I’m a WordPress dev with 5 years of experience and I’ve been getting most of my clients through web dev agencies on Upwork. I’m trying to get new projects to build a portfolio that I could publicly post and also receive more work through referrals so I could at least diversify the source of my clients.
I live in a not very wealthy country which makes it pointless to work with local businesses. I’m also mentoring a junior dev to whom I’d like to pass on some of my repetitive tasks which prevents me from getting hourly jobs on Upwork.
So far I’ve come up with the following ways:
1. Cold emailing/calling businesses from Google Maps. That might also include recording quick Loom videos for potential clients to give them an audit of their current website. With this, I feel like I wouldn’t be the best salesperson, especially having in mind that English is my second language.
2. Finding an agency outside of Upwork that would allow me to use the projects I build as my own portfolio publicly. That kills the whole referrals idea, but I guess it might be the quickest way to get some work.
3. Keep trying with Upwork and bid on fixed-priced projects. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 2 weeks. What kills me is that nowadays it seems like 90% of jobs posted there get abandoned by clients without hiring anyone. Not to mention that the vast majority wants the next AI-powered crypto NFT Facebook with a budget of $500. So the whole thing feels like a time waster when you put your soul into each proposal.
4. Look for non-profit organizations to build them something in exchange for referrals but I’m not sure how to find those who’d be capable to make such trade.
Sorry for that long wall of text. I was just curious to hear some advice on what you guys would do in my situation or if you’d want to share some of the ways you find your clients. Thank you!
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Not really relevant to WordPress, more for a freelancing or business subreddit.
You need to build up your personal website, and it needs to include detailed service breakdown as well as case studies.
Initially you could offer your services at 80% discount with severe limitations to number of hours and revisions, just to get some projects in your portfolio.
Cold emailing as well as cold messaging on social media is a good idea. But you need to target your emails and messages to the person, don’t just spam. You need to send 50-100 per day for several days before you land a customer. Just be persistent and don’t give up.