Poll: On average, how much time do you spend investigating new clients before starting work with them?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Nov 12, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "On average, how much time do you spend investigating new clients before starting work with them?".

View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:05
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
A few minutes to half an hour Nov 12, 2018

Scammers are usually easy to spot…

Debora d'Amato (X)
Mariana Borio
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 06:05
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
A few minutes Nov 12, 2018

Most of the clients I work with are in Northern Europe and easy to trace.
Apart from that, I normally only take on small jobs, especially from new clients, so the risk of not getting paid does not justify a long search. If clients do not have a reasonable BB record and some credentials - ATC for instance, or look traceable and reliable, I do not work with them.

Otherwise I check out the offer, and if the price is too low etc. I tell them so and turn down the job. In general, I
... See more
Most of the clients I work with are in Northern Europe and easy to trace.
Apart from that, I normally only take on small jobs, especially from new clients, so the risk of not getting paid does not justify a long search. If clients do not have a reasonable BB record and some credentials - ATC for instance, or look traceable and reliable, I do not work with them.

Otherwise I check out the offer, and if the price is too low etc. I tell them so and turn down the job. In general, I have very rarely taken on a job and not been paid, so I give new clients the benefit of the doubt. I am far more likely to drop clients because of low rates, hopeless portals and demands for a complicated registration procedure before they ever send any jobs.

In short, I don't do a lot of unpaid work to get a 500-word job!
Collapse


Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Ricki Farn
Sophie Dzhygir
Mariana Borio
Jennifer Forbes
Nikolay Novitskiy
Michele Fauble
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 06:05
Spanish to English
+ ...
I don't usually.... Nov 12, 2018

For years now, most if not all of my new clients come to me by word of mouth recommendation from other clients. So, the recommendation from my regular clients is usually good enough for me. I only work with one agency, and only occasionally, and the rest of my clients are direct.

A a few years ago, one new client recommended by a long time regular turned out to be a disappointment. At first he insisted on meeting me face-to-face, which I'm not really keen on if it means having to tr
... See more
For years now, most if not all of my new clients come to me by word of mouth recommendation from other clients. So, the recommendation from my regular clients is usually good enough for me. I only work with one agency, and only occasionally, and the rest of my clients are direct.

A a few years ago, one new client recommended by a long time regular turned out to be a disappointment. At first he insisted on meeting me face-to-face, which I'm not really keen on if it means having to travel into town (45 minutes) and back, so maybe he was a bit miffed by my reluctance. Then, he said he would be sending me lots of work, mainly revision/post editing. However, after the first job I did for him, he never came back, so I didn't even bother billing him for it. But that is the exception to the rule - I don't usually have any trouble taking new clients on board.
Collapse


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 02:05
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
A few minutes Nov 13, 2018

The e-mail itself already eliminates half the proposals. E-mails that start with "Dear Translator", that don't have the signature and other info about the client, poor quality or non-professional message, etc. are eliminated on the spot.
If the e-mail "passes" quality control, the very first thing is to check the Blue Board. Score below 4.6 or any payment issues are a "goodbye" for sure.
If necessary, or in case of doubt, I seldom check some black lists too.
Then I visit their
... See more
The e-mail itself already eliminates half the proposals. E-mails that start with "Dear Translator", that don't have the signature and other info about the client, poor quality or non-professional message, etc. are eliminated on the spot.
If the e-mail "passes" quality control, the very first thing is to check the Blue Board. Score below 4.6 or any payment issues are a "goodbye" for sure.
If necessary, or in case of doubt, I seldom check some black lists too.
Then I visit their website.

The only issue here is in case of new agencies, which have no history in the web, and are an "adventure" that requires a bit more research.


[Edited at 2018-11-13 01:51 GMT]
Collapse


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: On average, how much time do you spend investigating new clients before starting work with them?






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »