Poll: On average, how much time do you spend investigating new clients before starting work with them? Iniziatore argomento: ProZ.com Staff
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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?".
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| | | | | A few minutes to half an hour | Nov 12, 2018 |
Scammers are usually easy to spot…
| | | | | 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
| | | | neilmac
Spagna
Local time: 01:40
Da Spagnolo a Inglese
+ ...
| 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
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Mario Freitas 
Brasile
Local time: 20:40
Membro (2014)
Da Inglese a Portoghese
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| 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
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