techniques for getting new clients, and increasing project size

for contract web dev

[benlieb]

I've been doing contract web dev for 8 years, and feel like I'm in a bit of a rut w/ respect to the size and quality of my clients.

All of my business has come from word of mouth, ie, happy client recommendations. Initially this was fine, but I'd like to tackle bigger projects than these. The problem is that I don't know how to go about getting bigger projects. My business isn't drying up, but my enthusiasm is waning.

Most projects aren't posted anywhere online, apart from freelancing sites, but those projects seem to be slightly fly-by-night, and cut-throat due to competition in areas with lower cost of living (I'm in the US).

I'd enjoy hearing how others have approached the task of getting new clients, especially increasing the "size" of their projects.

[BananaFish]

You could try to get work with a bigger firm.

[benlieb]

I'm an independent contractor, with a mind to hire more folks. So essentially, I'm the firm in this case.