tips and tricks The Biggest Seller Mistakes And How to Avoid Them

[smashradio]

It's great being your own boss and all, but that also makes you accountable for every mistake you make. As a freelancer for more than ten years, I've made my share of mistakes. These mistakes have cost me money, time, and sometimes, even my sanity.

Here are some tips I've learned over the years as a freelancer on Fiverr. They might help you avoid some of the mistakes on this list – or to deal with them if you make them. 

Mistake number 1: Delivering late without proper communication with your buyer

There can be many reasons for missing a deadline. You shouldn't find yourself here in the first place, but when you inevitably do, remember to communicate with your buyer!

You might think that delivering a day late isn't the end of the world. Let me tell you; it can be the end of your freelancing career if you allow this bad habit to grow.

It gets worse if you don't communicate with your buyer when it happens. It will make the buyer dissatisfied with your services and cause a cascading effect of negative feedback, reviews, loss of levels, visibility drops and frustration. 

And don't forget: Use the resolution center to your advantage if you need more time. 

Manage your time well, deliver on time, and always communicate.

Mistake number 2: All eggs in one basket

If you keep all your eggs in one basket, you're in trouble. Having some regular, awesome buyers is great! But don't rely on them to stick around forever. Their business might change, disappear or find someone else to work with.

Another reason to "spread your wings" is Fiverr itself: it's a business, and it's outside of your control. If you wake up one day to find out that Fiverr is going out of business, you lose everything. If your mom gets sick and the 20 gigs in your queue get cancelled because you had to travel, you lose everything.  

Don't keep all your eggs in one basket. 

Mistake number 3: Pricing yourself too low

If you charge too little, two things will happen: you'll make less money and appear less professional than you are.

This is a common mistake among newbies on Fiverr, because they think more buyers will order if they charge just five dollars.

But there's a reason why the top-rated sellers on this platform usually charge more. Fiverr encourages it!

I have this on good authority from my success manager at Fiverr: pricing yourself too low will make you come across as cheap (read: low quality) and make you less visible.

Fiverr is a business, and if they can sell a 20 dollar gig instead of a 5 dollar gig, they will do so. 

Don't undersell yourself. 

Mistake number 4: Don't overestimate your own ability

Know when to say "I might not be the best fit for this project".

You're not a world champion superhuman. You're not all-knowing. Admit it to yourself and your buyers.

That doesn't mean you should underestimate yourself and your abilities: it means that you should know when to admit your shortcomings.

If you don't, you'll end up taking on projects that you're no expert at. Negative reviews await! 

Know your limits and your worth.

Mistake number 5: Not vetting your buyers

Vetting means making a careful and critical examination of someone or something.

Just like a buyer should vet their seller before hitting "Order now", you should vet the buyer before hitting "Send offer". It's easy to get tempted to work with someone, even though your gut instinct tells you to run like Forest Gump (Great movie, by the way)!

Don't work with just anyone. It might lead to terrible experiences, negative reviews, order cancellations and all manner of butt-clenching consequences. 

Mistake number 6: Not over-delivering

Many sellers on Fiverr view all orders as just another quick buck. It's a shame.

Don't do the bare minimum to fulfil an order. Go above and beyond. If you're falling into this trap, remember why you became a freelancer in the first place. Remember what's at stake if you drop the ball.

When you see a seller with a Top Rated badge on Fiverr, they didn't get there by doing just enough to fulfil their orders. They did more than what was asked of them. Repeatedly. 

Make every order shine. 

Mistake number 7: Not listening closely to your buyer

I've experienced this both as a buyer and seller. Few things are more irritating than a freelancer making mistakes because they didn't bother to listen and read instructions carefully.

This should be a given as a seller, but sometimes it's easy to think you've understood everything while you really haven't.

Never pretend to understand something you don't. Read everything twice. Then read it again, just to make sure. 

Delivering work or revisions they didn't ask for or not following instructions will only lead to frustrated buyers.  

If in doubt – ask. 

Now go out there. Sell. Impress. Be your own boss – if you've earned it. 
 

Edited May 28, 2022 by smashradio
Missing line

[smashradio]

Thanks for the award @frank_d😄 

[frank_d]

3 minutes ago, smashradio said:

Thanks for the award @frank_d😄 

Thank you @smashradio for creating great content. Keep it up!

[smashradio]

7 minutes ago, c_sahariya said:

Thanks dear

 

[sarahhagwood]

On 5/28/2022 at 3:27 PM, smashradio said:

Mistake number 3: Pricing yourself too low

If you charge too little, two things will happen: you'll make less money and appear less professional than you are.

This is a common mistake among newbies on Fiverr, because they think more buyers will order if they charge just five dollars.

But there's a reason why the top-rated sellers on this platform usually charge more. Fiverr encourages it!

I have this on good authority from my success manager at Fiverr: pricing yourself too low will make you come across as cheap (read: low quality) and make you less visible.

Fiverr is a business, and if they can sell a 20 dollar gig instead of a 5 dollar gig, they will do so. 

Don't undersell yourself. 

 

I kid you not...

I read this and was like, that's something I have been doing (underselling)...

A few people got a steal from me this week but I am a new seller and wanted to spark business so I put my prices very low. I've only sold 3 gigs though.

As I was reading this, I stopped and changed my prices and before I could get back to read the rest of the post, I already had a new order on a gig that I just marked the prices up on! Wow!

[smashradio]

22 minutes ago, sarahhagwood said:

I kid you not...

I read this and was like, that's something I have been doing (underselling)...

A few people got a steal from me this week but I am a new seller and wanted to spark business so I put my prices very low. I've only sold 3 gigs though.

As I was reading this, I stopped and changed my prices and before I could get back to read the rest of the post, I already had a new order on a gig that I just marked the prices up on! Wow!

Congrats! You just won! 😁

And even though you get fewer orders this way, the orders you do get start to actually make a difference.

[sarahhagwood]

On 7/12/2022 at 4:21 PM, smashradio said:

Congrats! You just won! 😁

And even though you get fewer orders this way, the orders you do get start to actually make a difference.

Yes! Thank you! The order was excellent and she tipped me an extra $20! I ended up getting $100 for something I was offering to do for $30 before. 

[mdzainalabedn]

On 5/28/2022 at 4:27 PM, smashradio said:

Mistake number 3: Pricing yourself too low

as a new seller how much price are better for flyer design?

[smashradio]

On 7/18/2022 at 2:29 AM, mdzainalabedn said:

as a new seller how much price are better for flyer design?

Find out what the top rated sellers in your category charges. Put your own pricing 10 - 15% below theirs. That's a good way of getting started. 

[truephoenixking]

This is very good post and is highly informative, one question though, if I was to complete a job before the time i said it would be done, should I send it straight away or wait till the correct day?