Promotion of new agency on upwork from scratch - personal experience
Earlier, I already wrote a post about how I created an agency in apvorka, presenting my small offline team on this exchange. Having accumulated a certain client base, we no longer have to invent any tricks in terms of attracting customers.
My current post is about promotion of another agency, another team that I did not form, and which I temporarily joined as a sales person in order to promote this team on upwork: take the first projects for the team and teach the team leaders to take orders in the future.
The team consists of 12 web developers of a wide profile (full-stack, as they say).
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Initial data: a colossal (from my point of view) experience of working outside of upwork, absolutely zero account on upwork, a great desire to advance on this exchange and an unsuccessful attempt to do it on their own: the guys have already tried to look for orders there for 2 months: they had This time 7 interviews, but they could not take a single project.
They gave me a complete blank check and allowed me to do with the profiles of the team everything that I consider correct and send any responses, to be biased at any cost, as long as the projects were on the shoulder of the developers. For myself, however, I decided that I would not look for frankly unprofitable projects to my new comrades, and the bottom of the price for an hour would be $ 30. I did not have to retreat from this principle, but ... I’ll tell you everything in order.
1) Choice of specialization / niche
After reviewing the profiles of the developers, I was in a state of confusion: there was not any narrow specialization for which I could cling to build a positioning team. Full-stack web developers on apvorka is a lot, and showing the client that my guys were better than others was a difficult task.
I talked with the leading developers of the team, with the project manager, trying to find areas in which each of the team's experts understands better than others. My idea was to convert the profiles of combines - the masters of all trades at least into the profiles of front-end vendors, backendators, php-shnik and asp.net-cheats, and then with the second stage to narrow the specialization of each developer as much as possible, leaving Full -stack specialization to the team as a whole. Of course, the work on the 12 profiles is no end, and we continue to carry it on.
2) Sending feedback to projects
Knowing from my previous experience that one swung profile allows you to download profiles of other agency members, I added to the agency as a non-exclusive contractor for the guys (in my own agency, I, respectively, are also non-exclusive, so I can be a member of many agencies at once). I began to send the first responses from myself, as from a member of my new agency — sent to those projects which, in my opinion, could be interesting for the guys. Naturally, in the customer service, I saw my 100% jss and my hours of work on the apvork. When the client responded to my promos, I let him know that I was a simple salesperson in my team, and now I will introduce him to my developers, to get acquainted with developers, I invited the client in Skype chat. When we were determined which of the developers would work on the contract, I “wrapped up” the client to send an offer directly to this developer.
3) Why Skype chat is better than chat directly in apvork
There were initially 10 steps between the client and the contractor, if the contractor took 5 steps and did not meet the client, you need to turn around and leave, because the client had to take the other 5 steps to meet. By inviting a client to Skype chat with our developers, we actually force him to take a step from a neutral territory to ours, to make a small but effort, and this, among other things, is a kind of test for the seriousness of the client’s intentions.
In Skype chat, you can invite developers who initially did not participate in the presentation and do not see aporkovskogo chat on the project.
I called on Skype with a demonstration screen, with the ability to quickly discuss some details of the project - brings the contractor and client together.
Even if the cooperation did not take place this time, we still have the login of a potential client, and after a while you can ask him if other contractors have coped with the project, whether help is needed.
4) How to write cover letter and how to build a dialogue with the client?
When I went to English courses, I was told that Americans and Europeans are very polite. But, as it seems to me, there is a certain distinction between politeness and bottom adjustment, which is difficult to feel if you are not a speaker and which, in my opinion, you cannot go on to write a response to the project and continue to communicate with the client. After reading the messages that my guys sent to customers before my arrival, I saw that these messages are too sweet, like cotton candy, oversaturated with politeness and too demonstrate a desire to work with this client, which, in my opinion, was one of the reasons for the refusal.
In my opinion, you do not need to ask the client about anything and do not need to offer anything to him. It is necessary to inform the client about his plans for the implementation of his project as if it goes without saying, as it is convenient for you and as if the project has already been taken, and there can be no other option.
Now I do not write: “Please, let's transfer the communication to Skype,” I write: “My username on Skype is such and such, add me and further discussion of the project, we will be leading there.”
I do not write: “Please send an offer to this zero-rated contractor, not to me, and we will give you a discount for this,” she sinned with this while promoting her first agency. I write: “The project will be done by Ivan Ivanov, here is his profile, we are waiting for an offer on him”.
Of course, clients are different, but many people like it when a specialist confidently leads them along a well-known and well-trodden path and does not force the client to make decisions, and it is easier to work with these clients during the project.
5) Difficulties we face
Most of the members of the team, which I promote, work from 9 to 18, and it is interesting to me to turn on them the most loyal and prosperous clients - clients from the USA. When a client from the USA comes to me at 11 pm, you need to talk with him while he is hot, and you cannot always call the developer of the necessary profile at this time. Therefore, I adapted to wake up at 8 in the morning, catch those clients from the USA who are still awake, and bring them to interviews with the guys by 9 in the morning. The client has the opportunity to choose the performer and go to sleep with peace of mind, and the guys get the whole day in stock.
6) Universal recipe
There is. At hour X, when the working day ends with potential customers from the United States or another interesting country, it is very easy to take a project marked as urgent (provided that the experts pull it). In any case, to conduct an interview is not a sin, and there it will already be seen whether it is realistic to carry out this project here and now for the stated amount or not. Half of the pro-solvents for such projects sent at the right time for the interview ends.
7) How to request a review
When the developer himself asks the client to write a review to him, it may not be very convenient for him to do this. And here comes the “strict” manager of the agency, who asks his client a direct question in a tone that presumes a possible deprivation of the developer's premium: “Are you satisfied with Vasily's work?” Do you have any complaints about it? ”The client usually begins to praise the developer in response. Then the manager says: “Thank you! In this case, I ask you to write a good compliment to Vasily. ” If the client did not leave a review immediately after this, the procedure can be repeated.
8) What results did we achieve?
During the month I spent about 5 hours a week working with the team. I sent responses to the projects, communicated with clients, prompted the guys what and how best to say what to rewrite in the descriptions of the profiles. During this time, I sent about 200 responses to projects, we conducted about 30 interviews on Skype, received 6 projects at a price of $ 35 per hour or more. Successfully completed 3 projects, and 3 - turned into long-term cooperation with customers. Rocked the profile of the lead developer - the team leader, and he was able to completely take on himself another 1 new project under his “zero” partner on the team.
The guys say that I have good karma, but I think that people all over the world are the same in the majority, and they have the same psychological techniques, provided, of course, that the specialist whose services are offered to the client is really an expert . Because taking a project on upwork is not difficult, it is difficult to execute it so that the client is satisfied.
My current post is about promotion of another agency, another team that I did not form, and which I temporarily joined as a sales person in order to promote this team on upwork: take the first projects for the team and teach the team leaders to take orders in the future.
The team consists of 12 web developers of a wide profile (full-stack, as they say).
')
Initial data: a colossal (from my point of view) experience of working outside of upwork, absolutely zero account on upwork, a great desire to advance on this exchange and an unsuccessful attempt to do it on their own: the guys have already tried to look for orders there for 2 months: they had This time 7 interviews, but they could not take a single project.
They gave me a complete blank check and allowed me to do with the profiles of the team everything that I consider correct and send any responses, to be biased at any cost, as long as the projects were on the shoulder of the developers. For myself, however, I decided that I would not look for frankly unprofitable projects to my new comrades, and the bottom of the price for an hour would be $ 30. I did not have to retreat from this principle, but ... I’ll tell you everything in order.
1) Choice of specialization / niche
After reviewing the profiles of the developers, I was in a state of confusion: there was not any narrow specialization for which I could cling to build a positioning team. Full-stack web developers on apvorka is a lot, and showing the client that my guys were better than others was a difficult task.
I talked with the leading developers of the team, with the project manager, trying to find areas in which each of the team's experts understands better than others. My idea was to convert the profiles of combines - the masters of all trades at least into the profiles of front-end vendors, backendators, php-shnik and asp.net-cheats, and then with the second stage to narrow the specialization of each developer as much as possible, leaving Full -stack specialization to the team as a whole. Of course, the work on the 12 profiles is no end, and we continue to carry it on.
2) Sending feedback to projects
Knowing from my previous experience that one swung profile allows you to download profiles of other agency members, I added to the agency as a non-exclusive contractor for the guys (in my own agency, I, respectively, are also non-exclusive, so I can be a member of many agencies at once). I began to send the first responses from myself, as from a member of my new agency — sent to those projects which, in my opinion, could be interesting for the guys. Naturally, in the customer service, I saw my 100% jss and my hours of work on the apvork. When the client responded to my promos, I let him know that I was a simple salesperson in my team, and now I will introduce him to my developers, to get acquainted with developers, I invited the client in Skype chat. When we were determined which of the developers would work on the contract, I “wrapped up” the client to send an offer directly to this developer.
3) Why Skype chat is better than chat directly in apvork
There were initially 10 steps between the client and the contractor, if the contractor took 5 steps and did not meet the client, you need to turn around and leave, because the client had to take the other 5 steps to meet. By inviting a client to Skype chat with our developers, we actually force him to take a step from a neutral territory to ours, to make a small but effort, and this, among other things, is a kind of test for the seriousness of the client’s intentions.
In Skype chat, you can invite developers who initially did not participate in the presentation and do not see aporkovskogo chat on the project.
I called on Skype with a demonstration screen, with the ability to quickly discuss some details of the project - brings the contractor and client together.
Even if the cooperation did not take place this time, we still have the login of a potential client, and after a while you can ask him if other contractors have coped with the project, whether help is needed.
4) How to write cover letter and how to build a dialogue with the client?
When I went to English courses, I was told that Americans and Europeans are very polite. But, as it seems to me, there is a certain distinction between politeness and bottom adjustment, which is difficult to feel if you are not a speaker and which, in my opinion, you cannot go on to write a response to the project and continue to communicate with the client. After reading the messages that my guys sent to customers before my arrival, I saw that these messages are too sweet, like cotton candy, oversaturated with politeness and too demonstrate a desire to work with this client, which, in my opinion, was one of the reasons for the refusal.
In my opinion, you do not need to ask the client about anything and do not need to offer anything to him. It is necessary to inform the client about his plans for the implementation of his project as if it goes without saying, as it is convenient for you and as if the project has already been taken, and there can be no other option.
Now I do not write: “Please, let's transfer the communication to Skype,” I write: “My username on Skype is such and such, add me and further discussion of the project, we will be leading there.”
I do not write: “Please send an offer to this zero-rated contractor, not to me, and we will give you a discount for this,” she sinned with this while promoting her first agency. I write: “The project will be done by Ivan Ivanov, here is his profile, we are waiting for an offer on him”.
Of course, clients are different, but many people like it when a specialist confidently leads them along a well-known and well-trodden path and does not force the client to make decisions, and it is easier to work with these clients during the project.
5) Difficulties we face
Most of the members of the team, which I promote, work from 9 to 18, and it is interesting to me to turn on them the most loyal and prosperous clients - clients from the USA. When a client from the USA comes to me at 11 pm, you need to talk with him while he is hot, and you cannot always call the developer of the necessary profile at this time. Therefore, I adapted to wake up at 8 in the morning, catch those clients from the USA who are still awake, and bring them to interviews with the guys by 9 in the morning. The client has the opportunity to choose the performer and go to sleep with peace of mind, and the guys get the whole day in stock.
6) Universal recipe
There is. At hour X, when the working day ends with potential customers from the United States or another interesting country, it is very easy to take a project marked as urgent (provided that the experts pull it). In any case, to conduct an interview is not a sin, and there it will already be seen whether it is realistic to carry out this project here and now for the stated amount or not. Half of the pro-solvents for such projects sent at the right time for the interview ends.
7) How to request a review
When the developer himself asks the client to write a review to him, it may not be very convenient for him to do this. And here comes the “strict” manager of the agency, who asks his client a direct question in a tone that presumes a possible deprivation of the developer's premium: “Are you satisfied with Vasily's work?” Do you have any complaints about it? ”The client usually begins to praise the developer in response. Then the manager says: “Thank you! In this case, I ask you to write a good compliment to Vasily. ” If the client did not leave a review immediately after this, the procedure can be repeated.
8) What results did we achieve?
During the month I spent about 5 hours a week working with the team. I sent responses to the projects, communicated with clients, prompted the guys what and how best to say what to rewrite in the descriptions of the profiles. During this time, I sent about 200 responses to projects, we conducted about 30 interviews on Skype, received 6 projects at a price of $ 35 per hour or more. Successfully completed 3 projects, and 3 - turned into long-term cooperation with customers. Rocked the profile of the lead developer - the team leader, and he was able to completely take on himself another 1 new project under his “zero” partner on the team.
The guys say that I have good karma, but I think that people all over the world are the same in the majority, and they have the same psychological techniques, provided, of course, that the specialist whose services are offered to the client is really an expert . Because taking a project on upwork is not difficult, it is difficult to execute it so that the client is satisfied.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/318928/
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