Selling translation services

Translation companies and freelance translators offer translation services to their clients, instead of products. The translation services are intangible and have a much more subjective assessment than the physical products from the client´s point of view. In the translation services, there are no such measurable factors as the resistance, weight, volume, etc. that allow you, objectively, to assess the characteristics or quality of the service provided. The client notices the quality that he receives based on a much more objective factor like the customer service received, the participation of the company, the translator, the presentation, the reliability, etc.

Some objective factors affect the quality of translation work, like compliance with deadlines or the price. When two translation companies have the same objective factors like the same prices and delivery time, the quality received by the client will be based on the total experience that he/she had with the company. This will be a very subjective assessment, so it is convenient to take care of every factor that influences their feeling during the purchase process. 

The client´s experience

From the first moment that you have contact with a client, you create an experience with your company. The client´s experience is made in any moment of the life cycle of the client with your translation company: when they visit your web page and look for information about your translation services, when they request information or quotation, when they confirm an order, when they receive the translation, when they need help, and even when they make a complaint.

Ultimately, the client´s experience is the set of perceptions created when he contacts your company. If the experience is consistent with what the client wants, he will be delighted, and it will create loyalty and trust. If the experience exceeds the expectations, the client will be the best promotor of your company. There is no better publicity for a translation company than the honest words of a fantastic client.

The key to building your customer loyalty is to make sure that all the interactions you have with your clients or possible clients be as satisfactory as possible. This is also good because they can buy again, and above all, they recommend you and speak well of you and your company. We give you some advice that can help you to get that:

1. Think and plan

• You will need a plan where your objectives and specific actions are established to improve your client´s experience to build your customer´s loyalty and keep them in your company.

• Ask yourself: What do you want to achieve? What objectives do you want to get? What actions do you have to take to reach those objectives? What does my competence do? How can I be different?

• Change the answer to these questions with specific actions: Try to change your company web page, create a reply template for the requests of your clients, use a tracking system for the projects delivery time, etc.

• The action plan to build your customer loyalty is the most important thing.

2. Know and listen to your client

• You are interested in knowing everything about your client, not only his/her general or invoicing information. You must know what he concerns the most (quality, answer time, price…), the specific needs, why he is choosing your company and not others, etc. This will help you a lot if you want to offer him/her the services he/she needs, so you can introduce those services attractively. This will create more effective communication.

• You have to focus on solving his/her necessities, not selling your services. Being capable of solving their necessities is the key to creating good experiences.

• You have to put yourself in the place of the person that buys you and tries to understand you. You have to use the active hearing and take advantage of all the contacts or communications that you have with your clients to get the information that you may need to know better their necessities.

• Do not forget that the complaints are a gift. When your client is not happy, it is important to know how to manage them properly. This can make a difference when your clients have to decide if they buy your product and/or continue with your company and not in other. A well-resolved complaint increases the trust of your client in the company.

3. Provide value

• You have to take the place of the client and think that you can make his/her life easier.

• You have to provide useful information, and that this information is focused on what the client needs, so you can be different from your competence.

• As a translator, you are an expert in your field. You have to take advantage of your knowledge and experience to assess your client with sincere advice. That will help him improve. You have to be his/her confidential adviser in translation and interpretation matters.

• It is not only about selling one time but also building your customer loyalty and selling continuously. So, the client has to be ¨in love¨ with your services to keep that relationship.

• The important thing is to know the clients´ requirements and offer them solutions to their problems.

4. Use technology to give a better service

• You have to use technology to keep a constant relationship with your clients. You have to use all the possible kinds of communications with your client, blogs, newsletters, emails, etc. that allow you to inform the important things your client.

• Give your client the opportunity of contacting your company in many ways. This will give them the possibility to access according to their preferences or with the most suitable way at all times. So, you have to have all the possible technological means at your disposal to contact your company: email, telephone, chat, web page, company intranet, etc.

• Use self-service tools, like a private intranet so the client can check and/or request his/her services when he needs them.

• Focus all your client´s information on one management tool, where all the contacts and conversations are registered. By doing this, you could track all the issues and share this information between different departments or colleagues. Remember how you feel when you have a problem and call the company where you have to talk with a lot of people and repeat your problem several times. That is why it is important to have good communication between departments, and that the information is accessible from all places.

• You do not have to tell the internal company problems to your client. When a client claims and requests information, the answer has to be quick and efficient. You have a new opportunity to create a good experience for the client, and it is important to know how to take advantage of it.