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Poll: What would be the most important factor when working with clients?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Rita Utt
Rita Utt  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 15:23
English to German
+ ...
Personal contact is important Dec 16, 2013

People who put their translations on a job board and the quickest translator gets the job (making you feel like you live in a shark tank) is a no go for me.

 
Jessica Noyes
Jessica Noyes  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:23
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Generous deadlines Dec 16, 2013

I will accept a little less from someone who does not push me to translate more than 2000 words a day. This allows me precious flexibility in both my personal and working lives. (For example, if I am doing a longish job at this moderate pace, on a given day I might be able to fit in a walk in the woods, or perhaps a quick 500 word job from one of my (other) favorite clients.

 
Yaotl Altan
Yaotl Altan  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 08:23
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I think... Dec 16, 2013

...rates and quick payment.

 
Giles Watson
Giles Watson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:23
Italian to English
In memoriam
Chemistry Dec 16, 2013

Rita Utt wrote:

People who put their translations on a job board and the quickest translator gets the job (making you feel like you live in a shark tank) is a no go for me.



Personal contact is one way of putting it, Rita, but it's more general than that. It's really just chemistry.

We all have "chemistry-positive" and "chemistry-negative" customers. We can talk over problems with the former and tend to get the arm's-length treatment from the latter. So what can we do to get the chemistry right?

If a new client was recommended by an existing customer, or was impressed enough by your work, to contact you, the odds are on your side. But if you haven't got that kind of advantage and the customer has no idea who you are, initial impressions are crucially important. Let the new customer know that you have a businesslike attitude and are willing to go the extra mile for them. That should put you on your way to creating some positive chemistry.

Still and all, there's nowt as queer as folk. Some customers will react negatively no matter how positive your attitude is. The chemistry between you is negative and there is little you can do about it. The ones who do appreciate your attitude, though, will tend to stay with you because it's fun, and generally much more productive, to work with "chemistry-positive" principals or suppliers.


 
Steve Kerry
Steve Kerry  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:23
German to English
Well said Giles! Dec 16, 2013

Giles Watson wrote:

Rita Utt wrote:

People who put their translations on a job board and the quickest translator gets the job (making you feel like you live in a shark tank) is a no go for me.



Personal contact is one way of putting it, Rita, but it's more general than that. It's really just chemistry.

We all have "chemistry-positive" and "chemistry-negative" customers. We can talk over problems with the former and tend to get the arm's-length treatment from the latter. So what can we do to get the chemistry right?

If a new client was recommended by an existing customer, or was impressed enough by your work, to contact you, the odds are on your side. But if you haven't got that kind of advantage and the customer has no idea who you are, initial impressions are crucially important. Let the new customer know that you have a businesslike attitude and are willing to go the extra mile for them. That should put you on your way to creating some positive chemistry.

Still and all, there's nowt as queer as folk. Some customers will react negatively no matter how positive your attitude is. The chemistry between you is negative and there is little you can do about it. The ones who do appreciate your attitude, though, will tend to stay with you because it's fun, and generally much more productive, to work with "chemistry-positive" principals or suppliers.


It really is that personal connection that makes all the difference. Some customers make you smile when you see the email, others make you wince!

Steve K.


 
Diana Obermeyer
Diana Obermeyer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:23
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
Paperwork... and personal communication Dec 17, 2013

Quite frankly, if I have to spend an afternoon filling out forms, reading contracts, giving details on all sorts of irrelevant aspect of my work, I start to lose interest. It sets the tone for what a collaboration would look like in the long term and I don't look forward to it.
Most of my clients are direct and somehow those clients that required the least amount of ugly form filling and nonsense have so far also turned out to be the least likely to negotiate rates, the quickest payers, th
... See more
Quite frankly, if I have to spend an afternoon filling out forms, reading contracts, giving details on all sorts of irrelevant aspect of my work, I start to lose interest. It sets the tone for what a collaboration would look like in the long term and I don't look forward to it.
Most of my clients are direct and somehow those clients that required the least amount of ugly form filling and nonsense have so far also turned out to be the least likely to negotiate rates, the quickest payers, the most consistent customers, the ones offering the most reasonable deadlines, the... best clients from any perspective. Really, there is rarely a need for anything more than a simple NDA.

So if an enquiry is followed with "we just need you to fill out these 27 forms and sign that 13 page contract and tell us about your productivity rates and...", I tend to just move on.

Equally, I don't feel I have to respond to a generic enquiry that doesn't even include my name. And if I get a number of enquiries with no subsequent assignment, and the client doesn't even have the courtesy to tell me that they've assigned it elsewhere, I stop responding as well.

I like dealing with actual persons. That doesn't exclude agencies - project managers are people too and there are plenty of them that excel at getting to know "their translators": habits, likes, dislikes, strengths, workflow... and manage to pinpoint the right person and address them personally.

This is probably why I don't share the negative sentiment towards agencies. Yes, there are many that I simply couldn't be bothered with. Yet, I also receive projects through agencies that I would otherwise have no access to - some are really exciting - and they deal with clients who I wouldn't want to have to deal with and do so with a great deal more bargaining power. However much they earn through that is none of my business, I only care about my money being right at the end of day.

[Edited at 2013-12-17 12:33 GMT]
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Steve Kerry
Steve Kerry  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:23
German to English
Ugly customers... Jan 27, 2014

dianaft wrote:

Quite frankly, if I have to spend an afternoon filling out forms, reading contracts, giving details on all sorts of irrelevant aspect of my work, I start to lose interest. It sets the tone for what a collaboration would look like in the long term and I don't look forward to it.
Most of my clients are direct and somehow those clients that required the least amount of ugly form filling and nonsense have so far also turned out to be the least likely to negotiate rates, the quickest payers, the most consistent customers, the ones offering the most reasonable deadlines, the... best clients from any perspective. Really, there is rarely a need for anything more than a simple NDA.

So if an enquiry is followed with "we just need you to fill out these 27 forms and sign that 13 page contract and tell us about your productivity rates and...", I tend to just move on.

Equally, I don't feel I have to respond to a generic enquiry that doesn't even include my name. And if I get a number of enquiries with no subsequent assignment, and the client doesn't even have the courtesy to tell me that they've assigned it elsewhere, I stop responding as well.

I like dealing with actual persons. That doesn't exclude agencies - project managers are people too and there are plenty of them that excel at getting to know "their translators": habits, likes, dislikes, strengths, workflow... and manage to pinpoint the right person and address them personally.

This is probably why I don't share the negative sentiment towards agencies. Yes, there are many that I simply couldn't be bothered with. Yet, I also receive projects through agencies that I would otherwise have no access to - some are really exciting - and they deal with clients who I wouldn't want to have to deal with and do so with a great deal more bargaining power. However much they earn through that is none of my business, I only care about my money being right at the end of day.

[Edited at 2013-12-17 12:33 GMT]


By their impersonal websites and pdf contracts shall ye know them!

Steve K.


 
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Poll: What would be the most important factor when working with clients?






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