Top 3 Mistakes After You Receive a Reply on Upwork (and How to Avoid Them)

So, you finally got a reply on Upwork – awesome! But many sales managers make simple mistakes right after this stage, which can cost them the job. Let me describe top 3 ones.

Slow Responses and Delayed Estimates

You may ask what is the normal time to answer? An hour? Nope.

When a client responds, they’re ready to talk – right now. If you take hours or, worse, a day to reply, they might lose interest or even start talking to someone else.

When it comes to estimates, this can be even more important. Clients want to see you’re prepared and efficient. If it takes too long to get back with a quote, they might assume you’ll also be slow in other parts of the job.

Plus, remember, that Upwork is a marketplace for hot sales.

Not Giving a Clear Next Step

Replies that don’t guide the client to a next step can kill the momentum. Saying something like “I’ll check and get back to you” is too vague – the client is left hanging. You need to tell them exactly what to expect next and when. For example, instead of just saying you’ll “get back,” tell them, “I’ll send over the proposal by tomorrow at noon.”

Here’s the difference between a good next step and a bad one:

Good Next Step:

Here is an estimate:link. The next step is to review and answer your questions. When would you be able to check and answer?

Bad Next Step:

Here is an estimate:link.

Forgetting to Follow Up

I actually wrote a full article about that. After a few exchanges, sometimes the client goes quiet. Many freelancers think this means the client isn’t interested, so they just stop messaging. But the truth is, clients get busy and might need a little reminder. I recommend at least 4 meaningful follow-ups before you mark this lead as a lost one.

If you like a pumpkin I made (the right one) or this article, you can:

Hugs,
Tamara