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Poll: How many new clients have you worked with since the beginning of this year?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Apr 21, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many new clients have you worked with since the beginning of this year?".

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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:45
Spanish to English
+ ...
0-1 Apr 21, 2014

Just one. And it was probably a one-off. It was a short translation for a company website. They came to me through a friend who also translates but was too busy.

I usually have enough work from my regular (non-agency) clients, thanks goodness.


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:45
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
1 Apr 21, 2014

One new client contacted me in February. It might have been a one-time-job only, but it was definately a well paying one.

 
Allison Wright (X)
Allison Wright (X)  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:45
I shall say it first! Apr 21, 2014

While possibly a good discussion starter, this poll does not measure anything.

All depends on number, frequency and size of assignments, and rate, of course.

For the curious, I have worked with 2 new clients since January.


(Edited, because I did not read the question properly. Not encouraging, considering I have been awake and working for several hours.)

[Edited at 2014-04-21 09:48 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:45
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
2 Apr 21, 2014

The first one (a private person) in February: it was probably a one-off. The second one (a company) in March and has since asked for two more translations...

It makes quite a difference whether the question is asked at the beginning or a
... See more
The first one (a private person) in February: it was probably a one-off. The second one (a company) in March and has since asked for two more translations...

It makes quite a difference whether the question is asked at the beginning or at the end of the year: http://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/211156-poll_for_how_many_new_clients_have_you_worked_so_far_this_year.html

[Edited at 2014-04-21 10:15 GMT]

[Edited at 2014-04-21 12:10 GMT]
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Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:45
English to Spanish
+ ...
Clients, clients and more clients! Apr 21, 2014

Well, that would be my wish, ha.

This poll is very useful, I'll say. As useful —since we just had Easter— as the question “How many angels can dance on a pinhead?”

Next.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:45
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Other Apr 21, 2014

It depends how you define new clients.
I have invoiced three completely new clients, probably with one-off jobs.

I have worked for several clients who turn up occasionally, not necessarily every year. One has one big job once a year, which I have done for the third time, and a couple of colleagues refer clients to me when they are overloaded - I refer my clients to them when appropriate.

Agencies I work for more or less regularly have sent me work from a handful o
... See more
It depends how you define new clients.
I have invoiced three completely new clients, probably with one-off jobs.

I have worked for several clients who turn up occasionally, not necessarily every year. One has one big job once a year, which I have done for the third time, and a couple of colleagues refer clients to me when they are overloaded - I refer my clients to them when appropriate.

Agencies I work for more or less regularly have sent me work from a handful of new end clients. One will mean regular work for three years if their project goes according to plan. Others may well be one-off jobs, but I invoice the agencies for several jobs each month.

Another colleague I work for occasionally has found a new client and decided the job is more my line than his, so in practice I am doing most of the translating and he is proofreading... And meanwhile it is taking up nearly all my time for several weeks, so I have turned down several other offers, especially from potential new clients - my favourite regulars get priority!

I have made out about 35 invoices so far this year, with multiple jobs on many of them.

The statistics from this poll will be useless, but the discussion might be interesting.
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Diana Obermeyer
Diana Obermeyer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:45
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
I can see how this number would decline with years of activity. Apr 21, 2014

At the moment, about 80% of my work comes from my regular contacts, most of this from direct clients. That leaves 20% that I need to gain from new clients either through direct approach or response to advertised assignments. Some will remain one-off jobs, others have turned or may still turn into repeat custom.
Over 4 months that still gives a two-digit answer for new client assignments.
I have been in business for 2 years. This time last year, the proportions were probably closer t
... See more
At the moment, about 80% of my work comes from my regular contacts, most of this from direct clients. That leaves 20% that I need to gain from new clients either through direct approach or response to advertised assignments. Some will remain one-off jobs, others have turned or may still turn into repeat custom.
Over 4 months that still gives a two-digit answer for new client assignments.
I have been in business for 2 years. This time last year, the proportions were probably closer to 50-50.
To be quite honest, at this level, I don't feel too pushed to fight for new clients and I probably spend about 10% of the time on marketing activities as I did a year ago.

I can certainly see how new client figures would tend towards zero for more senior colleagues.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:45
English to Spanish
+ ...
Not quite Apr 21, 2014

dianaft wrote:

At the moment, about 80% of my work comes from my regular contacts, most of this from direct clients. That leaves 20% that I need to gain from new clients either through direct approach or response to advertised assignments. Some will remain one-off jobs, others have turned or may still turn into repeat custom.
Over 4 months that still gives a two-digit answer for new client assignments.
I have been in business for 2 years. This time last year, the proportions were probably closer to 50-50.
To be quite honest, at this level, I don't feel too pushed to fight for new clients and I probably spend about 10% of the time on marketing activities as I did a year ago.

I can certainly see how new client figures would tend towards zero for more senior colleagues.


I've been doing this for 22 years and I'm still acquiring new clients, direct and otherwise. Some direct clients are employers on a contract basis, some are like Sesame Street, a direct client with whom I love working for.

Some translators see this career as full of ups and downs. I see it as a winding, sometimes meandering, road to unknown places.


 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:45
German to English
+ ...
Depends on definition of client Apr 21, 2014

I get lots of end clients who are the man and woman on the street needing a single set of documents translated. 20% of these are return customers. I might get 8 such clients in a month, so my answer would be 30 new clients since the beginning of the year.

But I think only agencies were meant. In that case, 1 new client.

I've had queries from about 10 - 15 new agencies, but they were of the kind who want to pay peanuts and for most of them I was one of several "undis
... See more
I get lots of end clients who are the man and woman on the street needing a single set of documents translated. 20% of these are return customers. I might get 8 such clients in a month, so my answer would be 30 new clients since the beginning of the year.

But I think only agencies were meant. In that case, 1 new client.

I've had queries from about 10 - 15 new agencies, but they were of the kind who want to pay peanuts and for most of them I was one of several "undisclosed recipients". Had I accepted their proposed rates, then the number of new clients (agencies) would be much higher.
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DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:45
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
2 Apr 21, 2014

One completely new client, the other a branch in another city of a company I've worked for in the past, but working for this branch is new.

 
Enrico Zoffoli
Enrico Zoffoli  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 12:45
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
0 Apr 21, 2014

Luckily I don't need new clients.

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:45
Member (2006)
German to English
Quite a few Apr 21, 2014

and will be keeping to some of them as well

 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:45
Spanish to English
+ ...
More than last year! Apr 22, 2014

We've picked up quite a few new clients. I'm glad because my major client over the past 3 years has been steadily lowering their rates and I no longer depend on their projects. We've worked with a couple of direct clients, a couple new agencies and we've been working with some clients from previous years that have been quiet for a while.

 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:45
English to Spanish
+ ...
Speaking of quiet Apr 22, 2014

Triston & Gaby wrote:

We've picked up quite a few new clients. I'm glad because my major client over the past 3 years has been steadily lowering their rates and I no longer depend on their projects. We've worked with a couple of direct clients, a couple new agencies and we've been working with some clients from previous years that have been quiet for a while.


Back in November 2012, a French colleague put me in touch with a friend of his, a direct client/consultant. I accepted that job, but installing an SQL database was a headache and I pulled out of the project.

Then, today, I get an email from that friend of my colleague asking for a quote (and admitting that installing that piece of software was a headache as well back then).

You never know...


 
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Poll: How many new clients have you worked with since the beginning of this year?






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