You received your first opportunity on Malt! Congratulations! Now, pause for a moment, and let's walk through the guide together to transform this into an actual project.
Use this checklist to answer your first client proposals on Malt. Don't forget that it’s important to answer every opportunity you receive, even to decline it, so you go up in the Malt search engine. This way, you’ll always receive more project proposals.
Don't rush: if a client has contacted you, your profile has caught their attention. You can reply with a short message to thank them for contacting you and explain that you will study their request and get back to them.
Read the customer's message carefully to absorb as much information as possible.
Learn more about the client's business.
List the client's needs and check if any of them are outside your field of expertise (you’ll have to inform the client asap).
Determine if you’re the right person to answer their needs and, therefore, if you need to interact further with the client. If not, consider declining the offer by clicking on "Decline." Even a negative response will positively impact your profile visibility.
Take the time to prepare a comprehensive response by learning about the customer's needs and business. This is the best way to show your professionalism and expertise.
Prepare an answer that shows that you understand the client's need, have specific knowledge that will be useful and are interested in the project.
Depending on the project, it’s sometimes appropriate to provide the client with a video) to discuss his project and expectations more precisely. It’s also an opportunity to get to know each other and see if you have a good rapport.
We don't recommend sending a quote the first time you meet with a client. It’s better to identify their expectations, discuss deadlines and deliverables, and exchange messages to ensure you’re on the same page.
Send your answer via the Malt platform. It’s a secure messaging system you can use to send messages and even files. By centralizing all interaction on Malt, you avoid losing information and protect yourself.
Talk to your client, taking the time to raise each point that you feel needs clarifying.
Talk with the client, at least via the Malt messaging system, or better yet, during a phone or video call. Ask them for as much information as possible about their expectations and the project.
Whether it's deliverables, due dates, tools to be used, or availability times, there are many issues to check with the client, depending on the services you provide.
Remember the human aspect of customer relationship: these exchanges are an opportunity to forge a solid first link with your future client.
Once you have fully understood the client's expectations, it’s time to prepare the quote. This quote should always be sent through Malt to benefit from the Hiscox insurance, which covers you in case of accidents or errors during the mission.
Make your quote as detailed as possible. This is a common mistake among new freelancers: your quote will serve as the assignment’s legal and practical. It's not enough to write that you’ll develop a web page. You need to specify in detail each service you offer, with an estimated time frame and a rate for each task. Of course, this varies significantly from job to job. Don't hesitate to talk to other more experienced freelancers and learn from them.
Send your quote to the client via Malt again to benefit from Hiscox's professional liability insurance. Depending on the project, have another call with the client to verbally present your quote's various elements. However, write everything in the new quote after this interaction.
You are free to modify specific parameters of the quote (deliverables, deadlines, rates, etc.) based on customer feedback. Again, you will always want to send the latest quote via Malt.
The customer has validated your quote on Malt. Congratulations! You can start working on the project with peace of mind—just a few more steps before you start.
Once the client has validated your quote on Malt, check that everything is ready before you start working. In the case of a prepaid job, you must wait for the client to credit the job on Malt before starting.
Keep an eye on your Malt messenger: you’ll receive a message in the chat when you can start working. For maximum flexibility, you can download the Malt App.
Check your legal documents on Malt. Go to your profile and check that your documents are up to date, including your certificate of compliance.
Now you know everything you need regarding answering an opportunity on Malt!
