No, this isn’t about doing work for free. That is a dopey business model. (I speak from experience here.)

And it’s not about doing work on spec. Which is mostly an exercise in jackoffery. Run away from that.

I’m talking about giving away advice, expertise, game plans, ideas — even that BIG idea that can literally make a client’s project.  The best stuff you have.

It is the simplest way to make potential clients love you at least 187% more than your competitors. While you land the paying work.

Quick example.

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For me, business cards are about as useful as typewriter ribbons. In the past two years, I needed an actual, hand-outable business card maybe three times.

I didn't need these, but Moo made me want them. Twice.

But when I saw what Moo was doing with business cards, I simply had to buy 50 of them.  Twice.

With Moo, you design your cards with an ingenious online tool that won’t let you do anything ugly.  The software has built-in taste. You can even make every card different if you want.

Moo cards aren’t cheap.  They cost a just bit less than Kennedy half-dollars, but you can buy in such small quantities that you don’t mind at all.  I didn’t mind.  Twice.

And unlike those sites hawking discount cards by the bushel, Moo is fun to buy from.  Moo has class. And they’re polite.  Okay, they border on cutesy.  But far more pleasant than the loud and raucous discounters.  You feel glad you bought from Moo.

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