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What's 1 Marketing Tip or Strategy that's worked for YOU in 2015?
Thread poster: amritsharma
amritsharma
amritsharma
United States
Apr 13, 2015

The journey of a freelance translator is often a lonely one. It's just you and your laptop, until an annual conference comes along. That's why I strongly believe in the importance of learning from one anther, and giving back to our industry.

Let's share our success stories with one another. What's worked well for you in 2015 that you want to share with the rest of us?
Example: How did you negotiate a higher hourly rate? How did you attract the right agencies? How do you mana... See more
The journey of a freelance translator is often a lonely one. It's just you and your laptop, until an annual conference comes along. That's why I strongly believe in the importance of learning from one anther, and giving back to our industry.

Let's share our success stories with one another. What's worked well for you in 2015 that you want to share with the rest of us?
Example: How did you negotiate a higher hourly rate? How did you attract the right agencies? How do you manage your time for social media? or anything else?

Last month, I started co-curated a free weekly ▲ Collapse
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:59
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Time Apr 13, 2015

amritsharma wrote:

.....What's worked well for you in 2015 that you want to share with the rest of us?



One thing I've done so far in 2015 is to sharpen up my awareness of people who are basically just wasting my time.
 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:59
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Answers Apr 14, 2015

amritsharma wrote:

...
Example: How did you negotiate a higher hourly rate?


I didn't negotiate, I just raised it.

How did you attract the right agencies?


By raising my rate and doing a perfect job. The agencies that are willing to pay for a perfect job came to me, the rest dropped away.

How do you manage your time for social media?


By not spending any time on social media. While I have a LinkedIn profile it's more like a business card, not something I spend time on.
 
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 01:59
English to Russian
+1 on all three counts Apr 14, 2015

John Fossey wrote:

amritsharma wrote: ...
Example: How did you negotiate a higher hourly rate?


I didn't negotiate, I just raised it.

How did you attract the right agencies?


By raising my rate and doing a perfect job. The agencies that are willing to pay for a perfect job came to me, the rest dropped away.

How do you manage your time for social media?


By not spending any time on social media. While I have a LinkedIn profile it's more like a business card, not something I spend time on.


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 01:59
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Makes 3 of us now. Apr 14, 2015

Vladimir Pochinov wrote:

John Fossey wrote:

amritsharma wrote: ...
Example: How did you negotiate a higher hourly rate?


I didn't negotiate, I just raised it.

How did you attract the right agencies?


By raising my rate and doing a perfect job. The agencies that are willing to pay for a perfect job came to me, the rest dropped away.

How do you manage your time for social media?


By not spending any time on social media. While I have a LinkedIn profile it's more like a business card, not something I spend time on.


 
Michael Wetzel
Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 01:59
German to English
Four of us Apr 14, 2015

And I'd like to emphasize this, because there is a common misconception to the contrary: It is not difficult to raise your rates with existing clients if you do good work. In fact, I probably only have a few regular clients who have never had to accept an increase and I can't think of a client that stopped working with me because of an increase (although there surely have been some).

And this has nothing to do with inflation or the cost of living or employee's salary scales or anyth... See more
And I'd like to emphasize this, because there is a common misconception to the contrary: It is not difficult to raise your rates with existing clients if you do good work. In fact, I probably only have a few regular clients who have never had to accept an increase and I can't think of a client that stopped working with me because of an increase (although there surely have been some).

And this has nothing to do with inflation or the cost of living or employee's salary scales or anything else except for the fact that a given freelancer has more work than time and enough sense (and savings) to demand higher rates - along with a given client with enough sense to accept them (instead of setting out into a minefield to save a little money).

I'm not encouraging anyone to be foolhardy, but it's essential to at least work towards putting yourself in a position where you can afford to take some risks. ▲ Collapse
 


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What's 1 Marketing Tip or Strategy that's worked for YOU in 2015?







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