15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Hiring VA's to Bid on Freelance Sites?

by JohnRowe
12 replies
Hi,

I was wondering if hiring a VA to primarily bid on freelancing sites on behalf of your company is something any of you have tried before?

Any work won or awarded is then handed off to our team.

Do you think this kind of task handed to a VA could work?

What advice would you give if this is something you've tried before?

Thanks everyone

John
#bid #freelance #hiring #sites
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Tandan
    Hey John - the answer is sure it could work but it all comes down to the VA. You need someone whom you're willing to teach everything about what your company offers, and the candidate needs to demonstrate that they can learn what you're teaching.
    In essence you're looking for a VA to take over a process integral to sales for your company, and honestly I think finding a perfect candidate could be a challenge.

    The majority who use VAs in our industry are looking to get specific tasks completed so that WE can focus on the selling aspect. Does that make sense?
    Signature
    Get Your Free Ultimate Affiliate Marketing Cheat Sheet!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8910149].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AffiliateWaves
      Yes it works and i have done it for my clients .

      Because bidding on freelancing sites is tedious and time consuming job .All freelancing websites have different patterns for example Fiverr and Odesk .So you can't waste your time in learning all these because you specialize is providing services.

      So a VA will do all that bidding,follow up ,interaction with clients on your behalf so you can concentrate only on your business .

      But for this task you should hire only those VAs who have done similar work and already have account on major freelancing websites.

      If you need more information i will help you in this matter .
      Signature

      Need high Quality Expired domains click here to see now

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8910230].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author JohnRowe
        Originally Posted by AffiliateWaves View Post

        Yes it works and i have done it for my clients .

        Because bidding on freelancing sites is tedious and time consuming job .All freelancing websites have different patterns for example Fiverr and Odesk .So you can't waste your time in learning all these because you specialize is providing services.

        So a VA will do all that bidding,follow up ,interaction with clients on your behalf so you can concentrate only on your business .

        But for this task you should hire only those VAs who have done similar work and already have account on major freelancing websites.

        If you need more information i will help you in this matter.
        I agree. Hire only those that's done this type of thing before.

        Yes, the job of bidding on these sites can be a very tedious and time consuming task. It definitely takes up allot more time than I thought it would before actually trying these sites.

        I've used all the big ones (oDesk, Guru, Freelancer, etc) but at the moment I'm using Freelancer. Trying to manage all the top sites like this is too much for me to manage.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8912253].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnRowe
      Originally Posted by Mark Tandan View Post

      Hey John - the answer is sure it could work but it all comes down to the VA. You need someone whom you're willing to teach everything about what your company offers, and the candidate needs to demonstrate that they can learn what you're teaching.
      In essence you're looking for a VA to take over a process integral to sales for your company, and honestly I think finding a perfect candidate could be a challenge.

      The majority who use VAs in our industry are looking to get specific tasks completed so that WE can focus on the selling aspect. Does that make sense?
      Hi Mark,

      I've been hiring VA's for the past few years but lately I've been thinking about outsourcing some of the stuff I normally handle myself. I'm also wanting to start hiring team managers which I've not done before.

      Going to test the waters and see how it works out but I have a feeling that when I place the correct VA this could turn out to be a very good decision.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8912233].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author vedremo
    Banned
    It'll definitely work provided that the VA you hired has the necessary skills and experience (i.e. bidding for projects). Some of the traits/skills that you need to look for in a VA that'll do this particular job are assertiveness, initiative, confidence, organized, articulate (strong written & oral skills), calm, time management, analytical, resourcefulness, patience, determination, dedication, etc.

    Make sure that the VA is well-trained with the company's services/products so that he or she is empowered with the right knowledge. I believe that the more appropriate job title for this kind of task is Project Bidder. Some use Bid Manager.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8910527].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jjmags1219
      Hi John,

      Definitely this will work. I agree with vedremo on the skills and experience required. And hiring a VA with an existing profile on the freelancing sites can also help.

      Do you already have target freelancing sites you want to go for ? Odesk and Elance are good sites to start with. If you go with Odesk, you can set the VA as your staffing manager and the VA can bid for projects in your behalf.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8910736].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author JohnRowe
        Originally Posted by jjmags1219 View Post

        Hi John,

        Definitely this will work. I agree with vedremo on the skills and experience required. And hiring a VA with an existing profile on the freelancing sites can also help.

        Do you already have target freelancing sites you want to go for ? Odesk and Elance are good sites to start with. If you go with Odesk, you can set the VA as your staffing manager and the VA can bid for projects in your behalf.
        I have accounts on all the big ones but it's been to much to focus on them all. Currently using Freelancer. Will still see if I stick to it as I would like to find the one that turns out to be most profitable.

        I like the oDesk feature of adding someone as a manager to your account. I think Guru offers something similar. Not sure if Freelancer does. Will check.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8912283].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnRowe
      Originally Posted by vedremo View Post

      It'll definitely work provided that the VA you hired has the necessary skills and experience (i.e. bidding for projects). Some of the traits/skills that you need to look for in a VA that'll do this particular job are assertiveness, initiative, confidence, organized, articulate (strong written & oral skills), calm, time management, analytical, resourcefulness, patience, determination, dedication, etc.

      Make sure that the VA is well-trained with the company's services/products so that he or she is empowered with the right knowledge. I believe that the more appropriate job title for this kind of task is Project Bidder. Some use Bid Manager.
      Very good info. Thanks Nice list of qualities to look for. I like the sound of 'Bid Manager'. Wasn't sure what to call it. Now I do.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8912261].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Harry B
    Bumping this, very interested
    Signature

    Follow Along: My Social Media Funnel
    Your feedback is appreciated!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9252989].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author spoiledkid01
    Hi,

    I am also in kind of the same situation. But i want to train the VA and make him work offline.
    We provide link building services to the seo companies.

    I am still confused is this possible?
    And what would you guys prefer a pre written template or a unique bid every time?

    If i want him/her to bid uniquely than i need to train him in seo what quick fixes should he/she check and respond to the bid.

    If anyone has tried it would love to hear how did they do it?
    Signature

    My Goal Is To Make 90 Grand A Year - At Least

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9253020].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
    Even if you hire an experienced VA, you still need to take the time to train him/her. You can't completely depend on their experience because what they've done is based on the training they had or the work that they have done for other people. And what they've used to doing might be completely different from how you do things.
    Signature
    Hire a Filipino virtual assistant and make your business better through outsourcing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9253354].message }}

Trending Topics