Bidding on Elance: When in Doubt, Ask!

One big question that keeps coming up is how to bid on jobs with very little in the way of job description.

You see them all the time. You know, the ones like:

Need five articles on the life cycle of lice.

That's it. Nothing more. But inevitably, they attract bids.

Normally I say, "Don't waste your time." But sometimes that's hard. The allure is too great.

Perhaps you did your doctoral thesis on the life cycle of lice, or maybe your kids have brought lice into your house twenty times now and all your knowledge was learned with blood, sweat, tears and lots of cleaning supplies. You could do this contract in your sleep while juggling steak knives.

So do the current bidders have information that you don't? It's possible. They could have asked a pre-bid question and have a better idea of the scope of the project. But more likely, they are the wild bidders who bid on anything and everything in hopes of winning something.

I say, don't worry about either type. Concentrate on you.

Don't be afraid to ask the buyer for the answers you need in order to put together a winning proposal. If it takes five or six back and fourths with the buyer, all the better. You'll be in a better position to craft a proposal that gives them exactly what they want, you'll have already established a working relationship with the buyer before the contract is awarded, and you'll come across as very interested, knowledgeable and professional. That may just be enough to rocket you to the top of the list of choices.

But what is it exactly that you need to know in order to bid intelligently?

In the case of the above example, you would need to know the length of the articles, the target market (parents of school aged children versus the scientific community), the intended use (marketing articles to sell a new lice treatment - SEO articles to drive traffic to a site - informational articles to educate - humor articles, etc.), but these need-to-know nuggets translate to most types of projects.

If the job description doesn't spell out specifically what you are required to produce, ask. It's much better to ask than to write 500 words on lice only to find out that they expected 5000. And that's not the worst-case scenario. Imagine writing 5000 words only to find out that they expected 50 thousand.

Save yourself the potential negative feedback, remember as always that time is money, and when in doubt - ask.

image by Marco Bellucci

Getting Started Part Two: Wild Bid Variations on Elance Explained

You've done your research. You're itching to toss your hat into the ring on a few sweet jobs, but...

The system still doesn't quite make sense.

When you're just starting out, it's hard to determine what bid amount to submit on a project when some jobs get awarded for peanuts while others seem to have a high rate of pay. What makes it even more confusing is watching one particular job you KNOW you're made for, and seeing that it gets bids that range from fifty dollars to three thousand.

How is a talented freelancer new to the Elance arena supposed to make any sense out of this?!

First, lets look at how two very similar jobs can be awarded for very different amounts. Lets say both jobs ask for five articles of the same length and one is awarded for fifty dollars while the other goes for five hundred. The explanation boils down to the buyer's needs and expectations.

Buyer one may be looking for quick filler pieces where quality isn't important while buyer two wants well researched, well written material. Or buyer one may want well written material but has no idea how much time and skill are required to produce a high level of content. In this case, buyer one will be disappointed in the results he gets.

Both styles (churning out article after article at breakneck speed, or spending serious time and energy on just one article) are valid choices. Figure out which one you're suited for and bid accordingly. Ask pointed pre-bid questions or questions on the job post's public board to determine exactly what the buyer wants, then only bid if their vision meets your skills. You'll save yourself a good deal of confusion and disappointment that way.

Now let's look at it from the other end - providers bidding all over the board on the same job. Partly the reason is the other side of the above coin. One provider may estimate five articles will take only thirty minutes of his/her time, while another will commit hours or research and writing to the project.

Additionally, they may have inside knowledge of the buyer's expectations because they asked a pre-bid question. Maybe they found out that the buyer wants five articles with citations from reputable journals, or perhaps they found out that the buyer wants filler SEO articles that drive traffic to a website with no concern for content. There is no way of knowing for sure.

And thinking about it is enough to drive even the most experienced of freelancers batty!

The best advice I can give is to NOT think about it. Set your rates and base your bid on what you can offer the buyer. Ask smart pre-bid questions if the project isn't 100% clear and don't worry about the wild variations.

Because who knows? The extreme bids may just be wild shots in the dark from other providers. It's best to focus on crafting an amazing proposal that shows the buyer exactly what YOU can do for them and why YOU are the person for the job.

Stick with that, and you'll start landing jobs.




image by helgasms