I've asked everyone I know. I've gone to all the shops near where I live, asking if they'd like a website, and even an online ordering facility, to increase their sales.
I've even offered to do websites for free.
All I get is either:
A) We already have a website B) We don't need/want a website C) We'll get back to you (which they never do)
So what I'm wondering is, how on earth do web designers actually get clients, when it seems so difficult to find work?
they come to you. and they never seem to go away. if you are just starting out do some sites for friends and family, anything random. Make a few templates to show your skills and make sure to read just about everything on the subject.
Once you have a bit of a portfolio and know what you are doing then they just come. there are also all kinda of sites online where you can bid for jobs. usually those are the best to get experience and some filler for the portfolio.
There are a few ways to get customers. Building a reputation so they will come to you is great, but not very reliable.
So assitionally, you should make a list of potential customers (start with the yellow pages). Do a little background research on them (Google is your friend), and have a look at their current website. See what their site is doing and where it could be improved. Then write a short proposal of what you would make differently. (Use their vocabulary, the business guys don't say 'functionality', they say 'value added'...) They all have a website. You need to explaion to them why they should spend money on getting a better one.
After you have prepared yourself, ring them up. Sound really businesslike. Do not tell them your life story, and that you are just starting out, or offer them anything for free. (In many peoples mind, there is still the association for free = crap.) Instead, tell them that you have an offer for them. You noticed that their website still does not support feature XYZ...
Two things are important in such a phone call:
Be brief an concise. They are important businessmen (well, at least they think so), so don't waste their time.
Do not let it affect you if they are not interested. There will be many of those. You need to call maybe 100 people in order to find one that is a potential customer. Or maybe 200. It sucks. You still have to go through with it.
I also remember someone telling me that he bought his current website at an ebay auction for €20. This is certainly a way to assemble a small portfolio of projects. It does not pay many bills, but it can be a start. Still, the hard work of researching and calling potential customers is still the most important part.
I hatetd it, that's why I took a job in a big company.
They are probably correct. They don't want a website. They may want more business or to reduce costs. That may or may not include getting a website.
In other words, going in with a technical pitch ("I'm a web designer, I can do really excellent things with the latest buzzwords") isn't going to get their attention.
If you want to sell to these businesses, you need to understand how their business will benefit from getting online, or improving their online presence. Maybe their business wouldn't get sales online, but an online presence in some other way may bring contacts (see "The English Cut" for an excellent example of this). On the other hand, maybe they'd be better setting up an eBay shop.
But you're a web designer, and may be that's what you want continue doing. In which case, I would market yourself to the people selling online solutions/consultancy to such businesses, or produce a solution that is tailored to a specific business.I have a friend who made a good business writing and selling software that small auto repair shops could use to manage their work - the point being that he didn't go in and say "I can write a Visual Basic program for you", but instead his pitch was about how to run their business better.
So, what do you like to do? Solve business problems for small businesses, or write cool/elegant/effective websites? Both are worthwhile aims - but which one you're trying to do will affect who you can sell to and how you need to do it.
I don't have any experience with these but you might try sites like RentACoder or or ELance. You might want to check out this thread on The Old Joel On Software Forum first. Caveat emptor.