Outsourcing With Respect

Some Fiverr sellers outsource work, or part of work, to other Fiverr sellers, and it's perfectly fine, as long as you're honest about it, and as long as you treat other sellers with respect.

For example, you make videos, but you don't do voice overs, nor do you write scripts. If the buyer doesn't provide you with the voice over or script, it makes perfect sense to outsource these tasks to sellers who do it (and charge the buyer extra for it, of course).

Or, you do a certain thing, but you got too many orders to deliver in too little time, and you can't make it on your own. As long as you're not lying to your buyer, it's fine to outsource some of the work to other sellers.

However, whatever the reason for outsourcing, it should be done with respect, and respect doesn't mean just saying 'please' and 'thank you'; respect means much more.

A new buyer may get the benefit of the doubt if he offers $5 for work that costs $50. Maybe he still doesn't know how to read the gig description. But someone who's selling on Fiverr? Sellers must create one or more gigs of their own in order to sell, so they know exactly how to read the gig description. They know where the prices and the delivery times are located, so trying to get something for $5 when the seller's price is clearly $10, or trying to get it in one day when the seller's delivery time is five days, and refusing to pay for the extra fast delivery, leads to three possible conclusions:

1. Seller A (the one who wants to outsource work to Seller B) didn't bother to read the gig description, which is disrespectful;
2. Seller A did read the description, but is trying to pretend that he didn't, which is both disrespectful and dishonest;
3. Seller A did read the description, but is trying to manipulate Seller B into lowering his prices and speeding up the delivery time just for Seller A, which is disrespectful, dishonest, and makes Seller A a person that nobody would want to work with.

Is it always that bad? Not necessarily. In some cultures, haggling and trying to lower the price is the norm, so it could be a matter of cultural differences. The trouble is, in other cultures, haggling is seen as an act of a dishonest cheapskate, and those who do that are often portrayed in jokes in rather unfavorable light; they're certainly not seen as professionals, or as someone people would want to work with.

So what happens if you want to outsource work to another seller, you really like their samples and their reviews, but you need it faster or at a lower price? Does it hurt to ask, or should you just find someone else?

You may ask, but be honest about it. Acknowledge that you have read the description and that you know what the regular prices and delivery times are, explain your situation, and ask if the seller is willing to help you. They might accept – and if they do, thank them for it, and try NOT to ask them for another favor in the future, unless they offer it themselves; instead, if you decide to work with them again, pay their full prices, and pay for that extra fast delivery if you need it, too.

And if they don't accept? Respect their decision, thank them for their time, and don't try to manipulate them to change their mind. Try to find someone offering what you need at the price you can afford – and if you can't find anyone on a site like Fiverr, you might have to offer more, because in that case, it's not others asking for too much, it's you offering way too little.

The Glamorous Life of Freelancers

Go and become a freelancer, they said. It will be fun, they said. You can work in your underwear and go out for a cup of coffee whenever you like, they said.

Yeah, right.

Some people strongly believe that being your own boss is awesome. It is, if you either honestly enjoy working, or if you're capable of bossing yourself around in order to meet the deadlines, advertise your business, and get stuff done.

And that's just work; let's see what my last Friday looked like.

Woke up at 6:30 in the morning, read a book for an hour because I work better if I start my day like that and because I'll be writing about it on one of my blogs (and because I'm interested in that book, of course).

Then, the morning routine, then putting the laundry in the washing machine and starting the machine.

Making coffee, then checking out Fiverr. A client wanted some changes in the script, so I did them. There was no more work, so I took care of the social accounts stuff.

Got the laundry out of the machine, placed it to dry. The client loved the revised script. Yay!

Went to the Post Office to send a book I sold via the local version of eBay, then to the bank to pay the electricity bill (the payment line in the Post Office was too long). Went to the green market, got potatoes, went back home to drop potatoes, went to the supermarket to buy groceries. Washed the dishes, started preparing lunch/dinner (we think about it as lunch, but considering when we eat it, it's closer to dinner). Cleaned the bathroom (cleaning toilet bowl included), vacuumed, watched over the lunch/dinner. During the breaks, participated on the Fiverr forum and a bit on the social accounts. Also answered some questions some prospects had and sketched some blog posts.

Lunch/dinner time, ate, kept checking the Forum and social stuff.

And that's what it looks like when there's very little work (one script only); I still have to take care of the housework (being a freelancer doesn't make housework and all the mundane tasks magically go away), send sold books, pay the bills, cook, and so on. Now imagine there were also a few scripts, book blurbs, and book titles to write.

Sometimes the business is slow (often on a Friday or during the weekend), so I take care of other stuff. Sometimes it's writing all day, and still not finishing it all. Sometimes it's attending book promotions or festivals and then writing about it, plus writing for clients. Sometimes it's networking (online, RL, or both), and then writing for clients. Or a combination of it all.

There's always work, in its various forms, and I like it. Glamorous life, on the other hand? Or spending all day in my pajamas, and only working when/if I feel like it? Not going to happen.

P.S. And today? I couldn't do the laundry because the valve for the washing machine broke (hopefully I'll manage to have it fixed within a somewhat reasonable time-frame), and I couldn't deliver the work because Fiverr was first down for 8+ hours, and then the messaging and the delivery didn't work for some time. Glamorous.

Gig Time: A Script for an Animated Explainer Video

With my usual video script writing service, sometimes there are issues: some people don't realize that they need to tell me not just what they want the video to talk about, but what they want it to look like, too. Or, they're not quite sure what they want their video to say, they just want me to 'do my magic', even though they haven't provided me with enough specific information for it. So, I'm slowly creating more specific services. I've got one for music video scripts, one for Christmas promotional video scripts, and now one for scripts for animated explainer videos.

When it comes to the last one, I don't have to ask about the visuals or the audio part, because I know that it's going to be an animated video with a voice over. I don't have to send a bit vague question asking for all the key points and all the information to be covered, either; explainer videos usually have a specific structure, so I can ask very specific questions.

The questions are:

1. The desired length of the video (the best length is about 90 seconds; it can be as short as 60 seconds, and it shouldn't be longer than 2 minutes, because only a few people would watch it to the end)
2. The target audience, and their problem/pain point
3. What does this business/company offer them, exactly
4. How does that offer solve their problem
5. What other benefits will they get if they use the product or service
6. How should they feel after watching the video
7. What should the call to action be
8. Anything else the client would like to add

With the answers to these questions, I can write the script, and the client can proceed to get the video done.

Scripts for animated explainer videos are fun to write, and it's wonderful to know that they help businesses a great deal. Not everyone wants to read pages and pages of website content to figure out if that company has something of value to offer, and an animated explainer video solves this problem rather nicely: in less than 2 minutes, it outlines what people will get, and the benefits coming with it. These videos are often cute and fun, they can be watched on the go, and they explain the basics in the terms that a six-year-old (or a very distracted adult) would understand.

And have I mentioned that they're fun to write, and that it shows in the final product, making people enjoy it and share it?

It's All Right to Change Your Mind

So, you have created a Fiverr account, you looked around, got an idea (or several ideas) for a service or services that you could offer, and you created some gigs. And then, something happened.

Maybe you realized you don't want to do that particular thing. You thought you wanted to, you honestly did, but you changed your mind. It just wasn't fun, or inspiring, or whatever you wanted it to be when you created the gig.

Or, someone ordered the gig, and you realized that it wasn't working for you. Maybe you offered too much for too little, maybe they wanted it in bulk and you hate doing things in bulk, or maybe, once you saw what exactly you promised to deliver, you thought to yourself: "I don't want to do this!"

Or, perhaps, you spent a few months doing this gig, you delivered on time, buyers were happy or mostly happy (you can't please them all!), and then you realized that it was just too annoying. You say you offer one thing, and some buyers try to get something else, or message you asking why you're offering X and not Y, what's the difference, or place their order for something you clearly stated you wouldn't do, and then get angry when you refuse to deliver what they want you to deliver.

Whatever the reason, it happens. You try offering a certain service, and then you realize that, for whatever reason, you don't want to do that. Sometimes it's possible to modify the gig description, change your offer somewhat, and turn it into something that you enjoy doing, but sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's just not working for you, and you start feeling trapped. You start feeling forced to do something that you have no interest in. Then what?

It's perfectly fine to change your mind, and to stop offering certain gig. Ideally, you should avoid doing it when you have active orders with the buyers waiting for delivery, but even then, if you politely explain them what happened, most will understand, accept cancellation, and find someone else to do it for them. And if they don't? Try doing your best if you can – or take a hit of a negative review and an angry buyer if you can't, and move on with your Fiverr adventure.

Fiverr is not a get rich quick scheme; if you're there, you're there for the long run, and that means that you shouldn't force yourself to provide a service that brings you (next to) nothing of value. It's perfectly fine to try doing something and then, once you discover that it isn't for you, change your mind and move on to something else. Once you discover what truly inspires you and brings you joy, both you and your buyers will be much happier. That way, everybody wins – just as it should be.

Complaining Can Poison You

Both on Fiverr and outside of it I see people complaining.

I get it. I really do. You need to get it off your chest, you feel that you have to get it out of your system or you're going to explode.

And that part is fine. Like punching a bag or something, then feeling better and calming down.

But then what?

Then, some people keep complaining. And that's where it gets bad. Mostly for those people.

The thing with complaining is that it doesn't help. It can bring you a short relief – if it didn't, nobody would do it – but it doesn't solve anything. Doing solves problems. Waiting it out (which can also be seen as doing) can solve problems. But complaining? It solves nothing. Let's forget for a moment that people who constantly complain are seen and described in non-flattering terms; let's forget for a moment that complaining over and over and over again about the same thing (or always finding something new to complain about) is annoying. Let's even forget that, if a potential buyer sees you constantly complaining on Fiverr forum, he or she is highly unlikely to ever buy anything from you (and if they don't visit the forum, but do their research before the purchase, they can easily find all the Fiverr sellers who complain through Google).

Let's forget all that, and stick to the basics: complaining doesn't solve anything, and it doesn't help.

And it gets worse.

Complaining gives you an illusion that you're doing something. You spend energy on it, you get it off your chest, and you feel as if you've accomplished something.

Except you didn't, and the problem is still there. So you complain again, chasing that feeling of accomplishment and relief, and you do it over and over again.

And the problem is still there, and it will stay there until you solve it.

So, if you need to get it off your chest, go ahead and do it – and then go and solve the problem, before complaining takes all of your energy and leaves you feeling miserable and like a failure.

Go and solve it. Whether it's a buyer who doesn't know what he wants but keeps demanding, or a leaking faucet, or a pesky cold, complain if you must, but then go and solve it.

I Can Do That vs. I Want to Do That

When thinking about what service to offer on Fiverr, it can be a good idea to look at the gigs posted by other sellers. What do they offer? How much do they offer for $5 (if anything), and what costs extra? What's their delivery time? How did they describe their offer, and what would you change in the description if you were to offer something similar?

Gigs posted by other sellers can be a source of inspiration, and it's easy to think to yourself: "Hey, I could do this, too!" Pretty soon, you will run into another service you could offer, and another, and yet another one.

It's great, but... Do you really want to offer that particular service? Do you want to do something like that time after time after time? Or in bulk? How long do you think it will take before you feel sick of it, before it's too much, before you run out of ideas?

"I can do that" easily turns into a trap. The fact that you can do something doesn't mean that you actually want to do it, especially not over and over again, just slightly different. It could easily lead into a burnout, make you feel exhausted, maybe even lead you to believe that Fiverr isn't for you.

Well, maybe Fiverr really isn't for you, and maybe you've just chosen the wrong service to offer. Maybe you've chosen something that you can do but don't find it fun and don't truly enjoy. That's all right; it's perfectly fine to try out things, to try offering something, and then decide that you don't actually want to do it.

Keep looking. Keep trying. Keep coming up with new services, until you find those that you really want to offer, and won't get bored of for a long time to come.

Keep trying, find out what it is that you want to do, and you will succeed.

5 Things Not to Do During a Fiverr Dry Spell

A dry spell in sales can be scary. Perhaps you depend on Fiverr sales (though it's never a good idea to depend on only one source of income). Perhaps your family depends on your earnings. It's frightening when there are suddenly no sales, especially if you're used to them, so some people start panicking and doing things they shouldn't do, and in the process, only harm their own business.

The short-short version of things-not-to-do can be described as begging and spamming. Let's see some examples:

1. Complaining/Begging on the Fiverr Forum

Some sellers are going to complain/cry/whine on the forum that they're not getting any sales, and beg that someone orders from them. Why is it a bad idea? Because it makes whoever is doing it look desperate and incompetent. It annoys regular forum visitors, and doesn't present the seller as someone who could do a good job. The result? Still no sales, and possibly getting banned from the forum, getting an account warning, and maybe even being banned from Fiverr.

2. Messaging Other Sellers and Begging Them to Buy

Fiverr's Terms of Service clearly state that users shouldn't send unsolicited messages to other users for the purpose of advertising their services. In other words, if Seller1 doesn't message Seller2 to ask for a service that Seller2 provides, Seller2 shouldn't message Seller1 and beg him/her to buy the said service.

Think about it: if you're busy, a message from a seller advertising services that you neither want nor need is annoying. If you're in the middle of a dry spell, and you see that someone has messaged you, you will hope that you're finally going to make a sale – and it will definitely be annoying if it turns out that it's just someone trying to take your money in exchange for something you don't want. Either way, you don't want people to message you offering you something you have no interest in, so you shouldn't do it to others, either. Not to mention that the penalty for spamming other users is having the messaging function disabled, or even getting banned from Fiverr.

3. Spamming on Social Media

Advertising on social media can be useful. However, social media are for people to socialize. It's perfectly fine to talk to other people about this and that, to offer something of value (like a useful advice/recommendations/whatever it is that you can genuinely contribute), and then, sometimes, to mention specific services that you offer. On the other hand, people who do nothing but post their ads and beg for buyers quickly get ignored/blocked by pretty much everyone, making advertising impossible.

4. Applying for a Job Without Knowing How to Do It

In the Buyer Requests section, buyers state what they need done, and sellers who provide relevant services can offer them. However, there are many sellers who apply for as many jobs as they can, regardless of whether they can actually do them. It doesn't help them get a sale, and it only puts buyers off – and, in some cases, convinces them to abandon Fiverr completely.

5. Offering Services in the Buyer Requests Section

This section is for buyers to post what they need, not for sellers to offer their services. That is why requests can only be seen by those who offer a service in the same category, making advertising there completely useless – buyers can't even see the ad, only other sellers see it, and they have no intention of buying.

So, what to do during a Fiverr dry spell? You can read some suggestions here, or visit the Fiverr Forum for more.

5 Things to Do During a Fiverr Dry Spell

Experienced freelancers know that sales are never guaranteed, and that they come and go. However, that doesn't mean that the the time you spend not making sales is wasted, not if you use it wisely.

The short-short version of using the time wisely would be self-improvement. How? There are many things that you can do, and what you choose is solely up to you. Here are some suggestions (basically, things that I've tried and that worked for me):

1. Improve Your Skills

No matter how good you are, there's always room for improvement – plus, the better you become, the bigger the demand for your services will be. Go to a course related to your niche, learn from tutorials and books, watch what the experts are doing and think about how to apply it to your own work. Once you start selling again, your service will improve, meaning happy clients, recommendations, and the possibility to charge more.

2. Learn New Skills

Is there something you could add to your services, if only you were familiar with (insert another skill here)? Learn it! Maybe it's working with a new software, or learning another writing technique, or expanding into another niche. Whatever it is, use the idle time to learn it – the time will pass faster that way, and you will have more to offer.

Or, you could learn something completely new and unrelated to your current services, and offer that. With prices starting at $5, Fiverr is great for that kind of experiment – someone will try you out, and you will see whether it works for you or not.

3. Learn About Marketing

Whether your services are related to marketing or not, you need to advertise your business, and you need to know how to do it efficiently. Perhaps what you offer is awesome, but only a few people know about it? Advertising will take care of that. There are plenty of books, websites and tutorials on the topic, so find something that you're comfortable with, and use that knowledge.

4. Read for Pleasure

Quiet periods can also be great to relax a bit and recharge your batteries. Read books, watch movies, listen to music, take on some hobbies... Enjoy yourself! It will not only help you rest, it could also give you some new ideas, help you broaden your horizons, and give you a fresh perspective.

5. Play with Your Gigs

Can you improve your gig description and make it more clear? Can you make it more attractive? How about changing your title a bit, playing with keywords, maybe adding another extra? Adding a new photo, or an example of what you can do? If you're not getting sales anyway, it could be time for experimenting with your gigs, until you find something that works.

If you're offering a genuine, useful service, sooner or later, the sales will come – and in the meantime, you can work on yourself, take care of yourself, and have a good time doing it.