Introduction
UM Advisory is a boutique financial services agency founded by Umar Manzar, operating across Canada and Pakistan. The agency specializes in financial modeling, investment advisory, and fractional CFO services, with a team of eight professionals—three of whom actively manage operations on Upwork. While based in South Asia and North America, UM Advisory serves clients primarily in the United States, Canada, and parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan and Singapore. With over 14 years of Upwork experience, Umar brings deep platform knowledge and strategic insight to his agency’s client acquisition efforts.
The Struggles of Manual Lead Generation
Before turning to GigRadar, UM Advisory relied on a labor-intensive manual lead generation process. Every day, a team member scanned Upwork for new job postings, listed them in a spreadsheet, and the team would collectively decide which ones to pursue. Proposals were written manually and submitted hours after the job had been posted—too late to stand out in a crowded applicant pool.
It was taking us maybe five to six hours to send out a proposal. And by that time, those jobs already had 20–50 proposals submitted. Clients either never opened ours, or had already hired someone else.
While the agency experimented with different proposal formats and strategies, nothing could overcome the bottleneck of speed. Conversion rates were low, and the team felt they were losing valuable opportunities simply because they couldn't respond fast enough.
They had also begun to explore other platforms like LinkedIn, Catalant, and offline networking events. But these channels hadn’t brought significant results yet, and the heavy reliance on Upwork felt increasingly risky.
We’re convinced that we need to branch out beyond Upwork. You can't rely entirely on one revenue source, especially when the platform keeps changing its rules and algorithms.
Searching for a Better Way
Realizing the limitations of manual processes, Umar began searching for a solution that could automate proposal generation and increase speed without sacrificing quality. That’s when he discovered GigRadar—though he can’t remember if it was through LinkedIn or a Google search.
Despite his interest, Umar had a few initial concerns. Some early proposals generated by the AI didn’t reflect the prompts he provided, and technical quirks—like incorrectly populating his name—needed manual workarounds. But he didn’t let those small issues get in the way.
There was a bit of a learning curve at first. But I realized that by adjusting the prompts, I could guide the tool effectively. It wasn’t a dealbreaker—just part of adopting any new system.
The potential was clear: faster responses, automation, and strategic visibility through GigRadar’s team dashboard. These were key in his decision to commit.
Transforming the Sales Process with GigRadar
Since adopting GigRadar in October/November 2023, UM Advisory’s proposal workflow has completely transformed.
Using GigRadar’s Auto Bidder, proposal generator, and dashboard analytics, the team now sends out proposals in as little as 13 minutes, compared to 5–6 hours before. They’re also making data-driven decisions based on performance metrics shown in the dashboard, such as cost per reply and win rates.
With the dashboard, you know exactly which proposal strategy is working. If your cost per reply is high, you know something needs to change. It’s clear, actionable feedback—and that’s powerful.
This new system allowed UM Advisory to shift focus from small, inconsistent projects to larger, long-term contracts. The agency is now closing deals that last for months or even years, with recurring revenue.
Tangible Results in Just 5 Months
Over the course of five months with GigRadar, UM Advisory has landed:
- 5 new clients
- $15,000 in revenue
- Multiple long-term contracts, including:
- A major global enterprise in the education and content creation space
- A financial modeling project with an upcoming Phase 2
- A new accounting and bookkeeping client starting work in April
- A major global enterprise in the education and content creation space
We don’t go for short-term gigs. We aim for strategic partnerships. With GigRadar, we’ve landed clients that will likely stay with us for over two years. That’s the kind of growth we’re after.
Moreover, GigRadar helped them recover their initial investment within four months. Though the first three months had no immediate ROI, things turned around once the system was fine-tuned and integrated into their routine.
In the fourth month, we started getting revenue. That’s when we recovered the cost of the first three months we invested. From there, everything scaled quickly.
Pro Tips from an Upwork Veteran
With over 14 years of experience on Upwork—dating back to its oDesk days—Umar emphasizes that automation isn’t enough on its own. He recommends agencies continuously optimize their profiles and proposals in tandem with using tools like GigRadar.
Upwork changes its algorithm all the time. You need to update your profile monthly, research keywords, and study top-rated profiles. Keep experimenting—once you find what works, double down until it’s time to adjust again.
Final Thoughts: A Must-Have for Modern Agencies
GigRadar didn’t just save UM Advisory time—it made their growth more predictable, measurable, and scalable. The automation gave them back hours each day, while the dashboard insights sharpened their strategy.
If you’re serious about standing out on Upwork, you need automation. GigRadar helps you respond faster, measure what’s working, and focus on growth. It gives you back the time you need to succeed.
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