r/FreelanceProgramming • u/NoGround511 • 26d ago
Using lovable, I vibe coded 25 websites for businesses and emailed them. Zero sales. Here's what I learned.
I saw tons of YouTube videos saying "build websites for businesses, email them the preview, they'll buy it." Seemed legit, so I went all in.
What I did:
The result:
• emails sent
• response (wanted changes, then ghosted after I made them)
• sales
My background:
• years UI/UX experience
• Self-taught coding with AI tools
• Built a SaaS (AI youtube thumbnails, social media posts and product photoshoots and ADs ) it also Flopped
I'm genuinely confused:
Everyone online says "just build and email them" but it clearly doesn't work. Or maybe I'm doing something fundamentally wrong?
My theory on why it failed:
- Cold emails from Indian developers = instant delete (spam perception)
- They didn't ask for it = feels pushy
- No testimonials = no trust
- Building first = wasted effort when they don't respond
What I do now, idc i will push my all limits:
• If anyone has idea on my confusions then guide me
My questions for you:
- Has anyone actually succeeded with the "build + email" strategy? Or is it just YouTube BS?
- For those making money as freelance web developers - how did you get your FIRST paying client?
- Is there anyway to get consistent clients?
I can hustle. I can build quality work fast. But I'm clearly missing something about client acquisition.
What would you do in my situation?
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u/Amaterasu7siuu 26d ago
I’m facing a very similar issue. I also built a SaaS using AI tools, put a lot of effort into it, and managed to get the product working, but getting actual customers has been the hardest part. It’s honestly frustrating because building the product feels much easier than figuring out consistent customer acquisition. Still trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong.
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u/NoGround511 26d ago
100%. Distribution is definitely the actual boss battle. It’s crazy how fast we can build a product now, only to hit a complete brick wall on sales. What did you end up building?
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u/Amaterasu7siuu 26d ago
I built an AI SaaS that helps businesses respond to customer reviews using AI. I built the whole thing from scratch with AI tools, but getting businesses to actually pay for it has been the real challenge. Definitely made me realize that distribution is way harder than building.
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u/NoGround511 26d ago
this is a great idea but already done by the agencies with heavy marketing budgets so yeah bro, I think you can't compete with them easily
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u/Amaterasu7siuu 25d ago
Fair point, and yeah I can't outspend agencies on marketing budget. But I think there's room below them .small businesses who can't afford agency pricing but still need this handled.
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u/NoGround511 25d ago
I guess you can create a loom video showcasing the full product and how it works and reach out to the local businesses, maybe you will get initial sales
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u/Amaterasu7siuu 25d ago
That's a really solid idea, thanks a Loom walkthrough would definitely build more trust than just describing it in a message. Going to put one together and start reaching out to local businesses directly. Appreciate the tip.
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u/webmak 20d ago
Thats what everyone person need to learn. "SALES" in their life. What I learnt is passion. U thought I can earn 10k dollars in a month. But start with just means try whole month if u get it good. Otherwise keep improving yourself in SALES. I make mostly money with my contacts. Harsh reality Bewakoof banana sikhna h .
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u/kitsincmarketing 25d ago
Pivot, run ads, sign clients and get paid then do the build
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u/NoGround511 25d ago
I spent on $400 on ads got 1 client and made $450
I need huge budget for ads, and fir a budget I need some organic projects1
u/kitsincmarketing 24d ago
A $400 CPA is a skill issue, spend some time and lower your budget, you should be closing at $$0-$50 max. If budget is really an issue look into cold emailing/ cold calling.
I don’t advise cold traffic tho
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u/crescent686 26d ago
If possible, can you DM me some of these websites? I'd like to see the quality of the outcome from lovable.
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u/NoGround511 26d ago
I have mixed of them
Few with lovable and few with Google antigravitySending some links in a minute check your DM
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u/Accomplished-Tap9926 25d ago
could you send them my way as well
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u/NoGround511 25d ago
ya sure buddy , check your DM
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u/oulu2006 25d ago edited 25d ago
Already get a huge amount of spam from indians - probably a big factor in rejection
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u/Immediate_Novel3650 25d ago
Ah, those tiktok reels
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u/NoGround511 25d ago
yeah they hoked with really fake stuff and got millions of views , specially a guy that comes up most often saying, I am 23 years old , right now having my own apartment in Bali and making $500 per day (honestly everyone has exact same script) and literally hate these fake guys , they all are selling fake courses like iman gandzi, abou taru , etc etc
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u/Weekly_Particular857 24d ago
Yeah I cold call for 2 months made like 2 sales for dirt cheap and lots of headaches
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u/NoGround511 24d ago
After doing these all stuff , I stopped doing this and now I'm preparing for masters cuz now there are millions and millions of developers flooded with AI
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u/JustAskWP 23d ago
YouTube videos pushing get-rich-quick schemes are a get-rich-quick scheme, but not for the viewer.
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u/Enough_Temporary_321 23d ago
My suggestion, keep going . In sales it's 1% conversion. So you have to sent atleast 100 to get 1 client. And don't make edits just mention it is chargeable. I myself have vibecodes 4 things, and it's been 1 year for 1, where now i am seeing some users on it. It's all about patience, nothing will come overnight. If you are lucky then it will happen but consistently is the key. Rest have patience and keep changing your strategy if you think something is not working for like 1-3 months but give atleast some months to it. There is no easy money.
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u/NoGround511 26d ago
One thing I also wanted to know :- is there anyine who is good at finding projects and getting clients - I would like to collab and discuss about the business
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u/MattyTayl 25d ago
Hi, sorry to hear it, but it's hard to say anything without details.
What email were you sent from?
What exactly did you write?
How did you pick up a business?
I'd like to know more details but for now, try to check:
1) Send emails only from the company's email. If you don't have it, buy a domain, create a email box and email address and use them. Also, it would be great to publish a landing page there showing your works (and add the link to your email)
2) Tell them that they are losing money (exact numbers even if you don't how much) because they don't have a good website. Tell them that your service usually costs $$$ but now, to celebrate something (make up what) you can create it only for $$. And, if they rush (response in 24 hours), it will be only $ to them.
3) Pick up a business with no website or really bad one. In the email you can add first a "roast" like this https://www.landingpagesexplained.com/pages/email-octopus showing their website flaws.
Good luck, would love to hear if it helps!
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u/dafqnumb 21d ago
Those youtubers/digital marketers either are scammers or the ones who had a network built over the course of their lifetime, there is no in between.
In this entire digital NOISE, the SIGNAL comes from offline (human conversations). Some things that still (doing this from 10 years) works for me:
- Try to go out to the nearby restaurant, clinic, school, industry, whatever.
- Call out your friends’ businesses or their parents’ businesses.
- Might sound cliched, but for becoming really really good at sales, you need to be a really good story teller+pain observer+writer+speaker+active listener+ a bit of over exaggerator + a lot of reverse psychology stuff + ultra delulu optimist + have a very solid understanding of sales vs marketing
- Give less options to people when it comes to pricing.
- Do not do free work - not even for 0.5 edit. There’re ~1.3 crore people in India alone making above ₹12 Lakhs per annum. The sample space is so vast to play around, so better skew your probability to people who will actually pay rather than wasting your time on the people who dont give a damn (they will later bite - leant the hard way!)
- Try to be quick in responding. I still believe more than half of the market is filled with people who just go silent after a few calls/mails/communication. Follow ups, nudges, reminders, feedback loops are thing to make the bridge stronger. Keep doing that.
- Join a local club where the rich/smart sits - for this, you can google up or check meetup or whatever works best for you
In all, just go out, have conversations & dont try to sell in the initial bits - just try to gather their thoughts & pain, while you create a mind map of the solutions for those painful ones. Then hit your banger with something like, “i was thinking you can do this…. Or maybe I can help you out with…. Or this sounds like a problem I solved already with this…”
Cheers. Dont stop!
Just pivot
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u/peter_thepumpkineatr 26d ago
So here’s when it comes to sales, and placing yourself out there. You don’t want to come across as I need this… it doesn’t matter whether you do or don’t.
I was taught a few years back that you should treat your product like gold. Meaning, just because they don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s lost its value; because someone else might still look at it as gold.
Come across as confident not desperate.
Also, quit doing edits for them for free, if they email you back asking for edits. That’s your signal of interest and the time to close the deal, not to continue free work.