Freelance Sites

A good way to start your virtual business is by utilizing freelance sites. This will give you access to a wide range of clients in many different fields. If you are not good with creating a website you may want to go the freelance route for awhile until you can get a website up for your business. Then you can do business from both avenues, leaning more and more toward your own clients. Some sites do require a monthly fee for use of their services. While some others charge a percentage fee on the total amount you earn for each project. Some sites do both. Although this is not the best news it is also not the worst. You can write off the fees in your taxes at the end of year*. Each site is a little different and some are targeted for specific fields. Here is a list of some of the sites that I am familiar with. There are probably more available you can do a web search to find more in your specific field if you would like.

Elance – This is my favorite. You can find high quality, long term projects here. There is a basic membership that is free or there are upgrade accounts that have a monthly fee. Here is a link to my profile, you can see what it looks like and sign up for your account to get started today.

guru.com – this is another very good site. You can have a free account of upgrade and pay a monthly fee. Some projects are reserved for paying accounts only so there are many perks to the paid accounts. They do also take a percentage fee on your earnings.

ifreelance.com – wide range of project opportunities, you do have a monthly fee but they do not charge a percentage on your earnings.

helium.com – this is a huge writing network, you can publish your writing and bid on projects and they hold contests also.

scriptlance.com – programming and design projects

odesk.com – has a variety of areas. I have not completed any projects with this site but their features seem to be good.

ozlance.com.au/ – web development, programming and such

freelancefree.com – one of the first freelance sites

freelancewriting.com – writers and programs this is a good site, very busy. They have many other sites with in so you can spend a lot of time here.

journalismjobs.com – for you creative writers, here is everything from professional needs to blogs.

getafreelancer.com – they have everything, some bids run lower here but you can find some quality projects.

suite101.com – writers these is a great place for you to publish your articles, a lot of topics and an easy way to earn money with quality articles.

rentacoder.com – freelance site for programmers, coders and such.

teamdoubleclick.com – you need excellent office skills for this company, but once you pass the tests they have excellent clients.

12freelance.com – this is a brand new site. Not too many projects, I am not vary familiar with them so let me know what everyone thinks.

There are a few to get you started. Once you get some experience and time you really should get a web site up for your self. This will be the main drive of your business.

*Always discuss tax issues with a professional.

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Submitting the WINNING Bid!

One of the trickiest parts of working virtually can be placing that winning bid. For some people it comes naturally to them, while others it will take a little more practice. If you are new to the bidding world you should start by doing some quick research on what the average rates are for the task at hand.

For those of you just starting your business you may consider placing a bid lower then the average bid. There are a couple of reasons for this. One that benefits you, the client will look at your bid first. It is just a natural human reaction to look at where you can save money first. Another reason is to get a few projects under your belt. You will get feed back from the client(s), and prospective clients will see you can indeed perform the tasks you say you can. Your reputation will begin to form. Even some seasoned providers may find themselves having to lower their rates when they join a new site, or if they are switching into the virtual work environment from the office. Once you are established please do charge the rate your work is worth.

What to include in your bids:

• Time frame
• Rate (with a break down)
• Your experience
• How it will benefit THEM

When I place a bid I be sure to read through the project description twice and have a clear understanding of what the clients needs. I then tailor my bid to how they communicated in the description. What do I mean by tailor? I mean if the client gave specifics and went into fine detail then they are the type of person that wants all the in’s and out’s. They like to know everything right from the beginning and stay informed. If the client gave one or two sentences and that’s it, they are the type of person that needs things done quickly, on time and they just want the results. Usually they do not want to be bothered by all the fine details of how you will complete every little detail. They just want to know you are qualified and you will have it to them on the deadline. So for client A, the detailed professional, you should take a little more time and write out how you qualify for their project, what you will do for their project, what the rate will be, when you will have it done, and dates that you will be checking in with them. If you do not outsource any of your work I would also let them know that. This way you are insuring them that YOU will have the QUALITY work to them with no problems. For client B, the busy professional, you want to be sure you keep it as short as possible but get in your qualifications for the specifics of their needs only and nothing more. Your rate and a deadline. Then simply state that you are more then happy to answer questions they may have and leave your contact information for them.

Just remember some providers are just looking for the low rate. You really don’t want to work with that type any way. They will nip pick at your work and try to get more out of the project then agreed. So do not let those projects frustrate you or get you down. You will get the next one. One that better suits you and your abilities.

If you would like more information about responding to RFPs (requests for proposals) the VAinsiders Club will give you tons of resources on creating the perfect proposal.

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