How Can I Save Myself GRIEF with Buyers?
Let's see a show of hands: How many of you have received orders from buyers that are woefully underfunded,...where their expectation of what they're getting, and for how much, are not in line with your own? We all have, right? Here's a way to head off a lot of that grief. Read on!
Been There!
You and I (and every other seller on Fiverr) have experienced the annoyance of a new order that demands too much, for not enough. Usually the situation involves requests for services you charge extra for, and for which they have not ticked the Extras boxes.
They may have legitimately missed seeing them, or they may just be ignoring them and are demanding them for free, Either way, it's a stomach-churning situation.
No Excuses
What I propose (and what I do, myself) is to give them no legitimate excuse, by spelling things out very distinctly in the gig requirements the buyer must fill out while placing an order. Gig requirements are completely customizable by you, the seller.
My own offerings on Fiverr are of the voice0ver type, and my very first of my gig requirements is worded along these lines:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I agree that this order is for a single script, read in a single voiceover style, and that the Commercial Rights extra is required unless the recording will be for strictly personal use. Post-order copy changes, broadcast rights, and rush delivery are available extras."
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I love the way Fiverr lets you to set up your requirements in such a way that you can REQUIRE an answer...and that answer can be either multiple choice, as shown, or freeform text where they can type whatever is appropriate.
As you can see, with the requirement above, they are locked into agreeing to pay my required extras, before they can place the order. If they then fail to add them, you can point out (via screen grab if you like) that they agreed to do so.
In addition, I have included wording in my gig description that mentions the same items. So they will have to ignore it or miss it not once, but twice, on their way to placing the order. In the gig description, I put teeth in the commercial rights part of it as follows:
"Be sure to add the Commercial Rights extra (unless your order is for strictly personal use). so I can deliver your file without a watermark."
By taking these precautions, the buyer is left with very little excuse, other than to say that they filled things out in a hurry and didn't notice the reference. Since I started incuding the items above, I have far fewer cases of neglected extras.
What if They Still Didn't Add them?
If the buyer ignored or didn't notice the extras, I immediately respond to their new order by offering them the extra, using the all-important word, "required," as follows:
"Thanks for your order! Here is the required Commercial Rights extra (or whatever extra they failed to include)"
The word "required" leaves no wiggle room, and normally results in their adding the extra without a murmur.
What if They Argue About it?
If they complain, my policy on this is to give in, for the sake of my stats, but only on a one-time basis. So I'll say the following:
"I'm sure it's just a situation where you didn't understand when you placed the order, and I don't want to disappoint you, so I'll take care of this order for you without the extra this one time. On future orders, the extra will need to be included. Fair enough?"
That conciliatory message wins me friends with new buyers, who express their gratitude and relief. At the same time, by asking it like that, they understand that this is a one-shot thing, and on future orders, the extra MUST be included.
If they were to come back and do the same thing again in a second order, I would once again send them the extra....and if they refused it again on that order, I'd cancel and be done with them. But, following the pattern of messages I've described, I've never actually had that happen.
Words DO Make a Difference.
This is just one more example of how the words you use, and when you use them, can make a world of difference on Fiverr. I did a whole course on this, and I'd encourage you to check it out. It can result in more sales, more repeat customers, and far less aggravation with buyers!
There's so much you and I can do together to improve your gig's performance. Schedule your Gig Doctor appointment by hitting the Gig Checkup link at the top of this page for an inexpensive personalized checkup and consultation!
For those of you who do voiceovers, or who are interested in entering that fun profession, I can help there too. Check out my voiceover coaching services.