On Upwork, how do you retain your 100% job success rate? Is it difficult to keep it that way?

I don’t imagine it will stay that way forever no. It only takes one client who is not happy to knock it out of 100%. If you have been over 90% JSS for 13 of the last 16 weeks and are active you are Too Rated and then you get the chance to expunge a bad rating here or there but I certainly expect at some point I will have a client I do not see eye to eye on, if I am unlucky to have a few in a row, my JSS will drop.

For the most part, though I only pursue projects that I believe will have great outcomes for both me and the client. My rate is high so I, by default, exclude cheap clients and I believe people only hire me because they see the value I provide.

I also believe in frequent communication and constant touchpoints to make sure the client is happy. To me this is the biggest mistake most consultants and their clients make, they don’t communicate enough, clearly, or correctly.

A good client relationship is a mutual relationship and you need to figure out quickly if you can have that with someone…and at some point, I expect to make a mistake.

Overall, I don’t expect to stay at 100%, nor do I care if I drop (I am not that kind of perfectionist). But I would like to stay Top Rated if I can.