Freelancing websites are an excellent way to make money, but it can be difficult landing your first client, even if you're skilled at your craft.When you signup fora freelancing site for the first time, you're a blank slate in the eyes of potential clients because you're missing one crucial thing: reviews.We live in a review-centric society. If a business doesn't have four stars on Yelp ... why bother' If a movie has less than 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, why waste two hours watching it'Social proof is all that matters these days. If others say you're good, you'll get the time of day. If not, you're out of luck.(If you're struggling with finding clients, I wrote an in-depth guide how to get your first three paying customers.) Our review-driven mentality makes it difficult to be open to new opportunities, and, as a result, it's harder for newbies to get a fighting chance. However, reviews are necessary, because it's the only ways clients can be sure you do great work.What if there was a way you could bypass the "newbie" stage of your profile'"Renting" an Upwork pageI'm going to show you a simple hack I used to make over $5,000 on Upwork in seven days offering internet marketing services.Renting an Upwork page is when you pitch clients through someone else's page that has positive reviews. Your services don't compete with theirs,but instead complement their offerings. To do this, find a friend that has positive ratings on a freelancing site. Offer them a 10% commission on whatever jobs you book through their page.I pitched clients through my friend's page,introducing myselfas a new, expert member of his team. You can see a sample pitch below:I wanted people to know that I wasn't hijacking his page, so we filmed a video together talking about our partnership:If you're not in the same physical location as your partner, Skype him or herand record your introduction.Before you close the deal with a client, have him or heraward the job to your Upwork page, not the page of the person you're "renting" from. Most of the time, after we spoke, the clientwould invite me to the job or create an offer, and I just had to accept, like in the case of my $5000 client:I sent him my Upwork page, and he made me the offer.Doing this will allow you to build your reputation. If you feel uncomfortable asking your client to award the job to your page, you can work through your friend's page. The downside is that you don't get to build your reputation. The ultimate goal is to build up your page to the point where you no longer have to "rent" someone else's.Here's the potential risk in not directing clients to your page:You need to do great work, because you're putting your friend's reputation on the line.All the funds get released to your friend'saccount, so you want to make sure you're working with someone you trust.How to find someone to partner withYou probably know someone that freelances, just think. Chances are you have a web designer or graphic designer in your network. Most likely, they have a page on a freelancing website. Offer your service as an add-on that will complement their service.It's no secret that it's harder to get traction if you don't have reviews. This is a great way to hack the system and get moving quickly.If you're looking for additional strategies on how to grow your business and get more customers, grab this free strategy guide.SEE ALSO:How to land an internship at Google, from someone who didJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Scientists just collected a mysterious 'purple orb' at the bottom of the ocean, but no one could anticipate what happened next
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