Help, The US Dollar’s Falling!

Do you invoice in US Dollars? You better think again! And I’m sure you’ll do just that after reading this eye-opening Common Sense Advisory’s Global Watchtower post.

BTW, you’ll be shocked to know that I normally used to invoice in US$ even for my European clients and even though I don’t reside in the USA and my country’s currency is pegged on the Euro! Really nonsensical! But now I know better: I only invoice in US$ for my US clients

A.M.Sall

P.S. Click here to download your copy of “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“, the book no translator/interpreter in his/her right mind should even think of going without . Or maybe you’d rather take a look at the Free Preview first? This is the book you’ve been waiting for so impatiently: it’s here NOW. So why wait any longer…!?

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P.P.S. Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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Translator Experience Day – Disappointment, then Relief and “WOW!”

(Translator Experience Day (TED) last week: Sheila Anderson (German/English/German translator/interpreter) and her friend Valerie Chen (Chinese/English/Chinese translator/interpreter) have decided to launched an all-out assault on the Iron and Steel industry. Their friend Ron Wilkinson, an industry insider ageed to introduce them to at least 80 people on the list …)

Sheila and Val were slightly disappointed. They had asked “Translator Power” readers to “send them suggestions on how to carry out their strategies or even new strategies they might consider as more efficient.” They found it rather depressing that not a single one of “Translator Power“‘s thousands of readers had reacted.

“These translators are such as lethargic lot!” they thought

Val was looking at the “Translator Power” site. Suddenly she said quietly: “Hey, Sheila, the book is out!”

“The book? Which book is that?”

As soon as they learned that “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services” was out, they rushed to the publisher’s site and bought one copy each.

They didn’t even bother to look at the Free Preview.

And they were not disappointed this time

They discovered “How to Position Yourself as THE Expert People in Your Target Market will Unhesitatingly Turn to on the Very First Occasion”

They learned everything about A.M.Sall’s 3A+ System, “Amsall’s new, revolutionary, play-to-win system which brings radical transformation not just to your business life, but more importantly to your whole life in general.” (pp. 31 to 38)

How to Avoid the “Commoditization” of Your Translation Services

How to Define, Identify, Select your “Ideal Client” and Charge As Much As You Want

How to Set your Goals, Strategies and Tactics

Create and Dominate Your Own Niche

Now segmenting and niche marketing held no more secrets for them (IG. pp. 19, 20), neither did USP, Adding Value, Elevator Speeches (pp. 24, 25)

Or setting strategic marketing, communication and financial goals (pp. 26,27)

Or coordinated multi-channel marketing (pp. 33, to 37)

Or PR (pp. 44 to 48)

Or Direct Mail, GTM CTM (pp.57 to 61)

They understood Why You Should not Merely Want to be ‘the Best of the Best’, but rather ‘the Only One who Does What You Do’

How to Learn the Basics of HTML and Build Your Own Clean and Functional Website in Less than a Week (‘elegant minimalism‘ is the name of the game!) or simply use a CMS platform (pp.66 to 71)

Now, they knew how to build a database of their clients and prospects, then work their list through follow up, so that they could build better profiles representing each segment which they would then laser target and turn into a permanent income-producer for themselves.

And when they got to “The World’s TOP 100 Resources that are Definitely Indispensable for any Translator/Interpreter who is Really Serious about Starting, Growing, and Profitably Marketing His/Her Business”, (pp.76 to 82), it was the apotheosis!

Many “WOW!s” later, and after going through the book for about 2 hours the 2 friends decided to write to A.M.Sall to ask him to raise the price of the book! All this for just $18.75! That was RIDICULOUS! The man was CRAZY!

(To be continued

A.M.Sall

P.S. We have turned the free 7-Part PR ecourse into a free downloadable PDF and all you have to do is visit this link and instantly download it!

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Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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Differentiate and Avoid Commoditization!

The Wiki definition of a “commodity“: “A commodity is something that is relatively easily traded, that can be physically delivered, and that can be stored for a reasonable period of time. It is a characteristic of commodities that prices are determined on the basis of an active market, rather than by the supplier (or other seller) on a “cost-plus” basis. Examples of commodities include not only minerals and agricultural products such as iron ore, crude oil, ethanol, sugar, coffee, aluminium, rice, wheat, gold, diamonds, or silver, but also so-called “commoditized” products such as personal computers.”

“Prices are determined on the basis of an active market, rather than by the supplier” simply means that there are several people selling exactly the same commodity and competition is on price: people will buy the cheapest, since there is no difference in quality.

So you have to make sure your translation service is not “commoditized” and competition with you is not on price. You do this by differentiating your translation services so that prospects will unhesitatingly turn to you even though you may be more expensive than some of your competitors

Some suggestions on how you can do this:

1. Needless to say, you must OVERdeliver on your work, both in terms of quality and deadline. This is a given. Please don’t think if you say “High Quality” and “Timely Delivery“, your prospects will consider you as a great service provider. These are no longer considered as differentiating features, but simply as “normal” for anyone that calls him/herself a professional. Of course you can, and indeed you must say “High Quality” and “Timely Delivery”, but you do not stop at that!

2. Know your client’s business and industry better than anyone else, including him/herself if possible. Use “insider jargon” in your communications with them

3. Become a trusted advisor, for example research your client’s market and give them advice or make suggestions on that market. Your business relationship with your client must be of a consultative rather than a purely technical nature

4. Be your client’s friend: go beyond purely business relationships

5. Become a Global Communication consultant, show them that globalization, i.e. internationalization, translation/localization must accompany the product, all the way from product idea to product marketing and sales (Some companies do not know even what EXACTLY they must have translated)

6. Take up the role of a Going-global consultant: almost play the part of an EMC (Export Management Company) or an ETC (Export Trading Company)

7. Act as a Cultural Advisor: selling at home is not the same as selling abroad

8. You may even decide to double as a Sales Representative…

9. Offer to localize their website

10. If you’re working with Translation Agencies, make sure you write nice emails to your Project Manager. You can even go as far as finding out whether she has a family, hobbies, pets, etc.., build a real relationship with her. You must at all costs differentiate yourself from other translators with the same language pair as you.

11. There are lots of other ways you can differentiate yourself. Now, dear friend and colleague, what can you add to this, for the benefit of the “Translator Power” community? That’s what the “comments” are for! Please give us your $0.2 worth!

N.B. You sometimes hear or read “commodification” (J.C.Levenson) or even “commodization” (Smartbiz.com) instead of “commoditization”. All these words refer to the same beast )

A.M.Sall

P.S. We have turned our Free 7-Part PR ecourse into a free ownloadable PDF and all you have to do is visit this link and instantly download it!

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Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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From Freelancer to Entrepreneur – How I Did it

I was just like many other freelance translators

Got all my jobs through networking and referrals, for many years (did I mention I’ve been “in the trenches” since 1972!)

I didn’t “market”, didn’t even know it was really necessary

That was looong before the Internet

Then, with the Net, I started posting my profile on Translation Portals and Directories, applying for jobs with Translation Agencies

It took me quite some time to realize translation was just a business (even if it is a “one-man-show”) that needed to be “marketed” like any other business

I read all the marketing books I could lay my hands on

I learned, and learned, and learned – and I’m still learning because “learning never ends”

But NOW I KNOW marketing is necessary, so I market profusely and proactively

I even know that rather than a translator marketing his translation service, I am a marketer who happens to be selling (or marketing) translation services
Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving translation, languages, and language in general. That is my Passion, like your first and eternal love to which you always return, even after the vicissitudes (a long word, that one!) of life have turned you away from it.

Enough with the melodrama, now

Anyway, now I spend a lot of time working ON my business rather than IN it (I normally don’t like clichés but this one still makes sense)

This has allowed me to leverage my marketing knowledge and know-how

1. to get more clients than I could handle on my own, which has led me to start a Translation Agency (http://www.translationtrophy.com)

2. market other products/services than translation (infoproducts like health and self-development products for example)

3. advise on how to market translation/interpreting services as well as other services (marketing coaching and consulting)

… in other words, I have upgraded myself from freelancer to full-blown entrepreneur

And now, the sky’s the limit…!

Your comments?