Poll: How do most of your new clients first get in touch with you?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 2, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How do most of your new clients first get in touch with you?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:53
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other (Email + website contact form) Aug 2, 2017

Email: 90%
Website contact form: 10%


 
Connected Tr (X)
Connected Tr (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:53
Chinese to English
+ ...
Email Aug 2, 2017

Almost always email, generally after having found me through this site. Very occasionally I get messages directly through this website as well.

 
Ricki Farn
Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 10:53
English to German
Email Aug 2, 2017

I had this ProZ instant messaging thing / Skype on for a while, and everyone who contacted me through there was not a source of happiness for me.

Agencies wanting freebies without any intention of giving me an actual job ("our German translator is away, can you just tell me if these 50 words are okay? / can you just implement three items of customer feedback in this tiny Excel file?").

People (mostly from very far away) wanting translators for a fraction of my rate. <
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I had this ProZ instant messaging thing / Skype on for a while, and everyone who contacted me through there was not a source of happiness for me.

Agencies wanting freebies without any intention of giving me an actual job ("our German translator is away, can you just tell me if these 50 words are okay? / can you just implement three items of customer feedback in this tiny Excel file?").

People (mostly from very far away) wanting translators for a fraction of my rate.

And someone, also very far away, wanting some editing for a badly-done test translation that would have enabled her to get some contract or other.

I have no idea if the medium attracts these less than fortunate encounters, but in any case, I try to have all first encounters via email, and then if need be, schedule a meeting via Skype or that actual landline wire that the backyard mice still haven't chewed through (ineffective mice around here!).
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Connected Tr (X)
Connected Tr (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:53
Chinese to English
+ ...
Instant messages can be fruitful Aug 2, 2017

Ricki Farn wrote:

I had this ProZ instant messaging thing / Skype on for a while, and everyone who contacted me through there was not a source of happiness for me.

Agencies wanting freebies without any intention of giving me an actual job ("our German translator is away, can you just tell me if these 50 words are okay? / can you just implement three items of customer feedback in this tiny Excel file?").


I've had some fruitful contact through the ProZ instant messaging, but there are timewasters as you say. The worst are the "reply with your best rates" emails sent to every translator in the directory.


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 06:53
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
E-mail Aug 2, 2017

Of course, in a makert like ours, where clients and translators are spread all over to world, all other means of communication are second choice.

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 18:53
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Other Aug 2, 2017

By Morse code or carrier pigeon.
I'm old fashioned.


 
Sharon Toh, MITI MCIL
Sharon Toh, MITI MCIL
Singapore
Local time: 17:53
Member (2009)
Chinese to English
+ ...
A fair combination of... Aug 2, 2017

Email, phone, Skype, SMS/text, mobile messaging (mainly WhatsApp, WeChat and Line)

These are what most of my good clients, agencies and direct clients alike, use to make initial contact with me. In my experience, enquiries through any other means often lead to nowhere.


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 10:53
Spanish to English
+ ...
Email Aug 2, 2017

Because it gives me time to consider my response. I don't really like saying no to potential clients, although my circumstances nowadays mean that I often have to, so an email gives me time to think about a polite reply and draft it properly. Otherwise, I may come across as brisk or even rude, even when writing in my own native English.

 


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Poll: How do most of your new clients first get in touch with you?






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