How to Write a Winning Upwork Job Proposal in 2024
Summary
TLDRDanny from freelancetowin.com discusses the key elements of a winning freelance proposal on Upwork for 2021 and beyond. He outlines strategies to stand out to clients, prove your expertise, and prompt responses. Danny shares his personal success on Upwork, emphasizing the importance of a succinct proposal that initiates a conversation rather than a hard sell. He provides actionable tips on crafting an introduction, showcasing relevant work, and ending with a clear call to action, all aimed at securing more freelance opportunities.
Takeaways
- 😀 The presenter emphasizes the importance of writing great proposals for success on Upwork.
- 🔍 The presentation aims to teach how to stand out, show fit for a project, position as an authority, and answer screening questions effectively.
- 🏆 The speaker has earned significant income on Upwork and shares strategies from personal experience and a popular blog.
- 🔑 The strategies are designed to be applicable across various work categories, not just writing.
- 📈 Clients are busier with more choices and higher expectations, presenting both challenges and opportunities for freelancers.
- 💡 A winning proposal should be powerful, succinct, and aim to start a conversation rather than close a deal immediately.
- 📝 The proposal is part of a broader process to acquire new clients, focusing on initiating dialogue.
- 👋 A brief introduction in the proposal should grab attention, build rapport, and show the client's job post was read.
- 🔑 Showing relevant work examples is crucial to demonstrate capability and alleviate client concerns about project fit.
- 🤝 Tour guiding clients through your work helps position you as an authority and sets expectations for the work you'll deliver.
- ☎️ A clear call to action in proposals, like asking a question or suggesting a call, prompts client responses and moves the conversation forward.
Q & A
What are the key elements of a winning proposal according to Danny from freelancetowin.com?
-The key elements of a winning proposal are a brief introduction to grab attention, proof that you can do a great job by showing relevant work examples, and a clear call to action to prompt client response.
How can a freelancer stand out to clients even if new to Upwork?
-A freelancer can stand out by crafting a personalized brief introduction, showcasing relevant work examples, and demonstrating expertise in the field, regardless of being new to Upwork.
What is the purpose of a brief introduction in a proposal?
-The purpose of a brief introduction in a proposal is to get the client's attention, start building rapport, and show the client that you have read and understood their job post.
How does Danny suggest using personal connection introductions in proposals?
-Danny suggests using personal connection introductions by making spontaneous, unique statements related to the client or situation, such as genuine compliments or shared experiences, to serve as conversation starters.
What is the affirmation approach mentioned by Danny?
-The affirmation approach is a method where you repeat back the client's stated needs from their job post as a way to introduce yourself and show that you understand their requirements.
Why is showing relevant work examples important in a proposal?
-Showing relevant work examples is important because it tangibly demonstrates your skills, alleviates the client's concerns about your ability to perform on their specific project, and helps you stand out from other freelancers who may not provide such examples.
How can freelancers who are new to Upwork or freelancing show their capabilities if they lack a portfolio?
-New freelancers can create hypothetical work samples relevant to the job they're applying for, such as writing landing page copy for a fictitious app, to demonstrate their capabilities even without a traditional portfolio.
What is 'tour guiding' as described by Danny, and why is it beneficial?
-'Tour guiding' is the process of walking the client through your work, explaining its relevance and highlighting its key points and quality. It's beneficial as it increases the perceived value of your work, positions you as an authority, and sets expectations for the client.
How should freelancers handle proposals if they can't show relevant work examples?
-If unable to show relevant work examples, freelancers should discuss relevant work experiences, share knowledge or expertise, offer helpful suggestions for the project, and use testimonials to back up their claims.
What are the two main types of clear call to actions that Danny recommends to end a proposal?
-The two main types of clear call to actions are asking a question about the project to prompt a response or inviting the client to a brief call to discuss the project further.
Why does Danny advise against discussing details like timeline or scheduling in the initial proposal?
-Danny advises against discussing details like timeline or scheduling in the initial proposal because the focus should be on starting a conversation and determining if there's a good fit, rather than getting into specifics too early.
Outlines
🚀 Introduction to Winning Proposals on Upwork
Danny from freelancetowin.com introduces the topic of crafting winning proposals on Upwork, emphasizing its importance for success on the platform. He outlines the learning objectives, which include standing out to clients, demonstrating project fit, establishing authority, answering screening questions, and taking action. Danny shares his credentials, having earned significant income on Upwork and being featured in major publications, to establish his expertise. He also discusses the changing landscape of freelancing, noting increased client expectations and choices, and positions a well-crafted proposal as a key to standing out.
📝 Crafting the Perfect Proposal Introduction
The second paragraph delves into the first element of a winning proposal: a brief introduction. The goal is to grab the client's attention, start building rapport, and show that the job post was read. Danny suggests two approaches: the personal connection introduction, which is a unique statement related to the client or situation, and the affirmation approach, which involves reiterating the client's needs from their job post. He provides examples of both and advises keeping the introduction simple and not to force a connection if it doesn't feel natural.
🔍 Demonstrating Your Ability with Relevant Work Examples
Danny discusses the power of showcasing relevant work examples in proposals to demonstrate capability and alleviate client concerns. He explains that work examples can be from any source, not just Upwork, and that they provide a tangible preview of potential results. He addresses the concern of new freelancers with limited portfolios, suggesting creating work samples for the purpose of building a portfolio. The paragraph also includes examples of how professionals from various fields can demonstrate their work to clients.
🗣️ Tour Guiding Clients Through Your Work
This paragraph introduces the concept of 'tour guiding' clients through your work, which involves explaining the relevance and unique aspects of a work example to the client's needs. Danny provides a proposal example where he tours a client through his work, highlighting its relevance and showcasing his expertise. He also offers questions freelancers can ask themselves to effectively tour guide clients, emphasizing the importance of positioning oneself as an authority and setting expectations for the work.
💬 The Art of the Call to Action in Proposals
Danny explains the third element of a winning proposal: a clear call to action. He outlines the benefits of using a call to action, such as increasing the likelihood of a client response and moving the conversation forward. He suggests two approaches: asking a clarifying question about the project or inviting the client to a call. The paragraph includes examples of effective calls to action and provides guidelines for keeping them concise and relevant to the project.
✅ Recap and Best Practices for Proposals
The final paragraph recaps the three elements of a winning proposal: a brief introduction, proof of capability through work examples, and a clear call to action. Danny emphasizes the importance of keeping proposals succinct and focused on starting a conversation rather than discussing details like timeline or scheduling. He also mentions that his proposals do not typically include offers to do the work immediately, as he prefers to determine a good fit through conversation before discussing specifics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Proposal
💡Upwork
💡Freelancer
💡Portfolio
💡Personal Connection Introduction
💡Affirmation Approach
💡Tour Guiding
💡Call to Action
💡Screening Questions
💡Paradox of Choice
Highlights
The importance of writing great proposals for success on Upwork.
How to stand out and get clients to notice your proposal even as a new Upwork user.
Strategies to show clients you're a good fit for their project as a beginner.
Positioning yourself as an authority on the type of work you're doing.
Expertly answering screening questions on Upwork.
The presenter's personal success earning hundreds of thousands of dollars on Upwork.
The presenter's work featured in major publications like Inc and Bloomberg.
The paradox of choice and its impact on client expectations and freelancer opportunities.
The proposal as a conversation starter rather than a deal closer.
The three basic elements of a winning proposal: introduction, proof of capability, and call to action.
Creating a brief introduction that draws the client in and builds rapport.
Using the personal connection introduction to make a unique statement about the client or situation.
The affirmation approach to reiterate the client's needs in the introduction.
Guidelines for writing an effective brief introduction.
The power of showing relevant work examples in your proposal.
How to tour guide clients through your work to highlight its relevance and quality.
Alternative strategies for writing proposals when you can't show relevant work examples.
Using a clear call to action to prompt clients to respond to your proposal.
The benefits of using a clear call to action in your proposals.
Guidelines for crafting effective calls to action in proposals.
Recap of the three elements of a winning proposal and how they work together.
Transcripts
(upbeat music)
- Hi, everyone. Danny here from freelancetowin.com.
And today I'm going to be talking to you about
the elements of a winning proposal in 2021 and beyond.
Now, this is a very exciting topic for me.
It's one of my favorite things to talk about
because I believe that being able to write great proposals
is absolutely key to your success on Upwork.
Now, first and foremost,
let's briefly go over
what you're going to learn in this presentation.
One, I'll show you how to stand out
and get clients to notice your proposal,
even if you're new to Upwork.
Two, you'll also learn how to show clients
you're a good fit for their project.
And again, that's even if you're a beginner here on Upwork.
Three, how to position yourself
as an authority on the type of work you're doing,
including those of you
who may not have a big portfolio just yet.
Four, I'll show you how to
expertly answer screening questions.
And if you're still new to Upwork
and you aren't quite sure what those are,
don't worry, I'll be explaining that too.
And finally, I'll even show you some next steps
that will help you put this knowledge into action.
All right, we're about to get into it,
but first real quick, for those of you who may not know me,
here's a brief overview of my work.
I've personally earned
hundreds of thousands of dollars here on Upwork,
including over $100,000 in just 12 months.
And I don't say that to brag,
but just to let you know that I'm no stranger to this stuff.
My work has also been featured by many major publications,
including Inc, Bloomberg and many others.
I also have a popular blog called Freelance To Win
where I share Upwork related strategies and tips with
hundreds of thousands of freelancers each year
from all over the world and from different backgrounds,
industries and experience levels.
So I really believe that these strategies I'm gonna show you
will be widely applicable.
I'm a writer,
yet these strategies properly applied and adopted
can be effective in any work category.
Okay, so given that this talk is about
how to write a winning proposal in 2021 and beyond,
let's talk briefly about
what we can expect in 2021 and beyond.
Well, it's a safe bet to assume
that clients will be busier than ever before.
We also know clients today have unprecedented choices
when it comes to hiring freelancers.
There are more people freelancing right now than ever before
and we can expect that trend to continue as well.
And finally, when it comes to hiring freelancers,
clients have higher expectations than they did in the past.
How do we know that?
Because as people are given more choices,
they also begin to naturally expect
better results from those choices.
This is sometimes known as the paradox of choice.
Now, and this is very important,
there's also a tremendous upside to these trends
because there are also more clients, more projects
and more excellent opportunities than ever before,
including more opportunities for us
to stand out and impress clients.
And I believe the best way to do that
is with a powerful, succinct proposal.
One of the best things about
the approaches I'm going to show you is that
they're fairly easy to learn and implement
as some approaches that used to work well
may not be as effective going forward,
again, given the unprecedented level
of busyness and expectations clients now have.
Now, in the next slide,
we're going to get right into it
and I'll show you how I actually write proposals.
But first, in order for it to make the most sense,
I want to set some context for you.
So here you can see my big picture game plan
because my proposal isn't just a proposal,
it's actually a part of an overall process I have
for acquiring new clients here on Upwork.
Specifically, my proposals are not designed
to be deal closers.
In other words, I'm not trying to get hired
off my proposal alone.
Rather, my proposals are designed to start a conversation
and then hopefully get a response from the client.
And assuming all goes well,
I will then go into further discussion with them
about the project.
I liked this approach for a couple of reasons.
One is that I can't really know
if the project is a good fit for me and vice versa
until I talk to the client.
So it wouldn't make sense for me to go into a hard sell
where I try to get hired right there in my proposal
when what I really need to do
is to explore if there's even a good fit.
And the other reason I liked this approach is that
it's really a modern approach in that
I'm able to keep my proposals
very succinct, very streamlined,
which works nicely
with those conditions we discussed earlier
of clients being busier than ever,
having more choices than ever before and so on.
All right, now let's talk about
the specific elements of a winning proposal.
You can see I've broken it down
into just three basic elements.
One, a brief introduction.
This is going to be your icebreaker.
Something that draws the client in
so they read the rest of your proposal.
The second element,
proof that you can do a great job for the client.
This is going to be the real meat of your proposal.
The part that really makes the client say, "Wow."
And three, a clear call to action,
which is a simple way to prompt clients
to respond to your proposal,
which again, is the main goal of my proposals.
Now, let's dive deeper
and take an in-depth look at each element
along with specific examples
and guidelines for how to put them into action.
We'll start naturally with the first element,
a brief introduction.
First, let's break down
the goals of your brief introduction.
So of course,
we wanna get the client attention, very important,
but we also wanna start building rapport.
We're really trying to make a connection.
And finally, and this is an underrated one,
we wanna show the client we read their job post
because a lot of freelancers,
believe it or not, don't do that.
They may copy and paste the generic proposal
that really has little or nothing to do
with the client's actual job posts.
And the client is going to wonder whether the freelancer
even read the job post before applying.
And in many cases, it seems like they did not.
So showing the client you read their posts
is a small gesture that can actually go a long way.
So those are the main goals we're trying to squeeze
out of this brief introduction.
And I've got a couple of simple,
elegant ways to do that
that only take a few seconds to implement.
Okay, so the first is something I call
the personal connection introduction.
I'll show you examples in just a second,
but basically, the personal connection introduction
is a spontaneous statement
that's unique to the client or situation.
Think of it as a kind of conversation starter.
For example, it can be a genuine compliment,
a statement of empathy,
talking about something you have in common
or really anything along those lines.
Here you can see some real examples.
The first one is from a proposal
where I was responding to a job post
from a client who was about to do a product launch.
The second one was shown to me on LinkedIn
by an IT professional,
who was writing to a client
whose website had unfortunately been hacked.
And the third one is my standard intro
whenever I'm responding to a job invite from a client.
Notice how these are really brief and straightforward
yet they do work quite well.
Now, sometimes there just isn't an opportunity
to use the personal connection introduction
because not every job post is conducive to it.
When that's the case,
I have another go-to intro I like to use.
I call this the affirmation approach.
The affirmation approach is even simpler
because you basically just repeat back
whatever the client said they needed in their job posts.
In addition to being simple and easy,
it takes just about 10 seconds to do.
It's also universally applicable.
Unlike the personal connection,
you can use it in any situation.
It's not quite as powerful as the personal connection intro,
but it is a solid backup.
Okay, now here you can see some examples
of the affirmation approach in action.
"Hi, I see you're looking for a developer proficient
in Ruby on Rails and AngularJS
to complete an existing project."
"Hi, I see you're looking for an editor
to tighten up your manuscript."
"Hi, I see you need help setting up Zapier automations."
Again, as you can see,
this is a very straightforward approach,
yet it doesn't work well.
Okay, let's walk through some quick guidelines
to help you when you're writing your brief introduction.
As you can see from my examples,
I generally try to keep my introductions short.
I keep it simple.
And it's also important not to try too hard.
Sometimes I'll see freelancers try to use these approaches
and they get too fancy with it.
For example, they may try to force
some sort of personal connection
when there really isn't an opportunity for it.
And it can come off as unnatural or worse disingenuous.
I also sometimes see people try to get too fancy
with their affirmation approach.
For example, they may go too far
and put words in the client's mouth,
instead of just pretty much repeating back
what the client has asked for.
Another thing I'll sometimes see is
people trying to combine these two approaches.
And that just doesn't work either.
So remember to keep it simple.
Okay, let's move on
to the second element of a winning proposal,
proof you can do a great job.
The best, most effective way I know
of to do that is to show clients
one or more relevant examples of your work
right in your proposal.
Showing an example of relevant work
is so powerful for several reasons.
First of all, it instantly shows off
your skills in a tangible way
compared to simply telling the client
that you're qualified to work on their job.
It also alleviates one of the client's biggest concerns
because clients are always wondering,
can this freelancer do a good job, not just on any project,
but on my project in particular?
And so when you show them an example of your work
that's relevant to their needs or similar to what they need,
it's almost like letting them look into a crystal ball
and predict the future
because they can see the results you achieved
on a similar piece of work.
And finally, showing a relevant example of work
helps you stand out because in my experience,
most freelancers don't do it.
So the client will really appreciate
seeing that relevant work example from you,
especially if they've already read through
a bunch of proposals that did not contain one.
Now, sometimes when I talk about this subject,
people will put up a little protest.
They'll say,
"But Danny, I'm new to Upwork
or I'm new to freelancing altogether
and I don't have a big portfolio to work with."
And to that I say, first of all,
the work you show
does not have to be work you've done for clients on Upwork.
In fact, it doesn't even have
to be work you've done for clients at all.
It can be something you did for a friend,
relative, a nonprofit
or it can even be something you just did for yourself,
even something you did for fun
or just something you did for the purpose
of building up your portfolio.
Yes, that is allowed.
For example, last year,
I noticed there were lots of jobs being posted
for copywriters who could write landing pages for apps.
So I looked through my portfolio and guess what?
I'd never written a landing page for an app before.
So can you guess what I did?
I wrote a landing page for an app.
I came up with the idea for an app
and I wrote some landing page copy about it.
The app does not actually exist,
at least not outside of my own mind,
but the landing page copy I wrote is very real
and I used it to get quite a few jobs.
So this is really something anyone can do
and you do not need a big portfolio to pull it off.
Another thing some people will say to me
regarding showing a relevant example of work is they'll say,
"Danny, I can see how this would work
for creative types like writers or designers,
but I'm neither of those things.
So what should I do?"
And my answer to that is I have helped freelancers
in just about every category of work imaginable
and I have yet to discover a profession
where it is not possible to show clients
a tangible relevant example of your work.
You can see a few specific examples on the screen here
and there are many more examples.
I could spend all day making a list of them,
but this should at least spark some ideas for you.
So for example,
a social media manager can show screenshots of posts
that are relevant to what a client is looking for.
A marketing professional could create a marketing funnel
and show that to clients.
I once saw a lawyer here on Upwork
who cleverly showed clients examples
of contracts she'd worked on.
And of course, she removed any personal info from those,
but clients were able to physically see her work,
which was great.
An Excel specialist could do something similar to that,
except of course with spreadsheets.
A proofreader can show
before and after examples of their work and on and on.
The list of ideas is truly never ending.
So by this point,
hopefully I've convinced you of the power of showing
relevant work examples in your proposals.
Now, let's talk about how I do it.
First of all, I do not just tell clients
to check out my portfolio.
Instead, I actually go ahead and pick out
one to three of my most relevant examples for them.
That makes it easier for the client,
which they will appreciate.
And it also makes it more likely
they'll see the specific pieces of work I want them to see.
I'll usually attach it to my proposal as a PDF
or if it's something that makes more sense to link to,
for example, a live blog post,
then I would go ahead and drop a link to that.
Now, quick side note.
Just make sure you never link clients to a page
that they can contact you from
since that is against Upwork's terms of use.
And finally, perhaps the most important guideline
I can give you is to not
just drop your work in a client's lap,
but to explain what makes the work relevant,
special or unique to the client's needs.
I call this process tour guiding clients through your work.
Okay, here you can see a proposal I wrote
that got me an excellent client by the way.
And you can see how
not only did I include a relevant example of work,
but I actually use a significant portion of my proposal
to tour guide the client through that piece of work.
Notice also that I did not just point out
random things about my work,
I kept it highly relevant to what the client needed,
which was an email series to help him sell an online course.
This has some tremendous benefits.
It increases the perceived value of your work
because guess what?
This stuff may not be obvious to clients
when they see your work.
You are a professional at what you do,
but they probably don't have
the same knowledge and expertise you do.
And in any case,
clients will appreciate the fact
that you went out of your way
to highlight some key points for them.
And they'll also be very happy
to see how knowledgeable you are
about the work they need done.
So tour guiding really helps you position yourself
as an authority on the work you're doing,
which is a very attractive quality clients are looking for.
And finally, tour guiding gives clients a better idea
of the type of work they can expect from you
assuming they hire you.
So this really sets you up for success in terms of
delivering on their expectations once you're hired.
Now, once you get used to tour guiding,
it really becomes second nature.
But in the meantime,
when you're sitting there writing your proposal,
here are some questions you can ask yourself
that will help you tour guide clients most effectively.
One, what makes this work relevant to the client?
Two, what did you learn from working on it?
Three, what makes it a quality piece of work?
Four, is there anything that makes it unique or stand out?
Five, did it achieve any specific result?
And know that this can even be an intangible result
like the client loved it so much.
They immediately rehired me for another project.
And finally, did someone else say something good about it?
If so, you can use that as a testimonial for your work.
Please keep in mind,
these questions are only intended to spark your imagination.
You do not need to answer all of them,
even one or two can work quite well.
Now, with everything I've just told you,
if for whatever reason you are really truly absolutely
unable to show a client a relevant example of your work,
but you honestly believe you are qualified
to work on their project anyway,
I'm going to give you an alternative strategy
for writing a proposal in that case.
However, please note that this is not ideal
though it is something I may do from time to time.
And so what you can do in that case is to talk
about a relevant work experience instead.
Again, it doesn't work as well
and there is a bit of risk involved
because it lacks that glimpse into the future aspect
we talked about earlier
because the client isn't seeing
a completed piece of work you've done.
So they really don't know
exactly what to expect from you if they hire you.
So I consider this approach to be somewhat advanced
and you should really only use it
if you're extremely confident
that you can do a great job for the client if hired.
With that said, in the right situations,
it can work quite well and here are some ways to do it.
You can tell a story about your previous experience
or about a relevant piece of work you've done.
You can talk about a result you've achieved
or helped someone else achieve through your work.
You can use a testimonial
to back up your previous experience.
And these last two bullets.
Now, notice that I've bolded these
because I think these are really key
if you're going to use this approach
and these are sharing your knowledge or expertise
and offering one or more
helpful suggestions for the client's project.
And by that I mean,
preferably specific suggestions
for their situation and goals.
And I really liked those last two bullet points especially
because they do give some of that glimpse
into the future aspect to your proposal
because at least clients can see your thought process,
how you might approach their job.
You also have a chance to position yourself as an authority
because when you're sharing your knowledge
or offering helpful suggestions,
you're not just telling the client about your experience,
you're also showing them
that you know what you're talking about.
And by the way,
even if you do show a client
a relevant example of your work,
you can also combine that
with any of the approaches on this screen
to make it even more powerful.
Okay, now here is an example of a proposal
where I use this approach.
In this case, the client wanted someone
to write a few chatbots scripts for a car dealership.
Now, I had never written a chatbot script,
but I am a professional writer.
And I also have some relevant experience in this area
because I did use to work at a car dealership.
And one of my duties in that job
was actually doing live chat with customers
on the dealership's website.
So you can say that I was sort of a human chatbot.
And so I felt like I would be a perfect fit.
But of course, since I had never written a chatbot script,
I did not have any relevant examples of work
to show the client.
So I decided to talk about my relevant experience instead.
But notice, I didn't just say that I had experience,
I still proved it.
And I did that by sharing my specific knowledge
and expertise in this area
and by offering a specific suggestion.
So really, even though I did not show the client
any kind of relevant work example,
when he reads this,
he's gonna realize that I have a deep understanding
of what he is trying to accomplish
and how to make it happen.
This proposal did lead me to getting hired for the job
and I was able to do a great job for the client,
but it still would have been a better proposal
if I had been able to include a relevant example of my work.
Now, one thing that's very cool
about the techniques I've just shown you is that
in addition to using them
in your cover letter portion of your proposals,
you can also use them when writing your answers
to screening questions as well.
And real quick here,
in case you aren't familiar with screening questions,
these are questions that you're required
to answer on some proposals.
When a client posts a job,
it's up to them whether or not
to include screening questions.
And you can see an example here on the screen
of what it looks like when a job posts does include those.
So here is an example of a type of screening question
that tends to be fairly common
along with what I consider to be a very good answer.
And by the way,
this is from a proposal written by one of my students
who gave me permission to share it.
And this was a successful proposal,
meaning it resulted in my student getting hired.
So anyway, as you can see,
the client is asking basically,
do you have experience with this type of work?
And then my student handled it beautifully.
Not by just saying yes,
but also talking specifically about her experience,
sharing her knowledge,
showing a relevant example of work
and highlighting a specific achievement.
Here's another example
again, from one of my students
who also ended up being hired for this job.
And this one is a bit different.
You can see that in this case,
there's a personal connection introduction,
which is a pretty neat way to answer a screening question.
She then shares her knowledge and shows her expertise
while also highlighting relevant work experience.
Really excellent stuff.
Okay, moving along.
Let's dig into winning proposal element number three,
a clear call to action.
A call to action is simply a way to end your proposal
in a way that prompts clients to respond.
So instead of just hoping they'll respond,
it's better to actually give them a little nudge
that will make it more likely that they will respondent.
Now, there are two ways I usually do this.
One, I may ask a question about the project,
which when done right
will prompt the client to write back to me.
And the other approach I may use is that
I may invite the client to a brief call
to discuss the project further.
Now, this is one of the easier aspects
of writing a winning proposal,
but there are still a few important details
to pay attention to in order to get this right.
First, let's quickly go over
the benefits of using a clear call to action.
We've already discussed one of these,
which is simply that it makes it more likely
clients will respond to you proposals.
But there's more.
If you use a call to action
in the way I'm gonna show you,
you'll also be moving the conversation forward,
which is exactly where you want it to go.
I hear from a lot of freelancers
who maybe write a good proposal
and may even get some responses,
but they often tell me that
the conversation never seems to go anywhere.
That's because you need to move the conversation forward.
You can't just wait and hope the client will do it.
And a clear call to action is very helpful in doing that.
And finally, the two types of call to action
I just showed you either asking a clarifying question
or inviting the client to a call
to discuss the project in more detail.
Notice how they both convey your interest in the project.
And this is a very good thing because clients like it
when you're interested in their project.
In fact, all else being equal,
the freelancer who shows the most genuine interest
is the one who's most likely to get hired.
So here you can see a very simple example
of how I successfully put this approach into action
by asking a simple, clarifying question
that the client then responded to very quickly.
In this case,
I didn't wanna go straight for the call because
while I was potentially interested in this job,
I really needed to know a little more about it
before committing to a call.
And again, it ended up working out very well.
Some quick guidelines
that can help you with your calls to action.
First of all, I usually use just
one call to action per proposal.
I either ask a question or ask for the call. Not both.
Similarly, I also usually limit myself
to asking just one question.
Remember, as I mentioned earlier,
I'm just trying to start a conversation
and I don't wanna overwhelm the client
with tons of questions.
Though some people have told me
they do well with several questions.
So of course, you should always feel free
to go with whatever works best for you.
And don't be afraid to try different things.
Now, when I do ask clients a question,
I wanna make sure it's not something arbitrary.
Questions should aim to clarify
one or more aspects of the job.
And I like to make it something
that's fairly easy for the client to respond to.
Recall my question from the previous slide,
where I simply asked the client
what he was going to be selling.
Okay, so let's just do a quick recap
and take a bird's eye view of the three elements in action.
Notice again, how I begin with a simple brief introduction.
From there, I moved to sharing
a relevant piece of work I've done
to prove that I can do a great job.
I also tour guide the client through the work
explaining why it's relevant
and talking about it's key points
that I know he'll be interested in
and that show my expertise.
And of course that highlight the quality of the work.
Finally, I end with a clear call action,
in this case, a simple clarifying question.
Best of all,
this proposal took me just a few minutes to write
and it resulted in a win for both myself and the client.
Now, one thing you may have noticed is
what my proposals generally do not contain.
Specifically, I usually do not discuss details like
timeline or scheduling.
I generally do not offer to do the work.
For example, some freelancers will say,
"I can start on this right away."
I don't that because I don't really know
if there's a good fit yet at this point.
I mean, I may suspect there's a good fit,
but I don't really know until after I talked to the client.
So I'm not going to go into
nitty-gritty details about scheduling
and other kinds of fine print items in my proposal.
And this has a secondary benefit
of keeping my proposal succinct.
They've got stuff in there that clients love
without bogging them down with details
in this preliminary phase.
Once I get clients on a call, if I feel there's a good fit,
then we discuss the fine print
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