References and Referrals
Client References
You can gather good references by focusing on the needs of the client. This may sound too basic to warrant mentioning, but I know contractors who will argue with a client in order to make their point. These writers are so convinced their view is the only right one that they would rather be right than employed! I don’t recommend this approach.
Beyond the old maxim “the client is always right,” it is good practice for contractors to occasionally stop writing/programming/designing and just focus on the client for a few moments. Each new client is a new relationship. The contractor needs to occasionally focus on what it is going to take to make this relationship work, to listen to what clients say they want and try to understand what they need. Besides working to make sure all of the client’s needs are covered, endeavor to understand and fulfill most of the client’s wants.
The client may not remember everything the contractor wrote or designed, but the client will remember how that client made him/her feel. If you mind the relationship you are creating with the client, you will be able to offer this client as a reference when looking for your next contract.
Referrals
To have people refer you to potential clients or employers, you have to meet those referring people, and to do that you need to be out there, getting involved, doing things that will merit the approval of others and thus their eventual referral.
STC is a good place to start your activity, especially if you volunteer to serve on a committee, take a position on a board, or volunteer to write a chapter for an online book!