Joe's comments

I'm in. Thanks, Brad.

I know the owner of one of the premier valet services in Seattle. Let me know if you'd like an introduction.

Miles, become a supporting member and you will see even better results! Supporting members get 26x more traffic!

Supporting membership is the best advertising you can buy -- hands down!

Barry's the man when it comes to this topic.

In your next article, Barry, it would be great if you explained what each of the Black Hat concepts mean (perhaps some examples), so we know what to avoid.

Draughon, do you use these services? I didn't notice them on your website.

What's the cost after the free trial?

Congratulations, Dan! Great PR for Biznik!

Here's the link to RSVP, everyone.

Looking to grow? Biznik elevates your visibility and introduces a giving community that needs your services, guaranteed.

To me, if the subject isn't one of the last ten that got a comment, it becomes harder to find and quickly forgotten.

Do others share that view and, if so, might we list more of the recent topics on the side of the page?

Barry, Erin Pierce is building joehageonline.com (under construction, placeholder there for now) for me. I'll post my blog there.

I wrote a book review that I planned to post on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, my site and Biznik (as a featured article).

Are you suggesting that my site would suffer as a result? I'd have asked you offline, but think the broader community could benefit from your insight.

If so, what would you recommend as a better way to get my content out there?

Couldn't agree more with Chris' "sell to everybody, sell to nobody."

If you want gourmet food companies to upgrade their packaging, one approach might simply be,

"Because gourmet packaging says gourmet food."

Good luck, and let us Bizniks know where you land.

Good question, Kevin.

Five thoughts:
1. Sampling. Spec is another way of promotional sampling to interest a prospective buyer. I think sampling makes a lot of sense in your field, especially since your prospects may not understand what to expect when working with a strategic designer versus someone "who can just make a brochure."
2. Requests for proposals. Having worked at an ad agency, we certainly put a lot of spec hours into pitches. Few panned out. But when we landed a $500,000 account, let's just say we were pretty happy!
3. The opportunity cost. If you have unallocated resources, spec work can keep your team's mind sharp and may just land a new client.
4. The next time. You may find that some of your spec work is good fodder for a future paying project.
5. Potential for referrals. The more prospects that get the full McLeod experience, the more folks you have talking you up to those who can pay.

For perspective, many Bizniks work on spec when we host workshops. The steep discount is akin to sampling/spec work.

Good luck!

Extra points are rewarded once your family member accepts the invite and signs up!

But help yourself to an extra piece of pie, Howard. You deserve it.