I admit I’ve been lucky with clients.  I started off, as most do and most probably should, by writing a FileMaker Pro solution for a non-profit organization.  It was a great way to do my first solo project, and it was such a great cause that I don’t mind the free time I’ve had to give since then (to fix all my novice mistakes).

Since then I’ve had a variety of opportunities and several large projects that have allowed me to work in many different industries, meet lots of people and become a more seasoned developer.

That doesn’t mean I get to relax.  I’m self-employed, people.  I’ve got to keep the lights on.  And maybe it’s just me, but I find marketing b2b more challenging that

If you’re in the same (fascinating, fun, adventurous, terrifying) boat, you need to internalize one rule:

Never.  Stop.  Marketing.

That doesn’t mean doing a presentation when you’re asked to say the blessing at Thanksgiving dinner.  On parent’s day, don’t insist that all the kindergartners take brochures home.  Don’t make a point of knowing the industry and job titles of all the puppy mommy and daddies at the dog park.  Don’t be a jerk, in other words.

Marketing is like a big old game of whack-a-mole.  There are plenty of things you can be doing at any given moment, but you’re not going to get to them all and you can’t always know which ones will be effective.  So just make a habit of hammering away as fast and as often as you can.

Here are some moles you should aim for pretty often:

Be prepared.  Have an “elevator pitch” memorized so you can quickly explain what you do.  Have a longer explanation ready if someone seems interested.  More importantly, have questions ready, so you can get the potential client talking about her needs and how you can help her.
Leave your home.  If you work in the warm comfort of your home, surrounded by purring cats, dinner cooking in the next room and the melodious sounds of your children playing nearby (I know you’re laughing at this description), you may not want to leave.  Leaving means you have to put on grown up clothes.  Find your keys.  Remember how to make eye-contact with grown-ups.   Go meet humans.  And sitting in the Panera eavesdropping doesn’t count — you have to actually talk.

Join networking groups
Look for speaking opportunities
Volunteer for worthy groups


Vet your online presence.  We’ve all been warned — whatever you do on the internet will live forever.  So no matter how compellingly wrong someone is, stay civil.  Don’t air out family arguments or post pictures of yourself being the main entree at a kinky food party.  However, and this may seem counterintuitive, avoiding the digital limelight isn’t the solution.   If you have no online presence, then a single negative thing will always be the first thing people see.  Trust me on this:   Because of my unique name, I only used my penname online.  Then a single vindictive person took his bitterness online to to sabotage my career as a FileMaker Pro developer .  I’ve spent years trying to create enough content to bury that thing, and it still comes up on page one or two.
Build on what you’ve got.  Not to sound all MLM, but it’s not a bad idea to write out people you know and brainstorm how you can build from there.   Ask clients for referrals and reviews.  Chat with family members about their work and feel for opportunities.  Offer your expertise to help out and introduce your services, but draw a clear line so you don’t get taken advantage of.

And, finally, my favorite strategy:

Delegate.  Some people struggle with reaching out and finding new business.  Some people have fun with it.  If you are in the first group, hire someone in the second group.