may disagree here) by exposing your amateur earnings.  Again, they can work their way into each project and figure out what they are up against – if that – but most people don’t have time to do that.  They’d rather be bidding on quality projects.  ;)

Earnings Per Client and Other Weird Metrics

Elance is funny like that.  They have this weird and nonsensical system of lumping in all your earnings into one pool and then pulling an average based on the number of corresponding clients you’ve had.  At first, I wasn’t bothered by it.  Not until the one client I had who paid me $30 for a short article to test the waters.  Yeah, he loved my work * I knew he would ;) * but that one $30 project threw everything else off.  Suddenly my ‘Earnings Per Client’ stat plummeted.  The same thing makes no sense the other way around either.  I have a friend in Texas (yes, that’s where Bush is from ~sigh) who did one really high-paying job, creating the false impression to buyers/clients that her average client was spending more than several thousand dollars on her work.  NOT true and a stupid metric of measurement at that.  SO, to keep this under wraps a bit, for a time I had a veil on my earnings.  There are other weird stats on Elance but they at least provide a snapshot of what you’ve put in to your online freelance business.  The ‘Level’ a person is at is an instant ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for some clients – so one way to combat being judged by your earnings is to work on that metric.  Once again, when you reach a respectable ‘Level’ feel free to bare your earnings, in my book, because they’re not as important anymore.

Money in the Bank Means You Did Something Right

Having said all that I said above, I recently made my earnings public.  Never mind the fools that don’t realize what they’re missing if they don’t hire me because I don’t have an $8000-per-client average.  I can no longer be bothered by what others on Elance are thinking either; I’ve pretty much established that my work is quality.  Clients know what I’m good for, they know I’m committed and that they can rely on me.  At THIS blissful stage, I find that they are more focused on the client feedback (more on that in another post)and job history rather than the numbers next to that little dollar sign on my profile.

~

The moral, folks?  There is none.  Just that you need to do what makes you feel comfortable.  MY two cents is that it’s a good idea to wait a while.  Establish yourself.  Expose that number once it’s no longer one of the first things people look at on your profile. 

And, as always, I wish you the best of everything!

F

Happy Thanksgiving!

Perseverance Pays Off!

Hi!

I've been missing in action for a bit longer than anticipated – but it's been for a good reason. Work has been flowing in and flowing nicely! So I thought I'd check in and at least report how the past few weeks have been going and list a few essentials that, in my humble experience, seem to be working wonders so far.

First, some stats: In the almost exactly two months since joining Elance, I've picked up 17 jobs (and one that has been verbally approved but the guy is in the Maldives somewhere and will click the "Award to World_of_Words" button as soon as he comes back. Of course, I'm not doing anything on that job till it's final but still – it's safe to say I have 18 jobs on my belt so far. As far as the number of clients that have come back for more, I think of those seventeen something like seven are repeat jobs. Now working in two categories (Writing & Translation plus Sales & Marketing) things are getting fun and more than just two-dimensional. I'm still at a "5-star" rating, too. ;)

WHAT AN EGO BOOSTER to be doing so well and openly be recognized for it – both in the form of being invited for more work or long-term collaboration, and also in the form of awesome feedback. I lovvvvve that feeling of first opening a client's feedback link as soon as it's been posted. It's like a kid opening Christmas (Eid?) presents first thing in the morning. BLISS!

Now, for those essentials I promised above: (those bullets were supposed to be music notes – because I'm singing my suggestions - but blogger wouldn't let them post for some reason):D

• Build up your profile! Don't do anything else at first. Other than your written proposal, this is the FIRST thing a potential client will go to, peruse in detail and rely on for a glimpse of your professional offerings. I can't tell you how essential it is to stand out and shine in this regard.
• Choose wisely. At first, I was tempted to bid on anything and everything that I knew I could do, but then that wouldn't be a very smart idea, so I didn't. I did, however, controversially strategize a bit by accepting a low-ball offer. As my friend Salma points out in her website, there is a way to deal with low-balling clients.

The controversy is whether or not accepting lowball bids throws off the whole work/pay ratio – and yes it does. The controversy for me, though, ends there. Here's why: I agreed to do the work at that rate. I did it expressly to get my foot in the door. AND my client knew it would be a one-off job at that rate. Now, I'm not at all suggesting you go and work for unethically low rates, but that was how I chose to do it for that first and only job and I was able to quickly demonstrate my abilities – it's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

• Don't be afraid to spend a few bucks to earn a lot more. If you try to win a lot of jobs (or even just a few) without becoming a paid member of the site, you may have to really exercise your skills in patience. Yes, it can be used for free. Yes, you don't have to pay to gain access to jobs. But the truth is that by becoming a paid member, you gain access to a higher number of opportunities.

So, after beefing up my profile and using up the freebies on my account, I upgraded to a 'Business' membership. It totally cleared the way for LOTS of opportunities – yes, more than before, and it paid for itself in less than 24 hours.

• Carefully balance pre-award communications. You can communicate to death and stand to lose a client or you can manage how often and with what relevance that you do end up contacting a potential client. Once you've sent your proposal, as long as you don't need to get in touch with them, wait for them to get in touch with you. Simple as that. Anything more than that and it can be misconstrued as you being 'desperate', 'overly eager' and of course will be very off-putting.
• Aim high and always deliver on time. Always. Once you DO get that first project (and every subsequent one thereafter), make it your absolute TOP priority to deliver 100% high-quality and complete work. NO EXCUSES. I don't care if you have to hang upside down from a tree as your kids scream noises in the background, type up ideas from your BlackBerry (or iPhone) while on the road (someone else driving, of course) or show up late to every single event you've been invited to – just MAKE IT HAPPEN. Even better is if you set a deadline for yourself that is at least a few days before the final due date. A little extra breathing space never hurts, does it?
• Solicit a long-term working relationship. From the get-go, as long as it's not a one-off assignment, make it known that you are interested in working with this client for the long haul. They love nothing more than to have people on their outsource team who know how they operate, work to their standards, understand their business and are top-notch all the same. Letting them know is always a great idea. I have seven repeat jobs as a result of being straight with my clients from the beginning.
• Communicate regularly. While you're working on a project that may have longer gaps between deliverables, keeping in touch is very important. This is also true with any questions or concerns and viable suggestions that come about before the next scheduled communication. Clients love a proactive stance – especially from someone they can't see in person. In fact, if possible, I try to call my clients at least once so they can put a voice to my name.
• Double check, no - triple check your work. I cannot even begin to stress this enough. Please, please, please, please, please for the love of God, do NOT not proofread before sending off work. I remember a very funny example relayed in one of my journalism classes during college of a botched up printing job for a recreation center. The teacher wrote on the board: "THIS IS A PUBLIC AREA". We didn't know what she was getting at, until when she dramatically erased the letter "L" and informed us that THAT was how the actual sign was printed! Some doofus MISSED it! Can you imagine?? I'm sorry. I don't ever want to be responsible for clients' potential embarrassment because I didn't take the time to check, double check and even triple check my work.
• Remain professional. Yeah, you might come across some clients who seem like they are your best friend. Simply put, they are not. So no matter how much may be tempted to get too cheeky with them, don't. It's just not professional and you always want to be remembered as a true professional.

Ok folks, well that's it for this time. I hope you find some value from this post. I look forward to hearing from you as your thoughts and feedback always inspire me to do better.

~Fareen

Becoming a Game...

Wow.  And I mean this in terms of the expression.  I can’t BELIEVE how addictive this freelancing thing is!  Ok, so I’m trying to establish a writing (and other similar services) career online and so far, so good.  But never in a million years did I anticipate the sheer thrill of bidding on projects, waiting with baited breath for results, playing the ‘freelance dating game’ of that perfect combination of communication and patience and finally reaching the climax of the story (or ending, depending on the bid outcome).

I find myself CONSTANTLY checking my BlackBerry for messages.  One “DING” and my heart instantly flutters.  “Could it be that client responding to my bid on the specialty coffee shop coffees from all over the world?”  The job was to describe these coffee beans.  I mean “hello(!)”  I was BORN for this job.  But so were seventy five other Elancers. And someone out there was willing to accept fewer greenbacks to do the job than I.  So, I didn’t get that one.  Here’s the drill:  Euphoria (when I first read the job posting).  Suspense (as I chewed my nails waiting to be awarded the job.  Complete and total LET DOWN (when the hippie chick from Arizona got it instead). 

I was smart enough to customize the “DING” on my BlackBerry associated with Elance emails so now I can sit tight rather than jump for the phone each time there’s a shred of activity on it or if there’ s just another message.  Yep, that’s right.  Just another message.  It seems like all other things have faded into black.  Including Facebook, Hotmail, Huffington Post, The FAIL Blog, Fark.com and other online favorites I used to spend lots of time reading.

Now, it’s just the game I’m playing – and getting paid on those hits where I actually end up getting awarded the job :)

I couldn't resist

Browsing through a favorite site (cartoonstock.com) from the Spaces Magazine era, I found this really cute and uber-relevant cartoon.  Had to share.

Who knows what lies ahead

WOW.  Well, since my freelance name is a tongue twister of sorts (try saying 'World of Words' just TWICE really fast and you'll see what I mean) I figure I may as well have fun with the acronym.  So to explain this blog's name - fareenswow really means "Fareen's World of Words".

Since you're reading this - I must be doing something right.  First, I made the conscious decision to start freelancing.  Then, I considered some opportunites. Now, I've joined Elance and Demand Studios. So let's see how it goes.

It's been only one month so far - and I've worked for five clients on six jobs. More on Elance and DS beginnings on my next post. Juussssst the beginning folks....

Will aim to post something at least every other day. Be back soon enough.
~F