You can have the most creative vision, implement an inspired strategic plan, win a host of service awards, publish the most polished website, and achieve the best search engine rankings, but what truly measures your success in a freelance business?
It's your growth in the market by out-performing your competitors and attracting new and quality customers.
The customers you already have can only take you so far. If you retain all of your current customers and they continue to spend at the same rate, your business will surely flat-line and the market will leave you behind! To continue to grow your freelance business and stay ahead of the market, you must acquire new customers.
Your return on investment from each new customer isn't just an increase in revenue. New customers also bring with them the potential of referral customers. As they discover what a talent you are and realize how vital your skills are to their own business success, they spread the word to others in their network of friends and colleagues.
We measure your Customer Acquisition Rate because the ability to attract new customers is verifiable evidence of a business' growth. We want to give you credit for not resting on your laurels - for continuing to achieve new levels of prosperity through the successful acquisition of new customers.
Tips on acquiring new customers:
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Tailor your proposals
Take the time to tailor each proposal to the specifications of the Employer's project. Employers hate to receive canned responses, and they give greater attention to proposals that address their specific needs.
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Quality not quantity
Focus on what you do best and narrow that specialty further into a niche service you can provide. Ask yourself, "What service can I supply to clients extraordinarily well that few else can?"
Only apply to those jobs you know you are well suited for and submit solid proposals detailing why you are perfect for the job.
If you are a Guru or Guru Vendor Member and you know you are perfect for the job, spend the extra bids and upgrade to a Premium proposal. Premium proposals appear at the top of an Employer's list of quotes, and stand out with a yellow highlight and Premium proposal icon. When you invest in a Premium proposal you indicate to the Employer how committed you are to acquiring and successfully completing their work.
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Promote yourself
Employers are looking for Freelancers around the clock; having a completed profile speaks for you when you aren't online to do it yourself. Recruit new customers 24/7 by completing your profile today.
Get reviews and testimonials from your current Employers and showcase them in your profile and proposals. Make sure the testimonials are tailored to the type of work you wish to seek in the future.
Uploading Work Samples to your profile will help you appear in search results when Employers search on various work products. This will greatly increase your chances of being found by an Employer searching for Freelancers on Guru.com.
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Don't forget to network
After being paid for a project through Guru.com's SafePay system, ask the Employer to leave feedback on you. This will be publicly available for other potential Employers to review.
When you have provided excellent service for Employers, remind them to endorse you in their Guru Network. When Employers endorse you, they share your profile with every colleague in their Network.
Provide current clients with an incentive, such as a discount on their next project, to refer their colleagues to you.
Following these tips will help you improve your Guru.com Customer Acquisition Rate.
What is the Customer Acquisition Rate?
The Customer Acquisition Rate, or CAR, measures a Freelancer's success rate of receiving payment from a newly acquired Employer after submitting a proposal for a project.
How is the CAR calculated?
The top number represents the number of proposals you submitted to projects that resulted in you being paid at least one invoice. (Only proposals submitted to Employers that have never paid you before are included in this number. Also, this number is derived from only the last 100 proposals you have submitted.)
The bottom number represents the number of proposals you submitted to projects that resulted in a Freelancer being paid at least one invoice. (Only proposals submitted to Employers that have never paid you before are included in this number. Also, this number is derived from only the last 100 proposals you have submitted.)
Divide the top number into the bottom number.
The percentage result of this calculation is your Customer Acquisition Rate. |