Hello. My name is Neshelle Anne Callas.
I'm a first-year broadcasting student from Polytechnic University of the Philippines. I am 19 years old, an aspiring Social Media Manager and Virtual Assistant. During the lockdown, I'm looking for opportunities online, as I was scrolling, I bumped into this group called Upwork Freelancers. I opened it and tried joining. Prior to that, I tried applying to call centers. When they called me, I didn't qualify because I have no experience yet. They are also not accepting newbies because they still have to train them, it will take a longer process. They are already looking for experienced applicants. So, I looked for other opportunities. And then when I saw in the group that they are posting about their freelancing works, I tried searching about it. At first, I already wanted to create an account even for the data entry jobs.
And then I thought maybe it's not that good if you don't have a specific niche as you would have a lot of competitors because many people are also trying online jobs today. That's what I've noticed. So, I searched on YouTube and I see videos about how to make money online on Upwork. Then I saw your video, I binge-watched.
I've watched so many videos of you. I've learned that you have a group so I joined inside. So, I became part of the group and then you have a Canva giveaway that time. That's the time I first joined. Until I became so interested in learning about the things
you and other freelancers do. Instead of giving away any other things for my birthday celebration, I've thought what if I just do a coaching call for free. I think many would be joining because there are many who message me directly and also on my Facebook page, and they are asking a lot of questions.
Most likely, they all have similar questions.
And most likely, they have the same situation as you. So, that's why I also asked you if it's okay with you if we are going to record this session because I know there are many who has the same situation as you. Right now, my question for you is that what would you like to ask me or what advice do you want to get from me? "I prepared some questions here in my notes."
"Sure, sure." My number one question, since my prospect is about social media management, and as I've also shared my experiences, what should I be doing to improve my career prospects? By the way, guys, I already had a quick chat with Neshelle.
She already sent me the Facebook page of her client that she's handling now. "And it's about tourist spot, right?"
"Yes." Can you please send it again here so that they can see it? I will share it to them. I looked into this and Neshelle also mentioned that when she started handling this Facebook page, it grows from 500 to 1000 likes. "And that is purely organic, right?"
"Yes." This is the page Neshelle handles. I saw that what you post here is already good. It's very inviting because you share photos of those who already went here. "And I think you are using Canva for this, am I correct?"
"Yes." It's so cool. And then the posts of those who came in this venue or tourist spot, you're sharing it, which is a very nice tactic because others will see,
"Oh, there are many people who go there." "Right?"
"Yes." Actually, this is already a nice training ground for you to see what works when it comes to social media, especially handling this kind of business like tourist spots.
You are promoting the wonderful view of a certain place and its services. Right? And now, your questions is that how you are going to improve when it comes to your social media management service and how you are going to get clients, right? Yes. Oh, okay. The first thing that I could say is good job for the first step. Actually, many are struggling in finding test or beta clients to handle to have their portfolio. "Have you checked the analytics of this page?"
"Yes." So, you could see many data there like the location of the audience that mostly visits your page and what time and days they mostly engage. I want you to take down notes of that. And for your content, adjust your posting time to the peak hour where there are many engagements on your page.
Do you know how to check the analytics? I'm just viewing it but for the reading of the data, I'm not yet familiar with it. You can check my other videos when it comes to social media analytics so that you can see how you can use the data to have a higher engagement rate on the page you handle, Mahatao Island. You can turn this cover banner into a video.
It would also really help as they view the page, "Oh, it's a very nice video." in which they would really see all the views on the island.
I think I saw a drone shot here. "Drone shot?"
"Yes." It's nice to set it as a cover banner here. Were you the one who shot it or it's from one of your visitors? It was a shot of one of those who visited here. But if ever you are getting photos, you should message them if it's okay with them to share their shots, okay? This is already a very good portfolio to start with.
You can send this one to your client and you can say that you already started handling this page with 500 likes and now, it's already 1000 likes, purely organic reach. You can send all the analytics report. Consolidate it maybe in Slides or Word so that you can send it to the client. And now, how to get a new client? "This is your beta client now, right?"
"Yes." It's okay. It's already good. Since you don't have your own brand yet, own online account like a Facebook page, I think you already have your Instagram account but it's not for business, right? "Do you have an Instagram account?"
"Yes." You can turn that one into a business account or you can create one to have a business account for that.
And create a LinkedIn account.
So, I already have those kinds of videos, Have you watched it or not yet? I have watched it.
That's why I already had a LinkedIn account just recently. I would really highly recommend that you maximize LinkedIn. As in, I promise, from time to time, someone will message you if you can handle their page or their Instagram and such. Even now, I'm still receiving a lot of messages from prospect clients asking about my service. As I'm also hiring VAs, the first thing I look at when I'm hiring, especially if it's a VA or a Social Media Manager, I'm really checking if they have a LinkedIn and Instagram and if it's for business, or a Facebook page.
If they don't have those, I hesitate if I'll hire them or not. "It's hard if they don't have a background."
"Yes. Exactly, exactly." When it comes to business online, you will build the business on a trust-to-trust basis only. So, if you can't get the trust of the client, it would be harder for you to close a deal.
So, the more they can see that you are always showing up, you always have value bombs or information they can benefit from, the more they can likely trust you
and the more they would invest in your service. That's the main point. The first thing that you should do is to make time to optimize your LinkedIn account, Instagram account, and maybe you can create a Facebook page. It's not necessary that you are present on all those platforms, if you don't want to be so busy, you can focus on LinkedIn. Just on LinkedIn because there are really many prospects on LinkedIn, and then Instagram. "There are many hirings on LinkedIn."
"Yes." And we could also see the legitimacy of the agencies there.
And the second thing is the pricing. "You cannot just pitch without knowing your pricing."
"I've none yet." So, you really have to know what is your pricing when it comes to your service. Now, I want you to do a market research. When I say market research, you have to research the pricing of those who have the same service as yours. Like for example, social media management. Go to Google, join a lot of Facebook groups and browse there about their usual pricing.
For example, you're in Facebook groups and you saw one Social Media Manager, look into her Instagram account if there's a pricing posted there. Look into her Facebook page as well if there's pricing. List down all her pricing and the tasks she'll do for her client. And then, consolidate it all. Probably from around 15 to 20 people. Either her pricing is per hour, per package, or per month. Because there are many kinds of pricing.
For sure, you also have your own pricing that you want.
Maybe when it comes to hourly, let's say you want to start at $7 per hour. But from your consolidated pricing market research, you see that mostly, they start charging $3 per hour. If you see that "I'm better at that, I'm more knowledgable in this, so I think $7 is really good for me." But then, the market says $3 per hour. Maybe you can just settle in between, let's say $5 per hour. You will just start at $5. It's not too high compared to the market price and it's not too low for the price you want. Mostly, as I read their posts, when they were just starting out, they use the market price so that they could get clients.
And when they already got clients, that's when they'll increase their rate. Exactly. That's also my strategy.
Before, I really started in a very small amount, and then I saw that my client is happy with my works.
And I made my previous works as my portfolio then gradually, I get to bid higher compared to my very first project. So, I think that's a very easy way to start freelancing. And also, since you already have a LinkedIn account, I want you to do a market research about your ideal clients. This is what I do, right now, I'm also pitching directly to clients. Most of my projects now are out of Upwork. But I still have projects within Upwork. But right now, I'm trying to really pitch outside.
I'm using LinkedIn to pitch. What I do on LinkedIn is that I post contents there regularly. And then I have a list, as in, I'm using Spreadsheet. I list there my target clients.
I really list them down. And then in the Spreadsheet, I put their status whether I just added them, have I engaged with them or not? Like giving heart reactions to get their attention. I'm trying to be noticed so that I could catch their attention. When I feel like I already got their attention, I'm messaging them as if I'd just want to make a friendly relationship with them.
I don't pitch immediately. When I see that they are also engaging with my posts, when they are already liking my posts, that's when I slowly pitch my service. "Hey, thank you for liking my post." "If you have any admin tasks that can be done by a Virtual Assistant or a Social Media Manager, I have one that I can recommend." It's just a slow process. And then the next one, here comes the discovery call. When the client is already engaging, you'll set a discovery call.
So, again, Neshelle, not all your prospect clients are really your ideal clients. There are some that are off or those who you can't really help. During the discovery call, that's when you'll know if you're fitted to work together with the client. My suggestion for the discovery call is that don't let the client be just the one who is always asking questions. Always ask questions as well. Ask whatever you want to know about him. What's the kind of business he is in? What's their principle, mission or goal? And then, what's their business process, whether they already have one or not. Do they have company branding or none yet? That's when you'll know what to answer to them.
Don't just always say "I can do this, I can do that." That could turn the client off.
I swear.
The client will like you if they can feel that you are interested to know more about his or her company, and to know more about what he or she needs help with. Once you know the thing they need help with, that's when you'll say, "Oh, okay. So, your goal is to really have a lot of sales on your website or on your Facebook page. This is what I can do for you." So, you will list all the things you could do for them to have sales.
But there are times you wouldn't expect like
"Oh my God, I don't know how to do what he wants me to do." For example, that client would say, "I think I really need a Facebook Ads expert to have sales on my Facebook page." But you are not an expert in Facebook Ads.
Maybe you have an idea but just the basics. So, what you are going to do if that happens is that you would just say, "Yes, I think Facebook Ads will really help you boost the sales of your Facebook page but you know what? I think that is not just the only way." "We can do something in an organic way that you wouldn't necessarily have to pay." And then pitch your service immediately.
"We can do promotions through other Facebook groups or we can integrate ManyChat in your Facebook page." "Those things that you don't necessarily have to pay. Maybe you can consider that." "Would you like me to tell more about that or you are already decided to hire a Facebook Ads expert and not in an organic way?" When he said that "Oh, I'm already decided to hire a Facebook Ads expert." Then don't push yourself because that means that you are not fit together with that client. But if they would say, "Yes, I want to know more about the other ways to make sales without running ads." Then pitch immediately. Tell all the strategies you could do to get sales.
The main point in the discovery call is that you just have to be open to what the client would say. Make sure that you know what you're applying for, you should have a background about it so that you'll know how to answer. You should know the strategy you'd pitch because if not, you'll have nothing to say. But you know what? At the first discovery call, you won't really have to fit and close the deal. Sometimes, it really takes practice. Before, what I do is that I apply to many job posts and then I take discovery call as a practice. Every time I meet them, that's where I get strategies. "Oh, this is what I should say every time the client say this." The calls and meetings have become a practice. If you land the project, it's good. Now, it's time for execution. Achieve the demand or goal of the client that you promised to deliver to their business.
And then don't forget to ask for feedback from your client whether they liked your service or what they want to be improved in the performance of their Facebook ads or your performance as a freelancer. Because feedback is really important in whatever aspect. The more feedback you receive, the more you could improve yourself, your work, or whatever aspect of your life. So, just be open with a lot of feedbacks either it's good or bad. So, I will just wrap that up.
The first thing you need to do is to make your own online presence and then don't forget to build your portfolio. The second thing is to conduct pricing research. The third thing is to make a list of your target clients. If you can pitch and they are okay with it, have a discovery call. And then, you should be prepared when you have a discovery call. You should have a background about their business and their social media account. The next is the execution, in which you need to do the work you promised during the discovery call. And then, the last one is to ask for feedback. So, that's the wrap-up. The next question I remember you asked during our chat, you said that you are losing motivation to move forward.
So, the only thing I could say to this, Nesh, is that Sometimes, you cannot just rely on motivation. Because with motivation, there are times that you are so pumped and then you'll feel down. It's like a series of ups and downs. "It's not really steady."
"Roller coaster." Yeah, there are really times where we're like
"I really want to do this." But there are also times where we're like
"I just want to watch videos." Right?
"I just want to sleep." So, we can't just rely on motivation. What I would say is that rely on your self-discipline. Have self-discipline. It's the reality.
If you have self-awareness, if you are self-aware,
it will be easier for you to discipline yourself. You will be able to catch your thoughts. Every morning, you should build your habits to set your day. If you weren't able to follow your morning routine, it will be easier for you to get distracted by other things. That's what I always set to myself. I'm not motivated to work every day, to be honest. Sometimes, I really don't want to work. As I follow my daily routine,
every morning right when I wake up, before, I catch myself browsing on Instagram for one hour. It's right after when I wake up so that's a terrible thing.
I'm now aware that that's what I do.
So, every morning, when I grab my phone, I open Spotify and play upbeat worship music so that I will not get back to sleep. From that, it's easier for me to follow my other routines every morning. And then, I will just really write the top 3 things that would really move the needle of my business. For example, right now, my top 3 is to work on my two clients, have a meeting with you, and then, the last one is to have another meeting later tonight.
That's my three things for today. Every night also, I would already list brief things-to-do that I have to finish. So that every morning, I already have an idea like
"These are the things I have to do today." Habit is really a key. It will be easier for you to follow your everyday to-do lists even you're not motivated. I feel more motivated when I enjoy what I do. The more you enjoy what you're doing,
the easier for you to work on it. It has lesser resistance to do it because you like doing it.
So, I hope that helps you.
Do you have any other questions aside from that? It's so helpful, as in. Which has been more valuable in your career? Your education or your actual experience? I think the experience. In my company, to be honest, other people might not agree with this but just to be honest, in my company, I don't care if you graduated. I don't care if you take vocational courses or you don't graduate at all. I don't care if you just graduated from high school. As long as you can really do the work. Because I see some people,
I have a couple of friends right now who really didn't graduate from college but they are very successful now. I would not also encourage everyone like
"Don't go to school because it doesn't really matter." I will still encourage everyone to finish school because it's really important.
At least, you have a degree or you graduated, right? But it comes to work, it doesn't really matter. Even today as I'm hiring other VAs or Social Media Managers, I don't ask about their educational attainment. "As in not?"
"Yes, not at all." I do ask if they have experience working from home or none. I prefer asking that question. And you know what? There's an instance where I chose a newbie, the one who has little knowledge of freelancing, over the experienced one. Because the newbie applicant had created a portfolio,
all the output from her training. She's joining paid and free trainings. So, she had created a portfolio of her sample works.
Compared to the experienced applicant who's already been working online for 2 years,
she wasn't able to show a portfolio. So, I chose the newbie applicant even she doesn't have experience yet. I can see in her portfolio that she's really capable. Any question? The reason why I also asked that was because I feel intimidated when I see their profiles.
I'm still studying and then I see people who already have four years of experience. I was like "How can I stand out? I'm last in the choices when it comes to experience." So, you are right about what you said that we have to build our portfolio and research to stand out to the client. Exactly. Believe me, schooling and experience don't matter as long as the client can see your portfolio and your previous works. It's a big deal for them. Next question, if you have. Since you're in this industry, what's the best thing you love about your job? One thing that I always say even the salary is not that high, even if I have the same salary as the office rate, I will still choose freelancing because of the time-flexibility.
Like right now, actually, I have to finish something but I can move that one because I have a meeting now, and I can still do whatever I would like to do, right? The flexibility of time is really a good thing for me. My friends who don't work online, they said
"Sui, there's a vacant position in the office and the salary is high." They said that the starting rate is already high so I might want to try. So, I said, "Okay." When I heard about the starting rate, it's lower than the rate I'm currently earning now.
And even if it's higher than what I'm earning right now, I still wouldn't choose that because it's 8 hours everyday. "And you'd still have to travel."
"Yes, travel. Right?" So, yeah. I really like the freelancing set-up because it's very flexible and I don't have to go outside. And we have lesser expense when working at home compared to still having to go out. What advice do you have for us who is new to the industry? What advice? All the things I've mentioned earlier, that's already a pretty advice. Don't get discouraged if the clients reject you. You bid, you send applications, and you aren't getting hired. Even experienced freelancers still experience it. Don't be discouraged because it's really part of the game.
The more you evaluate yourself about the things you need to improve, the more you fast-track in achieving your goals. Always self-assess. Are you also like this? You talk to someone and when you got home, you think "Have I said the right words or maybe I should've said better than those?" Something like that. "I am like that. Over-thinker." Actually, that's also a good thing because you get to always assess yourself, "Have I done the right thing or could've I done better?" It's also the same when you're applying, "I didn't get hired.
What have I done wrong? Maybe it could've been okay if I did this." Don't be afraid to explore new things or try new strategies because that's how it is, trial and error. Some of the things that may work for me,
may not work for you. So, just try and try all the strategies you may implement from the other coaches, from the other friends you know who also work online, maybe they have a different strategy. Maybe you can try that as well.
And in the long-run, you would say, "Ah! This works for me." Actually, I'm not really sure if all that I'm saying right now make sense to you.
It's so helpful, as in. It became more specific to me and you wrap it up well earlier. This is so helpful. Thank you so much. Hopefully, our call could help other Boss babes and Bosses inside our group.