Comparing my $50 Upwork proposal to my $500 direct referral pitch was an ugly wakeup call

So I sent out two proposals last month for basically the same type of work - a 5 page website build. One was on Upwork for $50 total (yeah I know, don't judge, I was desperate), and the other was a referral from a former coworker in Chicago for $500. The $50 client micromanaged every pixel, asked for 8 revisions, and ghosted me after I sent the final files. Still haven't gotten paid. The $500 guy sent me a one paragraph brief, asked one clarifying question, paid half upfront via Venmo, and I was done in 4 days. Night and day difference. Has anyone else noticed that cheap clients are always the biggest headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_hall510d ago

Is it just me or does it feel like lowball clients smell desperation somehow? @knight.uma that nephew line is brutal, I had a guy once tell me his kid's school project had better code after I did a whole site for forty bucks. These people just want to feel like they're getting one over on you, not actually getting good work done.

cora81310d ago

Oh man, @parker_hall5 you nailed it, I've totally had the "my cousin's kid could do that" line thrown at me for a $35 logo too. It's like cheap clients think paying less means they get to treat you like their personal punching bag!

knight.uma11d ago

The cheap client ghosted after 8 revisions and still hasn't paid" - that's exactly what happened to me with a $30 logo job, guy wanted 12 different versions and then said "my nephew could do better.

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