Post #502

MY 3 types of clients I look for. 𝟏) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰) If someone is posting their first job and they need a quick fix, I always apply. Why? Because a lot of the time, that “quick fix” is just the start. If they are new on Upwork and they like your work, you can easily become their go-to person for future tasks. But if it is an established client who has been on Upwork for years and is posting a random small fix, I usually skip it. Those clients often just need a one-time patch and disappear. 𝟐) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 This is a big one. Not someone doing a project for a boss. Not someone outsourcing work for a client. Someone building something for their own business. That person is emotionally and financially invested. They are going to keep improving things over time. And if you do good work, they stick with you. 𝟑) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 If an agency posts a job, I do not blindly apply. I quickly Google them. If they look established, with a solid portfolio, I apply right away. Most of the time, what happened is simple: One of their developers left, and now they need someone reliable to fill the gap. But if the agency looks brand new, I usually do not bother. Because “new agency” often means unstable workflow, unclear requirements, and unpredictable payment. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 I went cheap. On purpose. My goal was not to maximize profit right away. My goal was to build relationships. Once you work with a client for a while, respond fast, deliver consistently, and help them grow, your position changes. Now you have leverage. Now you can raise your rate. And in my experience, that worked every time.