How to get new clients, further responses:

@im_translators
“I am experimenting with direct mail postcards at the moment, will let you know how it goes.”

@NTceline
“Having a well-indexed website, without any hesitation.”

@petergarner
“I’m not sure I’ve ever sought out a new client. They always find me. And it’s always wd of mouth. Don’t even have a website.”

@ultramegajoy
“When I started freelancing fulltime, I already had several years of translation experience, including a year on staff at an agency. The market was great at the time, so well-prepared cold calling actually worked. I researched all the translation agencies that handled the kind of work I wanted & sent out 20-30 CVs a week by email, with a follow-up phone call a week or two later.

I had a 15-20% response rate, which is much higher than I’d expect now. I also used a spreadsheet to streamline & track the process. In the long run (1-2 years?) I had 8 daily to weekly customers & about 20 others that used my services occasionally.”

@KaterinaAtKaterinaAt
“Through the years I’ve also established good coop. with new agencies through moving PMs who wanted to continue working with me.”

@AngelaMDickson
“None of the active ways I’ve used to seek clients have been as effective as being easy to find and having an in-demand specialism; in other words, they find me.

I have met 2 (in 5 yrs) worthwhile clients after bidding for their jobs on proz. I only bid for interesting-looking jobs tho.”

“Most of my new clients come from word-of-mouth referrals or networking, occasionally ProZ direct contact.”

I then asked how Joy obtained the first clients who referred her on. I’ll post any further advice here.

http://www.albascan.com/info/Albascan_Terms_Nov_2009.pdf [pdf]

Including clauses on:
- Copyright
- Confidentiality
- Amendments (and their costs)
- Cancellation (and its cost)
- Liability of the translator
- Payment (within 7 days, interest at 2% per month)

Also, interestingly, is the “wire transfer fees and other [payment] charges are payable by the Client.”

Included are two reminders (as logos) of the associations the translator is a member of. All clearly laid out on one A4 PDF.

“Generally no. But occasionally I am asked to provide a formal estimate 4 big jobs, in which case I include certain pretty basic T&C.”

Once trust has been established, and reputations checked, an informal agreement seems to suffice. This is how I have been working for the past few years also.

1 – WPPF: World Payment Practices Fees
2 – Translation Payments WhoWhenWhat
3 – TCR List managed by Laura Hastings; a paid service.
4 – Payment Practices managed by Ted Wozniak; a paid service.
5 – Blacklisted Translation Outsourcers a paid service.

More information is available, as pointed out by Gaby, on their respective websites.

“#Proz BB it’s a good start, but I trust more on Yahoo Group Lists for PPs + checking Contact Details + http://whois.domaintools.com/”

Using the whois tool enables you to compare the name of the website registrant to the person/address you are in contact with and progress in any potential research that may need carrying out.

I myself have been stung by an agency set up in Finland through a website, with a professional image but sadly an unprofessional owner who closed operations and never paid at least 3 translators. First time it happened, I surprised myself at my lack of research – take care.

“Yes, always check out the agency’s payment practices and never stop doing it, no matter how long in this business you’ve been.”

“There are several PP lists: some are free, some you have to pay to get access to them. There’s also the Blue Board on Proz. >>”

“>> And the Hall of Fame & Shame (TranslatorsCafe.com), but to have access to the last 2 you need to have a paid membership.”

Leading on from this, the ATA have released a document called “Ensuring payment”, here’s the direct link [pdf].

In this document you’ll find links to various company payment practice lists from around the world.

————————-
Hi [project manager],

Thank you for checking the invoice payment status. When we spoke over the phone regarding the work you’ll remember that you assured me of a 60 day payment. Changing the payment terms without notification is unacceptable.

As a reminder, on the [date] you further confirmed a 60 day payment:

[quote previous email exchange]

Is there anything you can do to prioritise this payment? Neither of us would want this to get any more complicated than it is, and it would be better if we could keep this matter private, would it not?

Sincerely,

[name]
————————-

This email did have the desired effect, causing the payment to be made almost immediately, however the tone is regrettable. Of course the economic downturn has been blamed here, but sympathy for those abusing the situation to delay payments by a further 30 days without notification runs low with this freelancer.

If anyone has a more effective, or perhaps more formal reminder notice, it’d be welcome here – but please censor names and client references.

US Based
Inc.com – online version of print magazine.
CNNmoney.com Fortune & Money magazines with CNN.
Sba.gov US Government tools and resources.
Duct Tape Marketing for low cost, effective marketing strategies.
Business Week The Small Business section
All Business information and advice from a well regarded, oft-cited source.
Startup Nation “175,000 pages of award-winning advice”

UK Based
Startups.co.uk is an active community with a broad range of articles.
Business Link is a UK government run site for tools and resources.
UK Business Forums is another active community with lots of real, experience based advice.

And straight away, how did I miss the “Payment Due Date” all this time?

My first tip would be to have a very clear template for quotes and invoices including the following info:
INVOICE or QUOTE, clear and visible
Date
Your details
Client details
Client reference
Invoice number
Job description
Rate
Amount due
Payment terms
Payment details
Payment due date

This makes it much easier to get paid on time and to chase any overdue invoice.

Céline of Naked Translations recommended FreeAgent to me. It’s an online accounting system that allows you to import bank statements for speeding up most accounting work. It also calculates taxes, graphs essential data and separates expenses from income quite simply. A 10% discounted version (normally £15 for freelancers) is available here freeagentcentral.com with my referral code, but I’m still in the free trial and haven’t made up my mind whether or not to stick with it.

I have also seen Crunch.co.uk which provides a similar service coupled with an accountancy firm to tie up loose ends and incorporate you if it becomes worth it, which they say happens around the £25k mark.

More tips to come. Add yours and I’ll put them all neatly in the post above as they come in.