Hey all! 👋

This week, we interviewed Denys from Etcetera, known in the Ukrainian IT community for their success on Upwork ($3M+ earned).

Below are some takeaways from the interview.

Plus, I've shared data on building a healthy Upwork pipeline for e-commerce development with Shopify, along with some tips from our community.

Takeaways from the Interview

Denys shared his experiences, insights, and tips on using Upwork, improving performance, and building a team

🇺🇦 The interview is in Ukrainian with English subtitles. Watch the full interview for more insights. Here are the highlights:

📊 1. Upwork Stats

Upwork stats are limited because they are only available for specific time frames and lack comprehensive analysis tools.

Etcetera often had to use intersting hacks to obtain the data they needed!

So, which stats should you collect? Etcetera's opinion:

• General profile views: views by individual profiles, and previously by specialized profiles.
• Statistics on bids: including their outcomes (e.g., job closed, hired or not).
• Statistics on invites: including whether they were accepted or rejected and why.

Denys and Tamara also discussed Upwork's financial stats. To refresh your memory, try exporting your Connects history from Upwork to calculate your expenses!

🔧 2. Top 3 Sales Tools for Your Agency

Guess what, it's not Pipedrive!

We asked Denys what the key element was in managing his agency on Upwork and overall. He said... Notion.

So we asked Denys to share his opinion and tell us the top three sales tools he'd recommend:

1. Notion: For everything;
2. n8n.io: For automation;
3. LLMs: For advanced analysis;
4. GigRadar: Yes.

Denys advocates for automating any task that is done constantly or has been done three times. This approach reduces repetitive work and increases overall efficiency.

Detailed explanations of the use of these tools are provided in the interview.

🤝 3. No Bench Policy

❓Guess the Quiz: 0.5 FTE + 0.5 FTE = 1 Project

Yes, it's the philosophy of Denys' agency.

Etcetera operates more like a community where members can choose their workload and projects.

However, each team member must work on at least two projects simultaneously to avoid dependency on a single client.

It's worth adding that Etcetera has no bench.

We asked Denys to answer in a blitz format, and while the answers weren't shocking, they were very insightful.

📝 What will you choose?

• Customize each proposal and bid individually, or use only templates but send a million?

• Choose between a client with a small budget but great feedback, or a  client with a large budget but terrible reviews?

• Use paid Upwork features to grow, or try only organic growth on Upwork?

• Are the Upwork changes in 2024 good or bad?

Watch the full interview here:

🌪️ Healthy Upwork Pipeline: eCommerce Development Case

We are continuing our series about healthy Upwork pipelines.

This week, we're showcasing eCommerce development with the most popular framework, Shopify.

• Niche: Shopify | eCommerce Development
• Upwork Agency: Top Rated Plus
• Lead Generation Budget: $4k/mo

On average, Shopify projects take up to 200 hours. Our chart shows data from an agency that charges $40 per hour.

Similar to web development, we aim for about 18% LRR. This is quite doable, considering the industry's growth.

Converting 20% of 180 replies into calls might seem modest, but it's a reality in the competitive Shopify space on Upwork.

Yet, our clients have shown that a strong SDR can turn half of those 36 potential leads into meaningful calls and estimates.

This effort can easily translate into securing at least 3 deals.

🤔 Looking to close even more?

In an interview with Denys from Etcetera, Tamara shared some valuable sales tips. Here are the key takeaways:

• Keep track of why bids are lost to uncover and fix issues.
• Improve follow-up strategies for non-responsive leads.
• Ask leads why they picked another team to gather valuable feedback.

Yes, that interview is a must-watch :)

Community Highlights

Oh, just a quick reminder about our community.

There are lots of like-minded agency owners and sales/lead-marketing professionals, so don't hesitate to join (❗it's still free for now).

We are running a secret event today (Thursday, July 11), hosted by Tamara Levit herself. Find more details inside the community:

Join Upwork Agencies Community