How to Foster Trust in New Clients?
The one that got away
Not every potential client turns into an actual one and that’s fine. Sometimes we find out why a job didn’t happen and sometimes we are left wondering. Was it the price, the proposed delivery date or something else altogether?
Recently I was contacted by a potential client in need of a semi-rush translation. So far, so good. We talked on the phone and eventually he asked me: “How much can I trust you and what you are telling me?”
The question caught me off guard. I replied that I take on translations like this all the time and that he had come to the right place. His answer: “No, not your skills. How do I know that you’ll deliver on time?” That had me stumped for a second; nobody has ever asked me that point-blank. I answered that I provide binding delivery dates during the quoting process and never promise something I can’t keep. The customer wasn’t satisfied: “Sure, that’s easy to say. How do I really know how reliable you are?”
Well, he’s right: Talk is cheap. Our new clients don’t actually know in advance how reliable we are. Working with new people always involves trust – and that on both sides. Tricky!
The job never happened. It turns out that the client had just had a bad experience with another translator. The translator had missed the deadline, delivered a substandard translation and then was not even available to talk about it. No wonder the customer had been so skeptical on the phone. My word wasn’t worth much to the client because someone else had already failed his trust.
When I talked to the now not-so-potential client a few days later, he was quick to reassure me that it had nothing to do with me. I think it did, though. If clients don’t like my price, they generally come right out and say so. Maybe some other factor was at play here. But my gut tells me that I was not able to effectively communicate my trustworthiness.
What I did to build trust
Factor that should have fostered trust (and are part of my normal work approach):
I came recommended.
I have the requisite client testimonials on my website.
I looked at the brochures that needed translating and promptly got back to the potential client with relevant questions (that all had an impact on the quote).
As I had promised, I arranged for a proofreader right away who also confirmed the deadline.
I sent a detailed quote with all the requested information and even added further pertinent details.
The customer had the quote on his desk a few hours earlier than originally agreed upon.
Am I missing something?
Perhaps I didn’t handle the original question on the phone so smoothly, but I definitely grabbed the opportunity to prove that I was capable and reliable afterward. However, it would appear that the initial impression I made couldn’t be sufficiently corrected in later communication. It leaves me wondering what the better approach would have been. How do you let clients know that you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk?
Sure, he could just be one of those clients who wasn’t meant to be. I’ll probably never know, but I do want to be able to handle these situations better in the future. What would you have done?
Great post, Else, but a difficult question. In my opinion, you seem to have handled the entire situation very professionally and did a number of things to build trust that should have worked, especially recommendations and testimonials. Sounds as if the client just went with his gut feelings in the end because of bad past experiences. The trigger could have been anything.
Thanks for your comment, Nikki.
The silver lining in this situation is that a question like that will never catch me off guard again 🙂
I would have done the same! You acted professionally. I cannot think of a solution, sometimes people make their decisions based on their past experiences. Maybe this potential client will come back to you in the future and test your services with non-urgent requests. I will follow this post to see if other colleagues have had similar experience and how they won the client.
Hi Francesca,
I had completely written this client off, but you have a good point; maybe the client would be willing to give me a try for a different, less urgent job 🙂
Yes, the thing with trust is the only way the client can really know is by working with you and finding out for himself that you are as good as your word. The only other option is pointing at your track record or having other people vouch for you, both of which you did. It really was a no-win scenario for you, and he just needed to vent his frustrations at that point, I think. Kind of like the rebound relationship; they never work out. Just think of it as a good deed you did, to be a sounding board of sorts and help him move on 🙂
Hi Marie,
The rebound translator 🙂 I may have dodged a bullet there!
Very good post, I think the tip about finding a proofreader for your work is particularly useful!
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Hi Else, I’ve arrived late to your post but it’s a good question. I think you did all the right things, perhaps I might have added that we abide by a code of conduct as members of a professional institution. One thing that other industries do to foster trust is to offer some kind of satisfaction or money-back guarantee. I’m not sure how we would apply that to a translation service when we are generally paid a while after delivery (- how can we trust our clients to pay us on time?!). If we don’t deliver on time they don’t have to pay? Or pay a heavily discounted rate? I can see pros and cons but it’s something that I might consider offering as a last resort if I really wanted to work with the client. What do you think?
Hi Sarah,
A similar suggestion about offering a discount or money-back guarantee was made on Twitter as well. In this case, I would have felt absolutely comfortable offering a money-back guarantee because I knew that I would do a great job for the client. Unfortunately, that thought never occurred to me at the time. Should there be a next time, I’ll be prepared 🙂
About the code of conduct: You’re absolutely right! Adding that to my mental list of possible reassurances for nervous clients. Thanks!
[…] 13/12/2014 How to foster trust in new clients? by Else Gellinek (Sprachrausch Blog) […]