Mixed bag experience :(

[victorlopez635]

I want to tell you my story because i have no one else to talk about it, i knew Fiverr from a long time but never make any move to put some gigs…then i tell a very good friend of mine to get on Fiverr and try to make some money , in less than two days her orders explode and i decide to put some gigs too and now she is a pro …but its been 3 months and i dont get orders and my friend its full of jobs , i started to doubt my skills on illustration since i thougth we were on the same level and even feeling a little jealous of my friend, we use the same techniques , we share our work in the same circles he enven try to send me clients some times because she got so much work but my artwork its never good enough for those clients she send me , i guess i can only work more to see results and hope i can reach my friends succes.
To be sincer i dont see my friend too much lately because i star to feel bad and only talk to him on facebook…im in a slump here.
Anyways, i just neede to write it , i feel a little better now.

[imagination7413]

Might be several things that could have caused this situation.

• You might have missed out on the new-seller temporary boost
• Your friend might have done additional marketing
• Your gig offerings are just different enough that theirs offers more value

I totally get the doubt-as-an-artist. We all go through that. You’re not alone.

[cc_animation]

Your story is strangely inconsistent…Is your friend a he or a she…?

But you’re illustration style looks pretty neat. It’s not the quality, but the gig description could be expanded a little more to describe what you have to offer, what extras you have etc.
Also try to make good use of the tags, use all 5 and make sure they accurately describe what your gig is about.

[victorlopez635]

Your story is strangely inconsistent…Is your friend a he or a she…?

Is a she , i will vent a little more since its not probable she looks into the forums but i migth delete it later haha…she is working whit his boyfriend here …she says her work its the networking and the conceptualization but his boyfriend makes all the illustrations , still they share the money , a month ago she was in a very dire situation living in her moms house, now she’s got a flat to move and a motorbike…its an amazing succes story but its really making me feel down.

Thanks for your advice a will put it in practice, and thanks for the nice opinions on my work =)

[catwriter]

Is a she , i will vent a little more since its not probable she looks into the forums but i migth delete it later haha…she is working whit his boyfriend here …she says her work its the networking and the conceptualization but his boyfriend makes all the illustrations , still they share the money , a month ago she was in a very dire situation living in her moms house, now she’s got a flat to move and a motorbike…its an amazing succes story but its really making me feel down.

Thanks for your advice a will put it in practice, and thanks for the nice opinions on my work =)

Perhaps she and her boyfriend speak better English?

You state on your profile that you’re native/bilingual English speaker, but that’s clearly not the case. Buyers might think that communication is going to be a problem, and then give up and choose someone else before even contacting you.

Also, as others have pointed out, you really need better gig descriptions. Your artwork looks really nice (better than a lot of art I’ve seen on Fiverr), so it’s not the problem here. Gig descriptions and English might be the issue.

[naheedmire]

Hi Victorio,
Though you and your friend have the same degree, same skillset but there may be differences in gig description, images, marketing and communication with customers.
See, the orders and clients are not bound to go to Pro sellers only, they seek good description, extensive experience, timely deliverables and attractive images. Just focus to set your keywords, descriptions and do marketing of your gigs.
You will soon start catching orders. The gap in orders scene is faced by all of us, it’s not a new thing.
Carry on, never quit and you will be successful one day.
Thanks.
Naheedmir

[victorlopez635]

On 10/2/2020 at 2:30 PM, catwriter said:

Perhaps she and her boyfriend speak better English?

You state on your profile that you’re native/bilingual English speaker, but that’s clearly not the case. Buyers might think that communication is going to be a problem, and then give up and choose someone else before even contacting you.

Also, as others have pointed out, you really need better gig descriptions. Your artwork looks really nice (better than a lot of art I’ve seen on Fiverr), so it’s not the problem here. Gig descriptions and English might be the issue.

Never thougth about that, actually they use google translate to comunicate … you think my poor english reflects in the descriptions of my gigs or only when i talk here? , that will help me a lot.

On 10/2/2020 at 2:30 PM, naheedmire said:

Hi Victorio,

Though you and your friend have the same degree, same skillset but there may be differences in gig description, images, marketing and communication with customers.

See, the orders and clients are not bound to go to Pro sellers only, they seek good description, extensive experience, timely deliverables and attractive images. Just focus to set your keywords, descriptions and do marketing of your gigs.

You will soon start catching orders. The gap in orders scene is faced by all of us, it’s not a new thing.

Carry on, never quit and you will be successful one day.

thanks a lot, your advice really cheer me up, i will try tu put it in good use 😃

[catwriter]

Never thougth about that, actually they use google translate to comunicate … you think my poor english reflects in the descriptions of my gigs or only when i talk here? , that will help me a lot.

you think my poor english reflects in the descriptions of my gigs or only when i talk here?

Here definitely; your gig descriptions are mostly too short to tell (and too short to sell), though they do have mistakes. Also, some of your gig descriptions feel like you’re begging (never a good idea, someone might think you’re desperate and abuse that, others might think that you lack confidence in your skill). Plus you’ve misspelled “illustration” in the title of your only gig with reviews.

[anniejenkinson]

Is a she , i will vent a little more since its not probable she looks into the forums but i migth delete it later haha…she is working whit his boyfriend here …she says her work its the networking and the conceptualization but his boyfriend makes all the illustrations , still they share the money , a month ago she was in a very dire situation living in her moms house, now she’s got a flat to move and a motorbike…its an amazing succes story but its really making me feel down.

Thanks for your advice a will put it in practice, and thanks for the nice opinions on my work =)

Hi Victor,

It is definitely not due to your drawing. They are fabulous–and I see a lot of drawings as I edit and publish books. I would definitely buy from you if I were looking for drawings and I will recommend you to my clients.

I think that it could be (just guesswork!) that your communications are not as good and ‘clean’ as your friend’s because possibly your English may not be quite as good. It is certainly good enough, and it is perfectly comprehensible, but people with excellent communications will get more Fiverr clients who also may spend larger sums. It is a mere question of reassurance that someone can immediately communicate easily with a seller.

It may also be that she puts more time and detail into her costings and proposals, or that she comes across more professionally in some other way. Small things can make a very big difference here.

I recommend:

• reply to each client as quickly as possible but never rush a costing or proposal. Write to the client to thank them for the inquiry, and advise that you wish to give great thought to your response so you will reply fully by (name a definite time, e.g. ‘3 p.m. today’). Tell the client what you love about their request and that will give them a reason to wait for your costing which will arrive later. Clients like to hear that you love their project.

• be friendly but write in formal English. Be careful to avoid being over-familiar, for example, don’t ever be tempted to call them anything other than their first name or their username.

• use an English dictionary. Mistakes will be fine to a certain degree, though, as you are from Mexico so people should not have a problem with small errors if they understand you, and you understand them. There is no difficulty in understanding what you mean, so I think this is not a big issue. It appears your comprehension is also good.

• give a realistic costing. This does not mean a low costing. Price according to the time taken and any added-value skills and finishes.

• do ask the client what they think of your costing and proposal and encourage their thoughts

If you drop me a personal message on Fiverr, I will help you by proofreading some of your key items. 🙂

Best,

Annie

[yannisenglish]

I empathize. I’ve spent several years in content creation gaining very little traction and then a couple of people I know start their own YouTube channels and Instas to near instant success. It’s demoralizing.

But let’s get real for a second. These success stories are the exception, not the rule. A million different factors are at play and people’s wants, likes and needs are finnicky at best.

What can you do? First, be happy for your friend. There’s no two ways about it. Next, follow the advice given to you here by all these lovely people. Tighten up your gig. Polish your English. Be honest about your skills, even your language skills. And most importantly, keep looking for things to improve in your gig, your workflow, your skills…everything.

Bottom line, becoming better and achieving success is all about our own development. Forget what other people are doing in terms of success and see how they might be better than you.

Best of luck to you!

[victorlopez635]

On 10/3/2020 at 8:37 PM, anniejenkinson said:

It is definitely not due to your drawing. They are fabulous–and I see a lot of drawings as I edit and publish books. I would definitely buy from you if I were looking for drawings and I will recommend you to my clients.

I think that it could be (just guesswork!) that your communications are not as good and ‘clean’ as your friend’s because possibly your English may not be quite as good. It is certainly good enough, and it is perfectly comprehensible, but people with excellent communications will get more Fiverr clients who also may spend larger sums. It is a mere question of reassurance that someone can immediately communicate easily with a seller.

It may also be that she puts more time and detail into her costings and proposals, or that she comes across more professionally in some other way. Small things can make a very big difference here.

I recommend:

• reply to each client as quickly as possible but never rush a costing or proposal. Write to the client to thank them for the inquiry, and advise that you wish to give great thought to your response so you will reply fully by (name a definite time, e.g. ‘3 p.m. today’). Tell the client what you love about their request and that will give them a reason to wait for your costing which will arrive later. Clients like to hear that you love their project.

• be friendly but write in formal English. Be careful to avoid being over-familiar, for example, don’t ever be tempted to call them anything other than their first name or their username.

• use an English dictionary. Mistakes will be fine to a certain degree, though, as you are from Mexico so people should not have a problem with small errors if they understand you, and you understand them. There is no difficulty in understanding what you mean, so I think this is not a big issue. It appears your comprehension is also good.

• give a realistic costing. This does not mean a low costing. Price according to the time taken and any added-value skills and finishes.

• do ask the client what they think of your costing and proposal and encourage their thoughts

If you drop me a personal message on Fiverr, I will help you by proofreading some of your key items.

Thanks from the heart for your advice, it helps me a lot, i would totally like to use your help before changing the names and descriptions of my gigs.

On 10/3/2020 at 8:38 PM, yannisenglish said:

I empathize. I’ve spent several years in content creation gaining very little traction and then a couple of people I know start their own YouTube channels and Instas to near instant success. It’s demoralizing.

But let’s get real for a second. These success stories are the exception, not the rule. A million different factors are at play and people’s wants, likes and needs are finnicky at best.

What can you do? First, be happy for your friend. There’s no two ways about it. Next, follow the advice given to you here by all these lovely people. Tighten up your gig. Polish your English. Be honest about your skills, even your language skills. And most importantly, keep looking for things to improve in your gig, your workflow, your skills…everything.

Bottom line, becoming better and achieving success is all about our own development. Forget what other people are doing in terms of success and see how they might be better than you.

Thank you , i will try to be more resilent and dont give up , i know succes is not the norm i will not give up 😃