Is it possible to use freelance marketplaces such as Upwork to find reasonably paying work? Danny Flood studied what the highest earners did differently than everyone else, then used these strategies to consistently win profitable work on Upwork.

Upwork and similar sites don't frequently come up on Freelance Transformation, but as we discuss in this episode, they can be quite useful in the right scenarios such as quickly finding work and doing so from anywhere in the world.

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Danny shares with us:

• How Danny Found His First Clients Through Business Referral Groups: young and broke, he used local business referral groups to find his first few clients. This worked great at first, but then he realized that there were people there in their 60's that still had to attend these groups to find business. There had to be a different way.

• How Upwork Saved Danny's Finances: while living in Taiwan and publishing his first book Danny ran out of money. Fortunately his Upwork account saved him. Using the techniques discussed below he was able to find work quickly and ultimately work only 10 hours per week.

• Attracting Initial Clients: like most marketplace websites, the clients don't just start coming in when you create your profile. Danny really hustled at the start, finding clients through other means such as social media and directing them to hire him through Upwork. This cost him commission to Upwork but allowed him to deliver work through the platform and earn positive reviews that boosted his profile ranking.

• How to Stand Out: many of the ways to stand out on Upwork are the same ways that will help you stand out elsewhere. Danny discusses key approaches that helped him repeatedly win jobs such as always focusing the pitch specifically on that client and their problem, maintaining a quality portfolio (if you have no work yet, create "brand case studies"), creating video proposals (instantly stand out), and providing some form of satisfaction guarantee to reduce the risk of working with you.

• Maintaining and Growing the Client Relationship: small initial projects on Upwork can lead to larger engagements with the same client if nurtured properly. Communication is the key to this. Upon winning the project send an engagement letter defining how the process of working together will look like. Provide regular updates (Danny does this on Fridays) on each project. Follow-up with clients after delivery to make sure they are satisfied and to keep building the relationship.

• How Danny Worked 10 Hours Per Week While Traveling: Danny kept his consulting work going at 10 hours per week while traveling to amazing places. He was able to do this by finding the right projects and focusing his time on high value tasks while outsourcing the rest.

• How Book Publishing Can Increase Credibility and Generate Leads: Danny discusses his book writing experiences and how his books have earned him credibility and helped attract clients.

Resources Mentioned:

• RevSeo
• Buck Books
• FT 025: Generate Leads by Publishing a Book with Rob Kosberg

Find Danny Online:

• Buy Your Own Island Free Audio Book
• The Elite Freelancer's Package: The same templates that Danny used in his business. Receive 75% off when you enter freelancetransformation in the checkout.
• Open World Magazine