Feeling very overwhelmed. Would love to hear professional's experiences.

[ahmedsherif101]

Hello! I hope you all are having a wonderful day.

I believe I reached a point where I think I'm good enough to finally start making a few pennies off of my hobby, and decided to create a fiverr account. I loved the idea of supporting myself and family financially by doing something I love.

However, after creating and setting up my fiverr gig until I was satisfied with it, I began browsing other gigs others have set up, and oh boy I was overwhelmed. People with decades of experience with hundreds of five star reviews all praising their excellent work. How could I ever compete against such experienced sellers? 

Obviously I'm starting from scratch, I get no more than nine impressions with zero orders and zero clicks, which makes my gig look extremely unappealing compared to other older, more popular gigs. I also can't imagine the number of lesser known gigs similar to mine.

I'm fully aware that I need to have patience, but later on will it be based on luck? Do I need to wait for my first order, whenever that happens so that my gig can look a little more inviting? 

I'd love to hear views from people who have gone through the same experience but got their gig up-and-running. 

[vickieito]

Hi @ahmedsherif101! Happy to see a kidpreneur! Welcome to the forum!

16 hours ago, ahmedsherif101 said:

after creating and setting up my fiverr gig until I was satisfied with it, I began browsing other gigs others have set up, and oh boy I was overwhelmed. People with decades of experience with hundreds of five star reviews all praising their excellent work. How could I ever compete against such experienced sellers? 

It is so easy to feel this way. I still feel this way, especially when I compare myself to other sellers on the platform. But the great thing about this platform is that everyone starts from scratch here, even those with years of industry experience. Everyone starts with zero orders, zero clicks, and zero reviews. 

The truth is, you aren't competing against the higher leveled sellers when you're just starting out. Pro sellers with $100 gigs who are offering the same services you're offering for $5 will not be catering to the same clients as you are. So you aren't competing against them. You're competing against sellers who are similar to yourself, with similar pricing that you have. So don't compare yourself to sellers who are serving a different market than you are.

When I look at your gig, I see that you mention that you are 16 years old and that you lack experience. You don't need to mention that information because it's irrelevant. Buyers don't care how old you are and there are sellers with years of industry experience who still struggle to get orders. Buyers only care if you can do the job. So work on showing them that you are capable of delivering the services that you have listed in your gig.

When I was a newbie seller, I spend a lot of time working on my portfolio samples and my gig gallery because that was the only way I could show buyers what I could do. You have 1 gig video, 3 gig images, and 2 PDFs that you can use to showcase what you can do. The more examples you have, the better chances you have at showing a buyer something that they want for themselves (and they'll reach out to you in your inbox to learn more). PDFs can have as many pages as you need to show the buyers what you can do. My portfolio was the reason many buyers placed orders, even when I had few orders and reviews.

As you start getting inquiries in your inbox, pay close attention to what your buyer are saying because that may inspire you to open up other gigs that will cater to their needs. This is a great way to becoming a "full service" operation for your buyers (and a great way to have repeat business).

16 hours ago, ahmedsherif101 said:

will it be based on luck? Do I need to wait for my first order, whenever that happens so that my gig can look a little more inviting? 

Don't depend on "luck" and "waiting" to get orders. Listen to your customers because they will tell you what services they need. If you are getting irrelevant or no inquiries, you may need to change your messaging. That may be one reason why your impressions are not turning into clicks and orders.

Clicks will tell you how attractive your gig is to buyers. Buyers only click on your gig if it interests them. So make sure your gig thumbnail, video, images, title, and prices are clear about your services and are unique enough to stand out from all the other gigs offering the same services. If a buyer clicks on your gig, but doesn't contact you or place an order, you may need to update your gigs so that you have a stronger portfolio, clearer gig packages, or different information in your gig descriptions or FAQs.

Always think from the mindset of your buyer when deciding how to make improvements to your gigs and services. What pain points do they have? How are you the solution to their problems? What will make you more attractive to your target buyers (and how can you niche down so you aren't competing against so many other sellers)? Thinking from the buyer's perspective will help you grow your business.