Today, I’m happy to welcome Kerrie Spencer as a guest blogger. I’ve worked with Kerrie for a couple of years, and lately she’s been finding success with Elance, something that has eluded me despite success on other bidding sites. I asked her to share her secrets.

I’ve talked to a lot of writers who have nothing but bad experiences with Elance. This isn’t to say there aren’t bad things that happen, but if you know how to use the system, you can make it work FOR you rather than against you.

Getting Personal With Bidding

The main key to landing bids is how you place your bid! DUH! No seriously, bids should not be approached in a pro forma way, but in a personal way. And for heaven’s sake, use the Private Message Board (PMB) to pitch the potential client. Otherwise all and sundry (read your competition) will know what you said to land the bid.

The personal touch means talking to the person like they are - well - a person and not a client. Even if it means addressing them by their sometimes hilarious nicknames (we won’t go there!) just do it.

For instance if the nickname is a company name, just use it in your pitch. Talk to them like they were across the kitchen table from you swilling coffee. The people behind the call for bids appreciate being spoken to in a personal way. It also shows them you are approachable and know enough about human nature to take the time to personalize your bid.

When you join Elance, one of the first things they tell you is to personalize your bid. Would that more people would listen to that. I’ve read some really atrocious, stilted bids that came across like a bad infomercial. Fake even, more’s the pity. Clients aren’t so stupid that they can’t tell when the bid they get is thrown together.

Perseverance

Never underestimate the power of your bid. No, you won’t get everything you bid on for a variety of reasons: from your bid may be too high, to the client wanted someone with different expertise than you have. That happens. Just keep on bidding.

It takes awhile to get a following built up on Elance, so be prepared to work really hard for a long time. Choose categories you know you can write in and can prove it. Don’t try and wing it or that will show up on your feedback and take your percentage down.

Hidden Penalties

Having said that though, be aware that the price of the project you work on has as much to do with your feedback score as does the actual feedback received from client. More actually. If you work on a $50 project and get super feedback it actually lowers your ratings because the project amount wasn’t very high. Sucks doesn’t it? You bet it does, it means you’re being penalized for working for smaller amounts.

Don’t get me wrong, the Elance system can be your best friend if you work with it to the best of your ability. It has its glitches; for instance you can’t bid less than $50 on a job and there are jobs posted for less than that. You need to be creative to figure out the way to work the system.

Working with escrow bids is another whole can of worms that makes you rip your hair out by the roots. It’s designed to protect the buyer and the writer, but figuring out the milestones, changing terms of the business agreement, and funding milestones becomes a bit like a treasure hunt - one where you don’t always find the prize.

Paying The Price

Be aware too that Elance will charge you a fee between 6.75 percent and 8.75 percent when your project is completed. That is a percentage based on the cost of your project. This seems to be the reason why a great number of freelancers eventually opt to deal with their clients directly and vice versa.

While it makes sense for them to charge a fee, it can certainly cut into the bottom line unless your bottom line runs into the thousands of dollars. When you’re writing and doing it on your own, thousands of dollars takes a long time to become a reality.

Bottom line is? Elance is a good system that has it moments of inexplicable idiocy, but it’s better than anything else out there. Just remember to be personal. It will win you more business, and with some luck good friends who will give you repeat business.

For more information or to just drop by and say hello, Kerrie Spencer can be found hanging out on Elance or Spiritwriters. Feel free to email her on kspencer [at] sasktel [dot] net.

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Tags | bidding, elance, get paid to write, writing career