How to Write a Bid

There's a whole lot more to bidding than placing some arbitrary figure into the appropriate field. That is, assuming you want to have even the slightest chance at getting your bid approved by the buyer. If you want to bid simply for the sake of bidding you can take the "shot in the dark approach". But be forewarned: In taking this approach, on the rare occasion you'll hit your mark. However more often than not, you're going to miss!

When you're in business for yourself, you can't afford to miss too many times!

Some freelancers make the mistake of thinking a bid is simply the price they want in return for the work provided. That's because all too often, freelancers look at their bids from only one point of view: their own! But from a buyer's point of view, a bid is the first step in getting to know more about the people to whom they'll consider contracting out their work.

If a buyer wants to pay someone else to complete a project, that buyer is usually doing so because the project isn't something the buyer has time or the experience to tackle. Unlike traditional networking where two people come face-to-face to discuss needs and offer solutions, the only way that buyers have of knowing anything about you is by what they read. For all the good the Internet offers, it's very impersonal.

Therefore, the bids you place must convince buyers that you're worth the risk they're taking by giving you an assignment, because you are someone they've never before met in person!

Show your intelligent side

When bidding, you've got to fully understand the work that's requested. If necessary, go back and review the project details including the requested deadline. If you have any questions or problems with what you've read, rather than placing a bid, you may need to write to the bidder and ask for clarification.

You don't want to do this every time you find a project that interests you because it takes time and requires coordination. You'll have to make note of the projects on which you asked questions rather than placed bids so you can follow up when buyers fail to respond. Although this seems tedious, that it's better to seek clarification now than risk winning the bid and under-delivering later!

If you don't have questions or issues, then you're ready to place your bid. In your bid, tell the buyer why you're qualified to handle the project and direct the buyer to your portfolio where he can see samples of previous work. If your ratings are good, invite the buyer to look at what others have said about you and your work. And always answer any specific questions the buyer posts as part of the project.

Then make sure what you write it is completely free of spelling and grammar mistakes! A sloppy bid tells the buyer that you're a sloppy worker, even if you know that's not true.

Now, see how to decide how much to bid.