How to grow your client base

So if qualifications are not always enough and luck plays a role on getting jobs, how can you beat the odds?
What can we control?
We can control how good we are at what we do, how well we present ourselves and what we know, and how hard we work. If you sincerely want to succeed as a freelance Translator, you will need to grow your LSP (Language Service Provider or also more commonly known as ‘Translation Agencies’) client base and therefore you must control these things.
Since a successful contact begins with a positive first impression, the way you present yourself and your work then should be the most important area to consider. So how do you make the Project Manager of the Language Service Provider believe you are the best person for the job? You can consider these presentation pointers in mind:
1) No one will hire you if they do not know who you are and that you are qualified and able to do the job.
- Google the Language Services providers and send them your résumé. With today’s communications technologies there is no reason you cannot work anywhere in the word!
- Sign-up and add your profile online on sites such as ProZ.com and translatorscafe.com. LSP actually use these translators’ communities when they are searching for a qualified translator.
- Make sure your résumé is a true testament to what you are able to do. Language Service providers hate to be disappointed and once they are even one time, it is hard to obtain their interest again. Only look as competent as you truly are.
- Keep your résumé and any online profiles updated and detailed, triple check it and spell check it. Do not forget to list your languages!
- Become certified and make sure the country which you are certified lists you in its public database.
- Join professional organizations such as ATA ( American Translators Association), where your contact information and services can be listed online.
- Attend a ProZ.com networking session or other industry networking events and conferences. Have real business cards printed and pass them out.
2) No one will hire you if you do not follow directions. All LSP’s have résumé submission guidelines that are unique to their business. Follow them.
- Do no cc: everyone in the company hoping someone will get it.
- If there are no directions on the company site, call and politely ask how you can submit your résumé.
- Do not keep emailing the company to ensure they got your email. You may call and ask once if it was received, then let it go. If they are interested, they will contact you.
Remember, it is one thing to be aggressive; it is another to annoy people.
3) No one will hire you if you have overestimated yourself and your abilities.
- If your résumé indicates you have been out of school for only a year, you may not merit the higher rates paid to more seasoned translators. At this point and time you simply do not have enough experience yet. Also if you have been translating a year and indicate on a list of completed projects a large project for a Fortune 500, an LSP may not believe you, so briefly explain yourself. Give the Translation Agency a reason to believe you.