Running low on billable hours? Client work a little sparse lately? Definitely don't waste money on advertising. Instead, one of the best ways to spend your time while not on the clock is to find a local business (or two) that is lacking in the [insert your expertise here] department. Take a few hours a day after completing any billable work and put together an example of how your company could help solve one of their current problems. This could be an example of a homepage redesign that better showcases their featured product, a proof of concept for a web-based support ticketing system, or a short write-up outlining usability problems in their shopping cart. Just make sure it's actually a real problem, something that won't be hard for them to identify.

I know the first thing your thinking is that this is spec work, and that spec work is evil. But I don't look at this as spec work. It's not. This is work that doesn't take away from other billable work. It's work you do when you have no other billable work. This is a marketing expense and possibly even a learning experience. And it is much more effective than taking out an ad in the Yellow Pages.

Why is this more effective? Because it is targeted. You are picking the client based on how you feel you can best apply your skill set. And in the end this is beneficial for both sides of the equation. We all know that finding the right client is half the battle.

So once you have your teaser campaign and are confident that it will provide a solution to one of your target company's current problems, go straight to the source. Find the phone number, email address, or office of the company and present them with your idea. Ask them if they would have 15 minutes to sit down so you could tell them a little about your company, and so you can present your solution to their problem. Be persistent and confident, but not annoying. They are busy. But unless they are also stupid, they should have no problem exploring an opportunity to improve their business and to address a problem area.

But this is not always going to be a perfect match. You might sit down with some members of the company and realize that they have no desire in moving forward. They might be the dreaded status quo defenders. Or you might not even get the meeting. But at least you'll have tangible evidence of your effectiveness. Much better than a direct mail campaign or paying a monthly fee to the Yellow Pages and having no idea if anyone actually saw your ad.

Now, there are a few things to be careful of. Don't turn over any files or other materials after the first meeting. Anything that is considered valuable intellectual property should be held tight. Remember, this is a teaser. You need to give them just enough evidence that prove that you would be an asset, but not too much where they can take your recommendations and execute them elsewhere. You should make this very clear. Tell them that if they feel that the relationship is worth exploring, than the next step is to establish more formal parameters. Don't be shady about it. Be professional.

You'd be surprised of how effective this can be. Don't be intimidated, be confident in the value of your service. In the end the risk is low, the cost is low, and if nothing else, you'll have gotten your name into the consciousness of one more businessperson. This has worked for us, and whenever we are low on client work it is usually the first thing I consider. I look at my list and look for a new target. That is until we decided to become our own client, which usually consumes any free hours we run into.