How to Win Jobs on Elance.com

I will be up front and honest with you. I get 2 out of 3 jobs that I bid on Elance.

The reason for this is simple – I write a custom proposal for every project that addresses what the client is seeking.

I have come to the conclusion that many of those who bid on the same jobs as I do will often write just a few sentences compared to my whole page. Another flaw I have seen in competitors proposals is that they have a copy and paste mentality. They figure out the type of jobs they would like to get and they create a template proposal. They then copy and paste their proposal into the bid and hope for the best. The problem with this is that most (as in 100%) of the projects posted on Elance have specific needs and they want addressed. There is no way to address these concerns, needs, etc. if you paste in a template proposal. You can change it up a little if you want, but in the end every client is different. Take the time, if you really want a job, to do the following:

• Write a custom proposal for EVERY project you bid on.
• Include a sample of your experiences with something similar. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, you can highlight what it is in you that would allow you to do the job better than anyone else.
• Put your name, email address, website address, credentials, phone number and skype address at the end of every proposal. Tell them that they can contact you. That signature is the ONLY thing you can copy and paste into your proposal. That’s it… nothing else!

DON’T DO THIS…

I posted a job on Elance a couple of months ago. The job was for a client who wanted help sending out resumes, etc. I received 10 or so proposals within 48 hours.

This is the first proposal I received. This lady even paid extra to have her bid sponsored … which means it shows up first when I login to see all of the bids in hopes of getting her bid noticed. (Don’t EVER pay for a sponsored bid on Elance – EVER. You are going to win them over with what you write in that proposal! Showing up at the top of the list won’t matter).

As you can see, she bid on this project in JUNE. It has been two months since I received this proposal and she still has not gotten a SINGLE project. I hope you can see why! The problem with this is that she didn’t give anyone anything to go on. She left me to assume that she had what it took and then when she never got any jobs she didn’t change her game plan. She is probably no longer active on Elance and that is why I get a lot of work there. When I didn’t get projects, I learned from it, changed up my game plan and increased the number of projects I won dramatically!

The gal that got this project provided information on recent projects, a list of things she can do and even sent her resume. She really wanted the job.

Now, I am letting one small cat out of the bag here by showing you my typical proposal. Actually, this is probably one of the shortest proposals I have ever written, but I still got the job!!

Do you see the difference between my proposal and her proposal? I hope.

Finally, I must say that this job is a marketing plan, which I can write in my sleep… okay, in about 2 hours. I figure this project will take 4 hours max, so either way, I am not doing to bad on the hour working from home, in my jammies, after the kids go to bed.