Howdy, my cowboy friend - you know that we around here are all cowboys (and girls) and I'm the Sheriff, but one of those kind types... you know, not killing people immediately when something isn't to my liking.
That doesn't mean I don't talk dirty, though, and this one today might sound a little harsh for many of you, but hey, if you weren't aware let me break it down for you:
The translation industry is one of the most competitive industry in the world. Well, apart from weight loss probably and you know, that industry of looking at naked people doing weird things with one another.
But after that, I believe we're quite good in the "let's kill the competition" department.
So, yes, competitive. Very competitive.
In order to make it in this world, where everybody is a translator and every client believes everybody is a translator... "hey, you speak two languages, can you translate this German to Tagalog for me please? I need it by tomorrow, it's only 43 pages...", well, you and me we definitely need some serious tricks.
Or some serious marketing.
The good news is, you and I are aware of this. Lucky for us, most of the servicing companies aren't. Just look at their websites. All they know is to say: "we provide best quality for our clients".
Boring!
And commonplace.
As we already talked about, quality should be given. It's not a competitive advantage anymore. It just simply is not enough.
Clients care much more for other things:
- reliability (if they cannot count on you to deliver on time, you're doomed),
- single point of contact for all their language needs (they already have way too much overhead, why should they contact 15 more companies to work with?),
- using the right technology and delivering in the right format (if you can only deliver bilingual RTF files then don't expect to get much work in the future).
But what is even more important, they just want their things 100% done, all the time. And for sure, they don't want You, and they don't want Your people... why?
Because people are - unfortunately - unpredictable. You never know when they will leave pursuing other adventures in life. Or they get bored and lose interest. Or they just have a bad day. Or they turn into psychopaths.
Clients, on the other hand, still need their things done.
Even when you're sick, or you took the kids to school. Or you are on vacation.
Clients.
Don't.
Care.​
And they get mad, and start yelling at you:​
So what if you could offer them something else then just you or your people. Something with rock-solid reliability based on proven methods and not "Peter will get this done, he's our best guy" kind of a deal?
Yes, I'm talking about the help of modern technology, about specialized software that can register, administer, and streamline all your and your clients data so you don't have to depend on anyone. Not even yourself.
Because let's face it, sometimes You would just rather stay in bed!
We all have days like that.
But clients don't care.
And if they get annoyed too much, they will go shop somewhere else ...
Unless they are not aware of your "days off" when you are either bing watching "The Sopranos" on DVD or play golf with your buddies from The Banking Sector.
If you have a system that replaces all the flaws we humans can make, you will have their love, and you will have your company all set to serve more and more clients.
So?
"Don't Make People Your Product, Make Technology Your Product"
Don't give "Jenny" or "Bob", your favourite Project Managers to your clients.
Give them assurance that both Jenny and Bob can do the same thing in your company.
Give them your processes, your tools, and mostly your technology.
Technology you can rent for peanuts if You follow one simple thing:
Click to join the list for some serious discount possibilities! (subject to some also serious cowboy and sheriff criteria matters, like sheriffness, and cowboyship. And many other non existent words)
Because people are – unfortunately – unpredictable. You never know when they will leave pursuing other adventures in life. Or they get bored and lose interest. Or they just have a bad day. Or they turn into psychopaths.
+1 It applies to all cowboys (and girls) and their Sheriffs. How do your clients/subscribers know you are still here in a year or two? What if you get bored and lose interest?
Valid question, but I have been in this (one way or another) for the last 16-17 years. If that wasn’t enough for me to lose interest, well, I don’t know what will…
Of course, it’s all a risk, everything is a risk. The question is how much risk are you willing to cope with. You never know when something will work for eternity, or go bankrupt because of “forces outside”. Think Enron. Or Lehmann Brothers 🙂