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The Disappearing Client
Thread poster: Gül Kaya
Gül Kaya
Gül Kaya  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:39
Turkish to English
+ ...
Jul 17, 2013

Found this interesting blog by a freelance editor but all his points absolutely apply to translators. His main 2 points are:
1. You have to be in constant state of self-marketing
2. Find clients before they think they need you

http://americaneditor.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/business-of-editing-the-disappearing-client/
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:39
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not my cup of tea Jul 17, 2013

If "those two points really sum up the effort that any business person needs to make", then that's why I don't consider myself a "business person", or have any wish to become one.

1. You have to be in constant state of self-marketing -> Cringe, yuk; like Jordan or Kerry Katona? No thanks.
2. Find clients before they think they need you. -> Sounds awfully rapacious/predatory/stalkerish to me. Another non-starter


If greed and anxiety are the driving forces, I... See more
If "those two points really sum up the effort that any business person needs to make", then that's why I don't consider myself a "business person", or have any wish to become one.

1. You have to be in constant state of self-marketing -> Cringe, yuk; like Jordan or Kerry Katona? No thanks.
2. Find clients before they think they need you. -> Sounds awfully rapacious/predatory/stalkerish to me. Another non-starter


If greed and anxiety are the driving forces, I prefer to remain powerless. ▲ Collapse
 
Orrin Cummins
Orrin Cummins  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 01:39
Japanese to English
+ ...
Darn Jul 17, 2013

After reading the title of the thread, I was really hoping that this would be some exciting murder-mystery story.

On-topic, I can agree with the first point to an extent. Even if you hate self-marketing (which I'd imagine any sane person does), it is nonetheless a necessary evil in today's competitive world. Especially with such an impersonal job as translation where one seldom meets a client face-to-face, you have to make an initial impression somehow in order to separate yourself ... See more
After reading the title of the thread, I was really hoping that this would be some exciting murder-mystery story.

On-topic, I can agree with the first point to an extent. Even if you hate self-marketing (which I'd imagine any sane person does), it is nonetheless a necessary evil in today's competitive world. Especially with such an impersonal job as translation where one seldom meets a client face-to-face, you have to make an initial impression somehow in order to separate yourself from the writhing masses. I'd guess that the vast majority of ProZ members use this site in that capacity (among others).

I dunno about the second point though. I always get the mental image of ambulance-chasing personal injury lawyers when I hear that. Honestly, I'd rather work at my part-time job than spend time trying to find someone that I can convince to hire me to translate something. At least at my part-time job it's guaranteed money. ▲ Collapse
 


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The Disappearing Client







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