Poll: Have you ever contacted a client after ending the work relationship? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | Other (no with one exception) | Apr 24 |
Over the years, I’ve ended the work relationship with only two clients: I had to take them to court for non-payment. Some clients have left me when I decided to apply higher rates, others insisted on a specific CAT tool or a management platform I didn’t particularly like. I’ve never contacted them again, except in one case: I wrote a small congratulation message to a PM who had a baby after struggling for a while to get pregnant with her first child…
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 20:38
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Why would I contact a client after ending the work relationship? Why are poll questions so often poorly formulated? Why do we live? So many questions, so little answers.
| | | | | If you're chasing clients instead of them chasing you... | Apr 25 |
... I have bad news for you: you probably won't survive in this market. The last company I had to leave because they feared a recession due to COVID also keeps a translation school. Every now and then I get emails from them advertising some translation course or other. They even invited me to complete an entry-level legal translation course with a discount despite the fact that I, an accomplished legal translator at that time, had already completed that course for free. I wish everyone to have t... See more ... I have bad news for you: you probably won't survive in this market. The last company I had to leave because they feared a recession due to COVID also keeps a translation school. Every now and then I get emails from them advertising some translation course or other. They even invited me to complete an entry-level legal translation course with a discount despite the fact that I, an accomplished legal translator at that time, had already completed that course for free. I wish everyone to have that kind of optimism ▲ Collapse
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Following an agency bankruptcy in 2001 and the reappearance of its boss who had started a new company a few years later. As the liquidation hadn't paid back any of my unpaid invoices (EUR3,600), I phoned him to figure out a way to get my money back with his new company. The dialogue got heated and I didn't get anywhere, of course.
But I tried.
Philippe
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I have never "ended" a work relationship myself. One of my clients went bankrupt and closed the business, and another one just sold her small scale company to a bigger international company. I wish they were still in the business because they were paying well and their projects were always interesting to work on.
| | | | | These may result a negative impact! | Apr 25 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Why would I contact a client after ending the work relationship? Why are poll questions so often poorly formulated? Why do we live? So many questions, so little answers.
Sometimes you get contacted by a client who terminates your service due to a delay in deadline (perfectionism syndrome), what should you do in this case? Regarding your first question "This is a business, nothing personal" so I guess it's OK to contact a client after the work relationship ends, it's not a divorce or personal matter. Am I right?
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Abdelrahman Ahmed Hamid Abdelrahman wrote:
Sometimes you get contacted by a client who terminates your service due to a delay in deadline (perfectionism syndrome), what should you do in this case? Regarding your first question "This is a business, nothing personal" so I guess it's OK to contact a client after the work relationship ends, it's not a divorce or personal matter. Am I right?
You’re asking whether you get back in touch with a customer that dropped you after you missed a deadline?!
Why would they want to try you again?
I’ve never missed a deadline but if I did I would be embarrassed to get back in touch.
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| It is always worth a try! | Apr 25 |
Philippe Etienne wrote:
Following an agency bankruptcy in 2001 and the reappearance of its boss who had started a new company a few years later. As the liquidation hadn't paid back any of my unpaid invoices (EUR3,600), I phoned him to figure out a way to get my money back with his new company. The dialogue got heated and I didn't get anywhere, of course.
But I tried.
Philippe
Dear Philippe,
It is always worth a try, and sorry for the loss. In your opinion, what is the effective way to avoid risky clients?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 20:38
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Abdelrahman Ahmed Hamid Abdelrahman wrote:
Sometimes you get contacted by a client who terminates your service due to a delay in deadline (perfectionism syndrome), what should you do in this case?
That's pretty vague. How long would that delay be? Clients won't stop working with you for a delay, unless it happens all the time or the delay is unreasonably long.
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 20:38
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
I have "ended" two business relationships so far: one over a client's insistence on using XTM instead of a properly developed CAT tool and a completely botched migration to no less than four(!) job and payment management portals; the other over constant late payments (as in: they paid exactly ONE of my monthly invoices on time over a business relationship lasting more than 7 years). Apart from the usual emails asking for outstanding and overdue payments, I never felt the need to contact those cl... See more I have "ended" two business relationships so far: one over a client's insistence on using XTM instead of a properly developed CAT tool and a completely botched migration to no less than four(!) job and payment management portals; the other over constant late payments (as in: they paid exactly ONE of my monthly invoices on time over a business relationship lasting more than 7 years). Apart from the usual emails asking for outstanding and overdue payments, I never felt the need to contact those clients again. ▲ Collapse
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Abdelrahman Ahmed Hamid Abdelrahman wrote:
...In your opinion, what is the effective way to avoid risky clients?
Hard facts collected from the Internet (notably Blue Board if there!), communication style, gut feeling and first impression, payment terms, location (easier for me to handle payment issues in Europe than in Asia or the US), ability to detect cues left by scammers and crooks in their offers... But I work with agencies only and the translation business is a small world.
Anyway, risk is part of the deal from the moment you consent to be paid after providing the service!
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Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 20:38
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
Philippe Etienne wrote: Abdelrahman Ahmed Hamid Abdelrahman wrote:
...In your opinion, what is the effective way to avoid risky clients? Hard facts collected from the Internet (notably Blue Board if there!), communication style, gut feeling and first impression, payment terms, location (easier for me to handle payment issues in Europe than in Asia or the US), ability to detect cues left by scammers and crooks in their offers... But I work with agencies only and the translation business is a small world. Anyway, risk is part of the deal from the moment you consent to be paid after providing the service!
Just one little objection there: The BlueBoard has become pretty much useless, especially when viewing overwhelmingly well-rated outsourcers. Many of those raving 5-star LWAs are clearly bought and fake, especially if several of them occur over a brief period of time. Bonus points for the occasional 1- or 2-star LWA showing that those outsourcers are absolutely not what their BB ranking suggests.
[Edited at 2024-04-28 13:46 GMT]
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