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Negotiation Skills: How Far Should You Push It
Thread poster: Nehad Hussein
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:36
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
To clarify Oct 1, 2014

Bernhard Sulzer wrote:

Sheila Wilson wrote:
Your client has no place making an offer. In practice, many agencies talk this way, but all you should accept is for the client to inform you of their budget. So, aim to discourage this "offer" practice in all your dealings with them. Little hints all the time do help, e.g. instead of saying "I can't accept that offer", say "I can't offer you a price within your budget".


Just wanted to add that I personally don't ask that question about THEIR budget anymore. But maybe you just meant "to let them tell you about their budget without having asked them for it." It does happen that at some point during the negotiation process, the prospective client might mention it.

No, you're right, I would never ask for their budget.
If they "offer" me a rate, I'd respond by referring to that offer as their budget (which is quite independent of my rate). It isn't for me consider: "can I do it cheaply enough?". It's for them to ask themselves: "can we afford this person's services?".


 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 15:36
English to Polish
+ ...
... Oct 1, 2014

As they are the offerors or inquirers at least, the onus is on you to show that your rate is appropriate (for average rates for that type of job it's sufficient that you have standard qualifications), but on them to show why it should be less than the usual. When they name a cause, they still need to back it up. They haven't discharged their burden until they come up with a really good argument.

Giving discounts to their own clients is not yet a complete argument. What is necessary
... See more
As they are the offerors or inquirers at least, the onus is on you to show that your rate is appropriate (for average rates for that type of job it's sufficient that you have standard qualifications), but on them to show why it should be less than the usual. When they name a cause, they still need to back it up. They haven't discharged their burden until they come up with a really good argument.

Giving discounts to their own clients is not yet a complete argument. What is necessary is for them to explain why their costs and losses should be transferred to you. Otherwise they can only ask if you're interested, and you can say you are not, which concludes the conversation.

'Why not?' is a poor reason for requesting a discount.

Regarding what you should charge, make sure that you get paid well enough for the time you put in, perhaps more than just the time if the concentrated mental effort puts a greater strain on you and you need to rest after that job rather than continue working on other clients' business.
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Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 22:36
Chinese to English
Don't overestimate your importance or underestimate your value Oct 2, 2014

As a translator, I love to think that what I'm doing is important for the world and important for the client. But in actual fact, it's not that vital. I'm not a doctor, saving a life. You were talking about luxury goods: a good translator offers a luxury service. Not just the information in the text, but the information accurately analysed and well presented.

Not everyone can afford our luxury service, and that's OK. They have alternatives. But for those who do want the ease and pl
... See more
As a translator, I love to think that what I'm doing is important for the world and important for the client. But in actual fact, it's not that vital. I'm not a doctor, saving a life. You were talking about luxury goods: a good translator offers a luxury service. Not just the information in the text, but the information accurately analysed and well presented.

Not everyone can afford our luxury service, and that's OK. They have alternatives. But for those who do want the ease and pleasure of seeing a text transformed *well* into a foreign language, we offer a premium service. And it costs.
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564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 15:36
Danish to English
+ ...
Where is the Like button? Oct 2, 2014

Phil Hand wrote:

Not everyone can afford our luxury service, and that's OK. They have alternatives. But for those who do want the ease and pleasure of seeing a text transformed *well* into a foreign language, we offer a premium service. And it costs.


Hear, hear


 
Edward Vreeburg
Edward Vreeburg  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 15:36
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
it's a loss - loss situation Oct 2, 2014

negociating over the price it a loss - loss situation..

In the time you spend on negociating the price, you could have found a client willing to pay your rates, ... The client is not happy with the higher rates, you are not happy because you get less ...(if you meet somewhere in the middle). Frustration all around, and probably ore so because it will just be a couple of 100 more words , or they will keep sending you mails with an extra phrase or two, or ask you to perform additiona
... See more
negociating over the price it a loss - loss situation..

In the time you spend on negociating the price, you could have found a client willing to pay your rates, ... The client is not happy with the higher rates, you are not happy because you get less ...(if you meet somewhere in the middle). Frustration all around, and probably ore so because it will just be a couple of 100 more words , or they will keep sending you mails with an extra phrase or two, or ask you to perform additional tasks like proofing a PDF (for free of course) - - these people are trained to "sell" their translation work - to the lowest bidder. What we as individual translators don't understand is that we are selling a service - not buying work...

I always ask the client why I should accept a lower rate, and what my other clients would do if they found out I'm offering "special" lower rates to other clients... (yeah right, this is one of many jobs to come and the next one will be paid at your level... never happened, never going to happen - they will just look for the cheapest translator the next time they have a job - - they are not investing in a long term relation based on quality translations -

So just say no, unless you have some time to spend and want to yank their chain a bit - asking for the documents, etc... so that they get closer to the deadline...

===
Ed
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:36
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Like it! Oct 2, 2014

Edward Vreeburg wrote:
these people are trained to "sell" their translation work - to the lowest bidder. What we as individual translators don't understand is that we are selling a service - not buying work...

I'll borrow that quote, Edward, if you don't mind


 
Miguel Carmona
Miguel Carmona  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:36
English to Spanish
Dignity and self-respect Oct 2, 2014

Edward Vreeburg wrote:

What we as individual translators don't understand is that we are selling a service - not buying work...


Thank you Ed, for pointing this out.

Having such an understanding should be a requirement to get into the profession.

It is really sad how low some translators get on this site and other sites with comments like "we should not overcharge agencies", "we should not abuse agencies" or "we do not need to charge for this or that", all in the hopes to atract attention from agencies as "well-behaved subcontractors".

Since when an agency will allow a subcontractor to overcharge or abuse them? As it were even possible at all!

Maybe another requirement to get into the profession should be having dignity and self-respect.


 
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Negotiation Skills: How Far Should You Push It







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