Thanks for replying.

> If all your work has come through client references and > personal networks, talking with clients and references is > likely to be a fruitful path to more work.

I do that already. I talk to my past clients frequently - I do believe that they would recommend me whenever they get an opportunity - they've done so in the past. But it looks like I'm facing a dry spell right now for about last 2 months - which is a really long time for me. I think I'm wasting my time :-/

That is why I think building side projects which generate leads for me can be productive. Do you have any creative ideas for my side projects? I can build mobile apps and web apps.

My advice is to identify potential clients and cold call even though cold calling is harder than doing something less effective. One way I've heard to make dealing with the rejection it entails easier is to measure the number of rejections rather than the number of leads.

In terms of what to build, build something that solves someone else's problem. Essentially, build a product. 'How much does an app cost' websites don't do that because they're focused on solving your problem (getting clients) rather than the clients' problems in their business domains.

To put it another way, build something that shows people that you have the skill and knowledge to solve one of their business problems rather than building something that generates leads.

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to keep doing cold emailing, though sometimes I feel that I'm just emailing a wall who never replies. I've read tons of books and courses on how to write best emails and I do follow them - it's just that clients already have a dev team or they are not looking to outsource at that point of time - which boils down to unresponsiveness.

'How much does an app cost' websites do solve a problem - they give the customer instant quote or estimate for their app. And it does also solve the 'getting clients' problem.

Ideally, I want to do something that's a win - win for both.

I am not advocating cold emailing. I am advocating cold calling with a phone or in person.

Ok, I've never actually done cold calling. I don't like being on the receiving end of cold calls - so I figure others wouldn't like it either. But in person would be much better.

People usually do not like it, that's what makes it hard work. It's also more effective because it allows collecting more intelligence. The decision maker's personal assistant knows something about the company and can provide valuable insight to the organization and its pain points. The receptionist knows the org chart.