How to increase the chances to win bids

I'm new to freelancer, I would like to obtain help from an experienced user with skills in excel, dashboards, macros and business Analytics. Until I have made some income through freelancer, I am not ready to pay for the multiple certifications and account upgrades that they offer. Your proposal and advice will be considered into account. I expect a honest synopsis of the problems that you went through when starting on freelancer, the multiple actions that you undertook, and the strategies that you now use to win bids.