This article is going to cover 12 steps you can take to make sure that your first Upwork client is happy with your work from start to finish.
It’s important for every freelancer out there new or experienced to understand that your relationship with each of your clients is unique in its way; therefore there’s no set-in-stone formula for ensuring your clients are happy all the time (and if there was, trust me: it wouldn’t work anyway).
But by following these tips and doing what works best within yourself and within each situation, you can go far toward increasing both the quantity and quality of repeat business from all of your current clients while building up positive word-of-mouth marketing among potential future clients as well!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Communicate clearly and promptly with your Upwork client. |
| Set realistic expectations regarding project timelines and deliverables. |
| Be proactive in addressing any concerns or issues that arise during the project. |
| Provide high-quality work that exceeds your client’s expectations. |
| Be responsive and available for regular communication and updates. |
| Show professionalism and a positive attitude throughout the project. |
| Seek feedback and incorporate it into your future work. |
| Respect client confidentiality and adhere to any non-disclosure agreements. |
| Be open to constructive criticism and strive for continuous improvement. |
| Build a strong rapport and relationship with your client. |
| Understand and align with your client’s goals and objectives. |
| Go the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction and create a positive experience. |
1. Address Your Client’s Needs Directly
You should be able to address your client’s needs directly. This means asking questions and listening to their answers, clarifying requirements, tasks, and expectations as necessary. It also means providing an estimated completion time for each deliverable you estimate how long it will take you to complete a task or deliverable-based on your experience with similar projects.
Provide updates when starting new tasks or deliverables: Let them know when you start working on something new so they don’t worry that you’ve forgotten about them! Keep them updated throughout the process when possible even just telling them how much progress has been made is helpful if they’re waiting patiently for the final product!
Address any problems or issues as they arise: If something comes up that takes longer than expected (for example, needing extra help from another freelancer), address it immediately with your client so he/she knows what’s happening without having to ask about it later down the road… which would probably make him/her less likely happy overall since now there’d be more work involved than originally planned for in order get things done properly 🙂
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2. Clarify The Scope Of Work In Your Proposal
Now that you’ve got a clear idea of what your client needs, it’s time to define the scope of work. What do you mean by “scope?” Scope refers to what you’ll be doing for your client the exact tasks and deliverables that are included in your proposal.
Including too many details can be confusing for clients and may lead to additional questions down the road, so make sure you’re only including items that are necessary for them to get what they want from working with you. You should also make sure that everything is clearly defined so there aren’t any misunderstandings about what will happen during the project or how much time it will take up (more on this later).
If possible, try not to include anything extra when writing out your proposal; instead, use this section as an opportunity just focus on getting them exactly what they need to be done!
3. Outline Your Work Process
Your client will want to know that you are organized and that you have a plan for making sure the project is completed on time. They also may be nervous about getting started with a new freelancer. If they feel like they can trust you, though, then it’s likely that they won’t be worried about the details of your work process.
You can alleviate these concerns by outlining your processes clearly in the proposal stage of your contract. For example: “I send weekly status updates every Monday morning. I will send an update if there is any significant change in my schedule or availability and let my client know if something on their end might throw off their timeline as well.”
This shows how much care and attention you are putting into this project so far. It gives them confidence in your ability to handle things well enough to push through even if some difficulties arise along the way (which they inevitably will).
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4. Set Expectations For Communication Frequency And Methods
The first step in making your client happy is to ensure that they know what to expect when it comes to communication. Even if the job is a fixed-price project, there are still things like time estimates, deliverables, and revisions that need to be discussed with the client before work begins. This includes how often you’ll be communicating with them as well as what channels you’ll be using (email/phone/Skype).
It’s also important to agree on how your progress will be reported back to your client whether through spreadsheets or some other format and whether or not they’re allowed access to your files during the project’s lifecycle so that they can see exactly what’s going on without having to ask for updates every step of the way (this can help reduce confusion and frustration).
This is especially important if your work involves aspects like design or coding where specific deliverables aren’t immediately obvious from the beginning stages of development; having an agreement about delivery formats at the outset will prevent any misunderstandings later on down the road.
5. Provide An Honest Estimate For Completion Time
One of the most important things you can do to set yourself up for success is to provide an honest estimate for completion time. Clients will be less likely to get upset if they know what to expect, and that means being realistic. If you have never done a project like this before and are not confident in your abilities, don’t take on the job!
Estimate conservatively for example, if it will take two hours to do research and write an essay for an academic writing task but only one hour to complete other tasks, then set the estimated completion time at two hours instead of three or four. This way clients won’t be surprised when their expectations aren’t met.
Break down the work into chunks (like researching in one chunk and writing another) so that you can accurately estimate how much time everything will take together with any unforeseen circumstances like interruptions from coworkers or family members knocking on your door asking questions about their homework assignments.
Also, consider using software such as Toggl or Rescue Time that tracks how long each task takes so that it doesn’t feel like guesswork when putting together estimates).
6. Ask Questions To Clarify Requirements, Tasks, And Expectations
When you aren’t sure about the requirements, tasks, or expectations of a specific project, ask the client to clarify them. It’s a good idea to get feedback on how well you think you’ve done so far and how they feel about the progress being made. They might also suggest something that they would like changed or would be interested in seeing completed as part of your work.
When asking questions, keep in mind that anything less than clear communication may lead to misunderstandings and delays in completing tasks. It can also be frustrating for both parties if there are gaps in understanding what needs to be done next.
Asking questions shows that you are engaged with the project at hand and willing to learn more about it as time goes on which will help ensure that your clients remain happy with what they’re receiving from their freelancer/employee!
7. Deliver Exactly What You’ve Promised Nothing More Or Less
When you’re bidding on a project, you’ll probably be asked to provide a bid proposal. This is where you showcase your skills and experience, as well as the time it will take for you to complete the task. You should put everything in there that’s necessary for your client to know about what they’re getting.
The last thing any customer wants is for their expectations to be shattered by workers who don’t do what they say they will do so make sure your proposal includes all relevant information about how many hours it’ll take and what exactly is included with those hours (for example: if they want only 25% of their content edited, include that).
If a client asks me how long something will take me and I give them an overly general answer like “a few days,” it’s almost always met with some variation of “Oh no! That’s not good enough.”
When I explain that my estimate was based on research into similar projects which took less than two weeks many clients still seem disappointed because my timeline wasn’t specific enough for them (which again makes sense when taking into account our previous point).
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8. Show That You’re Paying Attention To Details
The client will be paying attention to how you communicate, so you must show that you’re paying attention to the details. This goes beyond making sure work is error-free and following all of the client’s requirements it also means making sure you understand any special requests they’ve made.
For example, if a client has asked for an infographic with specific dimensions and formatting requirements (perhaps because they are using it on their website), make sure to follow these instructions carefully.
9. Meet Every Deadline, No Matter How Short It May Seem
Set realistic deadlines and stick to them. If a client asks you to complete a project in three days and you know it would take five days, let the client know that. If the deadline is impossible for any reason, talk to your client as soon as possible about renegotiating.
If you are still on track to meet or beat your estimate, congratulations. But don’t stop there the work has just begun. You should always be thinking about how long projects will take so that you can plan accordingly in future jobs with clients.
For example, if one of your tasks is estimating how much time it will take for another worker (such as an assistant or intern) to complete their part of the project using various tools such as Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheets, then add this into your estimate so that they have enough time to complete their tasks before handing off responsibilities back over again.
When needed during crunch periods like holidays where everyone needs help managing workloads while ensuring quality standards are met across all tasks being completed simultaneously throughout our team’s workflow processes.”
10. Give Updates When You Start Working On A New Task Or Deliverable
Providing regular updates to your client is an important part of the process. You can do this in several ways:
- Using Upwork’s built-in messaging system for general messages, as well as for sending your initial proposal.
- Sending emails to your client via their preferred method (email or Upwork messenger).
Regardless of how you choose to do it, make sure that every time you start working on a new task or deliverable, you send an update to your client so they know where things stand and have confidence that everything is going smoothly.
11. Invite Feedback And Ask Questions About Things That Are Unclear To You
You should invite feedback at the end of each phase of the project, and ask questions about anything you don’t understand. This builds trust with your client and shows that you care about doing a good job.
It also allows you to correct any misunderstandings early on when they are less costly to fix. In our experience, this type of communication needs to be explicitly encouraged by your client you may not get it on your own unless they explicitly request it from you.
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12. Proactively Address Any Problems Or Issues As They Arise
Proactively addressing any problems or issues as they arise is the best way to keep your client happy. You can do this in several ways:
Asking for progress updates is a great way to make sure you’re on the same page with your client, and it shows that you’re paying attention to their needs. This also allows them to give you feedback on what’s working well and what could be done better.
If any financial issues need resolving, such as payment disputes or late payments from clients, address those immediately by proactively contacting Upwork support directly (and requesting assistance from them if necessary).
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Final Thoughts
If you do everything right the first time, you are more likely to get more work from the same client in the future. What this means is that if you do one task well and another poorly, they will have no reason to hire you again. If a client has paid for your services and is happy with them, then he or she may consider hiring you again for future projects.
The tips listed above are just some of the things that I would recommend doing to make sure that a client is satisfied with your work. As long as all of these points are taken into consideration when working on tasks, then there should not be any problems between clients and freelancers on Upwork!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of getting clients on Upwork:
14 Tips to Get Your First Client on Upwork: This comprehensive guide provides 14 practical tips and strategies to help you secure your first client on Upwork successfully.
How to Get Your First Clients: My Experience on Upwork: Gain insights and learn from someone’s personal experience on Upwork, as this article shares valuable tips and lessons for getting your first clients.
First Upwork Job: How I Made My First $100 on Upwork: Discover the journey of earning your first $100 on Upwork and learn valuable lessons that can help you land your first job successfully.
People Also Ask
What Is Upwork?
Upwork is an online marketplace for hiring freelancers and connecting them with the work you need to be done. It’s an excellent way to find people who can help you out with your projects, and it makes it easy for both parties to agree on payment terms and look at each other’s past work.
How Can I Find More Work On Upwork?
You can post a job, browse the listings, or use the search bar at the top of the screen to find relevant jobs. If you’re looking for something specific, like “web design developer” or “copywriter,” try using keywords in your search terms.
For example, if you’re looking for a web designer who specializes in e-commerce sites, type in “e-commerce web design” or “e-commerce website developer.” If there aren’t any results that match exactly what you’re looking for right away (which is likely), try broadening your search terms by adding synonyms like “website development” and “website creation.”
What If I Don’t Get Any Work On Upwork?
No one may want to hire you directly as an independent contractor through Upwork but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work out there. You might just be trying too hard with people who aren’t interested in hiring freelancers right now.
alternatively, maybe people are finding other ways besides Upwork to get freelance help (like asking friends). Either way, don’t panic keep looking until someone does come across one of your profiles and decides they need your services!
Can I Use Upwork To Find More Clients?
Yes! Some excellent freelance writing jobs are waiting for you on Upwork. But what if you don’t know where to start? To help you get off on the right foot, here are some of the most common questions freelancers have about getting started with Upwork:
How Should I Set My Hourly Rate?
You’ll want to set your hourly rate based on how much money you need per hour and how much time it takes for you to perform tasks. If a client is asking for something that will take less than 30 minutes and costs $25, then it might make more sense for them to hire someone who has the skillset needed without charging them an arm and leg for it (something like proofreading).
On the other hand, if they’re asking for something that’s going to require several hours’ worth of work with highly specialized skills (like coding), then charging more makes sense because you’re providing a higher level of service than someone else could offer by spending less time working on it instead.
You’ll also want to consider what kind of experience each person has had in their field before setting your rates some people charge higher than others because they’ve been doing this type of thing longer than most other freelancers out there so if someone seems overpriced compared with their peers but has been doing this type of work longer than average, maybe consider just paying up rather than wasting time looking around elsewhere!
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.