There are more than a billion people who are freelancing worldwide. This number is not surprising because freelancing offers the flexibility to work from anywhere you want.
Where freelancing is becoming a new normal, the competition is getting fierce every day. If you are a freelancer and you want to land clients, you need to up your game. For that you need to be able to communicate effectively the value you can bring to your prospective clients.

If you’re new to this field, you will soon discover that in all marketplaces, job posters require you to write a proposal to bid on freelance jobs.
This process is very competitive and usually the writer with the most tempting bid proposal wins.
With that in mind, you must be thinking of ways of how to reach the top of the client's shortlist. Outlined below are some useful tips that will help you write a competitive bid proposal.

Follow me on this, and take notes of the following ten tips that will help you land a job as a freelance:

Tip 1: Don’t bid on every project

Famous websites like Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, post hundreds of jobs every few hours. Every time you log in you must notice new jobs being posted. It is advisable not to exhaust yourself by biding on every job you see. Invest your time and energy to bid on promising jobs that interest you.

Tip 2: Read the entire job description

A huge percentage of people skim through job descriptions before applying. This practice results in them overlooking important details that clients hide in their posts to filter out non-serious applicants.
Reading the description carefully makes the bid more relevant. You can ask questions regarding the job and that leaves an effective impact. The client wants to believe that you listen to them and pay attention to details.

Tip 3: Less is more

A bidding proposal is your first and last impression on the client. In order to stand out, it is wise to avoid long paragraphs copy and pasted. Staying precise and relevant is the key to winning a bid. Asking clear questions related to the job and providing samples where needed is the best way to leave a good impression.

Tip 4: Avoid scripted proposals

Use a slightly casual, but professional tone when writing a proposal. There's a fine line between the two. Scripted bids are a sign of inexperienced bidders. When a bid proposal sounds like every other proposal, the client perceives it as you only being interested in winning the project and not meeting the clients' personal standards and expectations. Another important thing to keep in mind when bidding is to never simply post your resume. It comes off as lazy and foolish way of addressing the client's needs. It can sure be a part of the proposal. But not a way of addressing the client.

Tip 5: strike at the right time

Bid on projects that have lesser proposals. This can be done by matching time zones with the client. Success percentage tends to be lower on projects that have more than 20 proposals. Go for the projects that are newly posted and you will notice a difference.

Tip 6: Proofread

Always double check your proposal for grammatical and spelling errors. Haste makes waste. A proposal that has grammatical mistakes leaves a very bad impression on the client.

Tip 7: don’t under bid or over bid

It seems like a wise idea to bid higher or lower than your competition, but placing a bid way too high or way too low is unreasonable. This practice is beneficial in the long run as it builds healthy competition and gives you a chance to concentrate on your strengths and credentials.

Tip 8: Do your homework

This sometimes seem like a tiring task but it is definitely going to pay back. Try to find out similar jobs that the client has posted and successfully completed. This will help you understand where the client is coming from and what are his possible expectations.

Tip 9: Pitch strengths that align with the project

Being a freelancer means having numerous skills, but all these skills are never required at the same time. Every project is different, and that means it requires a particular skill set. When writing a proposal, highlight the most relevant skills to the project, copy pasting all of them will only confuse the client. Elaborate on these skills and convince the client that he/she is making the right choice. For example, for freelance writers, it is advisable that they talk about their research skills, writing adaptability and quick delivery.

Tip 10: Prove credibility by adding social proof

Any client, before hiring you for their project require a great deal of convincing. For that you need to prove that you are worth every dollar they spend. A very effective way to do this is to provide social proof. Include testimonials from your past clients. They confirm that you have worked for real clients and satisfy them.

‍When placing a proposal bid, put yourself in the clients' shoes. Why should he/she hire you for the project?

Here are some of the things a client looks for in a proposal:

• Address to the clients' requirements in the first sentence of your proposal. Let them know that you have the required experience.
• Highlight similar projects that you have completed successfully.
• Your fee and how you justify it.

Most of the job posters evaluate a profile based on the number of previous projects, feedback of clients, completion rate, skill set, and samples.

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Traits of a perfect proposal

So now, how to write the perfect proposal that will help you land a job? well...begin your proposal in a friendly tone. People like to hear about themselves more than the other first. Talk about the client's business and appreciate their projects and endeavors. Focus on the client and make a strong friendly entrance.

A proposal that attracts the attention of clients has a story to tell. Showing empathy and understanding of the client's needs is very important. This can be achieved by offering a money back guarantee, which is going to make them think that you have complete understanding of what needs to be done and what doesn’t.

After making it clear to the client that you understand the requirements completely, talk about the future. Convince them that you can achieve what they want and paint a picture of that achievement. Talk about how you both are going to make a great team and prove yourself  be an asset. Show excitement and interest towards the project. Asking the right questions shows the client your dedication towards the project and gives you clarity about the requirements as well.

Lay out a plan for the client for how hiring you can yield a profit for them. Package together a few steps that you are going to take that will help the client reach their ROI goal. Highlight your own track record and discuss possibilities. Once you’ve done this, offer a price that makes sense to them and works well for you too.

A well anchored cost attracts the clients because it is straight forward and understandable.  well thought out and descriptive pricing list helps the client understand what services you are offering to get paid for. Including a breakdown of services would be a good idea.

Always address the client by their name or username. Don’t write in all uppercase letters. Make sure you don’t make any grammatical errors. Try to include statistics and percentages in your proposal. It looks much more convincing than general assertions.

Some phrases that sell are:

• "I can deliver your project within the desired timeline and budget"
• "I have worked on similar projects and I believe I can exceed your expectations."
• "I have attached samples of work similar to your requirements."
• "I can achieve your desired outcome."

Like most people, your prospective clients are most probably tired of freelancers that will say and do anything to land a project with them. Clients want real solutions and you can do this by offering a helpful suggestion.
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Writing a comprehensive proposal is the most essential trait of a freelancer as it will determine if they get hired or not. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that a freelancer, be it a proposal writer, content producer, content writer, or contract writer, knows how to curate a strong and customized proposal that will help them land more clients.

Fundamentally, a converting proposal should be able to focus on a freelancer’s strengths, which are verifiable through their relevant work samples and social proof. The proposal should also include detailed pricing and plans for how the freelancer will achieve the desired goals.

A freelancer will be competing with most likely 50 bidders for the same project. In order to land the project, they should bid on unique jobs and with smaller number of bids. Bid on weekends because most freelancers don’t bid on weekends. Bid on jobs with shorter and achievable deadlines. If these tips are followed it is most likely that the freelancer will get hired for any project that they bid for.

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