Poll: How long does it usually take to replace a lost client? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How long does it usually take to replace a lost client?".
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I have been translating for over 40 years, 20 of those as a freelancer and experience taught me that clients come and go, occasionally because one agency stopped working with a particular firm or they simply had no work to offer at that particular time in my language combinations. That’s life! As are the cycles of feast and famine. Anyway, over the years I kept a small number of regulars. They offer me interesting projects, we are a good fit and we collaborate very effectively. Whenever I get ... See more I have been translating for over 40 years, 20 of those as a freelancer and experience taught me that clients come and go, occasionally because one agency stopped working with a particular firm or they simply had no work to offer at that particular time in my language combinations. That’s life! As are the cycles of feast and famine. Anyway, over the years I kept a small number of regulars. They offer me interesting projects, we are a good fit and we collaborate very effectively. Whenever I get a new client, I must say though that the idea of replacing the one I lost never comes to my mind. It’s a new client, that’s all! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise 
Бельгия
Local time: 01:22
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Touching wood here, but since sending a few cold e-mails in my first months as a freelancer I've never had to actively look for new clients. After 21 years the first important (in terms of revenue) client still has to disappear.
| | | | Hipyan Nopri
Индонезия
Local time: 06:22
English to Indonesian
+ ...
| Not Lost, Just Quiet | Oct 22 |
I have never lost a client due to translation quality issues.
However, it is quite common for occasional clients to place one or two orders and then go quiet for years.
Some of them return unexpectedly after a long hiatus, while others never come back.
For this reason, I don’t really think in terms of “replacing” a lost client.
Occasional clients come and go naturally, and my workload is shaped more by this ebb and flow than by any si... See more I have never lost a client due to translation quality issues.
However, it is quite common for occasional clients to place one or two orders and then go quiet for years.
Some of them return unexpectedly after a long hiatus, while others never come back.
For this reason, I don’t really think in terms of “replacing” a lost client.
Occasional clients come and go naturally, and my workload is shaped more by this ebb and flow than by any single client relationship. ▲ Collapse
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Thayenga
Германия
Local time: 01:22
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Building up a "pool" of clients from scratch takes a long time, sometimes a few years.
Replacing clients is a different story, and it also depends on the language pair(s) and fields. Only at the beginning of my career as a freelancer did I actively look for clients and quoted on jobs here at ProZ. After about one year I stopped because somehow new clients found me, either through recommendations or on my Translators Association platform.
Currently, nearing the end of my... See more Building up a "pool" of clients from scratch takes a long time, sometimes a few years.
Replacing clients is a different story, and it also depends on the language pair(s) and fields. Only at the beginning of my career as a freelancer did I actively look for clients and quoted on jobs here at ProZ. After about one year I stopped because somehow new clients found me, either through recommendations or on my Translators Association platform.
Currently, nearing the end of my career, I am happy with the clients I have, some of them having been with me almost from the start. Therefore, if a client leaves now, I don't try to replace him or her. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It takes longer than it used to | Oct 22 |
In the changing business environment, it is more difficult than ever to find new clients which could replace the ones we loose.
I am glad that I have not lost a client in years, if we understand it as a client moving to another supplier. But there were quite a few who run into difficulties and the stream of work from them petered out.
It always is a bit sad.
| | | | Michael Newton
Америка Құрама Штаттары
Local time: 19:22
Japanese to English
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| replacing a lost client | 07:24 |
Maintaining a portfolio of clients and actively marketing is a suitable plan B for this eventuality.
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I think it's worth checking in with former clients from time to time, as long as things ended on good terms. There's no need to keep messaging them, of course, but a short, professional email every now and then can help keep you on their radar when they have work available again.
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