Overdelivering Do's and Don'ts

[toonimals]

I have seen a lot of discussion on overdelivering. Most take a much different view of this concept than I do.



Here are my Do’s and Don’ts.



First the Don’ts -

• Don’t ever deliver more than what is in the gig description
  
• Don’t offer bulk discounts - Everything on Fiverr is already discounted!
  
• Don’t let it pass when a customer asks for the services defined in the Gig Extra without ordering it
  
• Don’t agree to perform services that are different than what is described in the gig just to win business
  
• Don’t allow the buyer to start the clock until they have provided the true requirements
  
• Don’t allow the buyer to change the requirements after delivery and redo the work
  
  
  
  So where does the overdelivering come in? The Do’s -
  
  
  
• Do contact the vendor within an hour of their order (or within minutes if possible) to let them know you have their order and appreciate their business and what the next step will be and when
  
• Do have excellent and persistent communication
  
• Do ask clarifying questions and ask for reference material so you can provide exactly what the buyer is looking for
  
• Do provide a draft and allow the buyer to give you feedback before providing the final product
  
• Do show enthusiasm for the buyer’s project and let them know how much you appreciate their business
  
• Most importantly, do provide quality, within the gig description, that is indistinguishable from the quality they would receive at regular market prices
  
  
  
  Why do I take this approach? Because my goal is repeat customers that respect the value of my work. If I start off by discounting the value of my work, then I may get that repeat customer. But they will expect the same discounted work into the future. I don’t want that kind of repeat customer. I want the kind that values what I am providing each and every time they order. And what they get back is great communication, great service, and great quality. That is ovedelivering.

[rashidrupani]

• Don’t allow the buyer to start the clock until they have provided the true requirements

   

  Can you please explain me how to do this?

[jasveena]

Excellent!!! I have been discussing about this a lot here on Fiverr lately and I get the same kind of advice from top rated sellers. Some beg to differ and say that they offer discounts to get more repeat buyers but I personally feel that I have all the do’s you have listed above so I often feel reluctant to give any sort of discounts especially when it comes to unlimited revisions. That is a big no for me as I expect buyers to list down every thing they want to change (for my trailer gig) within one revision because if you go for unlimited revision, you will spend hours on just $5.

[jancolors]

Thanks for these tips 🙂



I admit I am guilty of the 3rd and 4th Dont’s. But in the case of the 4th, it’s because some buyers just don’t read gig descriptions. I’d have to offer them certain alternatives to prevent them from leaving a negative feedback 😦 Thankfully I only had to do that like one or two times.



As for the gig extras, I gave some free ones to really good buyers, especially those return ones. Or in certain cases where I fail to deliver a draft (mine’s a drawing gig) in time. It’s a gift, and sort of make-up thing so I guess that’s a valid reason?



I agree with all your Do’s. Fast replies always leave nice impressions to buyers. Also, even if they don’t reply just send updates anyway. And always tell them what you plan on doing before starting anything. Some buyers would just say, just do what you think is good, but I realized most actually appreciate you discussing with them.



~ Jan 🙂

[toonimals]

Reply to @rashidrupani:



It may be uncomfortable, but you reply and say that you need the full requirements to start the gig and that if they are not provided within the hour you will have to request mutual cancelation until the requirements are ready.



If you are confident in the value of your service then you should be confident in asking the buyer to follow the rules.



Most of the time they just don’t understand, but it they are tryin to work the system you are better off without them.

[toonimals]

Reply to @jancolors:



What I do is read their request carefully and if they are asking for more than the gig offers I message them back immediately, explain to them what the gig description says, and ask them to purchase additional gigs or extras to make up the difference. And I always explain what I will deliver if they dont purchase the additional scope.



I have never had a problem. Just communicate clearly and professionally. You are in charge.

[anarchofighter]

Nice post. There are a few Do’s I’d add.



For example:



- Do refer customers to others who can help them.

• Do keep a note about what interests them so you can send them little special notes
  
  
  
  (For example, when I have a client who purchases a big PR package or gets a professional media release from me that gets results – a $145 order) I will watch my PR desk for media queries that are relevant to them and send them in a message even AFTER delivery.)
  
  
  
  A fellow I did this for who is a sleep expert, ended up buying a sales letter rewrite from me for $1495 on fiverr. Make it worth doing for a whole month 🙂
  
  
  
  - Do create VIDEOS and PDF with answers to Frequently Asked Questions so you can send them and both reduce your workload and give a very professional and ready answer
  
  
  
  - Do make bonus PDFs/videos/etc. to give without promise for completed orders or special folk. You can purchase PLR if you’re not great a product creation. Or outsource the work on Fiverr.
  
  
  
  For example, Toonimals could have a small PDF on how to make a children’s illustrated book on Kindle.
  
  
  
  Not only is this a nice gift, but it encourages repeat purchase by someone who gets the “bug” to make a book and needs more toons
  
  
  
  - Do offer no questions asked, no reasons wanted “Refund Policy” Your feedback will thank you.
  
  
  

[Guest jollyfuture]

I agree with all your do’s and don’ts and would like to add

Do make sure you give yourself a realistic time to finish /develier your gig.

[freelancemm]

You should over-deliver with some clients, especially if you know they will order more. This has led to some big orders in the past for me. On a general basis over-delivery shouldn’t be necessary unless it’s a new gig. So for the most part I agree, but not completely.



Bulk discounts should be offered, but only on really big orders. I would rather get someone to order multiple big orders and if I lose $50 but make $500, it’s worth it. There are some people that without mentioning the discounts, they weren’t going to spend near as much. Enticing big orders with discounts is always a good idea. However, discounts should only be offered when it seems clear that the client isn’t interested in ordering anything additionally, or seems to want to place a big deal with you but is unsure. In some cases, if people order gigs and you can encourage a discount on gigs that take relatively no additional time, it’s in my opinion always a good idea. In the short run you may seem like you’re making less, but this helps to encourage those that didn’t even consider more orders than an initial one.



Just my thoughts. 🙂

[toonimals]

Reply to @freelancemm:



Every gig is different, but for me I disagree with discounting large orders. I feel like what I sell on fiverr is worth more on the open market. Let’s say on Fiverr it is 25%. That means for a $50 gig, they are getting a $200 value. For $500 they are getting a $2000 value! That is a huge discount for them! Why would I discount it more?



This is a part-time gig for me and I have as much work as I can handle. The trick is to get more money for the same amount of work - good paying gigs with lots of extras. Discounting big gigs is the opposite to me. It is a lot of work for less money.



I don’t like to discount the small effort jobs either because they balance out the high effort jobs - they are the only thing that balances out the rate.



So for me and the type of gigs I do I would never discount a large job. But I understand that there are different situations. The real question is whether you are giving good value for the dollar. If the answer is yes, then I say don’t discount.



When a buyer asks for a discount, I just say “everything I do on Fiverr is already discounted.”

[freelancemm]

@toonimals:



Well, I offer varying discounts. I got someone for example to spend $40 extra by giving them a discount of $10. They weren’t interested at all before I mentioned a discount. In fact, they basically went away for about 2 to 3 weeks, I popped them a message about the discount and then all of a sudden, more orders. That $40 extra is something I wouldn’t have made without offering the discount. I don’t offer BIG discounts, but I try to offer discounts to cater towards the clients needs/budget/etc. I actually focus on a smaller client base, but a bigger profit margin.



Over-delivery in my opinion is good but as stated previously, not in all circumstances. A lot of over-delivery usually involves those that I know are fairly well networked. For another example purpose, I had someone order $20 worth of orders who clearly was well-networked. Another person came by and said they were referred by the other person, and spent $80.



I probably offer more than I should for an initial order, but I don’t all that much mind. I like happy clients, even at times I completely over-deliver.



Thanks for sharing your opinion on the matter 😃

[hardeepsgill]

Thank you for these tips. Being a new seller for only eight hours , I need help getting going . Cheers