[DO This, Not That! (Part 3 of the Seller Tip Trilogy)]

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You will be happier in the long run if you have multiple options for getting work and generating income.

[Questions For Buyers: What do you look for in sellers?]

So here is my two cents on buying.

Most of the time it depends what I am buying and for what purpose.

For example, I buy a lot of writing gigs. My process for choosing writers is like this:

• Check out people on the forum who write well (I am on the forum a lot so I can see those who are good at it. Probably 70-80% of the writers I hired were from the forum. However, the ones I hire are those who actually contribute to conversations and can express themselves well. Those who just spam the forum will never be hired.
• Check out their profiles; who are they and how could they relate to the article I need written. eg. I hired a student recently to write something specifically about being a student. I hired a tech guy to write about tech.
• Check out their gigs and descriptions. What do they offer, price, word count, time-frame, etc.
• Check reviews to see if they have any bad reviews. Assess the reviews and take them with a pinch of salt unless there is a high proportion of them.
• If my article is something specific, I tend to send a message and ask them if they are happy to write about it.

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Now, the above seems like a lot, right? Well that’s because these articles are important and writing is an art form which some can do and others think they can do but can’t. I apply similar criteria when hiring for things like video, logo, graphics etc. Once I find a writer, I tend to give them a lot of orders, even if they are not 100% suited to the particular job. It is easier than looking for a new one. I have never had an issue with any writer I have hired - every one delivered what was required.

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I also hired someone recently for a very simple but time consuming job which was data collection from a site.

For this,

• I went to the VA section
• selected “New Sellers”
• opened the profiles of a couple of sellers
• checked the price/number of hours
• selected one which had a nice description and a good (but not the lowest) price.
• sent them a message explaining what I wanted and was impressed when they responded asking for more info and specifics about how I wanted the data laid out.
• Hired them through a custom offer with a delivery date that they picked. ($25)

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Now, the results…

With my recent writing orders, I received excellent work, delivered on time. I have since reordered with both.

With the data collection order, I have had 2 extension requests which were extremely polite and as I am not in a rush for it, I allowed them. I have just received their delivery and it had nothing attached so I have requested a revision obviously. I took a chance on someone without any reviews and was as nice as can be in allowing them everything they asked for to complete the order. In the end, if this is cancelled then it is not an issue as I can get someone else and it is not time dependent. However, for a lot of orders, this would have been a disaster as it would have affected me delivering for a client of mine.

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So that’s the how and why I choose certain sellers over others. Had the new seller done what was asked, even with an extension, they could have counted on several repeat orders. Not a chance of that now. Just had another look at the order - the order was delivered empty 15 mins before it would have been late (for the third time). Still giving them benefit of the doubt but I can’t see this being anything other than a cancellation.

For example, I buy a lot of writing gigs

Thank you for that detailed account. I am especially interested in how people select writing gigs. I am going to further optimizing my gigs and this has helped me get a better idea of what I can improve on.

[Questions For Buyers: What do you look for in sellers?]

Let’s please remember to be professional and civil to each other.

I am a copywriter and spend a lot of time thinking and learning about buyer motivation. I love to learn about how people make decisions. It makes me a better writer and a better businessperson.

I was once a new seller on Fiverr. It was hard to get my first order. But, the best advice I ever found to breakthrough on Fiverr is to start by offering something someone would be crazy to turn down. I had a lot of skills and experience before I came to this platform. But, no buyers knew anything about me. I needed the social proof that reviews provide. I also wanted to rank up to take advantage of different features. For the first couple of months I offered to write 2 500 word articles for $5 in 24 hours. That was a ridiculously low price. Too low to make a profit. But, at that stage my goal was to get reviews because even a few reviews would lead to more sales.

It worked. I worked long hours and did amazing work. I quickly leveled up and raised my prices. I kept that same pattern. Every Fiverr seller starts from zero. Getting your first few sales is tough… But, it is up to you to put in the work to get the sales. Fiverr isn’t a magic lamp.

Today I would charge $400 for the same offer I started out with…and buyers pay it. The reason is I have put in the work to build a reputation. Nobody is going to give you anything. You have to give them a reason to give your services a try.

This post is about discovering what reasons are most attractive to buyers. So far it sounds like reviews are the biggest factor.

[Questions For Buyers: What do you look for in sellers?]

On 4/4/2018 at 3:34 PM, jenihiggs said:

I started on Fiverr as a buyer. I bought book covers here.

I remember I was put off by super low prices. I thought that if anyone was selling graphic design skills for so cheap then they must not be very good. I looked for lots of reviews. I didn’t know anything about the badges, so I ignored those.

I remember being pulled in by the seller’s name. It was short and catchy and told me exactly what they did. I don’t want to call them out (even though they’re awesome!) so I’ll just say it was "Pro[insertsomething related to book covers])

I liked that they had a professional gig video. I’d never hired anyone over the internet and was worried about scammers. Being able to see her face and hear her talk did a lot to make me trust that this was a legit person. I feel like scammers would be as anonymous as possible.

They had packages that clearly outlined exactly what was included and lots of gig extras. It looked really professional to me.

They had lots of great reviews and only a few negative ones.

They’d been on fiverr for a decent amount of time.

I think those are all of the reasons that I picked that seller to work with.

Thank you for your thoughts. I first came here as a buyer myself, but I only buy a few gigs each year. It’s great to hear how others go through the buying process.

What impressed you about the reviews? Did you like the ratio of 5-star reviews to more negative reviews? Were you impressed with the actual content of the reviews?

I’m really curious about the buying process on Fiverr. It feels like a black box to me.

On 4/4/2018 at 3:46 PM, jonbaas said:

My buyers rarely say anything about my seller badge being an influence on their purchase interest. What they do tell me is that they saw my reputation, the strong interest from other buyers, and my gig gallery (i.e., my skills), and purchased from me because of those things. My clients choose to work with me because I can prove that I am good at what I do, and I have the reputation of being a fantastic seller to work with.

So, in answer to your questions, I have found that quality and skill are far more important to buyers than the level badge that a seller has. A badge is just a badge – skill is hard to fake.

Thanks for your comments. It makes sense to me that buyers look at reviews/reputation as one of the primary factors in their decision making process. I suspect that most buyers have no idea what the badges mean and don’t care much about them.

Even though I have some nice badges, I’m not really sure that they impact my revenues much, if at all.

But, I figured I would try and get as much data as possible as I realize my personal habits and instincts may not reflect what most buyers behaviors are.

[Questions For Buyers: What do you look for in sellers?]

I am interested in learning how buyers find sellers on Fiverr and what makes them click the buy button.

I am especially keen to know if badges like “Top Rated Seller” or “Pro” factor into your decisions at all. How often do you look at a seller’s profile before buying or do you just buy once you find a gig you like in search?

[How I Turned an Angry Client Into a Repeat Buyer Who Leaves 5-Star Reviews and Tips]

I’ll give you an example of how I talk:

Buyer writes: “Please send me new ones, this is to easy. Or give my mny back. I’m not statisfied at all.”

This is what I wrote in my cancellation message:

“It wasn’t easy, I spent a lot of time doing trademark searches, Google searches, etc. I don’t think you appreciate my efforts, so revising will be a waste of time . Next time don’t make a $70 order. It’s a huge hassle. Go order from somebody that offers satisfaction guaranteed, I don’t.”

Here’s another example from a buyer that argued a lot after I delivered.

“The seller has no intention of revising the order.” (his cancellation reason)

My response:

“Very well, you go ahead and write your own Facebook ad. Next time, don’t hire people if you’re not going to compensate them for their work. I am not a charity, and I don’t like working for nothing.”

I guess I’m an angry seller when things go south.

Coming up with names is tricky. Often, clients don’t understand how much time and effort goes into finding names. Many also don’t understand the role SEO, domain availability, and trademak have in the process. I just activated my own naming gig after having paused it for months because of the same issues you had. I raised the price on it. I have found with my other services that when I charge more I generally attract better clients who are easier to please. Of course, I also make sure the quality of my work is worth the prices I charge.

I’m curious to see what happens.

[How I Turned an Angry Client Into a Repeat Buyer Who Leaves 5-Star Reviews and Tips]

I woke up to a notification that a new-to-me buyer had requested a revision. No big deal. Because of the nature of copywriting, it isn’t unusual that I need to tweak a few things for a buyer I’ve never worked with before.

But, when I read the feedback I was stunned. The client had called me a fraud. They insulted my work and my character. I was furious.

I have been a self-employed professional service provider for 15 years. I have one rule when it comes to dealing with angry, unreasonable clients–never respond when I’m also angry.

I closed the message and tried to calm down. I went back and read the message again. Two things became clear. One, the client had not looked carefully at my delivery. They had not read my delivery message and probably had not read past the first two lines of the copy I had written.

Two, they had specific feedback about the image I had provided. The feedback could have been worded nicer, but I understood their dissatisfaction.

I found a new image that I felt would be a better fit given the feedback. Then I clicked deliver modified work and wrote a short message.

I told the buyer I had never received a single complaint about my work like the ones he was making. I explained my process and my delivery. I told the client I stood behind my work. I also explained I was delivering a new image, but that since I had been given no specific feedback about the copy, I would not be modifying it.

Half an hour later the client left a kind five-star review and a tip. This client has since purchased from me again and we have a solid working relationship.

I turned this situation around by being calm, firm, and professional.

It is critical to never respond in anger, especially when the client is already upset. By being calm I was able to see something I could do to make the client happy. However, I was firm. I didn’t rush to cancel the order. I did not let the client push me around. I knew I had delivered quality work. I was also professional. I responded quickly. I explained the misunderstanding without blaming the client and without apologizing when I had done nothing wrong.

Not every rough customer service experience will have a happy ending. In this case the client was open to listening to my response. However, if you remain calm, firm, and professional you will have much more success on Fiverr and in any service based business.