I am a big fan of content marketing. Don't sell to your potential clients, become a resource for them. You will gain their trust, and when they are ready to buy, they will be excited to work with/buy from you.

I blog, email and share social media content on a daily basis, and I (almost) never pitch any product or service. I teach people how to do things for themselves. In the process, I help them learn something new, show them that there are things they didn't know they didn't know, and prove myself a valuable part of their community.

It's a longer version of a sales funnel to be sure, but I've found it to be a very successful, and even enjoyable, path to reaching new potential customers.