Say a client contacts you about a project that's right in your area of expertise. Though you've sent them samples of your work (several samples, actually), they'd like you to do a custom sample, because they're concerned about whether you can write in their voice or their niche.
What's your next move? Will you suck it up and do the sample, knowing you can handle it and hoping you'll wow them with your clear, crisp copy? Will you call and negotiate payment for your sample? Or will you stand firm, insisting that your samples speak for themselves and the client should just hire you based on those?
It's a situation that, unfortunately, I'm seeing and hearing about with increasing frequency. And it's a tough call, because some of these clients are legit. Some are happy to pay for your time if you ask nicely and show that you're a professional, and some are incredulous, making statements like "I've never heard of a candidate invoicing a company for their time spent in a job interview" (yes, someone actually said that to me a few weeks ago, and no, I was not interviewing to be an employee).
I've been fortunate that a lot of prospects have offered payment for samples early in our email exchange. Other times I've had to finesse the payment issue a little more or weigh how much I wanted the gig against my distaste for writing free samples. And, I admit, I've written on spec on a few occasions when I really wanted the clip and the editor seemed interested. (In my mind, writing on spec and writing a sample are similar.) Each time it has paid off, but I know that next time could blow up in my face.
How do you handle these kinds of requests?