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Do This, NOT That! (10 Tips for Sellers)


authoreva

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I may be a Level 2 seller who has been here for about two years now, but there was a lot of trial and error along the way (and I mean A LOT).

Despite the fact that I have a 99% overall rating with over 1,000 completed orders, I’m nowhere near “perfect” and I continue to learn new things daily. (I’m really not trying to toot my own horn… I swear!)

Below, I have included a list of tried and true do’s and don’ts. I learned from my fiverr blunders, so I’d like to share my acquired wisdom. My hope is that you learn something too. 😃

Here goes…

  1. Do create an engaging video for your gig (with you actually in it) OR use a unique picture with some text about the gig. DON’T use a random photo from google images or a picture of someone who isn’t you.

  2. Do respond to difficult buyers as politely as possible, all while being stern and setting boundaries. DON’T react to difficult buyers with rude remarks or sob stories. For those exceedingly negative clients, simply contact fiverr support and let them know what’s going on.

  3. Do consistently challenge yourself and work on projects that may be slightly out of your threshold of comfort. This is the perfect way to expand your skill set and enhance the one you already have. DON’T automatically cancel an order because you feel like it could be a bit difficult. Believe in your capabilities.

  4. Do keep your gig up to date. This means remaining conscious of your competition and updating keywords, tags, titles, photos, etc. The market is constantly changing and adapting is crucial. DON’T create your gig and never change a thing about it. Remember: Creating and sustaining a successful gig is a constant refining process!

  5. Do deliver your gig on time and even a bit ahead of time if you can. (As long as that doesn’t mean compromising the quality of your work.) DON’T wait to deliver within the last 10 minutes. The fiverr system isn’t infallible. What if there’s a glitch? Your internet isn’t infallible either. What if your WiFi decides to not cooperate with you? I’d say when the expected delivery is in 24 hours, take away at least 1 hour from that and regard it as 23.

  6. Do treat clients equally. Whether they’re spending $5, $20, or $500. It may be difficult to do that, especially if a client is expecting the world for $5, but you have no idea how many loyal repeat clients I currently have who started out as basic gig buyers. DON’T produce subpar work based off of a lower price. You want your customer to come back and tell others about your amazing work!

  7. Do be confident about upselling your work when you know more work and time is involved (even if that means losing a sale.) DON’T work yourself to the bone and frequently refrain from using the “Offer” feature on the order page.

  8. Do use up as much of the Gig Description as possible. There is a 2,000-character limit for a reason. Utilize it! The more clear you are about what you provide, the more trusting of you your prospective buyers will be. They’ll also have a better idea of what to expect. DON’T just write a few sentences about your gig, even if you have an informative video. This especially pertains to writers! Show buyers why they should choose you.

  9. Do take advantage of the vast majority of features that fiverr offers. From the FAQ and gig galleries to gig packages and gig extras, there are SO many valuable tools at your disposal. DON’T always avoid specific features due to fear of potential failure. I get that there are exceptions. For instance, there can be a bug or you try a feature and see a drastic drop in sales. I kept on putting off the Gig Packages feature. My average selling price was $8 and most of my sales were basic gigs. Once I utilized this incredible feature, my average selling price increased to $15 and my best sellers tend to be my standard and premium packages.

  10. Do participate in the forum and read the content on the fiverr blog. Fiverr Academy is an amazing source as well! You’ll learn a TON. I promise! DON’T fool yourself into thinking you already know all there is to know about fiverr. This includes Top Rated Sellers! We should all consider ourselves to be life long students.

BONUS TIP! Do have sporadic sales/discounts for your gigs, especially around the holidays. Physical stores have them, so why shouldn’t you? Sometimes, I hit a slow period and decide to lower my standard and premium packages by $5. I mention it the gig description that there’s a sale for a limited time. In each gig package description, I include the previous price (WAS $25). Or I even offer a gift for orders over a certain word count. Example: For my poetry editing gig, I offer $5 off for editing of over 5,000 words and free promotion of their poetry book once it’s available. DON’T avoid occasionally changing your prices because you think such a strategy doesn’t apply to people who work online.

So, there you have it fellow sellers! Do you have some tried and true tips? Please share them below.

Also, if you don’t necessarily agree with one or even some of these, let me know why. I’m well aware that the way I go about things may not work for everybody.

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Well, take it with a grain of salt, I’ve learned a lot from trial and error. Each buyer is a whole other universe, some will accept a custom offer and pay you to make a revision, others won’t. Sometimes it’s better to work for less today so you can work for more tomorrow. However, there are exceptions. A repeat customer gave me a $35 order ($20 for 1-day deliver) and asked me to do somethings besides her original order.

So I delivered the gig, and told her that for the extra stuff, I can send her a custom offer. It may seem greedy of me, but the extra stuff she needed requires extra thinking, so I’m entitled to extra money. Besides, nobody forced her to pay for $20 1/day delivery. She could have been patient and wait 3-days like everyone else.

Either way, I hope she accepts my offer. She’s a bookkeeper, so my rates are probably cheap for her.

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Thanks! I’m glad this was helpful for you! 🙂

I’ll definitely consider writing another post. However, I wouldn’t really know what to say about gig packages because they weren’t around when I started being a seller.

The thing about getting that first sale is not to sit around and wait. You also don’t want to be messaging random buyers and asking them to purchase your gig. (I’m not saying that’s what you’re planning on doing. It’s just something I’ve witnessed other new sellers do.) Those Do’s (especially 1, 4, 8, 9, and 10) I shared above will certainly help your gig stand out so you can look professional and attract that first buyer.

Here’s another “tips post” I made about a year ago: http://forum.fiverr.com/discussion/how-to-get-that-5-star-rating-every-single-time/ This revolves more around receiving positive ratings.

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Thank you! 🙂 And I totally know how you feel. It’s a risk that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Gig Packages have worked great for my biography writing gig and poetry editing gig. But I can’t say they’re the perfect option for every single category.

I’m glad I took that risk because I make so much more per sale! It was worth it.

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It really does depend on the situation and the buyer.

That really isn’t greedy of you! It’s not like you’re being sneaky and asking for more money for no reason.

It’s normally worth the risk. At least I’ve found that to be the case as a seller in the creative writing and editing/proofreading niche.

I hope she accepts your offer too!

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She was really wonderful, I didn’t send the offer because I needed the $35 and didn’t want her to get angry and cancel the order, so I did the additional job for free and she gave me a $20 tip.

However, I did learn that before I do a job, I must be sure of what the client really needs. Sometimes people order a Facebook ad when what they really want is headlines.

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That’s great news! What a generous tip. 🙂

Yes, this just made me think of another “do.”

*Do ask questions and confirm things with your buyer before proceeding.

The last thing you need is to work hard on something they don’t even need. D: It’ll be a lose-lose at that point…

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Thanks for the reply. I just read that post too, it was super helpful. I’ve taken a lot of your tips on board and applied them to my gig, (minus the video), hopefully it will pay off soon. It’s looking a lot better now regardless. Thanks for everything 🙂

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Thanks! Be sure to follow the tips I’ve provided. Also, take a look at Fiverr Academy if you haven’t done so already.

One tip I can give you about your gigs right off the bat: Update your gig photos. They’re not that visually striking and they’re fairly low quality. Better yet, videofy some of your gigs!

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Wow such great and valuable tips.
I do need some clarifications though.
I am a new seller and my goal is to offer great services and earn from my efforts as well. Why is it necessary to have a video on your gig.
I do not seem to agree completely with the idea of having a video on your gigs and having to be in it as well. I think that not all categories of services require a video in other to be successful. I have actually seem some sellers with huge sales figures without a single video on their gigs. I believe it just works for some and does not work for others. What I’m driving at is simply that, I don’t think it’s compulsory to have one. Just my opinion anyway.
Also, what other things can I do to get impressions and traffic to my gigs as a new seller.

By the way, I would greatly appreciate your candid opinion on my gigs. Thanks.

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Thank you! 🙂

Obviously one size does not fit all when it comes to these tips. I’m a creative writer and editor here on fiverr and that seems to work fairly well for me. I’ve also seen successful sellers without videos.

However, (this isn’t confirmed or anything) it seems like videofied gigs receive more impressions and may appear higher in search results. Correct me if I’m wrong.

With your gigs, you want to give them EVERY chance to succeed. Fiverr recommends creating videos for a reason. Also, it adds a more personal dimension to the gig. Chances are buyers will trust you more.

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