What is the best way getting new clients that need programming?

Question

My question is directed at any of you that run small development shops. How do you go about finding clients that need web based development? Thus far, we've had numerous clients but the bulk of them have been for simple out-of-the-box CMS or e-commerce sites. Do you contribute to open-source projects (which I am currently doing, we just haven't finished a release-worthy version yet) or do you rely heavily on word of mouth or adsense?

I've thought about using sites that allow you to bid on projects but it seems that most are financially centristic (hence the desire to post the project on a site designed to get the lowest price) and often go to offshore (India/China) firms.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

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Disclaimer:

I did a search for this topic and was unable to find a relavent match, so I apologize if this is a repeat. Also, I realize that this isn't exactly programming specific, but due to the large number of threads such as "Your favorite programming joke" i feel that it falls into the category of 'related enough.'

Answer 1

Have you contacted any head hunter firms. I know you rather do it in house with your own project requiters, however, it may help you get going by contacting a locally established head hunting firm. Of course, they will always take a cut....

Answer 2

My friend has a startup and earlier he used all sites which that allow you to bid on projects. But it was not worth. More over in the long run it wont look good. Bidding sites are good for freelance developers.

He has a marketing team who get business for him and pays commission based on their conversion rates. Build contacts where ever you go. Try to attend "IT" events where you can distribute your business cards.

Better have few very good clients who will get good business for you. Adwords help a little but I dont think it will help you much unless you have a "service" or a "product" development.

Answer 3

We use the bidding sites for getting some of our work done. Personally I find it economical to outsourcing via a bidding site because the quality vs cost ratio is very high (for small projects).

Sometimes we do consider US/UK based developer where we find the good rating for past projects and the developer has shown good knowledge in area while replying to the bid.

From my experience, based on what I would look for in giving the project to a first world developer, here are some of the criteria:

• Create a website that just says what you want to do and which gives confidence to the prospect.
• Bid on the bigger projects in the well known sites like elance, guru etc. and be very specific when you answer the bids. Do not send canned replies. Also bid for slightly complicated project that may need more interaction can cannot be easily done via email. Maybe spend a little time to do some fake prototype to impress the client.
• Market yourself in your geographicsl area, I found some of my friends asking me to do their website/payment processing site etc. I always have to direct them to these bid sites.
• Find some area of expertise in the broad areas (like SEO, e-commerce etc.) then market in those areas more rather than generic web projects.

Answer 4

I think it would be extremely difficult to find a client that isn't financially motivated. The difference arises when finances become the sole motivation and the quality of the product is jettisoned as just another criterion.

I find that many small-scale development firms are actively involved in the bidding process on websites like RentACoder, GetACoder, GetAFreelancer and the like. Most of these sites have a rating system whereby the work quality of a firm is rated by the client. This enables them to be at the top to get new contracts. It's not just based on who is going to bid the least amount of money.

Also, I would not recommend relying exclusively on this mode. Aggressive marketing is still indispensable for any business to grow.