Communication is the key to success!

[homeestates]

As a seller and a buyer on fiverr I have found that communication levels are much lower than I would expect. Having worked in many industries over a long period of time I know the value of communication, but it doesn’t always exist on fiverr. Here are my tips-

As soon as you get an order through, send them a message. Even if it is a quick “thank you. I’ll get back to you soon.” The void of communication makes buyers nervous.

Read the gig instructions as soon as possible and ask questions if you son’t totally understand. The idea that is in the buyers head may not come thorough on paper very well. This will clear up misunderstanding, stop any revisions and protect your ratings.

If it is a long job then don’t just go away and forget to communicate. If you have an order that is 10 days plus then send little updates so the buyer doesn’t think you have forgotten them.

As I say, communication is king.

[temelan]

Im a bit confused since I meet all these ”requirements” that help getting more orders and it seems that no matter what I do nothing is working out for me.

[carlpion]

I have been a buyer on Fiverr for almost 1.5 years now and I have never been more frustrated with the lack of communication by the sellers I have placed orders with in the past 2 weeks.

It took 2 days out of a 4 day job just for the seller to acknowledge my recent order.

I am at the point that not using this service in the future is a foregone conclusion.

[fastcopywriter]

You’re kidding, do you have any idea how many buyers won’t order without asking me if they can order? Jesus F. Christ, I am sick of constant communication. Even when these people place an order, they still message you asking if you got their order. I told one guy, “if you can see your instructions, then I got your order.”

Communication is overrated. This isn’t real estate, you’re not closing a multi-million dollar deal, you’re not an account executive prospecting over cocktails.

You’re a seller on Fiverr, all you have to do is.

1. Get an order
2. Deliver the order

That’s it. You can always say thank you, even tell them about your order services, but my advice is keep communication to a minimum.

[emmaki]

I’m down with this. Although if someone wants to drop 20 separate gigs on me all at once on a subject I barely know, it would be appreciated if sellers could communicate their needs beforehand. It swings both ways. But no, it’s all customer is king and we’re but their pitiful lackeys who ask how high when asked to jump, isn’t it?

That’s the real subtext of this supposed advice, imo.

[fastcopywriter]

To me the customer is King only if he pays me, tips me, and hires me again. 🙂

Either way, I don’t say much, otherwise I might say something offensive. Sometimes I’m very truthful and that gets me in trouble. Nowadays if someone has a bad idea, I just work with it. It makes me sad, though, there are people with horrible business ideas. How can they live with themselves? How will they feel when they fail? Maybe they have bigger gonads than me. 🙂

[emmaki]

Yes, those customers will always get priority. I get you on the “sharing opinions”. I try not to let it show to buyers, as I need to tick all the “help me please, I’ve done everything” boxes for CS should I need them. Even though it would be far more in character to tear them a new one.

As for people with appalling business ideas, the less said the better. Probably quite a lot of them are outsourcing as well. Clueless outsourcers are, I imagine, the bane of most seller’s lives here alongside the naive “I have a brilliant product. It’s a pink toolbox for girls!” kind of people.

No gonads required, just opportunism and a lack of thought and business plans. You can see the same here on the forums from sellers asking how to make their first sale, is it possible etc.

[jacobus01]

Communication is only king if it involves a buyer asking me if I have the time to do their order- especially if it is a cretin who expects a ten-article order to be delivered in the time my gig states it takes to deliver a single article.

[homeestates]

I think that we are here to fill a need. The customer obviously doesn’t know a great deal about what they want or what you can deliver until they have tried you.

They don't have the required skills or they would have carried it out themselves. Having worked in other industries I know the difference communication can make. The lack of communication causes people to give you lower ratings, be less likely to give a tip and be contacting you with questions like “do you have my order?” If you sent a quick message to say “thank for the order, I’ll be in touch soon.” or similar then your customers mind is at rest. 

[heritad]

I agree with you but I observe that some top sellers don’t have much time for conversation as they may have plenty order to be delivered. And moreover, buyers don’t wast much time as well because the market is competitive so it’s easy for buyers to switch seller

[homeestates]

I don’t know if it already does, but I’d make sure your gig page explains that to people.

[ivicamilaric]

I think a different kind of dynamics is in play here - when you’re small, you feel the pressure to provide something that goes above and beyond the basic offer, hoping that this will lead to a good rating and a potential repeat customer.

But, as you grow and you witness a steady stream of new customers, I believe that most slowly start to lower their notion of what it means to go “above and beyond” - I’m certain that no one who is successful doesn’t underdeliver, but the extent of overdelivering almost certainly drops over time and with a growing demand (at least in my view).

I think that the same applies to the level and extent of communication. Ideally, the difference between that starting place when you’re small and when you’re a lot bigger is not too big.

[jameskanata]

That the communication on this subject is outstanding is something I won’t write. On passive sentences, Arthur Blair (a.k.a. George Orwell) once wrote a piece arguing why to never use a passive sentence. Um, ok: I’m just trolling. (But such a piece he did write).

[missmajestic]

Hello all !!!

This article is specially for sellers.

I am an experienced freelance worker but actually new to Fiverr. I have heard so much about it from my friends, who are working as sellers here, most of them are successful, level sellers. I was really motivated by them so I decided to join Fiverr as a freelance seller.

I opened my account and created my gigs just 2 days back and already I completed my first sale and having conversation with some of the potential buyers/clients.

I recently came to know that many of the sellers are complaining that they are not getting sales. Whereas I got an instant success. What does it mean ? Am I someone special? Extra talented? Lucky?

The answer to all those question is, NO.

I am just a regular seller just like you who abide by the rules, terms of Fiverr and provide decent services. So what differentiated me from other sellers?

It is nothing but my communication skills. Here in Fiverr, most of the buyers use English as their first language to communicate. A majority of them are from USA, UK, AUSTRALIA, CANADA ETC, where English is the first language. So, when they come to Fiverr seeking help from professional freelance workers, they expect to work with not only skilled people, but also smart ones. A lot of the sellers are really skilled, but their communication skill is not up to the mark. One of my buyers responded to my bid after rejecting 15 bids before me, and awarded me the job. Before he accepted my proposal, he just said

“So far you’re the only person I’ve spoken to who can type in proper English”

This is not good as a sellers perspective. If your buyers are rejecting you because you can not communicate properly, this will hurt not only you as a freelance worker, but also Fiverr in the long run. Buyers will be demoralized if they can not make you understand their project properly, how would they expect a good quality delivery then ? This results in bad reviews and quarrels between buyer and seller. Nothing good comes out of it.

So, for sellers, specially for new ones, try to improve your communication skills along with work skills. In the end, your client can offer you the job rejecting someone better than you, if only you can convince him/her that yes, you understood him properly and can deliver him exactly what he wants. 

[aaron222]

You say that, but the first thing I see on your gig is this,

" Customer satisfaction is all I care."

No offence but your gig should be close to flawless if you’re preaching about communication skills.

Not to mention you offer a gig written in english and your gig is full of mistakes. I say again, not an attack, just no need to preach when you don’t have a leg to stand on.

[missmajestic]

Well, Thank you so much for your opinion. I will take this as a constructive criticism.

But, you didnt get my forum actually. Rather you attacked me with my gigs. I know what I wrote in my gigs. I am fluent in speaking English, and i follow a rather casual tone while communicating with others. But I know how to describe myself and my work. So I know I have a leg to stand on and that is why I am sharing my opinion.

[misscrystal]

Hello,
If you are offering writing gigs you do need to use flawless English and yours has mistakes.

I would love to know why so many who are not native English speakers have writing gigs. People are unaware they make mistakes in their written English it seems.
I don’t want you to get bad reviews and if you sell writing gigs you are bound to. Please understand this is not said to be mean but simply to offer this as a suggestion.
This in your profile is quite to the point: All the courses that I have done did not make me better

[Guest offlinehelpers]

I think it may also be useful to point out that by using the forum, we’re each extending our brand - not only in our use of English - of course a level of relaxation is expected in forum posts.

However, we’re also representing ourselves and our attitudes, manners etc. - we can be judged by potential buyers who are reading the forum, just as much as when they’re viewing our gigs.

How we present ourselves on here is just as important as on our gigs, communicating with buyers etc. 

[missmajestic]

Thank you for pointing out the mistakes. I will rectify them as soon as possible 🙂

[chrissym001]

Effective communication is too often neglected in the world of freelancing. I’ve used Fiverr as both a freelancer and a buyer and found the level of inadequate communication to be frightening. Online freelancing already provides a communication barrier since we’re restricted to communicating via messaging boards. Breaking down that barrier as best as possible differentiates top freelancers from mediocre freelancers. The following tips can help you communicate with clients effectively. When you communicate effectively, you’ll get happy clients. Happy clients will promote your services and encourage others to hire you as well. It really is a win-win situation.

Tip #1: Respond within 24 Hours

Life can be very hectic. However, if you’ve signed up to be a freelancer, responding to messages in a timely manner is mandatory. This is especially true if you’re already working on a project. The client is depending on you to get the job done. Your work may even play a crucial role in getting other things done for the client’s business. Respond. Even if it’s to say that things are a bit hectic and you’ll respond within the next 24 hours. Just say something and follow through.

Tip #2: Don’t Over Promise and Under Deliver

There should be no disparity between what your gig says you offer and what you actually offer. The client is ordering your gig because they believe you can get the job done. Make your service offerings explicit in your gig’s description. Leave no room for misinterpretation. If you realize early on that you can’t get the job done, request for an order cancellation so that they buyer can move on to someone else.

Tip #3: Stop Taking Too Many Orders!!!

Fiverr allows you to put a stop limit on the amount of orders for each of your gigs. When the gig shave reached their order limits, they won’t be visible for clients to make more orders. Utilize the feature. It’s the only way to get around people being able to order your gig without first contacting you. If you don’t use the feature, you’ll find that you become overburdened with too many orders. This will result in you probably missing messages from clients and will ultimately lead to their dissatisfaction. Know your limit and work within that limit. 

[trooviez9]

Did you know that the way you communicate with buyers can affect your sales and profitability on Fiverr?

When the communication lines are open between you and your buyers, it can directly affect sales of your business.

In this intensively competitive gig economy, it seems the only way to differentiate yourself from the competition is to ensure you effectively communicate to prospects and buyers how your gigs or services can benefit them. It is the best way to convert prospects into customers.

You need good communication to boost the bottom line of your business as a freelancer.

How do you communicate effectively?

It is wise to use a combination of three forms of communication (verbal, written and body language). For example, you can use a video to explain your services, so buyers can see and hear you. A well-written gig description can help in reaching out to those who need this information in writing.

Next, when customers call your business (i.e they contact you for the first time), ensure you nail your first impression. How do you accomplish this? Just answer the buyer’s requests correctly. It’s that simple

Rather than send an automated response that does nothing but damages your business, take time and write a custom response that answers the buyer’s questions.

And learn to respond fast.

Lastly, after the buyer has purchased your gig, don’t end the communication there. Keep your customers engaged by sharing in your new customer’s excitement. The best way to do this is to reinforce that they’ve made a great decision, and leave them confident in buying from you again.

Remember, a good communication creates a win-win situation. The buyers can benefit from the messages they need to make them aware of your services, and make a purchase, which in turn boosts your sales.

Are you sure you’re communicating well with your buyers?

[obayedmamur]

Hello Doers!

I hope everyone is doing great in doers platform. I will be discussing about a major concern or issue while we chat with buyer.

We are from different countries and different cultures. But we have to keep in mind that we need to be smart enough to know the difference between our cultures and manners and our buyer’s.

We have to talk with them in a proper way so that they can feel comfortable. We have to make sure that we are trustworthy. Otherwise they will hesitate to give us orders.

We should be able to speak and write English fluently so that they can understand us well. If we fail to express our thoughts with them properly then they will get a negative impression about us and they can also mark us as a non-professional freelancer.

We do not need to address them by Sir or Madam as they are just the buyers. They are not our boss like in a company. But we shouldn’t misbehave with them also.

No more today. I will be discussing more about it later. Till then be happy keep doing what you love to do. Cheers! ✌️

[gabrielavila96]

I agree, part of being a professional is understanding that you will speak with people with different cultures and that shouldn’t matter. Also being fluent in English is a big plus since the buyer can feel safe once he know you are understanding what he says.

[fastcopywriter]

On 9/14/2018 at 2:24 PM, obayedmamur said:

We should be able to speak and write English fluently so that they can understand us well.

How many years have you been studying English? You write very well.

I don’t think struggling with English makes you a “non-professional freelancer.” As long as you can understand the instructions and are doing a task that has nothing to do with writing, mastery of English isn’t necessary.

Furthermore, in the advertising industry, we never expect Art Directors and graphic designer to catch spelling mistakes or to even read the copy that goes into an ad. It’s great if they do, but that’s not their job.

It’s also absurd to expect the entire world to speak English. It’s a very useful language, but even in Europe, you’re going to find places where nobody speaks English. 

[gogugmg]

On 9/14/2018 at 2:24 PM, fastcopywriter said:

even in Europe, you’re going to find places where nobody speaks English. 

On 9/13/2018 at 10:31 AM, gabrielavila96 said:

Also being fluent in English is a big plus since the buyer can feel safe once he know you are understanding what he says.

  I’m in this category. I am over 4 years old on this platform, I understand 60-70% English, in many cases use Google translator and Grammarly for Chrome. Customers do not ask for academic discussion, they want quality in what order. In all these years I think I did pretty well, I do not think anyone overcomes in the video category + 22K completed orders and World Domination 76%