What does it take to be a successful Web, Software & IT professional on Guru? We’ve asked some experts in the field to share their insights about marketing themselves and winning more jobs. Read on to learn how you can increase your chances of success today!
A special thank you to Dale A. Dowdie, President/CEO of Intellitech Consulting Enterprises for sharing his perspective as an employer.
We’d also like to thank both Vibha Tambe, President of Avion Technology and Nitesh Bhambhani, Business Development Manager of SynapseIndia for sharing their tried-and-true methods to success.
Tip #1: List core services and update them regularly.
“We decided strategically to build our core services and not to fall in the trap of accepting anything and everything. That enables clear identification in the client community. But, we also keep our basket alive and keep a close watch on the patterns and trends emerging in the projects posted by potential clients. At any point, there is usually a demand for a few “hot” items and we try to build capability and then highlight these services in our offering. A good thing about Guru.com is that it is pretty representational of the overall technology market.” -Vibha
Tip #2: Organize your portfolio work by industry.
“We uploaded work samples related to different industry verticals such as real estate, banking, finance, social networking, entertainment websites, B2B, B2C, and e-commerce solutions.” -Nitesh
Tip #3: Use keywords that sell.
“We watch the buying pattern on Guru, which gives us an idea about what is hot and selling fast. Once we know that, we tailor our keywords specific to that technology. For example, if the flavor of the season is iPhone and if most of the work seems to be from the media industry, we come up with keywords like “iPhone Media”. Our in-house search engine optimization team often helps us with keyword campaigns. We offer the same advantage to our clients by building the SEO hooks in the normal operations.” -Vibha
Tip #4: Undersell and over-deliver.
“We try to give an honest representation of our capabilities through our Work Collections. We undersell and over-deliver. We only showcase marquee projects that we are very proud of. And though our underselling turns a few potential clients away, those impressed by our portfolio are never disappointed with the finished results.” -Vibha
Tip #5: Earn high ratings.
“What makes us click on a service in search results? It’s always based on what we need at the time, but we really like to see ratings.” -Dale
Tip #6: Be transparent.
“We think it is vital to talk about the company process, infrastructure, details on any certifications, commercials, development approaches etc. in your profile. We have published a number of skill tests taken by our team to show we are competent. Give an employer as much accurate information about your work process, qualifications and the company infrastructure as you can.” -Nitesh
Tip #7: Be honest.
“Honesty may not be a ‘big’ selling point in the short run; but it is a key factor to success in the US market in the long run. In an oversell and under-deliver world, an honest seller stands out. Be honest and your candor will attract more customers and, over time, loyal customers.
“If there is something you can do, showcase it. If there is something you cannot do well, say that ‘you are a beginner in that technology’. Your clients will appreciate it. Our seven years on Guru.com have taught us that managing expectations is the key to long term success. The “about us” section is the place where you can start setting up these expectations with your potential clients.” -Vibha
“Be honest about your capabilities. Read the job posting carefully. Answer all questions. Employers will be more comfortable if they know your weaknesses and feel they will get an honest response than if you present yourself as if you can do everything great.” -Dale
TIP #8: Read every job posting carefully!
The first thing we do is insert a trick question in our job posting. If the freelancer does NOT address that trick question (which is often the case) then we know they are doing bulk replies to postings. Then we give test scenarios. We use this technique on many other sites as well. This helps us weed out those who are not truly competent or interested in the job.” -Dale
Still have questions? Ask the experts in our Guru Answers community, or leave a comment below.
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