Selling translation services may not be as hard as selling sand in the Sahara, but it’s close. “But why?” You may ask. Well, the truth is, when it comes to translation, most people simply don’t care.
The other day I was talking to my brother, a salesman at an electronics retailer. They generate a lot of sales from cables, bulbs, sockets and so on, for big building complexes. He was telling me his tricks for selling the last few metres of cable roll and how he arranges things on the shelves to shift products. I said to him: “If only I could put translations on a display shelf…”
If you’re a translator or if you deal with translation on a regular basis, you must have noticed that deadlines are almost always tight. Why is that? Translation is usually one of the last steps of any process. This step is usually undervalued and there is a general belief that you simply need to speak a certain language to be able to translate it.
Therefore, it’s only when the need for translation arises that companies will try to find someone for the job, and it’s only when that person fails that they will resort to a professional translator.
Need.
The keyword for selling translation is “need”. One of the circumstances that make translation hard to sell is that people only buy translation because they need it, not because they like it. I seriously doubt that anyone is addicted to buying translation services. This means that the marketing approach has to be different from that of, for example, a restaurant.
The thing is, there’s no need to show the market that people have to buy food at your restaurant, because, if your restaurant is good, it will be a pleasure for people to have dinner there. With translation, things are a bit different. To market translation services you need to show your customers that there is a need for professional translation services, and that may not be as easy as it sounds.
Invisibility.
Günter Grass said that “translation is that which transforms everything so that nothing changes”. Another problem that we may notice when trying to sell translation services is that we’re selling a service that is meant to not be seen. In most cases (marketing translations are sometimes an exception), we aren’t creating something new, like a car or a tasty dish – we’re transforming words and concepts so that they have the exact same meaning in other languages and cultures. This creates a problem: there’s nothing to put on a shelf. There’s nothing people can use and enjoy while doing so.
Competition.
Another problem you can encounter when trying to sell your translation services is competition. There will always be someone who will do it cheaper or faster.
If you represent a company, there will be many other translation companies in your area which promise much lower prices (sometimes at the expense of quality, sometimes by pure magic). If you’re a freelance translator, the situation may be even worse. Clients may prefer the translation to be handled by a company because they usually offer more services and are easier to make accountable. Also, there’s usually a large number of freelancers and you’ll probably find some colleagues who offer their services for a lower price.
Undervaluation.
In my opinion, this may be the worst problem that the profession faces. There’s this stigma associated with translation that, for some reason, makes people believe that just because they know a certain language, they are capable of immediately translating and adapting a target text to the target culture. This undervalues the profession and makes the sale of translation harder than it should be.
So, considering that translation may be a tough product to sell, what can you do to sell it?
Communicate.
Talk about translation and languages in your environment. Make sure your friends know that you can translate or find a translator who can. This way, whenever your friends or their companies need a translation, they will certainly think of you. Word of mouth is an important source of qualified leads (and you get to hear from old friends from time to time, which may or may not be cool, depending on the friend).
Create the need.
Make your customers realise that they need professional translation services. Share frequently about problems that bad translation brings and make sure that, if they hire you, you excel and provide a better service than any amateur translators or bad companies.
Socialise.
Another one of the marketing strategies you may try is networking. Try to build relationships with important people in the area through, for example, attending conferences and lectures, and try to be close to decision makers that could be potential clients.
Focus on the benefits of your service.
Create marketing messages that focus on the benefits of your services. Remember that translation is something that cannot, and should not, be seen. When it’s visible, is usually not good, so make sure to offer professionalism, attentive follow-up and honesty, so that your services can surpass the competition.
These are only a few things you can do to increase your sales. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve? Send me a message and let me know.