| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you found long-standing clients at ProZ.com? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you found long-standing clients at ProZ.com?".
This poll was originally submitted by tilak raj. View the poll results »
| | | | | Yes, quite a few | Oct 25, 2016 |
Though not through the job ads - too much pressure to lower rates.
The clients I've gained have come through the directory.
| | | | Michael Harris 
Germany
Local time: 04:56
Member (2006)
German to English
quite a few (more than 9 years), but there has also been a lot of rubbish in-between.
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 11:56
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Michael Harris wrote:
quite a few (more than 9 years), but there has also been a lot of rubbish in-between.
But it was not me who found them, they found me.
Generally, job ads I've occasionally applied to have been dead ends posted by LSPs who are only after the lowest rate possible with that magic one-liner "Please send your CV with your best rate."
What is 'best for me' is not best for you! 
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No, not one.
The only sensible way to find a professional of any kind is through word of mouth. Not some random online directory that ranks translators first and foremost on whether they have paid for a higher ranking, and then on them having sufficient free time (why could that be, you wonder) to be first to answer a gazillion KudoZ questions a day.
Chris is *feeling cynical* today.
| | | | | Yes, quite a few! | Oct 25, 2016 |
Mainly through the directory as I stopped answering to job ads long time ago for the reasons Muriel has already stated. I must say that among the clients I have obtained through Proz one translation agency stands out: very regular work since 2011 (almost every month), interesting projects (EU affairs, education, health, and clinical trials), reasonable deadlines, good rates, payment always on time and excellent communication!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 22:56
English to Spanish
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| I don't get it | Oct 25, 2016 |
What do you mean by long-standing? A client that has existed for a long time? Or a long-standing relationship with a client?
I find this kind of out-of-context questions coming from a colleague aggravating. If you are a translator for real, write clearly or do something else.
Apparently, most respondents interpreted this question as a “long-standing client relationship.” Why am I splitting hairs? For instance, a client may be a long-standing concern, f... See more What do you mean by long-standing? A client that has existed for a long time? Or a long-standing relationship with a client?
I find this kind of out-of-context questions coming from a colleague aggravating. If you are a translator for real, write clearly or do something else.
Apparently, most respondents interpreted this question as a “long-standing client relationship.” Why am I splitting hairs? For instance, a client may be a long-standing concern, firm or company…or not, which may have an impact on developing a relationship with a translator.
Clients can be found almost anywhere. Relationships aren't found, they are forged, developed, nurtured. That's why I'm splitting hairs. Disordered or random thoughts engender this kind of poll questions.
By the way, forging a long-standing relationship with a client is a rewarding process but there are no guarantees; whether or not you find a client who will potentially be working with you for a long time, there are variables out of anyone's control, and we're entering into risk management here. ▲ Collapse
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Yes, several of them, and I'm not a paying member, so my directory rank has nothing to do with it. Sometimes it was through my responses to ads specifically mentioning long-term collaboration (I don't respond to one-time job ads). In other cases the clients found my KudoZ answers and mentioned that.
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| Limited space for questions | Oct 25, 2016 |
Proz Poll questions must be really short, so there is no room for being obdurately specific with wording.
Mario Chavez wrote:
What do you mean by long-standing? A client that has existed for a long time? Or a long-standing relationship with a client?
The verb in the question here is "to find", the object is "clients", and the attribute is "long-standing".
So my answer is YES, I found ONE long-standing client on Proz.
A long while ago, I was browsing the Blue Board, prospecting, and contacting those firms I thought as having some potential for a long-standing business partnership. I selected about 300, and contacted each one of these via their stated-as-preferred method, viz. either sending my CV to their e-slush pile or - more often - entering my data on their translators database.
A number of these used my services occasionally.
Only one of them became a long-standing client. We'll be celebrating 10 years from the date of my first invoice to them day after tomorrow, and I've done 521 jobs for them so far. This means a calculated average of one job per week, each job worth from 1 to 5 digits in USD, most often 3.
Apart from this one, most of my regular clients found me either by referral from colleagues/clients or through my web site.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 22:56
English to Spanish
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| I know grammar, thank you | Oct 25, 2016 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote: Proz Poll questions must be really short, so there is no room for being obdurately specific with wording. Mario Chavez wrote:
What do you mean by long-standing? A client that has existed for a long time? Or a long-standing relationship with a client? The verb in the question here is "to find", the object is "clients", and the attribute is "long-standing". So my answer is YES, I found ONE long-standing client on Proz. A long while ago, I was browsing the Blue Board, prospecting, and contacting those firms I thought as having some potential for a long-standing business partnership. I selected about 300, and contacted each one of these via their stated-as-preferred method, viz. either sending my CV to their e-slush pile or - more often - entering my data on their translators database. A number of these used my services occasionally. Only one of them became a long-standing client. We'll be celebrating 10 years from the date of my first invoice to them day after tomorrow, and I've done 521 jobs for them so far. This means a calculated average of one job per week, each job worth from 1 to 5 digits in USD, most often 3. Apart from this one, most of my regular clients found me either by referral from colleagues/clients or through my web site.
Feel free to disagree, José, but condescending statements as if one doesn't understand basic grammar or syntax are out of line and out of place.
| | | | | You got me all wrong, Mario | Oct 25, 2016 |
Mario Chavez wrote:
Feel free to disagree, José, but condescending statements as if one doesn't understand basic grammar or syntax are out of line and out of place.
I am not challenging your knowledge of grammar, merely trying to get to the gist of the question in order to answer it.
Once I tried to build a Proz Poll question, and there was never room enough to ask it properly (limited chars) or to offer clear options.
So I was actually endorsing your challenge to the question as stated, and trying to devise some sensible method (using grammar - mine, yours, anyone's) to decode from those few characters what the asker expected as an answer before I gave it.
| | | | | Pot? Meet kettle... | Oct 25, 2016 |
Mario Chavez wrote:
Feel free to disagree, José, but condescending statements as if one doesn't understand basic grammar or syntax are out of line and out of place.
It is patently clear what is meant. A longstanding client is a client that has been your client for a long time. There is no other reasonable interpretation.
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Ventnai
Spain
Local time: 04:56
German to English
+ ...
| Every single one | Oct 25, 2016 |
Every single long-standing client that I currently have has come directly or indirectly from Proz.com. Some people know about me through word-of-mouth but as they are all in the Hamburg area, I know that my reputation spread originally from one client, who contacted me here. it depends on your field but I'd say PRoz.com was good for those of us who work in technical and marketing fields.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 04:56
Member (2006)
German to English
Julian Holmes wrote: Michael Harris wrote:
quite a few (more than 9 years), but there has also been a lot of rubbish in-between. But it was not me who found them, they found me. Generally, job ads I've occasionally applied to have been dead ends posted by LSPs who are only after the lowest rate possible with that magic one-liner "Please send your CV with your best rate." What is 'best for me' is not best for you!
Yes, thatis what I meant as well.
I have never looked for any customers, fortunately they have always found me.
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My first job came from a proz lead. I worked for that company 4 years, I was a Medical Interpreter for them and although I enjoyed working for them a lot I had to give it up to pursue my own project. Now I work as translator and PM for Agencies and Private clients.
All the agencies that I work for contacted me from proz. I understand that trust is something that is earned over time, the business relationships usually started with very small jobs and then evolved over time. I am very pro... See more My first job came from a proz lead. I worked for that company 4 years, I was a Medical Interpreter for them and although I enjoyed working for them a lot I had to give it up to pursue my own project. Now I work as translator and PM for Agencies and Private clients.
All the agencies that I work for contacted me from proz. I understand that trust is something that is earned over time, the business relationships usually started with very small jobs and then evolved over time. I am very proud of the fact that clients always come back and of the fact that we (clients and me) are able to achieve long term/ ongoing business relationships. Thank you proz community. ▲ Collapse
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