Lovely Girl   +  writing

A friend who freelances in a different creative discipline told me the other day she's competing with another candidate for a gig she really, really wants. "Do you do anything in these kinds of situations that really makes you stand out as the top candidate?" she asked. Good question. One thing I don't do is compete on price. I know they'll always be someone willing to write for pennies a word, so I don't go there. Instead, I try to focus on sending writing samples that as closely mirror the client's needs as possible (I consider my ability to adapt to a publication or client's voice to be one of my main selling points). If they request a quote, I'll ask a few questions about the scope of their project, then send a detailed proposal outlining what's included in my rate (research time, meta data, two rounds of revisions, etc). It's a lot easier to see the value of my rate once you understand the work that's involved in creating a page of website copy or an email newsletter. And it makes those bargain basement freelancers look like less of a bargain if they don't demonstrate that level of detail. What about you? What advice would you offer my friend?