How to land an Enterprise Client on Upwork
How to land an Enterprise Client on Upwork
What is Upwork Enterprise?
Upwork Enterprise is a custom service on Upwork that helps large enterprises find the talent they need by giving them extra benefits that regular clients don’t have. For instance, Enterprise clients have the option to create a talent cloud, which is a list of freelancers and clients they have previously approved according to their quality standards. They also are allowed to contact freelancers outside the platform even before the contract starts. Most Upwork Enterprise jobs aren’t available publicly, so it can be more challenging for a freelancer to work for Enterprise clients. This article will show you what you can do to get a job posted by an Enterprise client and how the contract will be handled differently than working for regular clients. We also interviewed a successful freelancer who has earned more than $80k by providing his services to enterprise clients.
The benefits of working with enterprise clients
Bigger companies have mechanisms that ensure enhanced job experience, better communication, and improved onboarding if you need assistance. Working with enterprise clients will give you access to higher quality and better-paid jobs. Also, working with enterprise clients will provide you with steadier jobs than can be long term and with higher rates for payments. Also, joining a talent cloud will get you access to private job posts and the chance to bid on them without wasting your connects.
What is a talent cloud?
A talent cloud is a network that connects a private selection of agencies and freelancers with Enterprise clients. The hiring managers of Enterprise accounts can invite freelancers or agencies to join the talent cloud when they consider they are suited to work with their company. Joining a Talent Cloud doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a job for those clients, but the client can consider you when a new job is available. Contrary to normal jobs, proposals for enterprise projects cost you 0 connects, meaning that you can apply to as many Enterprise jobs as you want.
How to join a talent cloud?
To join a talent cloud, the person in charge of the talent cloud has to send you an invite, or you need to get hired by the enterprise client itself. Then, you’ll be automatically added to the talent cloud. Bear in mind that invitations to join the talent cloud are according to the enterprise quality and talent standards, meaning that they will send invitations to freelancers they consider to have the skills and experience better suited to their company. Also, enterprise clients can request custom agreements and other paperwork before starting the contract.
a chat with a real champ
To give you more details about how it is to work with enterprise clients, we interviewed a very successful freelancer who has managed to earn more than 80k on the platform, in part by providing his services to enterprise clients. His name is Muhammad Waheed, he currently works as an Azure Data Engineer and is currently part of 2 talent clouds. Here’s what he has to say about landing enterprise clients on Upwork:
You currently work for enterprise clients on Upwork, and you’re doing pretty well with it right? so the first question is, how did you get your first contract with an enterprise client, was it something difficult to achieve, or do you consider it to be the same as with other “normal” clients?
Muhammad Waheed
Yes it same as with other clients the only difference is that you have proper interviews in place as corporate, which is not common on normal freelance contracts.
What do you think helped you most? Was it your profile, your work experience on the platform, what was it that you can say ” made the difference”?
Muhammad Waheed
I’d say work experience on the platform. It matters the most to make clients feel comfortable choosing me.
What do you think are the main benefits of working with enterprise clients vs working with normal clients?
Muhammad Waheed
To me, the benefits are consistent work and long-term business relationships. On the other hand, a disadvantage is also there. You get a 10% Upwork service fee for a lifetime. While normally the process is:
20% for < $500
10% for < $5000
5% for > $5000
But in enterprise clients’ contracts, it’s a straight 10%.
If a total beginner asked you how to get a job by an enterprise client, what would you tell her/him?
Muhammad Waheed
First, build the profile strong and then hunt for enterprise clients. Getting to know the platform and remote work end to end on Upwork is important before hunting enterprise clients. So do the initial jobs with normal clients and then for long-term goals you can try enterprise clients. Personally, I won’t suggest enterprise clients for beginners.
How to land an Enterprise client?
Considering Muhammad’s points of view, and our experience working with enterprise clients we have compiled some tips that will help you land enterprise clients on Upwork more easily:
Build some work history first
Having some previous experience on Upwork will undoubtedly give you more chances of landing enterprise clients. Unless you have many certifications or a recognizable proven tracking record outside the platform (like having written books or being a verified personality on social networks), it will be harder for you to get Enterprise clients without a work history. Let’s say you can do it, but the chances are minimal. So it’d be better for you to start with some standard contracts first, get some positive reviews, and then start bidding on the biggest ones.
Create a specialized profile
The first thing you need to consider is that enterprise clients tend to be fussier when choosing freelancers. That’s why it is super important for you to meet the profile completion requirements and have a solid and well-reviewed specialized profile. Specialized profiles will increase your chances since enterprise clients search for freelancers in specific niches. Also, consider they may ask you for language certification depending on the company’s country. Consider using these tips to increase your chances of landing enterprise clients and how to handle the interview and offer if being selected for the job.
Complete your profile 100% and more
Profile completion is the first and most crucial step before landing enterprise clients’ jobs. It will make the Enterprise clients trust that you’re a professional worker and not a scammer. But there’s more you can do than just fulfilling the Upwork requirements for profile completion. You can add some extra value to your profile by putting extra hard work on your profile. For example, you can add an intro video explaining what you can offer to your clients, what they can expect from you, and your past experiences. You can also take advantage of the portfolio to provide examples of your work in a unique fashion.
Search exclusively for enterprise jobs
If you’re serious about getting an enterprise contract, you should restrict job searches only to enterprise clients. It will make you more centered on the goal, and you’ll get to learn. For instance, you can use the “Activity on this job” feature to get details about the enterprise clients’ behavior, how many proposals they receive, how many invites they send, and how many interviews they usually handle per job. Use this information to recognize patterns for enterprise jobs in your niche, so if you finally get to be considered for an interview but not hired, you can repeat the process until you achieve it. Remember that you can recognize enterprise clients with this icon inside the job post:
Read all Upwork rules and terms
After starting an enterprise contract, you should have read all the Upwork terms of service and articles related to payment protection and warranties. This way, you’ll be sure you will handle your contract as it should be during its lifespan. There’s no worse way for a client to end a contract than to do it because you didn’t comply with Upwork rules. It can go as far as getting you into a contract dispute which can make you lose money. And enterprise clients are very serious about the rules, so make sure you understand Upwork rules before starting any Enterprise job.
Need more Help?
We hope these tips make landing enterprise clients easier for you. Remember that it’s not easy at all. In fact, it can be one of the most challenging processes on Upwork. But in the end, as Muhammad said: “The only benefit is consistent work and long term business relationship,” meaning that getting an Enterprise contract can get you long-term vacancies or on a consistent basis. At digitalME, our CEO Ross Jenkins also knows well about the process of landing enterprise clients. If it interests you, he can provide you with some training through its Upwork Mentoring Program. Just click on get in touch, fill in the form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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