Hearing crickets when you send proposals on Upwork? Here's my 3-Step process for project-winning pitches.

In this 3-Step pitch writing process, I will help you write winning proposals for your potential clients and make those Upwork connects go CHA-CHING!

During this video, I’ll do a deep dive into the three steps, with an example of the pitch I use to win contracts at the end.

You can also download my FREE pitch template at www.creatibly.com and join thousands of freelancers in the 30-Day Freelance Success program, all for FREE.

I want you to win. There is plenty to go around, so let’s dive right in!

Step 1 - Understand the problem and offer the solution.

Many freelancers get it wrong because they make a long list of everything they can do for the client.

However, the client generally doesn’t know what it takes or doesn’t have time to do the job. It’s the same reason I take my car to a mechanic. When it goes thumpata-thumpata-thumpata I have no clue what’s going on. I’m not a mechanic, and your client is not a designer, developer, or copywriter, fill in the blanks on what service you provide

What I want to know is A) Can they fix it? B) What are my pricing options? C) How long is it going to take?

If a mechanic tells me A) I can use these 50 wrenches very well! B) I have fixed 5,000 cars! C) I don’t know how much it will cost, but what can you pay? 

I won’t hire them because the mechanic gave me a lot of general info but I need something to solve my problem.

The key is thinking about the specific problem you will solve for your customer.

Step 2 - Understanding the three components of your proposal.

Here are the three components of writing a winning pitch:

Section 1, Upper Funnel - Who are you, and what problem do you solve for the client?

Section 2, Middle Funnel - What are three options for the client, and what are the prices broken down into high, medium, and low?

Section 3, Lower Funnel - How does the client begin the project, when can you start, and how long will the project take?

Step 3 - Writing your winning pitch

Here is the one that I use, broken down into the three sections, Upper, Middle, and Lower Funnel messaging.

I don’t particularly like the term “marketing funnel” because it reminds me of cheesy website landing pages that coaches like me to put together to scare you into hiring us to coach you.

My pitch:

Section 1, Upper Funnel - Who are you, and what problem do you solve for the client?

Here I have added my full name and experience, allowing the client to research me with complete transparency easily.

Hi, I’m Scott Luscombe, and with over twenty years of experience, you can rest assured I can complete your Shopify Website project with the highest level of professionalism.

I always specifically name the client’s project so they know I’m not just spamming everyone.

Section 2, Middle Funnel - What are three options for the client, and what are the prices broken up into high, medium, and low?

I want the client to be confident that they don’t need to know everything, and if they miss a detail, I will make sure to do the work correctly.

For your Shopify Website project, I don’t expect you to be the expert, so I have a range of prices for every budget. Please select from the 1. Starter Package at $9,500, 2. Advanced Package at $15,500 (my most popular website service), or 3. Expert Package for $19,500.

I ensure all of my prices are transparent as I don’t want to waste my or the client’s time trying to negotiate if I am out of their budget.

Section 3, Lower Funnel - How does the client begin the project, when can you start, and how long will the project take?

Transparent payment terms and timelines for the project process give the client an expectation of how the project starts.

To get started, I require a 50% deposit and can begin your project once we have our initial consultation. with a completion date of approximately 4-8 weeks. You can schedule a project discovery meeting here https://calendly.com/creatibly/meeting for a fee of $75, or you can jump right in and choose the service that works best for you at https://www.creatibly.com/products/complete-website-service.

A direct link to the product we are discussing to speed up the onboarding process while the client is still in buying mode.

I always charge a fee for the client to discuss their project. When charging this fee, my conversion rate goes up to 95% and sets the standard of respecting each others’ time. If a client won’t pay $75, they won’t pay $15,500.

I look forward to working with you. Would you like to start your project?

Now it’s time to jump in and write your own pitch:

Write these sections into your Notes app, or download the template on my site, www.creatibly.com.

Reference my pitch for the rough length of your pitch. Aim to write your pitch to read as quickly as possible and easy to scan for the potential customer to get the idea visually.

Remember that the entire goal of your pitch is to set up the initial contact between you and the customer. If your potential client reads the proposal, they will likely hire you. Make it as easy as possible!

Should you add links in your pitch? I don’t simply because it will take the client away from Upwork, and they may not return. You don’t want to give the client reasons to click away from the hiring process.

One easy rule is to write your first draft as long as you want, then reduce the number of words by about 50%. Then re-read it to see if your pitch still gets the point across. If it does, try to keep reducing it as much as possible.

Remember the format!

Section 1, Upper Funnel - Who are you, and what problem do you solve for the client?

Section 2, Middle Funnel - What are three options for the client, and what are the prices broken up into high, medium, and low?

Section 3, Lower Funnel - How does the client begin the project, when can you start, and how long will the project take?

Hope this helps, if you are looking for a freelance coach, get in touch!

How To Write Winning Upwork Pitches - 3 Steps