The biggest hurdle right now in selling anything online, including jobs, is trust. Does this person deliver? Is it top quality work? Will they reply to me?

So at the very start of your relationship with the buyer, right from the first time they land on your job post, you should make yourself seen as a trustworthy fellow. It’s kinda hard to do that online, right? After all, it’s just a bunch of pixels on a screen.

My answer is yes, you can become trustworthy by giving off the right signals. How? Read on.

1. Clearly state what you can do in your job ad.

Explain in the job post what you will be giving your buyer and how you plan to give it. Buyers usually ask two things: what will you be sending to me and how will you be doing the work.

Explaining these things both lessens the work you have to do of re-explaining everything to each client and it also shows the client that you are someone who knows his stuff.

2. Show off yourself through your profile

The second thing buyers look at after your job post is your personal profile. Fill it up as much as you can and upload past works you’d like to show off, links to your portfolio or your personal page, and describe your work experience.

If you don’t have any of these, don’t fret. You can always create some samples from scratch. The more information you share, the more buyers will trust in your abilities.

3. Keep promises

Remember that time when your heart was broken when someone cheated on you? That’s the same feeling buyers get when you don’t do what you say you’ll do. So deliver on time and at the best quality to your clients.

Do this always and like a muscle, you’ll be exercising your promise-keeping and be know as the guy who delivers.

4. Ask questions

It’s a given that you should be in constant contact with the buyer (you gotta be friendly to them as well). What’s not obvious is what you should talk about. And what do we do when we don’t have anything to talk about? We ask questions.

Questions are not nosy. In fact, buyers appreciate it if you try to understand their business. It means that you are taking the time to invest in figuring out how they do things, a big factor when you’re trying to earn the trust of someone.

You know the great thing about being trusted by buyers? It’s not the feedback (though it’s nice). It’s the fact that the more they trust you, the more they will recommend you.

In our country, word of mouth is still king and business is built upon the good word of someone personally vouching for you. This leads to more responsibility and more growth. And of course, more money.