Different clients for different purposes

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how different clients serve different purposes in my client portfolio, which is something I enjoy. Let’s take a look at how this might help you create a more robust and diverse client base.

If you prefer a relatively homogeneous client portfolio, where your clients are very similar in what they need from you, the type of work they have to offer, and what they pay, that’s not a problem. Personally I feel that having some diversity in my client portfolio keeps things interesting and serves various business purposes, which I’ll explain here.

• First, I have what I think of as my A-list clients. These are clients who have interesting work, pay rates in my green zone, and are pleasant to work with. I try to be as available as possible for work from these clients, whether it’s interpreting or translation.
• But the issue is that I don’t want only A-list clients. This might sound weird, but hear me out. A-list clients are the ones that you really want to never turn down, because you don’t want the risk that they’ll stop using you if you’re not available. Thus, I want some “buffer” room in my schedule so that I’m available for my A-list clients when they need me, even if it’s on short notice. That’s where the “clients that serve different purposes” come in.

In my business, A-list clients aremostly my translation direct clients and my conference interpreting clients, which are mostly agencies. I really, really enjoy working with these clients, and I want to be available whenever they need me, which means I can’t be booked solid all the time. Thus, I also enjoy working with:

• A couple of good translation agencies that often have large, relatively straightforward projects. These clients don’t always pay in my green zone; typically they pay 14 cents a word, so if I’m producing around 500 finished words per hour (because I would only accept straightforward work at this rate; projects in a subject matter area that I’m very comfortable with, and that do not require complex formatting), my effective hourly rate is around $70. I know that my green zone rate is more like $90-$110 an hour, but these clients have a few advantages: they’re easy and pleasant to work with, and they often have a “take whatever you want” project, where they’re translating a large volume of legal documents on a short deadline. One of these projects recently coincided with a cancelled interpreting assignment, so I was excited to take it. These clients also have other French to English translators, so it’s not the end of the world if I turn them down.
• Court interpreting for me will always be yellow zone work; I actually love court interpreting and I find it meaningful, but it has some financial constraints. In Colorado, certified interpreters for languages other than Spanish get paid $65 an hour with a two-hour minimum. Again, this rate is below my green zone, but there are a few advantages, in addition to the fact that I enjoy the work. Remote court hearings are often very short: yesterday, I earned this $130 minimum charge for a hearing that lasted four minutes. Although I still have to block out two hours on my schedule, I’m then freed up to do something like work on a writing or teaching project.
• I also enjoy having at least one major client with whom I have almost no personal relationship. Again, this sounds kind of bizarre, but I’ll explain. For me, this client is the agency that provides interpreters to the US immigration courts. For most assignments, they use a completely automated scheduling system: assignments are posted on a calendar and any certified interpreter can go claim an assignment that they want. I wouldn’t want to work like this all the time, but it alleviates a lot of scheduling stress. I find the scheduling part of interpreting intensely stressful. Conference interpreting requests seem to come in waves, sometimes for no apparent reason. June tends to be a slow-ish conference interpreting month, but out of nowhere, I received four requests to interpret on June 15. I have no idea why. And then I’m left wondering, how many times can I turn down an A-list client before they stop using me; can I take the risk of finding another interpreter to replace me because I got a better offer (something that some conference interpreters do do, but I’m not secure enough in my client base to take that risk). Partially, this is a “me” issue; but partially, I actually really enjoy having a client that does things impersonally, because I know they have other interpreters and I don’t feel bad declining them, nor do I have to wonder whether they like me or not: every assignment is available to every approved interpreter on their roster.

I know that there are freelancers who work with one type of client: translating almost exclusively for law firms, or interpreting only for one or two agencies. I don’t think that’s objectively a bad thing, but I do think that diverse businesses are more resilient, and leave you more options in the event of a business downturn or a big change with one of your clients. I hope these tips and examples are helpful to you!