Tips for protecting yourself, saving from stress and making your buyer happy

[Guest sharpvoicing]

A lot of my customers tend to be pretty unaware of how the fiverr system operates so I thought I’d share my tips on how I handle some of the gaps in the Fiverr learning curve.

1. Terms of Service - Make sure when you create your order form, you are making a contract of sorts, make the customer read and write the word ‘ACCEPT’ etc in the places where you are stating how your order process works. This is crucial and it avoids people trying to get you do to more work for less money. Make sure that you state the expectation from you the seller and also what you DO and DO NOT allow in the work order.
   
   
   
   Example - I originally did one free revision per order but I found a lot of customers abused that and so I would end up doing quadruple work for $5, which wasn’t worth the time or the money. I now have revision packs as extras and I state explicitly in the TOS that it’s a one shot recording, please specific. Most customers are more than happy to buy an extra $5 to ensure they get the right product. Keep this in mind, they are getting a service for $5 that would normally cost them 10 times that. There is wiggle room.
   
   
   
   -Don’t let someone tell you what YOUR work is worth. If they want the cheapest option, they probably aren’t looking to do continuous business with you. You’ll survive without that $5, trust me.
   
   
2. Adapt your process as you grow - As you get more clients, you’ll learn to spend varying amounts of time on projects. Every order is important but a customer who is wanting endless revisions (and not willing to pay for it) vs a customer that has accepted a large custom order (and PAID for revision work) , you need to strike a balance and focus on who will be a future repeat customer.
   
   
   
3. Tell your buyer to install the fiverr app - This saves a HUGE gap in communication lag time. If it’s on their smart phone or yours, you can easily send a message and reassure the buyer on the progress of their order. It’s helped me a lot.
   
   
   
   4)Never be negative with your customer - I’ve had weeks where my phone was beeping non stop with updates from the app saying that all 10 customers wanted revisions, which was highly stressful. However, going through and making sure you fix each and every one is important as you want your customer to be happy. Talk to them first and make sure they give you DETAIL. There is nothing worse than a vague buyer that can’t direct you on what they think is wrong with it. Be patient, be polite and just work through the more challenging customers until it’s completed.
   
   
   
4. Make sure your product is as high quality as can be - This is important, you might not be a rock star, a CEO, a movie star etc but presentation is important, don’t defend bad quality. Your reviews will reflect this if you put out lazy or bad content. Don’t create bad quality in the first place - do you hate your video? Take it down, make a new one! Always be improving. Change your photo, change your description. I’ve gone through 5 changes in 5 months and I’m satisfied currently with mine but I will probably change it again. Remember, your selling yourself on here.
   
   
   
5. Check buyer requests every day - I would say about 5% of my orders come from there and people will want samples, some bite, some don’t. Don’t be discouraged, when you submit to an order, it makes a user click on your gig, which boosts your viewing rating, it’s win/win. It’s also a great way to actively drum up business but don’t rely on it too heavily. There’s up and down weeks on here if your product is rather unique.
   
   
   
6. MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW UP ONCE THE ORDER IS DELIVERED - Just like with sending in a job application, you need to follow up with your customer. Ask them ‘Are you happy with your final product? If so, kindly complete the order!’ - by doing this, you are nudging them to A) Critique your work and B) hopefully give you a good review - this is critical. I’ve had a few customers that said they were happy but never reviewed the order, which ultimately hurts you.
   
   
   
   If you have any questions, feel free to message me and I’ll be happy to share any info I’ve learned!

[julipalmer7]

Thank you so much for this, it has made me draw back and think of your suggestions. I hope others will see and follow suit. Best wishes on your journey here.

[david388]

Hi @sharpvoicing, great post and very well-articulated!



I have a corollary for #4: I don’t accept Gig orders from people who are excessively vague in what they want. Of course, I make sure to be very polite about this, but it’s super important for you as a Seller.



For me, this happens most often with my creative Gigs (i.e. sales copy): someone will place an order, tell me what it’s for, and then not respond to requests for any other information. Often, this type of Buyer will order my bare minimum basic gig (covers a few sentences), and vaguely ask for a “sales letter.” If I’ve sent a few messages to ask for clarification and still received similarly vague answers, I politely tell them that I think it’s best to offer a full refund (mutual cancellation), as I’m concerned I won’t be able to produce a product that I can stand behind.



In the broad scheme of things, this costs me a few $5 orders a month, but saves countless headaches (and likely, bad reviews as well).



Anyway - thanks for posting this discussion!

[Guest apexservice]

Thank you its a great post…i think its a good guide for new seller…keep it up…

[dobguy1]

God tips here. As a blog/article writer I get some buyers who try to squeeze that little extra out of me. At first I would succumb because I knew no better. However, after building my feedback and reputation over the past three years I now have my own TOS which are a necessity. For instance I offer 300 words of content, no less and no more. I do on occasion go over the 300 words mark but only because I choose to. I also stipulate potential buyers must run the info by me first before ordering. Sure, I may lose business but if a buyer can’t read past the title of the description I don’t want their work. Using my TOS not only protects me as a seller but gives clear and distinct instructions to buyers before purchasing. So, for any newbies keep this in mind. It’s important to get orders but more important to realize this is your business and operate it the way it will work best for you. You do NOT want to be imtimidated or taken advantage of on Fiverr from customers. Keep your quality high and high quality customers will become repeat customers. This is key to maintaining your high standards of service and will benefit you both in the short and long term. To your success!

[pfpgogo]

I’m with you on 6! Pretty much all of my orders/inquiries come from answering buyer requests, especially since I don’t advertise my gigs outside of Fiverr (at the moment). There may not be a lot of new requests every day and I’m not clear on whether or not satisfied requests get removed, but it’s still worth checking daily just in case there’s something you’d be perfect for.

[Guest sharpvoicing]

I’m glad you guys found it helpful! I’ve only been on here a short time but I’ve experienced a lot of pitfalls and tried to make a good situation out of a bad one. I’ve thought a few more that might be helpful:



Communication - DO NOT and let me repeat for emphasis, DO NOT leave customer messages unanswered, not only is it unprofessional, it can impact your review. Don’t be lazy with responses, you have a smart phone/tablet/laptop, you get the notification, just RESPOND - anything like 'I’m working on it now! Should have it to you in a few hours’



Another one I will add echoes what @dobguy1 said - be flexible - If your word limit is 300, and their script/whatever is 301, sometimes it works out better to give them the lower price bracket. It tends to encourage them to order again. So they bought the three revision packs but they want to change one little thing in a forth revision. Be smart, use your common sense and if it makes sense, fix it for free. It goes a long way and will help your reviews.



Also when facing tough clients that might be trying to extort you - mutual cancellations no longer affect seller ratings - USE this as a resource but only as a last resort. I don’t want to cancel your order but if you send me a $5 order for a 1000 word script, you violate my TOS instantly and I have no choice but to cancel.



Thankfully the majority of people, once they see the red cancellation sign will usually order another order up to pay you the difference. This is another option in order to make sure you get your money and the buyer doesn’t over work you, or even worse, use negative feedback as a weapon.



Hope this all helps!

[david388]

Hi @sharpvoicing, I’d add one more point to your advice about being slightly flexible with pricing. When you over-deliver, make sure to gently let your Buyers know that you have, so they can be extra-appreciative!



Sometimes customers order sales copy from me, and when I’m in the process of putting it together for them, I end up producing more than they paid for. When this happens, I mention along with my delivery that I have provided them some additional written copy as a special gift, free-of-charge for them. This tends to be really appreciated, and I think it contributes to a warm feeling at the conclusion of the gig.



So yes, I agree that this is a fantastic approach to good customer service - being flexible with the right kind of customer - but just make sure they know that you’re doing them the favor (however small) in the first place! 🙂



David

[timelyservices]

Great tips, thanks for the info. A lot of buyers want free jobs or 3jobs for the price of 1.