How to go Beyond $5 on Fiverr

I received a personal message from a member of one of my Fiverr groups, asking an excellent question. He wonbdered how to, "...go beyond $5 on Fiverr."

Like many people, that's where I started. As a person offering voiceovers on the platform, I started out by offering up to 250 words for $5. It seemed ludicrous, but I was following the advice of a course I had taken, which said you must "work your way up."

Obviously, this is not going to be one of my longest blog entries, since I've already answered the question! But let me expound a little by talking about the things that go into this whole business of, "working your way up."

Quality

As is true anywhere else, to advance on Fiverr, you need to give people the best that you have. Regardless of what they spend, they hope for quality...but may not entirely expect it on Fiverr because of the prices.. And that can play to your benefit: If you surprise them with greater quality than they expect, they'll rejoice, and be back. Not only that, but they'll leave favorable reviews and five star ratings, which signal to others that you're a good choice. That leads us to...

Communication

Despite the ridiculously low starting price, you need to have wonderful communication with your buyers. You may initially feel like the guy or lady at McDonalds flipping burgers and asking if they'd "like fries with that?," but don't approach it that way with customers. Lay out the red carpet. Meet them at the door with a towel over your arm, escort them to the table, ask them if they'd like to see a menu, check partway through the meal to see if they need their water glasses filled, assure they are served well, Afterwards, ask them if everything was to their satisfaction, and thank them. Leave them with a glow in their cheeks, rather than a storm in their eyes.

Proof

"Social proof," as it's called, is represented on Fiverr by your ratings, reviews, number of sales you've made, and by how much you promote your Fiverr gig elsewhere (which evidences itself to Fiverr by noticing people are following links to your gig from elsewhere. Social proof will help your gig rise in Fiverr's own search results, and put more eyeballs on it.

Numbers

Orders beget orders. If your gig itself is set up well (see Gig Doctor Checkup), your demo is great and the quality of your actual work is no less great, the number of your sales will begin to increase. You need those numbers in order to advance and become, first a Level One Seller, then a Level Two Seller, and perhaps in time, a Top Rated Seller. As your numbers rise and you've demonstrated your worth, you will be in a better position to increase your prices.

Gently, Gently

When you have achieved 100 or so sales, and have climbed at least one wrung on the seller ladder, it's time to think about a price increase. But don't make the berry picker's mistake of becoming reckless while reaching out for that larger berry, and in the process, dumping out the berries you've already gathered. Move in gradual steps. First, perhaps, keep your price the same, and simply reduce the amount you offer to do for that price. Second, if you haven't, think about adding Commercial Rights for projects not intended for the personal use of the buyer. Then, by slow intervals over time, edge your pricing up.

Be Open About it

Since repeat customers are a critical component of your success on Fiverr, show them some respect as you prepare to increase your prices. Don't just dump it on them. I suggest you alert them in advance of the price increase by sending messages to at least your best repeat buyers indicating your intention to adjust your pricing. What I personally like to do is to "grandfather them in" for awhile at the previous rate. Tell them that for a certain length of time (six months or whatever), you'll keep them at their previous rate. They just need to request a custom quote when they order. Will you lose a few? Perhaps, though if what you offer is something they value, often they'll come along for the ride with you. And indeed, I've found that even many who I offered to keep at the lower price have found it more convenient to just order at the new rate rather than bothering to ask for a custom offer each time.

Maintain Some Humility

Not everybody in the world can afford to pay a higher price. There are people in poorer countries who have just as much dignity, talent, and ambition as you, and who are just as eager to produce a great quality product, but can't afford to pay as much for your service because their own clients are in a similar fix. One of the benefits of beginning life on Fiverr at a low price, is that we (hopefully) learn a little humility. We know what it is to work hard on something, treat people with a servant's heart, and deal with them with respect, all without expecting a lot in the way of compensation. So if you do succeed in raising your prices and ascending the ladder on Fiverr, remember where you started, and consider the needs of people lower. There's no law that says you can't occasionally still stoop and help those who need your services but can't afford them.

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!