To ensure a successful client meeting on Upwork, choose a quiet, well-lit space, confirm your tech setup, and review client requirements within 24 hours. Be punctual, take notes, and submit any agreed-upon documents on time to maintain payment protection—even if the client opts out of receiving them.
Here's some tips to help you prepare for and follow up on your meeting with the client:
- Review the requirements from the client within 24 hours of receiving them to make sure you're the right fit — you can cancel within those first 24 hours without affecting your Job Success Score, and we’ll give the client a full refund.
- Get ready for your meeting. For best results, choose a place where you feel confident that’s free of noise and distractions. Consider any lighting issues, such as window glare, for the time of day that you’ll be meeting. Don’t forget to check your video, microphone, and internet connection.
- Show your professionalism by being on time and courteous in your interactions. If you’re more than 5 minutes late, your client can consider the consultation a no-show and get a full refund. If your client is more than 5 minutes late, you can submit for payment and write “No-show” in the text box.
- Take careful notes during the meeting to develop any documents you included in your project description — a project plan, time and cost estimate, or meeting summary. We recommend noting what you presented, what questions the client asked, what recommendations you gave, and anything else that might help your client.
- Send your documents to the client. To qualify for payment protection, you’ll need to send any documents you described in your project within the timeframe you set in the project. If you and the client agree to skip the documents, the client can opt-out of receiving documents after the consultation and go ahead and approve and pay in the workroom. Your payment will still be protected in that case. If you and the client plan to work together again, include next steps in what you send.
Frequently Asked Questions
If my client wants to approve and pay without getting any documents from me after a consultation, will my payment still be protected?
Yes, your payment will still be protected. If your client chooses to approve and pay without receiving documents after the consultation, they agree not to file a dispute on the consultation payment.