Direct client marketing launch pad (four-week course)

Description

Instructor: Corinne McKay, CT. Corinne is an ATA-certified French to English translator, a Colorado court-certified French interpreter, and holds a Master of Conference Interpreting from Glendon College. Corinne’s book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator has sold over 12,000 copies and is a go-to reference for the translation and interpreting professions. In addition to her own translation and interpreting work, Corinne has written books and taught courses on translation business practices since 2005.

Dates: Self-paced (you do not have to be online at a certain time, and you have access to the course materials for six months) from Monday, June 2 through Friday, June 27, 2025

Registration: $195; members of the American Translators Association, use coupon code ATA for $30 off your registration. If, after the first week, you feel that the class is not for you, just e-mail me and I’ll give you a full refund.

Description: Finding and marketing to direct clients remains an elusive goal for many freelance translators: it sounds like a great idea, but it can be difficult to figure out who needs you, how to contact them, and what is different about working for direct clients if you’ve only ever worked for agencies. This four-week, self-paced workshop (you do not need to be online at a specific time, and you have access to the course materials for six months) includes:

• Four sets of weekly instructional videos to watch at your own pace
• Four sets of weekly tasks, to prepare your direct client marketing plan and marketing materials
• The opportunity to submit questions for the weekly Q&A videos
• Access to all course materials for six months (until December 1, 2024)

Topics:

• Week one: Determining what types of clients might need you; identifying “client hubs” so that you’re not searching for clients one at a time; differences between the direct client market and the agency market; what to expect when doing “cold” marketing
• Week two: Using e-mail and LinkedIn to market to potential clients, including templates that you can customize so that you’re not starting from scratch
• Week three: Other marketing methods, including client-side conferences, writing articles and giving presentations for your target clients, using job search sites to find leads
• Week four: Creating an appealing online presence (website, LinkedIn, association directory profiles), a direct client-focused CV and a one-page profile

Registration includes:
-Four sets of weekly instructional videos
-Four sets of weekly tasks to prepare your direct client marketing plan and marketing materials
-The opportunity to submit questions for the weekly Q&A videos
-Access to the Training for Translators monthly alumni question and answer sessions after the class ends

Past participants say:

“I liked the methodical organization of the class, starting with gathering information on clients who may need your services, and then moving on to contacting clients. I liked the depth of the class, the fact that Corinne covered not just marketing but many other aspects involved in working with direct clients as a freelance translator. And I liked the Q&A part of the class for specific questions that I encountered while working on tasks for the class.  I also like the fact that Corinne is very open in general to sharing her experiences with what works and what doesn’t work. And sharing her documents and scripts/templates — all very helpful.”

“I really enjoyed the down to earth and honest recommendations and comments. The fact that we can talk about absolutely everything and the instructor knows how to deal with each and every topic in a kind way.”