Steps for Successfully Using a Freelance Jobs Site
By Ant Onaf
Using a freelance jobs site can be somewhat overwhelming and daunting at first, but it
becomes easier as time presses on. I will attempt to provide you with the steps for being
successful when buying or providing services at freelance job sites.
First, let’s define freelance job sites. These are websites which provide freelancers
(i.e. web designers, system admins, programmers, artist, authors, etc.) a marketplace to
buy and provide their services which can be completed from a remote location by a company
or an individual. Live examples of these type of sites are:
• Remote Gurus,
• GetAFreelancer,
• Elance,
• Freelance Jobs,
• Go Freelance, and
• Sologig.
The way it works is buyers post a project (or job) and providers bid on the project (or jobs).
The buyer will communicate with the providers and award a bidder the project. The bidder
will either accept or deny the project. The buyer and the provider are joined for further
communication. The thing to know about freelance job sites is that it can be a very
positive experience or it can be a very negative experience. What you will learn in this
article is the best practices as a buyer or seller to get the most rewarding experience.
Now that we know the definition of freelance job sites, let’s begin.
Buyers
Never Bite at the First Bid. You should allow at least 24 hours to past before
awarding a bid. Before awarding a bid you should communicate with the potential winning
bidder. You should make sure you and the bidder have a clear understanding of the project.
Make Payment Terms Clear. You should make your payment terms clear to the potential
winning bidder. I suggest only doing Escrow Payments. Escrow Payments are payments made
via the freelance jobs site, but the payment is put on hold in what is a called an escrow
account. Once the payment is in escrow the buyer only has the ability to transfer money to
the provider and the provider only has the ability to cancel the payment. This gives both
parties 50 percent control over the payment process without cheating one another.
As a buyer you should only release payment to the provider when the project is
completed in full. Never pay up front for any level of service. If a provider cannot
provide you services without wanting money upfront then most likely they are not serious
about doing business. Any true company, business, or provider knows that to be a service
provider you must take chances. The way I see it any true service provider who can stand
behind their work can afford to take chances because it is a bigger lost for the buyer
to lose a great service provider. Escrow payments are the best option.
Know When and How to Renegotiate. Things are not always going to be cookie-cutter
perfect, many times you will need to budge on your terms to meet the service provider
terms. Legitimate service providers are commonly concerned with illegitimate buyers who
will leave them holding the bill. Therefore, service providers sometimes have terms of
their own, such terms sometimes include an upfront portion of money, just to be certain
the buyer is serious about retaining their services.
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