I've been talking to pink slip professionals - talented, highly motivated people who are now searching for a job.  Sprinkled throughout our discussions on job search strategies and survival how-to's, these exasperated and bored professionals frequently exclaim: "I would work for free just to get out of the house and feel like I'm contributing." 

That got me to thinking about the enormous amount of unemployed intellectual capital gathering dust and the power of free samples. 

What if pink slip professionals adopted the pink spoon strategy made famous by Baskin-Robbins and gave away small, tasty samples of their expertise and talent to organizations and businesses who needed that particular expertise and talent? 

It's no secret that many independent professionals give away small samples of their expertise as a key part of their marketing strategy (like complementary coaching sessions, free special reports or no cost teleconferences). Giving away a sample the pink slip professional gets a break from the monotony and frustration of job hunting, enjoys the satisfaction of engaging in tangible work, escapes from the house, demonstrates the value of their work to potential employers and expands their network to help in the search for a paycheck. On the other side, the receiving organization gets important work done and meets a new resource and potential employee.

It sounded pretty good to me...  Then I tossed the pink spoon idea out to a self-employed IT professional and he disagreed.

"Giving away services (even in a recession) is never a good idea."

Hmmm...  What do you think? 

Is it a good idea or not a good idea to give away services?" 

Has anyone out there ever gotten a big gig or a plump paycheck after giving away a sample of your expertise?