How do SCADA / industrial automation companies actually find new clients besides cold emailing?

I'm involved with a Bulgarian engineering company called SmartGreen. We work with SCADA, industrial automation and energy management.

We're currently trying to grow our client base, mainly in manufacturing and energy, and I'm curious how other people in this industry approach business development.

Cold emailing is obviously one option, and we're building lists of factories and contacting production managers, technical directors and plant managers. But I have a feeling that this can't be the only — or even the best — way to get projects in this industry.

The services we offer include SCADA/HMI systems, integration with existing PLC and legacy equipment, production and energy monitoring, OEE, Industrial IoT and energy management. We also work on PV, BESS and automation projects.

One of the challenges is that this isn't exactly something people buy impulsively. A factory might only start looking for a SCADA solution when they have a specific problem, are expanding, installing a new production line or simply realize that their existing systems aren't giving them the data they need.

So for people who have experience selling or running businesses in industrial automation, I'd really appreciate some advice:

How do you actually get clients besides cold emailing?

What has worked best for you?

I'd especially be interested in hearing from smaller SCADA, PLC, automation or industrial engineering companies. How did you get your first few clients and what channels are actually worth spending time and money on?