A call to all web design and web developers — stop spec work

Dan Dooley over at Spunlogic had an interesting post on spec work. His argument was that firms that invest in the practice of spec creative are doing so because they don't invest in "practicing what they preach" / "invest in their own brands." That is, the fault of being requested to provide spec work is their own, not the client's rudeness in asking.

Marketers wouldn’t need spec heavy presentations if the agencies did a better job at what they will tell the client their brands will eventually need – brand-focused, media-agnostic, integrated interpretation and conversation with the potential consumer.

I think this is a fantastic perspective.

Not only do firms that practice spec work indicate they don't have a solid brand or portfolio it also shows a complete lack of respect for the process of understanding the potential client's needs, users, and your own firm's talent. Rather than great brand equity, they'd rather chase the next Web X.0 idea or technology.

While the sales team hates it, we have a strict no-spec policy here at Sherpa!. Our rationalization is that if we are requested to provide spec work 1) the request is a harbinger for project failure because the prospetive client doesn't understand what we are providing 2) we have failed to truly communicate our value through case studies, references, and the sales process, brand, etc. If we can't communicate that, we are probably being requested to do something too far afield from our past experience.

In the end, it's the industry that will set the standard. Respect your work and talent by not responding to spec work. Value your work, craftsmanship, and talent. At the very least, request an amount to show the client you request a level of respect (e.g. remuneration) for your work.

I fear that too many firms are often too desperate for work to heed this call.