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How can freelancers gain a competitive edge?

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A highly competitive marketplace

The creative sector is one of the fastest growing and most competitive sectors in the UK, check out some interesting facts and ?gures; this has also been linked to an increase in the number of people working on a freelance basis; whether in a full time or part time capacity.

These changes have impacted on the sector as a whole; it isn’t uncommon these days for a freelancer to ?nd themselves pitching against an agency for a commercial project. In my experience of working with freelancers, one of their main challenges is ?nding a way to differentiating themselves from the competition.

Tomato vs Tomatoe

Consider a scenario where you are pitching for a piece of work and you are up against another freelancer and two creative agencies. Everyone will structure their pitch differently, however there are some commonalities in some of the themes for a good pitch. A pitch will often cover off some standard sections such as:-

• Overview
• Objectives
• Schedule and Budget
• Target Audiences
• Key Messages
• Creative Considerations
• Resources

However it is common knowledge that when pitching in a competitive situation one of the biggest considerations is price and in my experience cost has a big impact on the ?nal decision (rightly or wrongly). This is one of the aspects that can be a deal breaker but it is difficult to control if you don’t know your competition or what they typically charge.

Taking into account the things you can control you may want to consider offering the copyright on work you have been commissioned to do, making this offer upfront at pitch stage. Having an open, transparent conversation and addressing an issue that is often avoided, could help you build rapport with a new client and break down some of the barriers around gaining their trust.

During some research we did when building Own My IP, it became apparent that being able to build rapport and gain trust quickly with customers was a key ingredient for businesses when looking to engage with an agency or freelancer.

What could you do to strengthen your pitch and give you a competitive edge?

A grey area when pitching and delivering creative work is who will own the copyright to that work at the point of completion and exchange of fees. One way to build up your Unique Selling Point (USP; check out an interesting article about the bene?ts of identifying and promoting your USP) could be to initiate that conversation and offer to handover the copyright to your client on receipt of payment (this may even be something you want to incorporate in to your costs).

This could help you build rapport and, more importantly, gain trust with the person(s) you are pitching to. Holding on to the copyright to creative designs or copy that is bespoke to a business isn’t of any real value to you, as you wouldn’t really be able to reuse this work with future clients.

Own My IP is an online service which facilitates the transfer of copyright, it is easily accessible and less formal than standard contracts, providing a safe, secure platform to facilitate that transfer.

This can be a value added extra for the clients you are working for and give you an opportunity to gain that competitive edge over others; selling yourself as an innovator of best practice could also help build your reputation which could in the longer term result in recommendations and repeat business.

Craig Olugbode, Managing Director, Own My IP, November 2012

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Craig Olugbode .