Quality Is Key

You may be thinking that the best way to get those first jobs is to underbid the daylights out of everyone else. After all, clients will surely go for the cheapest price, right? Wrong. Time after time, top clients say the most important consideration for them is quality.

Quality is your key. You must emphasize why you are the best person for the job, not that you’re the cheapest. In fact, many clients automatically discount low bidders because they can’t fathom how they can get quality work done for prices that are too cheap. And often they’re right.

CYBER SNAGS

Equally important to not bidding too low as a new contractor, is not bidding too high. At this critical stage, you don’t have the pricing power you will have later. At the beginning, place your bids in the bottom half to bottom third of the bidding range.

One of the single most important ways you can let a client know you’ve got what they’re looking for is to make sure they know you’ve listened to what they want. The reason clients are on Elance is to get work done. Understand what they want, then let them know you “get it.” When you’ve done that, you’ve most likely made a connection with them. This single step will put you in the top third of the pack.

You will still have to battle the fact that you don’t have the feedback and ratings yet, but you’re closer. You will find those clients who are looking for quality and are willing to give you that first yes.