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How i made over $1000 as a new seller in a category crowded with $5 gigs

mark_reddoor

By mark_reddoor
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activecreator Newbie

activecreator

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Great article, Mark. I agree with most of your points since I walked a similar journey when I started on Fiverr.

If I had to restart on Fiverr today, I would definitely go this way again but add one thing: Fiverr Anywhere – or at least some acquisition and marketing outside of Fiverr to get some great first clients and reviews. And always follow the simpliest business rule: “Under Promise, Over Deliver”.

However, offering free samples upfront should be only an option when you basically do not have any portfolio material.

PS: I disagree with profile pictures though, I have 50/50 buyers with pics or not.

“Under promise, over deliver.” This sums leaving positive impression in the mind of buyers up. Thumbs up for that.

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liontd Newbie

liontd

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Hi, I’ll be straight up blunt, direct and practical with this post, hopefully someone will find my tips useful. Before i go into details let me give a quick overview of what i do.

I am a visual communications consultant, so basically i work on all things public to improve a brand’s image i.e graphic design, web design and motion graphics. I study the brand and then create an image or improve its image. However the only jobs i did as a new seller were graphic design jobs. I did about 10 jobs and made over $1000 and also became a level 1 seller, all in 1 month. Here’s how i did it.

The first mistake most new sellers make is signing up without doing proper research. You can’t handle what you don’t understand, else every turn will be frustrating. The first thing i did was read articles inside and outside the forum that explained how to get the most from fiverr. I was initially skeptical about joining fiverr because of how saturated the place was with people offering $5 jobs. There’s nothing wrong with quoting $5 for a job, you should charge whatever is commensurate to the amount of effort you’ll be putting into getting the job done. But considering my skill level and how far i was willing to go to satisfy clients, i knew $5 won’t cut, so i decided to study and i got some tips that helped. So please research.

As a new seller, look through gigs that are similar to the kind of gig you want to put up to get an idea of what a gig description should look like. You think people don’t read them, but they actually do. Your gig description can set you apart from the lot. Some of my highest paying clients were not from buyer’s request. Choose the apparently more successful gigs and try to model your gig like theirs and do not list what you can not do.

Because of the New Seller badge (which is more of a stigma than a badge) you have to go out of your way to make your clients feel at ease. What i did was offer free samples of the job before they ordered the gig so they can be confident i can execute the request. The buyer’s money doesn’t leave his/her pocket until they’re satisfied you can do it. This helps the buyer relax. Once the buyer confirms that you can do the job, you can increase your charge, because they usually would rather pay the extra than go wading in the ocean of sellers whose skill level they can’t verify. This sample also helps you have a hands on knowledge of the complexity of the work in case you under quoted the client initially. As you move up the ladder and have more reviews, you won’t need to send samples anymore, your portfolio and reviews will speak for you. Remember to watermark your samples.

When sending an offer through buyer’s request make sure to read the request, DO NOT SEND A TEMPLATE, it has been stressed on several other posts and articles and i can’t stress it enough. It is a bad idea, it may have worked for some, but with just 10 offers per day, you had better leave an impression. Like i earlier pointed out, the graphic design category is saturated, so sometimes you’ll see one request has already received more than 40 offers. Don’t be afraid to send yours, like i was initially. Most of those people who contacted me from buyer’s request always complained about how everyone who messaged them, except me, didn’t seem to understand their request, and this is largely due to the fact that they didn’t read it or check out the attached file if any. Always read and offer bespoke solutions. Watch the tone of the buyer and follow along. If he/she seems playful don’t be too formal, just follow the tone. Also do not exhaust your 10 offers at a go. spread them out to different times of the day. Be picky about who to send an offer to, my advice, send to only those without a profile picture, people with profile pictures are mostly sellers so they’re usually very critical…and cheap too 😄

Engage your clients till you fully understand what they want and they understand what they’re getting. This way everyone is safe. I usually engage my clients till i can list out in detail the work they want done. I have never had an issue with deliveries, because both parties are usually clear on the work that is to be done. Some of my clients chose me over other sellers who were cheaper because i was the only one who could fully comprehend what they want done and helped them streamline same into a clear list. You can charge clients more once they’re convinced that communication with you will be easy.

Be genuinely interested in your clients needs. Offer solutions and don’t be in a hurry to send a custom offer. As a professional courtesy, i don’t ask for tips, but i have received a view voluntarily because of how impressed the clients were. But you can go ahead and ask.

Offer excellent customer service and be patient. I once had a client who had OCD, meaning she needed everything perfect and another who had to get opinions from her friends even when she was content with the design. All this took patience and they were both awesome buyers, and they gave me tips without me asking. You will meet different people, so let it be more about building a brand than about making money.

Except you’re working with a team, do not pile up jobs, take on a few, deliver on time and get good reviews.

None of the above will be useful to you if you’re not very good at what you do. I have a firm grip of the adobe creative suite, especially illustrator, Photoshop, indesign and Dreamweaver(yeah i do web design too) and corel draw. So you must have the skill to match your talk. Keep practicing, popular searches and buyer’s request will give you an idea of common requests. Instead of rushing in, learn the skill to execute requests of that kind. Don’t join the group of those who do crappy work on fiverr making buyers loose faith in new sellers. Learn before you offer.

Do not overcharge. Like i already pointed out, charge only what is equivalent to the quality of work you intend to do, your client will return if your deliver good service no matter how cheap they find the same service elsewhere. All my designs are original as i usually draw them from scratch, no templates, because quality is as important to me as it is to the client. I don’t use canva or other online design site, because i like to provide workfiles, but if canva and the rest are what you like, be very good at using them.

Have fun while you’re at it, that’s if your gigs are a reflection of what you love doing, else you may never be content.

I can’t remember any other thing, if i do, i’ll post in the comment sections. Enjoy 😄

Great postThank you for a clearer explanation ,:grinning::grin::grin::grin::grin::wink::slightly_smiling_

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graphicsanddzn Newbie

graphicsanddzn

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There’s one thing i forgot to add. You should always check your analytics to see how your gigs are doing, if the expressions you’re getting aren’t good, you should edit the tags and description, i believe that’s what affects your expressions to a large extent.

Getting sales is generally difficult on fiverr, except you’re a pro or TRS. Try the sample thing i suggested. When sending your initial offer, tell the buyer something like “…and don’t worry about whether you’ll be getting value for your money, i will send you a sample of the work i intend to do for you so you can evaluate my skill level with that” or something like that. ALWAYS WATERMARK YOUR SAMPLES

Also try adding a question to some of your offer, something that will make the buyer have to want to reply. For example if a buyer requests a brand design, i usually ask if they already have preferred colors in mind and if i’ll be helping out with their copy. I could have asked this questions on the second correspondence, but i’ve seen that asking from the first works, as some of my clients from buyer’s request usually send replies in response to my question. Its plain psychology.

You’ll do fine, just revamp your methods. Best of luck. 🙂

“…and don’t worry about whether you’ll be getting value for your money, i will send you a sample of the work i intend to do for you so you can evaluate my skill level with that”

@sp_branding I will follow your tips. Would you like to tell, What you write the form or style when sending offer to Buyers Request, structure of the english etc. Can you share please.

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sp_branding Newbie

sp_branding

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“…and don’t worry about whether you’ll be getting value for your money, i will send you a sample of the work i intend to do for you so you can evaluate my skill level with that”

@sp_branding I will follow your tips. Would you like to tell, What you write the form or style when sending offer to Buyers Request, structure of the english etc. Can you share please.

Simply introduce yourself, (Hi (username) i am…, tell them what you can do in relation to the request they made, explain clearly how you would help them solve the problem… Then end by saying… Feel free to message me. Cheers!

You can edit this to. What works for you

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graphicsanddzn Newbie

graphicsanddzn

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Simply introduce yourself, (Hi (username) i am…, tell them what you can do in relation to the request they made, explain clearly how you would help them solve the problem… Then end by saying… Feel free to message me. Cheers!

You can edit this to. What works for you

@sp_branding thanks for fast reply I think may be i were making some mistakes while sending offers, now I will rephrase while sending offers. Wish you best of luck.

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dybe_jobs Apprentice

dybe_jobs

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hi,

Can anyone guide me, how should i send a custom offer in buyer request? I just need to guideline how can i get some new clients.

You can search for posts here on the forum about sending buyer request or how to use buyer request…

I think I wrote an article on that here on the forum as well…

Goodluck finding all the help you need.

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grace_iyalla Newbie

grace_iyalla

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Congratulations on your achievement. I am a new seller too and I read on this forum that you should charge low to start with. so I have adjusted my gigs to $5 gigs. I don’t like it but I want to prove myself first. I am an experienced writer with years of experience. it just seemed wrong to sell my skills for $5 but someone said that is how you start Fiverr.

how did you avoid the $5 trap as a new seller? thanks

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mark_reddoor Newbie

mark_reddoor

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Congratulations on your achievement. I am a new seller too and I read on this forum that you should charge low to start with. so I have adjusted my gigs to $5 gigs. I don’t like it but I want to prove myself first. I am an experienced writer with years of experience. it just seemed wrong to sell my skills for $5 but someone said that is how you start Fiverr.

how did you avoid the $5 trap as a new seller? thanks

for a writer i’m not sure how to advice you. What i did was do the work before quoting them, only if they’re impressed. You can tell them you’ll send them 100 words for free. If they’re impressed they can go ahead and order. The major problem new sellers experience is getting people to trust they can do the work. I wish you success in all

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grace_iyalla Newbie

grace_iyalla

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for a writer i’m not sure how to advice you. What i did was do the work before quoting them, only if they’re impressed. You can tell them you’ll send them 100 words for free. If they’re impressed they can go ahead and order. The major problem new sellers experience is getting people to trust they can do the work. I wish you success in all

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, people no longer value good writing skills. So they are not willing to pay much for it. I always take my time to create my masterpieces but I guess i will need to write faster and charge lower for now. I will start offering free 100 - 300 words to buyers who request on topics I already know. Then I will prepare myself next year to also offer my Microsoft excel and cover design skills. It will diversify my portfolio and attract more high paying clients. I pray that will work as expected. :raised_hands:t4:

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