If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to avoid asking a client “How much did I say I was going to charge you?”, you need a client preferences file. The client preferences file (which could take the form of a spreadsheet, a text file, index cards, a notebook, just as long as you keep the records!) is especially crucial if you experiment with different rates or if you work with clients who have specific/unusual requirements for their translations.
Personally, I think that rate experimentation is a very useful way to test what the market will bear without risking your relationship with existing clients. Say that your base rate is X cents per word and you’re very busy at that rate. The next time a new client approaches you, try X+10% or X+20% and see if the client bites. If so, you’ve got a new, higher paying client, but you need your client preferences file to help you keep track of this. Then, you can simply refer back to it and say “We had talked about a rate of Y cents per word, can you confirm that this is acceptable?”
For my client preferences file, I use a three-column OpenOffice.org document; in the first column I put the client’s name, in the second column the name of the person who contacted me and in the third column information about rates, stylistic preferences, etc. Obviously you don’t want to paste the client’s entire style sheet into that cell in your table, but for example I have one client that uses the European floor numbering system in English (i.e. ground floor, first floor, etc.) and I include that information in the preferences file because it comes up a lot and is totally different from any other client’s style preference. Or, if a client sends me a reference document such as a list of company-specific abbreviations, I’ll just note that fact in the preferences file so that I remember to look at the reference document when I’m translating.
I also find that the preferences file helps me avoid asking “Who are you again?” with a client that surfaces only once in a great while. When the client contacts me initially, I’ll make a short note about who they are, i.e. “Writing and editing company expanding into translation, specifically mentioned that they want people to work on marketing documents” or “Referral from X colleague who does German, mentioned that they might need French in the future” so that I don’t look completely clueless when the client pops up again in a year and references our previous contact.
Any other systems out there for keeping track of client rates and preferences?
Hi Corinne,
It’s late night here (France), but I saw your post on my Google reader, wanted to respond and I know tomorrow will be a heavy day.
Seems to me that you have 3 different issues in your post:
1. What you charge client X (rate per word)
2. Rate experimentation
3. Keeping track of client preferences
If I read you correctly, for point 1, I have a different approach. I don’t apply a set rate to a client but rather write up a detailed proposal for each project once I’ve seen the document and am aware of all the project’s detailed specs. I assess how long producing that result will take, include the cost of an external reviewer if appropriate, and quote the rate accordingly. Clients can prefer a rate per source word, target word, page, line, hour and I write up my quote according to the client’s preference. This strikes me as fair to both parties, as it considers the reality of each document/project/goal.
To keep track of client preferences as well as personal information (birthday, major event such as a new baby, publication etc.), I use a combination of TO3000, Thunderbird, and Wordfast’s client glossaries and blacklists (sometimes words to avoid are just as important as preferred terminology). I also strive to remember how I started working with the client. This helps me assess marketing efforts, the effectiveness of certain networks, and to thank someone (giving them an update) if the contact came through referral.
I look forward to reading how other translators handle these questions!
Off to get some zzzzzzs
Patricia
TO3000 takes care of everything for me. I have a wide range of clients who prefer that I charge by the word, line, page, etc., who pay at 15, 30 45 days, etc. and who use different currencies. This is the only program I’ve found that makes keeping track easy and quick. A lifesaver.
Although I find some aspects of its interface awful, I think AIT’s Translation Office 3000 is indeed the best all-round package for a freelance translator who does not outsource. Master price lists and individual client price lists are easy to set up, and there are even free text fields for tracking little details like whether a client prefers invoices to be sent as hardcopy, fax or e-mail (this is currently a legal/tax issue in Germany too). However, for a small office (two translators and an assistant in our case) the solution is inadequate. I have yet to find an option I really like.
Dear Corinne
I use a low-tech solution that works fine for me: I have quite a range of clients and rates. I send each of my regular clients an updated rates sheet at the beginning of the year and print out a copy for myself, which I keep in a file in the drawer next to my desk, with clients filed in alphabetical order. I also have an invoice template for each one.
Ros Schwartz
Great point! Sounds a lot like the the “client concierge” concept that I am constantly pontificating about.
I also use TO 3000, and I am a beginning user of it. It has a lot of downfalls, but also a lot of good ways to add discounts and surcharges, which I like a lot.
In addition to TO, I have trusty Excel spreadsheets and e-mail folders for each client. When someone refers me to a specific client, I always save that original e-mail in the client’s folder so I remember how I acquired the client and remember to send appropiate thank-you notes. I also take extensive notes on client preferences such as amount of e-mails they want (invoice and final project in one e-mail? two e-mails?), how they prefer to communicate, etc.: all about being a client concierge. Interesting to hear how so many of our great colleagues (hi Kevin, hi Emma!) use TO as well. Agreed: they need to work on their interface and navigation. Would love to have an open source tool instead.
I downloaded TO3000 to try, and in fact, it brings nice solutions – for now I use Gmail to track communications with clients. I also tried Gist and other CMS web applications, but must yet decide which one to use. Otherwise, I keep paper notes, but I think I need to upgrade for something more advanced.