Hi,
I'm kinda a newbie in the field(although I've completed my training of course)and can develop a website but i still get the chills when i think of how to go out there to get clients to develop websites for maybe its a fear of the real field. The thing that intimidates me the most(and i came across it here on nairaland) is that people dont tend to trust webdesigners that go about carrying just a briefcase without an office to backup. Quite frankly all i have is just my laptop bag so i wanna know the most effective method to tackle the market and sustain a healthy clientele with just my briefcase as my office. Any advice from the pros would do. Thanks.

when i saw 'make waves immediately', i was going to say make you change career but coming to the body of your post, it looks like you didnt mean it that way.
Truth is, its going to take some time. Cant say exactly how long but you are going to be the one to determine that.
You must practise a lot.
You must take that laptop to meet people you think might need a website. Go to meet them with customized demo you created for them.
Tell everyone you know or dont know that you now design websites.
Dont be afraid of aproaching people to ask if they'd need a website, they wont beat you.
Read webdesign articles.
Practise some more.