How do you get your clients?

[lext]

It would be interesting if some of you want to share how do you get clients, and those who work in companies how did you get your jobs?
How much money do you spend to get business?
:)

[Logo-Mechanix]

I get most of my freelance clients through email marketing and referrals from other people I have done work for. I got my current full time job through a guy I became friends with who was the office manager at my previous job at a small print shop, we had a lot of common interests such as hunting and fishing and he knew from working with me that I knew what I was doing so when the graphics job at the company he went to opened up he recomended me. But keep in mind I would not have got the job if I didn't know my stuff, so my friend got me the interview but I got the job because of experience. I twas the best move I could have made.

[Eraser Nubbin]

Refferals, and contacts through things like soccer.
Haven't actually ever done any outright advertising.

[balou]

For me networking and referrals from current customers has been the best way. I was lucky in that I had 3 customers follow me from my previous employer when I broke out on my own. I don't spend much money on this other than the occasional lunch with a customer or contact.

I love to network with sales reps, like printing company sales reps - printing companies without their own in-house designers anyways. They're nature is to talk and to sell and they come into contact with more potential customers than we could ever dream of. I made sure my sales rep saw my portfolio and I supply him with several of my business cards when we get together for lunch.

[colonel5]

word of mouth is huge. My full time job came to me through a good friend of mine who is a salesman at the company i currently work at. My freelance stuff so far is all word of mouth and networking. I just make sure my friends and family know what I do so in there day to day conversations they can drop my name.

[morea]

word of mouth is a big one.