The advice about a website, SEO, branding etc is all very good advice - but by the sounds of it you were planning on getting out there and putting in some leg work in rather than just waiting for the website to be completed & the traffic to start flowing (which can take some time) - and I would personally suggest from my own experience, that if you have got enough passion & enthusiasm at the moment to get you out there & doing that while the business is new and you don't have a website bringing in enquiries, and referrals etc - then go for it, get on the phone & make appointments, and then get out there & pull in your first clients.
Cold calling (phone) is a ball ache, no doubt about it - but it can pay off as long as you properly target your potential clients, i.e. figure out what kind of size businesses you're most likely to get business from, what kind of premises & so on. I used to find that I could make 4 - 6 appointments per day if I targeted properly & worked my ass off (by the way, I personally wouldn't bother with cold calling as in physically knocking on doors. Too much effort for too little outcome.)
I'd try seeing it less as "selling" - and instead just see it as looking for firms who need your services, and who're a good match.
I used to be in sales, started off in telesales as a kid, and then field sales (I got out of sales years ago and got into SEO and now run a web design and search marketing business). Sales is only difficult when you are trying to sell someone something that they don't want or need, or trying to convince them that you're the right provider for them when you're not. When I look back at all the sales training I had, I can honestly say most of it can be replaced by one word: Target.
If you're targeting as well as you possibly can to find the kinds of businesses who're most likely to A) need your service & B) be a good match for your business as a provider, then it's just a sifting process.
There's no pressure needed, no hard sales tactics, it's just a case of finding a business who does need your service, who can afford it, and who are a good match. Some times you may need to do a little bit of "selling" in terms of convincing someone who doesn't need your service that they actually do, but if they actually do then this isn't selling, it's just common sense.
But there are a few things that might help you:
If you've targeted your potential clients well & someone appears to not be interested then I wouldn't spend to long trying to convince them, just try to make the best judgement call as to what is going on, try to find out their true objective, what you want to know is, is it a firmly shut door (they already have a provider, they are about to shut up shop, or whatever other objections are true objections) or is it actually an open door with a foot against it, and can you move that foot.
If the foot can be moved, then it's persistence that will move it, not persistence right then & there on that phone call, but more long term persistence.
If you don't get any absolute reason for them that they're not interested, but they just don't want to talk to you, if you like the sound of the person you're talking and you actually want them as a client, and are sure you're talking to the right person, then ask them if you can email them some info - if you don't have their name yet, take it, and then record their name, phone number & email address, drop them an email, and try giving them another call a couple of months later, and apply the same logic - if you think at that point the door is shut, forget it - but if you still think it may be a good client, and it's just not the right time, ask can you call them again in a few months - if they say no, then there you go, walk on.
The important thing to remember is that you're very unlikely to close the business on the phone, you'll probably need to go & see them, and the business will be done there - in some cases, you may need to go back a second time. So, there's really no point in trying to convince someone to see you if they're genuinely not interested, as you'll probably just be fobbed off when you turn up. The only reason to persist is that just because you don't know what's happening, you may be on the phone to your best client & best source or referals in the future if it wasn't for the fact they were having a crap day, so if you email them & call them a month or so later you may find they're all ears.
One thing to remember is that many businesses are struggling at the moment - you're wasting your time if you're targeting companies that have no money & can't get credit - and there are a LOT of these. If I'm ever doing any calling (and I rarely do now as most of my business comes either from my websites, or from referral from existing clients, but if I do get quiet then I do whatever I can) then I use one of the free company checking websites to give me a very rough idea of how a company is doing financially before I call them. if they appear to be really struggling, then I don't bother.
By the way, absolutely you should have a website - as long as it's built by a firm who understand marketing and don't focus purely on design - and absolutely in the long term your website should be a fantastic source of enquiries, but getting on the phone & getting out to see potential clients is the no1 most direct way to get new clients, if you have the fire in your belly to keep you going, and you're most likely to have that right now when the business is new & exciting.
Also, I wouldn't expect a website to completely do away with the need for appointments, not in your market. Enquiries, yes for sure, but you'll probably need to at least have telephone conversations, if not face to face meetings to close business even if the enquiry is initially made via your website.
Hope this helps a bit, and good luck!
