How To Get Your First Elite Client On Upwork

You’ve been a freelancer for the past six months, and you’re finally ready to take on your first “elite” client. You know they’ll be a pain in the butt, but if you can get them, it will be worth all the hassle. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to land that first elite client and keep him or her coming back for years.

Takeaways
1. Building a strong Upwork profile is crucial for attracting elite clients.
2. Highlight your skills, expertise, and relevant experience in your profile.
3. Personalize your proposals to potential clients and showcase your value.
4. Set competitive rates based on your skills and the project’s scope.
5. Communicate professionally and promptly with clients to build trust.
6. Deliver high-quality work and meet deadlines to establish credibility.
7. Request testimonials from satisfied clients to enhance your reputation.

#1: Define Your Niche

First, you will want to define your niche. This is probably the most important step in getting your first client on Upwork. If you don’t define your niche, you will end up with a broad range of clients and won’t be able to specialize in one particular area. 

Also, by defining a niche for yourself, it will make it easier for others to find you when they search for contractors who do what you do.

If we were starting from scratch and had no experience or knowledge about freelancing online before reading this article, then we would probably start by choosing a niche based on our interests or skillset something like marketing strategy or copywriting might work well in this case because they are both related areas where we have some experience working professionally before (at least tangentially).

But keep in mind that some niches may be too broad! For example, if someone wanted me as their SEO expert but was totally clueless about SEO themselves that doesn’t mean much because I’m not interested enough in that topic either so there wouldn’t be any motivation behind learning it deeply together anyway…

Building a successful freelance career on Upwork requires a strong profile. Check out the Best Upwork Profiles for Freelance Success to learn from the best and boost your chances of landing elite clients.

#2: Update Your Contract

Once you’ve created your profile, write your contract and have a portfolio full of work samples ready to go, it’s time to start applying for jobs. You should apply for as many jobs as possible and make sure that each one is quality.

Once you have completed the job, mark it complete and wait until the client approves your work before releasing their funds into your account. This will show clients that you are trusted by other clients and may encourage them to choose you over someone else in the future.

As soon as you get paid from one client, head back over to Upwork so that they can see how much money has been transferred into your account (this will help with future job offers).

Once this happens, ask them if there are any other projects they need help with in order to build up more trust between yourself and potential employers/clients

#3: Become An Upwork Top Rated Freelancer

To become a Top-Rated freelancer, you’ll need to have a JSS (Job Success Score) of at least 90%. This is different from your actual rating, which can be less. 

Your JSS is calculated by Upwork based on the average score of your reviews and how recently they were posted. If you are new to Upwork and don’t yet have any reviews, then no worries! Simply log into your account and click “Profile” then “Reviews.” 

You can leave a review for other freelancers that you’ve worked with so that when they receive their next job offer, they will be more inclined to hire you.

Additionally, you need a handful of completed contracts in order to earn the title of Top Rated freelancer. And finally…you’ll need an income of $1k+ USD within the last 12 months.

Getting valuable feedback from clients is essential for freelancers on Upwork. Discover how to make sure you’re getting the best client feedback on Upwork to enhance your reputation and attract more opportunities.

#4: Connect With Your First Elite Client

Once you’ve chosen a client and are ready to start the project, consider applying the following tips.

Use The Search Function To Find Clients Who Might Be A Good Fit For Your Skillset

If you’re not yet an Elite member or don’t have any previous experience with Upwork, use the filters at the top of each job posting to narrow down your options. 

The client filter will help prioritize potential clients by their level of expertise elite clients are those with at least 2 years of experience on Upwork who have been involved in 4 or more projects (and this number is growing). 

The second filter allows you to sort through jobs that are looking for talent like yours: if they want someone with excellent written communication skills or has knowledge about SEO, then select those criteria from their list of requirements and only view jobs that match them! 

If none do worry there is still hope! Use this third option instead: type something specific into the “Subject:” field (e.g., “Project Management”) so that only relevant postings appear in the results window below; then click the Search button next time once again.”

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#5: Engage With Them Directly

When you’re starting out, it can be difficult to get the attention of big-name clients. They may not have time for your questions or concerns, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t respond if you reach out to them directly. 

Responding promptly to all messages is one of the best ways to show potential clients that you’re interested in their business and will do whatever it takes to meet their needs.

When engaging with potential clients on Upwork, always keep the following in mind:

Be professional! You can make a positive impression by contacting them via private message rather than through public posts on boards or forums (unless they specifically ask). This shows that you value direct communication and over-sharing information publicly with multiple parties at once.

Ask lots of questions! Asking questions shows genuine interest in what’s going on at this company and gives people an opportunity to explain why they decided on hiring an expert like yourself instead of doing everything themselves (or employing someone else). 

It also allows other users who are reading this conversation between two experts (including other experts) to see what kind of person we’ve got here one who isn’t afraid

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#6: Focus On Collaborate Projects (Rather Than Hire Me) For Best Results

Now that you’ve come up with a good strategy, it’s time to put it into action. To ensure that your new project comes in as smoothly as possible, consider focusing on Collaborate projects first if possible.

These are usually posted by the client for a reason: they don’t want to hire someone full-time yet. They may not have enough faith in their own skillset or budget yet, or they may be working extensively with others already (either remotely or in-house). 

What Collaborates projects allow is more of an initial vetting process on both sides before committing further resources to work together. As long as the job fits with your skillset and can be done about three times a week for five hours each session (or less), then go ahead and apply!

#7: Build A Relationship

The most common mistake freelancers make is to treat their clients like a faceless companies. While it’s important to maintain professionalism and complete the agreed-upon work, it’s equally important to show interest in them as a person.

You don’t have to know everything about your client’s life offhand, but when you’re communicating with them online or on the phone, try asking questions and making small talk. You can even ask if they have any hobbies that aren’t related to their business (if they do). This will help build rapport and make them feel more comfortable working with you in the future.

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Conclusion

You’ve done it! You’re now ready to start building your Upwork portfolio with clients who will help you build a strong reputation. If you follow the advice in this article, you’ll be well on the way to finding your first elite client in no time at all.

Good luck!

Further Reading

14 Tips to Get Your First Client on Upwork: Learn valuable tips and strategies to secure your first client on Upwork and kickstart your freelance career.

Freelancing on Upwork: How to Build Your Profile and Write Client-Getting Proposals: This Skillshare class offers insights on optimizing your Upwork profile and crafting compelling proposals to attract potential clients.

How to Get Your First Clients: My Experience on Upwork: Gain valuable firsthand experiences and advice on getting your first clients on Upwork from this insightful article.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is An Elite Client?

An elite client is someone who hires you for a high-paying project or has a lot of work for you and pays well.

Who Is An Elite Client?

An elite client can be anyone who has enough budget to pay you and trusts your skills. It could be a startup founder, small business owner, or even an entrepreneur looking to expand their business in another country.

How Do I Find An Elite Client On Upwork?

You should research all of your potential clients before accepting them as clients so that they don’t waste either party’s time when working together (and so both sides can avoid wasting money). Researching potential clients will help ensure that both parties understand each other and are committed to the project at hand!

How Do I Get A Client?

There are a few different ways to get a client. The first is through the client’s tab, where you can browse for potential clients based on keywords and locations. If you don’t see anyone that fits your needs, check out the job board. 

Job boards feature contractors looking for work and hiring companies who need it done. This is also where you’ll find recruiters searching for talent in different fields (which is an excellent way to gain exposure). Once you’ve found someone that sounds promising, send them an introduction message! 

It’s best practice to include some information about yourself and why they should hire you to be sure not to be overly salesy or pushy here; just mention how excited you are with what they’re doing with their business and why their company seems like a good fit for yours!

What If I’m Having Trouble Finding Any Contractors At All?

Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about this problem since it’s something more universal than Upwork itself; however, there are still things that might help improve visibility such as posting on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter if possible (but don’t spam people!). 

You could also try reaching out personally through email which should lead people back here if interested enough simply because most professionals use Gmail these days anyway… so long story short just keep trying until something sticks!

How Do I Get My First Client As A Freelancer?

You’re in luck. We’re going to cover everything you need to know about how to find your first client on Upwork.

How Do I Find Clients On Upwork?

In this section, we’re going to give you some tips and tricks for finding clients that will help you earn more money and work with better-paying companies. How many clients should a freelancer have? 

The answer depends on the situation, but generally speaking, it’s best not to take too many jobs at once (especially if they don’t pay well). That way, if one job goes south or takes longer than expected due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions or other things outside of your control like power outages after hurricanes/flooding etc., 

Then there won’t be too much pressure put on getting everything done by deadline day without compromising quality standards while also keeping up with deadlines from other projects since having too m leads to backslash feeling overwhelmed due

You’re in luck because this article will answer all of those questions and more.

How Do I Get My First Client As A Freelancer?

First things first: if you are new to the world of freelancing, we recommend reading our guide on how to build your own freelance business from the ground up! This will help you with tips on what tools to use, where to find clients, and how much time it takes each week.

How Do I Find Clients On Upwork?

In order for this article to be helpful for you, we need some information about yourself and why you want clients. Please fill out our survey below so that we can provide personalized advice tailored specifically toward your goals!

How Many Clients Should A Freelancer Have?

It depends on what type of work you do, who does it best (you), and whether or not there’s enough money involved in order for everyone involved in both parties to come out ahead financially speaking.”