Everybody outsources things these days. Even quite internal things. Outsourcing is good because it frees you of all the hassle of the special treatment employees get. And allows you to pay people when you actually need them, not for the entire time of just being there.
On the other hand, more and more clients yearn for the special treatment an employer traditionally gets. They want someone to get to know them, in fact quite intimately (in business terms), to become dedicated to them, to give them one's all, and so and so forth. And sometimes they want all those benefits right off the box, where they take months or years to achieve with employees or some other variety of in-house staff. And they certainly want customized, tailored services.
… But they also want to keep paying only for what's billable or tangible, or just the standard price of a standard service.
Clients sometimes need to be reminded — gently if possible — that outsourcing is for not paying people when you are not in fact using them. It's not some magic of the invisible hand of the market for getting a month's worth of attention for a week's worth of pay and save a ton on costs while reaping all the benefits.
Here's an analogy that also works for services that have rarely been done in-house and thus needed to be outsources but have traditionally been purchased from the market:
If you're buying a single loaf of bread at the standard two or three bucks per, you don't get to mail the bakery a 20-page PDF detailing your absolutely essential, holy inviolable specs. You could get more luck with a custom order, especially But even a custom order than normally takes them a day will get them to spend a week studying your PDFs. No chance. Nobody's going to eat that cost for you.
High time our clients appreciated this basic fact of life. High time we did.
Showing posts with label lawyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lawyers. Show all posts
Monday, 12 March 2018
Thursday, 10 March 2016
Can Printed Letters Get You More Clients?
The immediate inspiration came from the title of an e-mail from Jon Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing: Can Handwritten Letters Get You More Clients, referring to a post by Nick Gibson at Six Revisions.
However, a few days ago I'd read a couple of articles about typography for lawyers. There is even a website titled just that, by Matthew Butterick, a font designer turned lawyer, I kid thee not.
Between those two, a realization struck me immediately (well, almost; I was a bit low on caffeine, which I'm remedying right now):
Ekhm, ignore handwriting for now, through I'm positively sure — and without needing to see any tangible proof to boot — that it would get you more clients or 'better' ones.
Rather, before we even look that far, there are still printed letters.
See, on your website and in PDF brochures you're limited by whatever fonts the reader has, not you.
Depending on who you work for, that may be less of a problem — I've once seen a web designer use Caslon of all things, because his readers could mostly be presumed to already have it on their systems anyway (it's an Adobe font that comes with Photoshop). Similarly, most institutional clients probably have MS Office, so most of them would see them if you defined them in the CSS sheet, perhaps with Georgia, Palatino or even Times as a fallback from among the sixteen or so mostly stable set of (relatively) 'web-safe fonts'. (For server-side hosting, embedding fonts in PDFs and other forms of what effectively is font distrubution you'd need a suitable licence from the copyright owner.)
But, on paper, your options are not limited in that way. You have more control. Paper is paper, it doesn't matter what type of hardware or software platform the reader runs. What's best, once printed, it always stays the way it is, for everyone.
Naturally, the visual impression is not the same for everyone, but that's something for you to figure out. The point is, you can do a lot in terms of advanced typography on paper these days, even with the same old MS Office (well, not too old, say: 2013) that everybody else has and to some extent possibly even in Open/Libre Office.
Tracking, leading, kerning, ligatures, widows and orphans and off-black shades, different fonts for headers than for the main body of the document, you name it, it's there. You can also hand-pick just the right paper and envelope and not skimp on the ink or toner since you're probably going to be printing just one or two pages.
You can make it look very, very good, without at the same time making it look over the top — although striking the right balance may, naturally, require some practice and will always be at least a little on the subjective side, just like font pairing (google it).
Of course, use a fountain pen for signatures and any handwritten additions (depending on your demographic, it may be more courteous to write greetings and salutations in hand, and the courtesy might not be lost on the recipient).
Naturally, this is even more important for anyone who does certified translation or anything else that requires hard copy.
What else? Years ago e-mail was exceptional because it was hi-tech. These days, however, paper mail is already exceptional — and thus both special and upscale — in many corporate environments. It's something to put your hands on, to touch, to tear your eyes off of the monitor screen and read like in old times.
Some clients may find it superfluous or pretentious, or both, but others will perceive it as a welcome sign of reliability, seriousness, permanence, stable foundation, a sign that you aren't going to disappear overnight like an e-scammer. Sort of like what still having landline came to mean, at least before the fake kind became popular.
However, a few days ago I'd read a couple of articles about typography for lawyers. There is even a website titled just that, by Matthew Butterick, a font designer turned lawyer, I kid thee not.
Between those two, a realization struck me immediately (well, almost; I was a bit low on caffeine, which I'm remedying right now):
Ekhm, ignore handwriting for now, through I'm positively sure — and without needing to see any tangible proof to boot — that it would get you more clients or 'better' ones.
Rather, before we even look that far, there are still printed letters.
See, on your website and in PDF brochures you're limited by whatever fonts the reader has, not you.
Depending on who you work for, that may be less of a problem — I've once seen a web designer use Caslon of all things, because his readers could mostly be presumed to already have it on their systems anyway (it's an Adobe font that comes with Photoshop). Similarly, most institutional clients probably have MS Office, so most of them would see them if you defined them in the CSS sheet, perhaps with Georgia, Palatino or even Times as a fallback from among the sixteen or so mostly stable set of (relatively) 'web-safe fonts'. (For server-side hosting, embedding fonts in PDFs and other forms of what effectively is font distrubution you'd need a suitable licence from the copyright owner.)
But, on paper, your options are not limited in that way. You have more control. Paper is paper, it doesn't matter what type of hardware or software platform the reader runs. What's best, once printed, it always stays the way it is, for everyone.
Naturally, the visual impression is not the same for everyone, but that's something for you to figure out. The point is, you can do a lot in terms of advanced typography on paper these days, even with the same old MS Office (well, not too old, say: 2013) that everybody else has and to some extent possibly even in Open/Libre Office.
Tracking, leading, kerning, ligatures, widows and orphans and off-black shades, different fonts for headers than for the main body of the document, you name it, it's there. You can also hand-pick just the right paper and envelope and not skimp on the ink or toner since you're probably going to be printing just one or two pages.
You can make it look very, very good, without at the same time making it look over the top — although striking the right balance may, naturally, require some practice and will always be at least a little on the subjective side, just like font pairing (google it).
Of course, use a fountain pen for signatures and any handwritten additions (depending on your demographic, it may be more courteous to write greetings and salutations in hand, and the courtesy might not be lost on the recipient).
Naturally, this is even more important for anyone who does certified translation or anything else that requires hard copy.
What else? Years ago e-mail was exceptional because it was hi-tech. These days, however, paper mail is already exceptional — and thus both special and upscale — in many corporate environments. It's something to put your hands on, to touch, to tear your eyes off of the monitor screen and read like in old times.
Some clients may find it superfluous or pretentious, or both, but others will perceive it as a welcome sign of reliability, seriousness, permanence, stable foundation, a sign that you aren't going to disappear overnight like an e-scammer. Sort of like what still having landline came to mean, at least before the fake kind became popular.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
What Your Lawyer Client Can Help You with
As a follow up to my previous article about what lawyers need from you as their translator, I would like to mention a couple of things your lawyer clients can help you with:
Clarification. If you're translating something your lawyer client wrote, that lawyer client is the best person to ask what he wanted to say in the passage which is leaving you uncertain. However, the same is true for what his colleagues or even opposing counsel or some other lawyers — or their clients — wrote. Chances are his knows his clients well and possibly his opponents too. And the judge. And the clerk. And the law, of course.
Guidance. If you can't find it, chances are he still can (or his paralegal). You don't necessarily need to ask him for ready solutions, you can ask him where to find them. He is also likely to be your best source of information about all relevant matters concerning the law or the legal profession. You'll impress him more by finding the answers on your own than by asking him, but — probably just like with any other sensible client — asking will impress him more than failure.
Library. 'Nuff said. Some firms even employ librarians. Depending on their deals with publishers and other copyright holders they may be able to send you some materials you'd otherwise need to pay or make a long trip for (naturally, just for use in that particular assignment, not as a permanent freebie).
Logistics. This should not normally be necessary and would normally be looked upon kindly but in some situations — e.g. when you need research you don't have the time to do within the available deadline or need office assistance or something like bringing you a book from the law firm's library — your lawyer client (or his own client) almost certainly is better prepared than you to handle the necessary logistics and probably wouldn't mind. There is a chance that the lawyer will be willing to (get his client to) compensate you for any unforeseen but necessary expenses. If possible, however, better ask the lawyer's assistant or paralegal (since that's where the request will be forwarded anyway).
Editing (and sometimes even proofreading). Chances are he'll be doing it anyway. However, you can ask your lawyer client's input in matters of legal style. The lawyer probably won't mind as long as the question is not something you can easily find in Google or some other readily available resource (this said, rather buy yourself a style guide for lawyers and look there). In fact, he might even appreciate the thought and feel needed. In a closer relationship, where there is no danger of misunderstanding, it might be a good idea to engage the lawyer client as that much-needed second pair of eyes (it is not uncommon for lawyers to be more competent than some linguists you've worked with). Caution: Don't abuse it and don't make yourself look less competent for asking.
Referrals. If you're good, chances are he's already recommending you to other lawyers and possibly to his clients, but there may be some situations in which he wouldn't mind to but just hasn't thought about it yet. Recommending you to his colleagues will probably be a spontaneous impulse, but recommending you to his clients — for work connected with the clients' business but not the legal work the lawyer handles for them — sounds to me just like the thing a lawyer might not intuitively think about due to being totally concentrated on the cases.
Consultation. Whether you can ask freely about some terminology you need in your work done for your other lawyer clients will depend on how close a relationship you have. The closer you are, the more favours are owed, the easier this will be. In return, you can credit your lawyer client on your website for providing consultation (also boosting your own credibility). You can also ask for such consultation in exchange for any discounts or free assistance you'd be giving anyway.
Legal services. Duh. The obvious. Don't go to a random stranger when you have your own client. (This may not always be possible, though, as in some cases it could create a conflict of interest.) Besides, chances are you'll get a discount or even free service. Lawyers can be very protective of their own, which is how they may be seeing you by now. Plus:
Signing your default notices for non-payers. Something like printing your default notice for a non-payer on the firm's stationery and appending a lawyerly signature on it would be an easy favour, as it takes seconds, costs nothing and changes your situation with the debtor dramatically.
Reviewing your contracts. I wouldn't count on this one coming free of charge. However, stuff agencies ask you to sign and stuff your other clients ask you to sign (cut their names out) may need review by a qualified lawyer. I have talked about this lately with Rose Newell.
Clarification. If you're translating something your lawyer client wrote, that lawyer client is the best person to ask what he wanted to say in the passage which is leaving you uncertain. However, the same is true for what his colleagues or even opposing counsel or some other lawyers — or their clients — wrote. Chances are his knows his clients well and possibly his opponents too. And the judge. And the clerk. And the law, of course.
Guidance. If you can't find it, chances are he still can (or his paralegal). You don't necessarily need to ask him for ready solutions, you can ask him where to find them. He is also likely to be your best source of information about all relevant matters concerning the law or the legal profession. You'll impress him more by finding the answers on your own than by asking him, but — probably just like with any other sensible client — asking will impress him more than failure.
Library. 'Nuff said. Some firms even employ librarians. Depending on their deals with publishers and other copyright holders they may be able to send you some materials you'd otherwise need to pay or make a long trip for (naturally, just for use in that particular assignment, not as a permanent freebie).
Logistics. This should not normally be necessary and would normally be looked upon kindly but in some situations — e.g. when you need research you don't have the time to do within the available deadline or need office assistance or something like bringing you a book from the law firm's library — your lawyer client (or his own client) almost certainly is better prepared than you to handle the necessary logistics and probably wouldn't mind. There is a chance that the lawyer will be willing to (get his client to) compensate you for any unforeseen but necessary expenses. If possible, however, better ask the lawyer's assistant or paralegal (since that's where the request will be forwarded anyway).
Editing (and sometimes even proofreading). Chances are he'll be doing it anyway. However, you can ask your lawyer client's input in matters of legal style. The lawyer probably won't mind as long as the question is not something you can easily find in Google or some other readily available resource (this said, rather buy yourself a style guide for lawyers and look there). In fact, he might even appreciate the thought and feel needed. In a closer relationship, where there is no danger of misunderstanding, it might be a good idea to engage the lawyer client as that much-needed second pair of eyes (it is not uncommon for lawyers to be more competent than some linguists you've worked with). Caution: Don't abuse it and don't make yourself look less competent for asking.
Referrals. If you're good, chances are he's already recommending you to other lawyers and possibly to his clients, but there may be some situations in which he wouldn't mind to but just hasn't thought about it yet. Recommending you to his colleagues will probably be a spontaneous impulse, but recommending you to his clients — for work connected with the clients' business but not the legal work the lawyer handles for them — sounds to me just like the thing a lawyer might not intuitively think about due to being totally concentrated on the cases.
Consultation. Whether you can ask freely about some terminology you need in your work done for your other lawyer clients will depend on how close a relationship you have. The closer you are, the more favours are owed, the easier this will be. In return, you can credit your lawyer client on your website for providing consultation (also boosting your own credibility). You can also ask for such consultation in exchange for any discounts or free assistance you'd be giving anyway.
Legal services. Duh. The obvious. Don't go to a random stranger when you have your own client. (This may not always be possible, though, as in some cases it could create a conflict of interest.) Besides, chances are you'll get a discount or even free service. Lawyers can be very protective of their own, which is how they may be seeing you by now. Plus:
Signing your default notices for non-payers. Something like printing your default notice for a non-payer on the firm's stationery and appending a lawyerly signature on it would be an easy favour, as it takes seconds, costs nothing and changes your situation with the debtor dramatically.
Reviewing your contracts. I wouldn't count on this one coming free of charge. However, stuff agencies ask you to sign and stuff your other clients ask you to sign (cut their names out) may need review by a qualified lawyer. I have talked about this lately with Rose Newell.
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