📈 Fiverr Simplified: Two Tips To Selling More & Earning More

[vickieito]

The forum seems to be flooded with the same seller questions over and over again. Many sellers are wondering why they aren't getting orders. Some are wondering if Fiverr is ignoring them. And yet others are waiting and wondering when the orders will start coming in.

This is not how Fiverr works. Signing up on the platform does not guarantee that you'll make any money and Fiverr doesn't promise that it will send buyers to your gigs. What Fiverr will do is make sure relevant gigs get shown in search when buyers are looking for services.

Two Tips To Selling More & Earning More

Your goal as a seller should be to make your gigs as relevant as possible so that buyers can find you in search. You can do that by following the two tips listed below:

1) First, sell things that people need (and you have to be really good at it).

2) And secondly, sell things that people want (again, you have to be really good at it).

#1 – Selling Things That People Need

Defining: “Need”

A “Need” is what a buyer will type into search and look for in your gig title. It is what the customer asks for.

• Example “need”:  I need a modern, minimalist logo design.

How do you know if you’re selling something that people need?

Start with a skill that you’re good at. Then check in search to see if it’s something that you can sell on Fiverr.

For example, I was a food scientist for 17 years before I started working on Fiverr. So naturally, I wanted to know if “food audits” was a thing I could sell on Fiverr. (It isn’t.)

Tips if you can’t find your exact service

If you can’t find your exact service, start looking for services that are trending AND utilize your skillset. For me, I started looking into technical writing similar to my technical proposals that I was used to writing. The closest thing I could find that was also trending was resume writing (resumes are basically mini technical proposals with specifications and persuasive writing to convince people to take action). If you look at “resumes” in search, you’ll find 23,532 services available. You can also see from the “Trending” tab, that “Resume Writing” is a trending service. This is currently my best-selling gig.

Notes –

• If you want to find out what’s trending, check out the “Trending” tab.
• If you can’t find your service in search, there probably isn’t a demand for your service on Fiverr.
• If there isn't a demand for your service, then most likely, you won't make much money from doing that service.
• If you can find your service and many results come up in search, there is probably a high need for your services.
• Just because there's a need for your services doesn't guarantee that you'll make money.
• Your title, tags, and gig descriptions will need to be relevant to the services that you provide.
• You will also need to be really good at what you do. Fiverr tracks your response rate, order completion rate, on-time deliveries, fast deliveries, reviews (private & public), repeat orders, sales, and other metrics to determine how good and relevant you are.
• Keep in mind that you will also be competing against other sellers, who are also really good at what they do. If they perform better than you, they will be more relevant in search than you.
• You can have a higher chance of being found in search if you clearly define your niche and target buyers and communicate your Unique Selling Points (USP).

#2 – Selling Things That People Want

Defining: “Want”

A "want" is what the customer expects. This is much more than what the customer "asks for" when ordering.

A customer may "ask for" a logo and you may deliver a logo. However, even after delivering what you feel is the perfect order, you may see a sudden drop in impressions or visibility in search. This is most likely because you failed to deliver what the customer "wanted" and the customer left a negative private review. 

What Do Customers Want?

Buyers coming to the Fiverr platform are coming for a reason. They are not just here to buy a logo or a resume. They expect a certain experience that they can't get anywhere else. They want "Fiverr magic." ✨🤩✨

Each customer has a unique set of expectations. Many times, these expectations are "assumed," or not communicated. It is your responsibility as a seller to really understand what your customers want and expect. This is not only the key to happy customers, but for happy sellers as well. Life is easier for everyone when expectations are clearly communicated. 

Understanding customer expectations requires excellent communication skills and stellar customer service. This means you should:

1) Be knowledgeable.  You should know your gigs inside and out. Know what services you offer. Know what your are willing to do (and what you are not). You should also be familiar with the Help Center, Fiverr's ToS, and how to navigate Fiverr’s site as a buyer (even if this is your first time on Fiverr!). New buyers will really appreciate the extra effort you make to ensure their buying experience is a smooth and positive one.

I once helped a buyer who was obviously not technologically inclined. He told me the gig link I sent him did not "work." After sending it to him several times, I found out he was staring at it (looking at it, not clicking on it), expecting it to "work." I had to kindly explain that he needed to use his mouse to click on the link to go to the gig page. This was the first of many experiences that we had together as he learned how to navigate the site, click on buttons, and complete his first order. This customer became a "raving" customer who sang praises to my technical abilities in his review (I secretly hope no one would read it because I am not a technical guru!). 😅

2) Clarify expectations with your buyers. Anticipate their needs and ask questions. Get to know who they are and why they are buying. Sometimes buyers will order something that really doesn't meet their needs, so it's important for you to take the time to listen and understand your buyers so that you can provide them with the best solutions and services possible.

3) Be professional. Keep your process simple and transparent. Be accessible for your buyer and provide updates that work for them. If your buyer tells you they don't want an update until you have a finished delivery, don't spam them with updates every 15 minutes. They will be very annoyed. Likewise, if they asked for an update in a day, don't disappear on them for a week.

Stick to your prices, follow your protocols, and do what you say you will do.  Consistently deliver excellent work.

4) Evolve your business to meet or exceed customer expectations. Really take the time to listen to your customers and find ways to improve your skills, services, and the overall customer experience. Make adjustments to packages, added gig extras, and even consider setting up new gigs based on inbox conversations and requests from your buyers. I found that when I listen to my buyers and tailor my services to them, they are more loyal to me and my business grows.

Notes –

• It takes great skill to be able to understand what your customers want, not just what they "ask for" or say they need in the order requirements.
• You can keep your customers happy by listening to them, anticipating their needs, clarifying expectations, and maintaining clear channels of communication.
• For your Fiverr business, consistently delivering what your buyers need and want is the key to delivering amazing customer experiences that will keep your buyers happy and coming back to buy from you again and again. This is where the magic happens for both you and your buyers. ✨🤩✨

[katakatica]

1 hour ago, vickieito said:

Clarify expectations with your buyers

This is SO important. (well, honestly, this entire post is excellent.) But just in general, this bit stands out to me. 

When I started Fiverr years ago, I don't think I was much worse of a writer (sure, I've improved and actually started paying for word (ha, big developement) but... what truly changed is the way I provide my services (aka, write for people.) Knowing how to ask the right questions is incredibly hard when you get one-worded answers (or, the opposite, and 5 pages per question, though I'd say that's better.) In the end I think freelancing made my social skills skyrocket because I learned how to navigate different people and their needs in a while.

Another way I've come up with new things to offer/new gigs was browsing BR AND listening to potential customers. A lot of people hit you up even if they are unsure if you can do something. Maybe it's something you're totally capable of doing, you've just never thought of selling it (literally 2 of my best gigs were like this.) Knowing how to set up a gig that people might want, I guess, is a good skill as well! 

In the end, Fiverr isn't easy but if you're dedicated and talented I honestly think it's pretty dang helpful. 

PS.: I AM the type to send loads of updates. I do try to scope people out first, but better to show them progress than have to re-do, say, 30 pages of writing because they didn't realise they asked for 2nd POV but wanted 1st 😛 

[smashradio]

3 hours ago, vickieito said:

and you have to be really good at it

This is where most fail, in my opinion. They think Fiverr is an easy way to earn quick cash without having an education, without having a unique skill, and without doing much work.

Without real talent, you can't get anywhere in business or on Fiverr. Even understanding that takes a bit of talent, that I'm afraid is lacking amongst most of the people who need to read this. 

A general IQ test before being allowed to create a profile would be nice. 

Great post, though, @vickieito! A food scientist for 17 years? I don't know why, but I always thought you were in your 20s. 😂

[ashleymahan217]

Excellent advice! I can't count how many times a day I get people asking me for work or projects instead of improving their gigs and services.

I would suggest one other major tip that ties in with professionalism and communication: LANGUAGE. Learn the language you're communicating in if you're not fluent in it. It's unfortunate because I see so many talented people offering great services at exceptional prices, but the seller can't communicate. If you're advertising that you speak "fluent English/French/Spanish/Etc.," buyers are going to know whether you're lying almost instantly.

You're amazing at coaching btw, perhaps you should create a "career coaching" gig lol 🤪

Thanks again for the tips!

[vickieito]

On 8/3/2022 at 10:40 PM, katakatica said:

but... what truly changed is the way I provide my services (aka, write for people.) Knowing how to ask the right questions is incredibly hard when you get one-worded answers (or, the opposite, and 5 pages per question, though I'd say that's better.) In the end I think freelancing made my social skills skyrocket because I learned how to navigate different people and their needs in a while.

Thanks @katakatica! This is the real game changer. How we provide our services makes all the difference to our customers. I also agree it can be really hard to know how to respond to each customer because they are all so different. I have customers who want detailed updates and others who only respond in emojis or short texts like "TY." Like you, I'm also learning how to deal with people (and difficult situations) better because of my freelance work.

On 8/4/2022 at 12:15 PM, ashleymahan217 said:

I would suggest one other major tip that ties in with professionalism and communication: LANGUAGE. Learn the language you're communicating in if you're not fluent in it. It's unfortunate because I see so many talented people offering great services at exceptional prices, but the seller can't communicate.

@ashleymahan217 - I agree with you there! Being able to sell people what they want requires great communication and social skills (as @katakatica mentioned). It's hard enough for those fluent in English. Those with the limited language abilities also have to learn English so they can ask the right questions and understand their customers' answers.

On 8/3/2022 at 11:57 PM, smashradio said:

This is where most fail, in my opinion. They think Fiverr is an easy way to earn quick cash without having an education, without having a unique skill, and without doing much work.

..."without doing much work." I think that's exactly the stigma that we are dealing with here on Fiverr, @smashradio!

The first time I first learned about Fiverr, I heard that someone was making money singing the "Happy Birthday" song with their goat. I thought, "If someone can make money singing with their goat, surely I could do better than that!" 😂 Now I know that goat singing isn't a high-demand skill and it probably didn't make that much money. However, it made the news just because that person "made money." That's all people need to hear to get interested in Fiverr.

I also see many newbies on the forum with the mindset that it's Fiverr's job to give them orders and all they need to do is sign up and create a gig. They are shocked when they find out that's not the case.

On 8/3/2022 at 11:57 PM, smashradio said:

A food scientist for 17 years? I don't know why, but I always thought you were in your 20s. 😂

Sorry I'm much older! I started to work in several food laboratories when I was 19 years old, including an analytical testing lab and sensory lab (i.e., taste testing and other organoleptic tests).

[msjohnnietate]

Building my profile and first gig. Researching I found this article!
Thank you and the responders so far, this is EXACTLY the information and inspiration needed.
Wish me luck!
 

[smashradio]

3 hours ago, vickieito said:

 

..."without doing much work." I think that's exactly the stigma that we are dealing with here on Fiverr, @smashradio!

The first time I first learned about Fiverr, I heard that someone was making money singing the "Happy Birthday" song with their goat.

Ah yes, the goat. There's also a guy with the gig "I will call you and tell you I love you" (but only for girls). 

3 hours ago, vickieito said:

Sorry I'm much older! I started to work in several food laboratories when I was 19 years old, including an analytical testing lab and sensory lab (i.e., taste testing and other organoleptic tests).

Oh well. Take it as a compliment. We're only as old as we feel, right? I turned 33 the other day. I'm starting to make "dad-sounds" when I get up from the couch.