brandbreak!

After sharing about www.elance.com, a fellow Brand Manager (1epiphanee) asked me the following question:

Hey Blake,

I have seen this site as well as others and the problem that I have are all the people who are competing at rates such as $5/hr because they are located in international locations. Any suggestions on how you you bid for jobs or determine a rate? Also what type of projects have you (or others you know) been most successful in getting from these type of sites.

Thank you!

My response:

Haha, unfortunately you're asking the same question that manufactures all over the U.S. are asking themselves. My answer: branding. The Brand YOU. Offer something the competition can't.

Have a great portfolio, and be sure to SHOW why you are a better choice. Just like in advertising, you can't just say it; it needs to be part of your brand.

Also, it helps significantly to show you have a specialty. You're not just another generic, and you don't need to undercharge.

Perhaps this will help some others as well. Good luck!


Addendum

1epiphanee says:

I guess like so many of the manufacturers I was hoping for a magic potion. I know about the branding of me, but that still doesn't make me wonder whether I will still be competitive or have speciality a potential client is willing to pay a fair yet premium rate compared to the overseas competition. This is the deeper aspect of the question I was asking. Are there clients on sites such as elance.com that value quality versus economy?

response:

I would say clients who are willing to pay a premium are definitely out there and on sites such as this. With over 25,000 jobs posted monthly, the difficulty is figuring out which clients are looking for it. The more creativity required or the more regionally focused the job is, the more likely the client is looking for good quality. For example, there's currently a job posted by someone looking for a new company name, and I imagine they want someone who understands the cultural nuances of the local area.

However, as I said before, if it is production work (not requiring much thought), the unfortunate truth is, we may not be able to out bid overseas competition. On the flip side, work that doesn't require much thought tends to be boring :-D

What are your thoughts on the whole situation?

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