u/Fine-Variety-9759

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I’ve been planning to move into freelancing seriously and recently started exploring Dribbble because a lot of people recommend it for getting clients.

I have around 3+ years of frontend experience working with Next.js, React, Angular, Vue.js, and building modern UI/frontend systems. Since I wanted access to project briefs, I upgraded to the Standard plan thinking I could start applying and slowly get conversations going.

But after opening the briefs section, I honestly got discouraged.

I started seeing projects under $100 already having 20–30 submissions, sometimes even more. Seeing that many people competing for really small-budget projects made me feel like I’m walking into some kind of trap where beginners just keep applying endlessly without getting real opportunities.

Now I’m genuinely confused whether this is just the normal starting phase of freelancing, or if platforms like Dribbble are no longer realistic for someone trying to get their first few freelance clients.

Did anyone here actually get clients from Dribbble in their early days? Or does it only start working after building a reputation/network over time?

Would honestly love to hear real experiences instead of YouTube “freelancing guru” advice.

I’m completely new to sales and come from a developer background. Recently I started realizing that good sales/discovery calls are actually very structured and psychological rather than just “pitching a product.”

Things like:

• how to identify the real pain
• how to guide a discovery call
• how to drill deeper into problems layer by layer
• what kind of questions to ask
• how to avoid pitching too early

all seem like skills people learn over time.

I want to properly learn the fundamentals of this. Can anyone suggest a roadmap on where to start, what videos/books/frameworks helped you most, or how you learned this in real-world scenarios?

Also, is there any practical way to get real-time experience without joining a full-time sales job/company switch?

Manufacturing owners / operations people - honest question.

If a company offering ERP, workflow, or automation services reaches out through LinkedIn or cold email without visiting your facility first, what’s the first question or doubt that comes to your mind?

For example, one of my first thoughts would probably be:
“For a simple workflow, will these guys really charge this much?”

Interested to understand how people in manufacturing usually think about this.

Trying to reach manufacturing companies through email outreach to offer IT/workflow services, but I don’t want to burn money on expensive outbound tools initially.

Right now I only have 1 inbox and my goal is simple: book even 1 real appointment in the next 30 days just to validate the process before scaling properly.

This is the kind of email body I’m currently testing:

“Hi [Name],

Came across [Company Name] through LinkedIn and was going through your CNC machining and production operations.

I kept wondering how teams usually avoid over-ordering raw material when actual shop floor consumption and inventory numbers don’t fully match in real time.

Feels like a lot of working capital can quietly sit idle because of that uncertainty.

Worth a quick chat if this has been annoying lately.”

Totally okay if replies take 2–3 weeks. Looking for a lean/minimal-cost setup that actually works for manufacturing outreach in 2026.

Has anyone actually gotten clients/leads from manufacturing companies through LinkedIn, cold email, or calls without having strong industry connections?

Our ICP is around 50–100 employee manufacturing companies for IT support/services, but one of my friends told me that in manufacturing, only direct relationships and referrals work — cold outreach usually doesn’t.

Just trying to understand if this is realistically possible or if I’m chasing something unrealistic.

I want to help manufacturing companies with IT-related work and software support, but I’m trying to understand the practical side of how people usually connect with companies in this space.

Manufacturing seems very different compared to other industries when it comes to communication and relationship building.

If you’ve worked with manufacturing companies before, what’s usually the best way to reach out and start the first conversation? Phone calls, email, LinkedIn, referrals, something else?

Also, who is typically the first person you talk to inside the company?

Just trying to learn how things actually work in this industry from people with real experience.

I want to help manufacturing companies with IT-related work and software support, but I’m trying to understand the practical side of how people usually connect with companies in this space.

Manufacturing seems very different compared to other industries when it comes to communication and relationship building.

If you’ve worked with manufacturing companies before, what’s usually the best way to reach out and start the first conversation? Phone calls, email, LinkedIn, referrals, something else?

Also, who is typically the first person you talk to inside the company?

Just trying to learn how things actually work in this industry from people with real experience.