41 Checklist For A Successful Freelance Business

41 Checklist for a
Successful
Freelance Business
Contents
Basics ................................................................................................................................................... 5
CV – Checklist for Translators ...................................................................................................... 6
Pricing Checklist for Freelance Translator ................................................................................ 7
Checklist for Creating Effective Cover Letters for Freelance Translators ........................... 8
How to Write Effective Cover Letters ........................................................................................ 9
10 Essential Tools for a Freelance Business ............................................................................. 10
Guidelines and Tips for a Successful Mastermind Group .................................................... 11
What Agencies Look For in Translator Applications ............................................................. 12
Checklist for Finding, Vetting and Applying to Agencies ................................................... 13
Checklist for Translator Contracts – Terms and Conditions................................................. 14
Checklist on Choosing and Succeeding with Your Specialization ................................... 16
How to Create a Successful Freelance Business .................................................................. 17
What Agencies Look for in Translators Application - 12 Tips ............................................... 19
Checklist for Preventing and Dealing with Customer Complaints for Freelance
Translators ..................................................................................................................................... 20
Finding Clients ................................................................................................................................. 21
15 Networking Tips - A Checklist for Translators ..................................................................... 22
Find your Best Customers: 80/20 Principle .............................................................................. 23
6 Steps in Sales Process for Freelancers .................................................................................. 24
9 Tips to Get More Clients Through Referrals ......................................................................... 25
8 Tips for Improved Client Communication ........................................................................... 26
Email Prospecting Checklist for Translators ............................................................................ 27
How to Use Referrals to Market Your Business and Get More Clients ............................... 29
Website ............................................................................................................................................. 30
10 Point Marketing Evaluation Checklist ................................................................................ 31
Basic SEO Checklist for Your Freelance Website .................................................................. 32
Useful Tools and Resources for an Optimized Website ........................................................ 34
Social Media .................................................................................................................................... 36
LinkedIn Checklist for Translators.............................................................................................. 37
Finding and Connecting with Clients on Twitter ................................................................... 38
LinkedIn Referral Checklist for Freelancers ............................................................................ 39
Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 2

Marketing ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Referral Marketing for Translators and Interpreters .............................................................. 41
Checklist for Finding Your Unique Selling Points .................................................................... 42
Inbound Marketing Checklist ................................................................................................... 43
Customer Avatar Checklist for Translators ............................................................................. 45
10 Questions for a Successful Business Strategy .................................................................... 46
10 Tips to Generate Publicity for your Freelance Translation Business .............................. 48
Future Proofing ................................................................................................................................ 50
Successful Mindset for Your Freelance Translation Business ............................................... 51
5 Strategies – Why Do You Hate Marketing?......................................................................... 54
10 Questions to See Where You Are in Your Freelance Business and How to Move
Forward ......................................................................................................................................... 56
How to Get Unstuck If Customers Can’t Find You or Never Respond .............................. 58
Success Mindset Checklist for Freelance Translators ........................................................... 60
Time Management ......................................................................................................................... 61
10 Time Management Tools ...................................................................................................... 62
Checklist with Outsourcing Ideas for Freelance Translators and Interpreters ................. 64
9 Tips to Work Smarter, Not Harder .......................................................................................... 67
A Successful Vacation for Freelancers ................................................................................... 68
Other Resources.............................................................................................................................. 70

These checklists are a compilation of the checklists sent out in the Marketing Tips
for Translators newsletter during 2104-2017, compiled into an e-book ranging
from the basics of freelancing to more advanced, ending with checklists to
future-proof your business and manage your time better.
They will help you manage your freelance translation business, improve your
marketing skills and give you tips and tricks to make your freelance business as
successful as possible.
They are based on personal experience and tips from other freelance
professionals and should be taken as tips and advice, not rules or promised
results. I hope you find them valuable!
Tess Whitty
https://www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com

Basics

CV – Checklist for Translators
What to Include and Not to Include in Your Translator CV
DO INCLUDE:
 Name and contact information

 Language combination
 Fields of specialization
 Experience with CAT-tools
 Experience in DTP if you have any
 Certification and other credentials
 Association memberships
 Relevant education
 Relevant work experience
DON’T INCLUDE:
 Picture if not common for target market and if not professional

 Birth date and marital status (depending on market)
 List of all dictionaries
 List of all hardware and software (non-translation relevant)
 Rates
 Acronyms

Pricing Checklist for
Freelance Translator
YES NO
Do you know your productivity and average hourly output?
Have you calculated your target income per hour, week,

month and year?
Is this target income including administrative costs for freelancing?
Are you aware of average market rates for similar services?
Do you have a pricing range? Red-yellow-green zone
Have you created pricing and product bundles to remove

from or add to in price negotiations?
Can you communicate the value of your services in price

negotiations?
Do you know how to raise your fees?

Checklist for Creating
Effective Cover Letters for
Freelance Translators
Effective Cover Letters
 Create a meaningful subject line: connect and peak

interest
 Find and use the person’s name that you are contacting
 Start with something about the contact—not about you
 Give a reason for why you are getting in touch
 Explain how you can help and why they might need your
help
 Link to your website, a referral or success to provide
credibility
 Include a call to action - next step
 Keep it brief and to the point - a max of 125 words

How to Write Effective Cover
Letters
 How to Write Effective Cover Letters

 Create a meaningful subject line: connect and pique interest
 Find and use the contact’s name
 Start with something about the contact—not about you
 Give a reason for why you are getting in touch
 Explain how you can help and why they might need your help
 Link to your website, a referral or success story to provide
credibility
 Include a call to action—next step
 Keep it brief and to the point—maximum 125 words

10 Essential Tools for a
Freelance Business
Platforms to Use to Help Your Freelance Business
 Calendar for Scheduling and Planning (for example Google Calendar)

 CAT-tool (also called translation memory tool or translation productivity
tool)
 RescueTime (to see where your time goes, how much you work and to set
productivity goals)
 Hootsuite (to organize your social media presence, schedule postings and
create lists with keywords to follow)
 Evernote (to clip webpages to read later, organize notes, collect material
etc.)
 Platforms to use to help your freelance business
 Dropbox (for online backup, collaboration and file sharing)
 Invoicing Tool (for example QuickBooks, Translation Office 3000 or
FreshBooks)
 Online Dictionaries (for example WordFinder: to collect several
dictionaries into one)
 PayPal (for an easy, international way to accept or request payments)
 Platforms for Continuing Education (for example eCPD Webinars,
Alexandria Translation Resources, ProZ.com Translator Training, Udemy,
Coursera)

Guidelines and Tips for a
Successful Mastermind Group
Build a mastermind group to help provide insight and support for

your business!
SET A SPECIFIC TIME

This can be once a month, once a week or whatever works for your group. Set a
specific start and end time (one hour is common) plus agenda.
GROUP MEMBERS MUST COMMIT
The mastermind group works best when people are committed, but things can
come up and it’s important to let the others know if you won’t be able to make
it.
THE GOAL IS TO GIVE AND GET SUPPORT
Try to be as helpful as possible, dare to ask for help and opinions, everyone
should get a turn to speak.
PREPARE
To get the most out of the group, prepare your goals, challenges and projects
before each meeting.
FOLLOW UP
Each member should hold each other accountable for goals and follow up on
progress
SELECT A LEADER/MODERATOR
The leader/moderator makes sure harmony and respect are maintained and
everyone benefits. Maintain confidentiality!

What Agencies Look For in
Translator Applications
How to apply, what the agency checks, and what to do once you
receive your first job
How to Apply:
 Follow procedure indicated on agency website
 Do not use contact information from directory listing—go to the website to
find contact information
What the Agency Checks:

 If applying by email: Is language combination included in subject?
 Does your CV include language combinations, expertise and experience?
 Valid referrals and references
 Memberships in associations and professional organizations
 Is the application free from grammar mistakes and errors?
 Translator’s website
 Translator’s social media profiles
o Is language combination included in profile?
o Does the linguist stay away from badmouthing clients and
colleagues?
Once You’ve Received Your First Job

 Always provide good quality, turn down job if it’s too rushed
 Respond to inquiries promptly

Checklist for Finding, Vetting
and Applying to Agencies
Where to find them:

 Translation Association Directories
 Paymentpractices.com
 Online Translation Portals
How to vet them:
 Check their rating on payment practices lists
 Google them—address, website
 Ask colleagues
How to apply to them:
 Use the method indicated by agency (online or email)
 Application form: fill out all the details as thoroughly as possible
 Email:
Subject: language combination, freelance translator
Body: state that you would like to work for them as a freelance translator,
highlight accomplishments, experience, degrees and specialization. Keep
it brief!
Conclusion and signature: link to website, contact info ask them to
contact you or go to website for more info.
Follow up:
Ask if they have received your information, if they have any questions etc.

Checklist for Translator
Contracts – Terms and
Conditions
1. Contracts you sign with translation companies

1. Always read through the contract to protect your business
2. Pay special attention to (or avoid):
a. agreeing to wait for payment until the end client has paid the
agency
b. agreeing to indemnify the client against lawsuits and/or claims
resulting from your translation
c. agreeing not to knowingly accept or solicit work from agency’s
clients
d. agreeing not to subcontract work to another translator (only if you
subcontract of course)
e. agreeing to submit credit check or criminal records. (This is not
necessary for our professional services as freelancers.)
3. If you find a clause in a contract that you do not agree to, you can
cross out the clause in question, modify it, or refuse to sign the
contract. Some translation companies will agree to a change; others
will refuse to work with you if you do not sign their contract. Just realize
that if you sign a contract, its terms are legally enforceable.
2. Have your own contract or terms and conditions

1. You need your own contract or terms and conditions when working
with direct clients or when you do not receive one from a translation
company
2. Things to include in a contract to protect your business:
a. Description of services
b. Fee for services
c. Cancellation policy
d. Additional fees and costs
e. Reviews and changes
f. Confidentiality
g. Copyright
h. Indemnification and holding harmless
i. Governing law/jurisdiction
3. Send contract to client before starting a job and post it on your
website translation course (professional services as freelancers.)

Checklist on Choosing and
Succeeding with Your
Specialization
1. Base your specialization on your previous professional experience. (For

example if you have worked in business, medicine, legal, etc.).
2. Pick an area that you enjoy researching and learning about. (If you feel
passionate about it, you will also enjoy it and become good at it.)
3. Know what you do not want to work with and exclude these areas. (If you
cringe at legal texts, for example, stay away from them and focus on
other areas.)
4. Follow the money – what areas are in high demand and pay well?
5. Consider your interests and hobbies – What are you good at? What do
you know a lot about?
6. The more specialized your language combination is, the less specialized
your area of expertise needs to be.
7. Read as much as you can about your specialization and embrace
continuing education
8. Find experts that can help you expand your knowledge in the area
9. The more specialized your target niche is, the easier it is to find the people
to market to in it.
10. Collect terminology and create glossaries to improve your specialization

How to Create a Successful
Freelance Business
YES NO
1. I have a clear vision for my business. I know what I want
to achieve
2. I know who my ideal clients are, based on my specialization

and who I enjoy working with
3. I have clearly defined goals for my business, based on my

vision. I know what I want to accomplish within a certain
time frame
4. I have a written business plan with steps on how to achieve

my goals
5. I have a written marketing plan with steps on how to reach

my ideal clients, with what method and when
6. I have a plan for continuing education in my craft and for

developing my business. I also have a mentor, mastermind
group or coach to motivate me and keep me accountable

7. I am committed to working on my business consistently,
either daily or weekly
8. I know what the most important income-bringing activities

are, both currently and for the future
9. I have dedicated ―working‖ hours and my friends and family

know what they are 10. I schedule in time for relaxation and
fun with family and friends to keep me motivated and avoid
burnout or dissatisfaction
I have a clear vision for my business. I know what I want to achieve
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I know who my ideal clients are, based on my specialization and who I enjoy
working with
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I have clearly defined goals for my business, based on my vision. I know what I
want to accomplish within a certain time frame
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

What Agencies Look for in
Translators Application - 12
Tips
How to apply:
1. Follow procedure indicated on agency website

2. Do not use contact information from directory listing, go to website and
use contact info there
What the agency checks:
3. If applying by email: Is language combination included in subject?

4. Does CV include language combinations, expertise and experience
5. Valid referrals and references
6. Memberships in associations and professional organizations
7. Is the application free from grammar mistakes and errors?
8. Translator’s website
9. Translator’s social media profiles:
 Is language combination included in profile
 Does the linguist stay away from badmouthing clients and
colleagues?
Once you have received first job
10. Always provide good quality, turn down jobs if too rushed
11. Respond to inquiries promptly
12. Stay in touch, show appreciation with Christmas card/gift

Checklist for Preventing and
Dealing with Customer
Complaints for Freelance
Translators
Preventing and dealing with Customer Complaints
Before:
1. Read all instructions carefully

2. Ask for reference material
3. Proofread your translation carefully before delivering
During a Complaint:
1. Keep calm! Step back and only reply once you are calm and don’t feel
defensive
2. Analyze the situation and try to put yourself in your clients’ shoes
3. Admit to any mistakes you have made
4. Ask for specific examples of complaints
5. Offer to resolve the issue, make it better or compensate for the mistake
Afterwards:
1. Don’t take it personally—move on—everyone makes mistakes sometimes

2. Decide whether the client is a good fit for you, both linguistically and in
terms of your respective working styles.

Finding
Clients

15 Networking Tips - A
Checklist for Translators
Before the Event:

1. Do your research
 Who will attend?
 What is the purpose of the event?
 Who are the organizers?
2. Have a specific objective for the event
 Who do you want to meet?
 How many do you want to meet? 3-5 strategic people is good
3. Prepare your ―elevator speech‖ or short introduction of yourself, your
company, preferably something that provokes further questions.
4. Prepare your tool kit – dress code, business cards, notebook
5. Prepare some conversation topics and questions in advance
During the Event:
1. Silence your phone
2. Greet the host and/or organizers
3. Listen more than you talk, focus on the person you are talking to
4. Offer value - How can you help?
5. Scribble notes on business card after conversation for follow up
After the Event:
1. Follow up with key contacts within 24 hours - email or handwritten thank
you note
2. Send materials you promised to send
3. Call or email within 2 weeks to suggest a meeting for those interested in
taking it further
4. Connect as appropriate on social media
5. Ask for referrals

Find your Best Customers:
80/20 Principle
80/20 Principle: 20% of your customers or prospects produce

80% of your sales
80/20 principle for existing customers:
1. Who bought most recently?

2. Who bought most frequently?
3. Who spent the most money?
4. Who do you enjoy working with the most?
= Your 20% of existing customers. Focus on these customers. Send them

Christmas gifts. Keep in touch.
80/20 principle for potential customers:
1. Do they have money to spend on your services?

2. Do they have an immediate problem that you can help them solve?
3. What big benefits can you provide them that others cannot promise to
provide? Your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
4. Do they have the ability to say yes? Did you find the decision maker for
the purchase?
5. Does what you sell connect into with their overall plans? Whatever you sell
needs to fit the potential customer’s natural, existing business.

6 Steps in Sales Process for
Freelancers
1. First initial contact

 Find any excuse to pick up the phone, evaluate, discuss, find out
needs
2. Issue quote
 Can you offer different packages or price levels?
3. Monitoring
 Follow up after quote
 Maintain contact
 Be prepared to negotiate
 Getting to a yes or a no
4. System/documentation for following up
 Date of last contact and next contact
5. Close the sale
 Limited time offer (in order to guarantee price or availability)
 If no: Ask why they chose someone else
6. Customer care
 Follow up after sale (any questions or feedback)
 Send updates on your work, new specialization, courses etc.
 Additional sales or up-sale?

9 Tips to Get More Clients
through Referrals
1. Plant seeds with your clients. Make sure they know you would like
referrals
2. Share success stories of how you have helped others
3. Be specific - Ask: who do you know that might be able to use your
services?
4. Thank the person who referred you and tell them how it went
5. Give referrals yourself
6. Keep clients and customers informed of what you are doing
7. Explore customer/clients networks on LinkedIn and ask to be
introduced to people you want to reach
8. Be a giver and stay in touch, for example through LinkedIn.
9. Once you get a referral, ask the referral source questions to qualify
the prospect

8 Tips for Improved Client
Communication
1. Determine the client’s communication style (email, phone, face-to-

face) and adapt to it.
2. Keep better records of your interactions. Save emails, record when
you talked to them over the phone or when you met them.
3. Pay attention to your communication tone, especially in email. It is
easy to be too brief and direct in email conversations. Reread email
before sending.
4. Be very specific with and record project terms and expectations in
advance and in writing.
5. Set appointments for communication so you can be more
prepared.
6. Really listen. I pay attention to what the client says, instead of
thinking ahead in the conversation.
7. Verify by repeating what client says and recording in writing
8. Keep it positive. Do not complain. Offer solutions.

Email Prospecting Checklist
for Translators
1. Is your goal to start a conversation and not to land a client?

The goal of email prospecting should not be to immediately land a new
translation job, but to get a connection and a conversation.
2. Is your subject line enticing?
Your subject line determines if your message gets read. Use a subject line
that gets to the point. The best subject lines accurately reflect the main
point of the email.
3. Have you researched and found a meaningful connection, and know how
you can help with your translation services?
The most important is to be authentic and transparent. Open the
message with for example: Your name was given to me because you sell
medical devices to France...
4. Have you eliminated words that cause reader to hit delete?
Here are some common ones: exciting, state-of-the-art, solution, partner,
leading edge, passion…
5. Is your message short and sweet?
Your email should be less than 90 words. Use 2-sentence paragraphs so it
can be scanned and do not include more than one link or attachment.

6. Do you have a time-bound call to action?
This should be tied to for example an upcoming event for your prospect or
you. Explain the next step. You might either explain how you'll take the
next step or ask permission to do so. You might write: Can I call you on
Thursday to explain how I can help you reach your market in XX country?
Or, I will be at the upcoming expo…
7. Do you have a follow up plan?
Make at least 5 connections over a 4-6 week time period, with each
contact building off the previous one. Provide links to resources. Spotlight
the value of changing from the status quo.
8. Does your email have the following:
A meaningful connection, value statement, link, reference or attachment
for increased credibility and a soft invitation to connect.

How to Use Referrals to
Market Your Business and
Get More Clients
1. Define your ideal clients: type of business, location, size, professional

memberships etc.
2. Plant referral seeds among your current clients: show interest, solve
problems, ask how you can help
3. Make sure your current clients know about all the products and services
you offer and how you can help
4. Give referrals yourself, this is one of the best ways to get one in return
5. Ask for referrals after receiving positive feedback; for example, I really
enjoyed working with you, and I’d like to find more clients like you, do you
know of any XX in XX industry that need help with…
6. Explain how referrals can benefit from your services
7. Make it easy: provide templates, write the message, send business cards
etc.
8. Thank clients for referrals
9. Make asking for referrals a continuous process, a habit

Website

10 Point Marketing
Evaluation Checklist
Right Mindset
1. Are you clear on what value you provide to your clients?

2. Are you clear on the expertise you offer and know you do not need to
compete on price?
3. Do you take every opportunity to offer you services with enthusiasm? (not
feeling like you are bothering people)
Right Tools
4. Do you have a clear and concise value statement/elevator pitch?

5. Does your LinkedIn profile and other marketing material highlight what
you do and who you do it for?
6. Is your website optimized to show the value you can provide, prompting
your ideal clients to say ―This is exactly who I need‖?
Right Scheduling
7. Are you working on your marketing 30 minutes a day?

8. Are you reaching out to prospects, introducing yourself, following up and
staying in touch?
9. Are you making an effort to meet your ideal clients in person?
10. Are you trying to stay in touch with everyone in your network (online and
offline), even if it is only occasionally?

Basic SEO Checklist for Your
Freelance Website
General Setup
 Install Google Analytics.

 Set up Google Webmaster Tools.
 Link Google Webmaster Tools with Google Analytics to get more insight
into how users are finding your site organically.
 Create a sitemap.xml file and upload it to the root directory of your site.
Submit your sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools for indexing
Keyword Research
 Make a list of all products and services you offer. How do potential clients
and customers refer to them? Come up with as many combinations of
phrases as possible.
 Get additional keyword ideas by using the Google Keyword Planner to
―Search for keyword and ad group ideas.‖
 Once you have a long list, enter all keywords into the Keyword Planner to
―See how they perform.‖
 Narrow down your list by looking for target phrases that have relatively
large volume (meaning lots of people look for them) while having
relatively low cost per click (meaning there might be less competition).
These are your target keywords.

Website optimization
 If you use WordPress – install SEO by Yoast. Other services have other, built
in SEO-tools.
 Write a unique title tag for each webpage, using one or more of the
target keywords you’ve assigned to that page.
 Be sure to include your business name. Keep the entire title tag under 60
characters.
 Write a unique meta-description for each webpage, using one or more of
the target keywords you’ve assigned to that page. Keep the entire meta-
description under 155 characters.
 Include a target keyword in each page’s URL.
 Link between pages on your site and use one of the target keywords
associated with the page you are linking to as (part of) the anchor text.
 Add ALT tags to the images to let search engines understand what visuals
users are seeing.
 Check Google Webmaster Tools for 404 errors, and correct via 301
redirects. Check your site’s speed performance with Google’s Page
Speed Tools, and look for areas or opportunity to make your site faster.
 Make sure your site is mobile responsive. See how your site appears to
mobile users with Google’s Mobile Meter.

Useful Tools and Resources
for an Optimized Website
Here are some useful tools and links to test your website performance and find
good keywords:
 Site indexing speed: Pingdom Tools ; Website Optimization

 Broken links
 Google keyword tool
 Word Stream keyword tool
WordPress Plugins
 WordPress SEO by Yoast

 WordPress All in One SEO pack
 W3 Total Cache (increases speed)
 Contact Form 7
 Akismet – for detecting spam comments
 Google Sitemap Generator plugin will generate a special XML sitemap
which will help search engines to better index your blog.
Social Media and Sharing
 Shareaholic
 Flare
 Share This

Multilingual in WordPress
Installing WordPress in several languages:
 Polylang
 qTranslate
 Xili-language
Multisite WordPress:
 Multisite Language Switcher

 Zanto
 Multilingual Press
Other nifty tools
 SEO Checker and Website review

 Free usability testing by other person

Social Media

LinkedIn Checklist for
Translators
LinkedIn Translator Profile
1. Professional picture
2. Professional headline including language combination and specialization
3. Location and industry listed
4. Custom LinkedIn URL so people can easily find you
5. Contact info with website address
6. Summary section filled out, including keywords
7. Skills and expertise section optimized for the skills you want to be known for
8. Appropriate education listed with keywords
9. Certifications, volunteer work, memberships
10. Joined appropriate LinkedIn groups
11. Asked for and published recommendations
12. Media added to summary section—for example slide share presentation

Finding and Connecting with
Clients on Twitter
1. Create a private Twitter list called ‖Prospects‖

2. Search for relevant keywords for your services
3. Find tweets where folks are talking about your services, product or
competitor
4. Add each person to the ‖Prospects‖ list
5. Do this every day
6. Create a column in Hootsuite or another Twitter client and populate that
column with the tweets from your ―Prospects‖ list
7. Filter the column so you can see only tweets with links
8. Create a spreadsheet to track all of the links you find, and note when
multiple people share content from the same site
9. After a while, you will have a solid list of online destinations your target
clients frequent. This shows you where to make

LinkedIn Referral Checklist for
Freelancers
1. In the Summary or Experience section, talk about your WHY. Why are you
excited about your business and the benefits you bring?
2. Make your Professional Headline benefit oriented (not your title).
3. Connect with all of your clients and centers of influence and make your
invitation to connect personal.
4. Post valuable information to your account at least once per week, either
your own or link to other sources or valuable information.
5. Use your clients' 1st level connections for possible introductions.
6. Once you identify possible introductions your clients could help you with,
take your request to connect offline, for more effect.
7. When you begin to suggest possible introductions to your clients, start by
acknowledging your connections.
8. Once your client has agreed to introduce you to one or more people,
formalize the introduction a bit by discussing method, message and time
frame.
9. Follow up with your referring client and make sure to thank them.
10. Try to reciprocate or give something back to a referring client. Let them
know how it went.

Marketing

Referral Marketing for
Translators and Interpreters
Getting More Referrals - Checklist
YES NO
Are your clients aware that you would like referrals?
Do your clients understand how you can help others -

tell success stories?
Are you specific when asking for referrals - ‖Who among

your clients can use this service‖?
Are you sending thank you notes for the referrals your received?
Are you giving referrals yourself? To clients and colleagues?
Are you keeping your clients informed of what you are doing?
(projects, courses, certifications…)
Are you making sure you frequent your clients’ world –

networking, staying top of mind?
Are you frequently asking for referrals? In email signatures,

brochures, conversations?

Checklist for Finding Your
Unique Selling Points
1. Find some of your biggest competitors or translators/interpreters in a similar

situation to you
2. Find ways that you are different from them by looking at:
a. Education
b. Work experience
c. Location
d. Years of experience
e. Courses
f. Places you have lived
g. Work procedure or systems (quality control)
h. Teams you work with
i. Services you offer
j. Portfolio
k. Personality/brand
l. Customer service
m. Speed
n. Language combination
o. Specialization

Inbound Marketing Checklist
Identity and Marketing
 Identify your target audience and talk to them

 Set goals for inbound marketing: number of visitors, clicks, interactions,
leads
 Clear company image, logo, tagline used consistently on all platforms
Website
 Your business, the value of your services and solutions clearly presented on
first page, above the ―fold‖
 Call to action on each page (contact me, click for sample etc.)
 Proof provided with samples and recommendations
 Use SEO optimization tool such as SEO by Yoast or All in One SEO
 Keywords used in meta tags, page description
 Site is professional, clean, loads fast and has no broken links
 Use analytics to track where your traffic is coming from, how visitors find
you
 Use compelling, high-quality images relevant to your business

Blogging and Social Media
 Website has a blog or news page that is updated regularly with relevant
content for customers
 LinkedIn account with complete profile, professional image, summary,
experience, testimonials
 Sharing content relevant to target clients on LinkedIn
 Member of relevant target client groups on LinkedIn – participating in
discussions
 Twitter account that is current and managed, sharing relevant info for
target clients and following target clients
 Use Twitter to demonstrate your knowledge of industry trends and news
 Add past and present clients to your social media networks
 Use tools to monitor and manage social media (Hootsuite, Google
Analytics, SumoMe)
Email
 Descriptive email signature with link to website – use as call to action

 Follow up regularly with clients to ask for feedback and inform of
availability and recent projects
 Ask where new prospects heard about you

Customer Avatar Checklist for
Translators
1. Who is your best customer?

2. Where are they located?
3. Are they male or female?
4. What is the average age?
5. What is their occupation?
6. What industry are they in?
7. What is the company revenue?
8. How many employees?
9. How many years in business?
10. What is your customer’s role in the company?
11. How do they make their purchase decisions? Drivers, barriers, time?
12. Where do they get industry information and news?
13. What are three problems your ideal customer is having that makes them
an ideal customer for your business?
14. How can your business help solve these problems? What value are you
providing to your ideal customers?

10 Questions for a Successful
Business Strategy
YES NO
1. Do you have a clear vision for your business – Do

you know ―how‖ your business is going to serve
your ideal market?
2. Do you have a written mission statement, stating

―what‖ you intend to achieve during the coming
year?
3. Do you have clearly defined goals that list want

you want to accomplish within the next weeks,
months and years? Do they have a beginning
and end date?
4. Have you developed a plan of action for accomplishing

your goals, detailing how you will promote your business
– Internet, professional networking events, email
marketing, social media, video, etc.?
5. Do you have dedicated ―office‖ hours?

6. Do you have mentors, coaches or masterminds to keep
you accountable, give you advice, suggestions and that
can help you move forward?
7. Have you committed to working on your business

consistently – full time or part time but not sometime
and expect to make money?
8. Do you know your most important moneymaking activities

and focus on them every day? Moneymaking activities
are those activities that will make money now or in
the near future.
9. Do you invest time and money on professional

development (continuing education, networking,
conferences etc.)?
10. Do you set aside time for fun and relaxation? All work and
no play can lead to burn out and dissatisfaction.

10 Tips to Generate Publicity
for your Freelance
Translation Business
Publicity is what other people say about your business, i.e. indirect marketing.
The aim of Public Relations is to create opinions and perceptions about your
business where it doesn't exist, reinforce existing opinions and perceptions or
change the opinions and perceptions of people whose behaviors affect your
business the most.
You achieve this result by reaching those people, persuading them and moving
them to act exactly the way you want them to act.
Here are 10 tips for generating publicity:
1. Create an SEO optimized multilingual website

2. Write press releases when something new or noteworthy happens with
your business
3. Write articles for publications your target clients read or that are related to
translation and interpreting
4. Get others to write about your company by providing them with
information, interesting facts and interviews
5. Network both offline and online

6. Ask for referrals and recommendations from your existing clients
7. Get involved in translation associations
8. Speak at local or national events targeted at your clients
9. Advertise your services in relevant magazines and on websites
10. Create a media kit

Future
Proofing

Successful Mindset for Your
Freelance Translation
Business
Successful Mindset for your Work
 Is your work Top Quality? Always turn in your best. Sloppy work is the sign of
a freelancing amateur. You don’t want your client to have to pay
someone else to fix your mistakes.
 Is your portfolio up to date? Your portfolio should reflect your best and
most current work. If your portfolio isn’t current, you look bad. You could
lose potential clients.
 Do you charge professional rates? Sadly, many freelancers charge far too
little for their work. While this may seem like a good way to get clients, it
can backfire if you can’t make ends meet.
Successful Mindset for your Marketing
 Do you actively market your business? Marketing is a key factor in getting

new clients. Yet, it’s often the first area freelancers let slop when they are
busy.
 Is there a website for your freelance business? The web has become the
place where clients go to find new project team members. It is your hub
for all online marketing and where you can provide more information to
your potential clients.
 Is there a logo for your freelance business? A logo for your freelancing
business can help transmit your brand. It also says that you’re serious
about being in business.
Success Mindset for Customer Service
 Do you listen carefully? Get a detailed scope from your clients. Ask
questions if you don’t understand what they mean. It’s better to ask and
be sure than to guess and be wrong.
 Do you respond to client inquiries quickly? If you wait too long to respond
to a client inquiry, you may lose an opportunity.
 Do you follow up? Follow up with your delivered work to make sure that
the client is happy and see if there is anything else you can help them
with.
Success Mindset for your Productivity
 Do you protect your health? Smart freelancers know that they need to
eat right, get enough rest, and balance their work life and social life.
Otherwise, you risk burning out.
 Do you have regular work hours? As a freelancer, you can set your own
work hours. However, that doesn’t mean you should put work off until the
last minute. Devoting a regular time to work can help.
 Do you have a dedicated work space? While freelance web designers
can work from anywhere, working from anywhere isn’t always the best
idea. Many freelancers get more done when they work from their own
office.

Success Mindset for the Future
 Are you tuned into new opportunities? A great thing about the current
business environment is that it is constantly changing. Change means new
opportunities if you’re tuned into the market.
 Do you give up easy? Many freelancing newbies are looking for instant
success. However, for most freelancers, success takes time. If you give up
easily, freelancing may not be for you.
Are you keeping up with new developments? There are constant changes to
web design and to many other freelancing specialties. If you don’t keep up with
the changes, your business suffers

5 Strategies for Those Who
Hate Marketing
1. Be clear about why you hate marketing

 Do you feel it is tacky? Do you feel confused about what to do? Are
you overwhelmed with all the choices?
 Action alleviates anxiety. If you’re feeling stressed about marketing
your business, get a marketing plan in place, learn about which
marketing techniques interest you, and trust your instincts when you
side step certain marketing practices.
2. Ask yourself, how much am I worth?
 If you don’t believe in the value you bring to the table, other
people won’t either. The difference is marketing! Marketing is simply
the way you tell the world that you’re valuable. It’s how you
educate the world about the value of what you know or do.
3. Do you feel that it is not worth the effort?
Here are some tips to make your marketing more successful, once you
have your plan in place:
 Communicate with prospects (clients) on a regular basis. Build a list
of clients and prospects and take every opportunity to position
yourself as a trusted resource to them.
 Deliver more value than your competitors. Value is often in the form
of help, so don’t be afraid to give prospects good tips.
 Take the risk out of working with you. People who don’t know you
usually don’t trust you. Address any concerns that a prospect may

have about contacting you and prove them wrong. Take the first
step in getting in touch with them instead of waiting for them to call
you.
 Market consistently. Avoid contacting prospects only when you
need leads or revenue. If you want to build trust and establish
yourself as a helpful resource, reach out to them for reasons that
benefit them more than you.
 Create an experience that pulls in clients. Most marketing gets
ignored because it’s boring. This can be an opportunity for you. Try
to solve problems, share tools, tell stories, ask and answer questions,
and be the one willing to do the unexpected. It can be as easy as
an attention-grabbing image or a headline that directly relates to
the customer’s biggest problem.
4. Use past experience
 List your last 10 –15 clients
 Rank them based on how much you enjoyed working with them
and how profitable they were for you.
 For your top 5 clients on this list, what marketing strategy was
responsible for bringing each of them on board?
5. Focus on the reward
 Focus on the reward you will get from doing the marketing. This can
be a new client, new contract, and more income to do something
fun… Make sure you efforts too. Treat yourself to something nice
when you have done your work.

10 Questions to See Where You
Are in Your Freelance Business
and How to Move Forward
YES NO
1. Do you have a solid business foundation?

2. Have you defined what services you can offer your
ideal clients?
a. Do you have a specialization?
b. Do you know who your biggest competitors are?
c. Do you know what your unique selling points are?
d. Do you know all about who your ideal customers are
and how you can help them?
3. Do you have a vision and some smart goals for your
freelance business?
4. Do you have a financial plan and pricing strategy?
5. Have you selected your favorite marketing tools to
reach more/ideal clients based on your current
situation?
6. Do you have a strategy for finding, contacting and
following up with your ideal clients?
7. Do you have a marketing plan?
8. Are you keeping your current clients happy?

9. Do you know who your 20% of clients are that bring you
80% of your income?
10. Do you know how to conquer feast and famine cycles?
11. What to do during busy times?
a. What to do during slow times?
12. Do you know how to manage your time and stay productive?

How to Get Unstuck If
Customers Can’t Find You or
Never Respond
Customers Can’t Find You

 You have not clearly described what problems you solve for them
 Your company doesn’t stand out from the crowd
 You have no memorable brand
 No compelling answer to what you do (elevator pitch)
 You are marketing where customers can’t find you
 You never follow up on your marketing to see what works
How to Get Unstuck

1. Establish a brand – a brand will ensure that your value stands out from
competitors and help you get found. What will the customer see and feel
when interacting with your company. What are your values and what
problems do you solve?
Answer the following questions:
 My company helps ________________ who are_____________

 My company is the best at _______________
If you are stuck, ask your current customers to describe your company or
services. Why did they choose you? What do they say about your
services? Why do they continue to be your customer?
2. Find out where prospects are discussing their issues and problems.
a. Go to Google, Yahoo or Bing and search for customer problems that
you target
b. Set up alerts online for when someone mentions your company or
services

c. Find the most popular industry magazines, blogs or forums and follow
them
d. Go to industry trade shows and ask what people read and refer to
most often for help with their businesses (follow Twitter hashtags for
these events).
The Prospects You Contact Never Respond

Problem: You contact the big companies that do not have time for you, or you
get a maybe and never hear back from them.
Solution:
 Forget maybe. Maybe is really a ―no, not now‖ from a prospect that
doesn’t have the courage, courtesy or money to say they are not
interested immediately
 Second best answer is ―no‖ (after yes of course). Try to force a yes or no so
you can move on
 Practice rapid release. Focus on prospects that truly want to buy and
have the money. Remember, selling is a numbers game.
 Realize that ―no‖ does not mean never. It just means ―not now‖. Put the
prospect in a contact funnel and remind them of your services, without
nagging.

Success Mindset Checklist for
Freelance Translators
1. Do you know the value you provide to your ideal clients? If you do not
believe in it, your clients will not either?
2. Do you know how you are unique compared to your competitors for your
ideal clients?
3. Do you focus on growth? This can be done by constantly trying to
improve your skills and services, but also working on finding better clients
and choosing what you work on.
4. Do you focus on marketing and finding clients, instead of comparing
yourself to others?
5. Do you set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and
time bound) that are a bit outside of your comfort zone?
6. Do you focus on offering value instead of selling?
7. Are you focusing on how you can develop and grow, instead of
complaining about clients, rates etc.?
8. Are you seeking out colleagues and friends that are positive, proactive
and inspire you?
9. Are you regularly trying to tweak your work habits to become more
productive?
10. Do you focus on areas of your work that you are good at? Areas of your
expertise? Are you outsourcing tasks you are not good at or do not like?

Time
Management

10 Time Management Tools
Keeping Track of Time and Notes
1. Rescue Time - helps you understand your daily habits so you can focus
and be more productive
2. Toggl - simple time tracking tool online
3. Focus Booster - a digital Pomodoro timer. The desktop and HQ timers sync
sessions to the web. Never fill out a timesheet again
4. Evernote - a suite of software and services, designed for note taking and
archiving. A "note" can be a piece of formatted text, a full webpage or
webpage excerpt, a photograph, a voice memo, or a handwritten "ink"
note.
5. Universal Password - allows you to store usernames, passwords, URLs and
generic notes in an encrypted database protected by one master
password.
Email Management
1. Unroll Me - identifies your subscription emails and neatly list them for you
2. Active Inbox - get things done by turning Gmail into a task manager
3. Rapportive - shows you everything about your contacts right inside your
inbox
4. Canned Responses - prewrite email responses and automate them

5. Gmail filters and labels - categorize your inbox and organize your
messages with labels and filters
For the sake of using universal tips, the email tools are for the free and universal
Gmail, but similar tools can also be found for other email clients

Checklist with Outsourcing
Ideas for Freelance
Translators and Interpreters
General Tasks
 Setup email filters to boost productivity

 Setup email templates
 Setup your email signatures
 Manage email auto responses and forwarders
Word Processing
 Convert files to PDF (PDF995 or Open Office)

 Contact management
 Create manuals/checklists/systems
 Bookkeeping and accounting
Desktop Publishing
 Create business cards

 Create brochures
 Create mailing labels
 Upload your designs to the printer (VistaPrint, Overnight Prints, etc.)
General Services for Product/Service Sellers
 Survey your customers

 Research new product/services
 Competition Research

Customer Service
 Survey customers (SurveyMonkey)

 Send customer thank you notes (Send Out Cards)
 Contact past customers with sales or special emails
 Manage customer database
Social Networking
 Post your promotional tweets/Facebook status/etc.

 Schedule Tweets (Social Oomph or HootSuite)
 Setup and manage a Facebook Fan Page
 Setup and manage your blog
 Setup and manage online bookmarking (StumbleUpon)
Online Advertising
 Help you track sales conversions (install Google Analytics or similar)

 Research websites that might be a good fit for promotions
Article Marketing
 Ghostwrite articles
 Submit your articles to online directories
 Submit your articles to targeted blogs/sites
Website/Blog Management
 Create your website

 Install your blog
 Add new content to your blog/site
 Manage comments and trackbacks on your blog Install plugins for your
blog (Akismet, etc.)
 Help you manage search engine optimization
 Build links to your site/blog

 Technical programming
 Research & contact possible guest bloggers
 Find content for your blog/site (PLR, Ezine Articles, etc.)
 Research for topics you want to write about Add and manage AdSense
spots
Media/Press
 Create press releases

 Submit press releases
 Develop a list of targeted media for your business
 Create a press room for your website
 Keep press room updated
 Research media opportunities
 Setup Google Alert for your name/business to track media

9 Tips to Work Smarter, Not
Harder
1. Have set working hours.

2. Find your optimal working rhythm and stick to it (Pomodoro, 90
minute intervals etc.)
3. Keep distractions at bay – set limits for email, social media and
family members.
4. Plan your day and week in advance – write it down and check it off.
5. Identify the most important tasks and do them first.

6. Take care of the ―frogs‖ first (tasks you tend to postpone).
7. Batch similar tasks together – email, errands, phone calls etc.
8. Focus on one thing at a time.
9. Learn to use your tools effectively.
10. Track the time you spend on your computer

A Successful Vacation for
Freelancers
Everyone needs a vacation—make sure to give yourself time every

year to be away from work
Take at least one whole week completely away from work every year
 This is important for your health, motivation and productivity—connect

with your family and friends
Prepare well in advance
 Pick a time and a place
Communicate with and prepare your clients
 Tell your regular clients well in advance of your time off

 Find a stand-in to refer your clients to
Plan for your return
 Let clients know when you will be available for projects again
Relax during your vacation
 Do not check emails on your phone every hour of the day, if necessary set
aside half an hour in the morning or evening for emailing
 Do something completely different than work, nurture relationships, your
body and soul

Welcome your clients back
 When you return, send a short note to your regular clients announcing
that you’re back at work

Other
Resources

Marketing Tips for Translators is the award winning
podcast where freelance translators (and interpreters)
find tips from fellow translators and other experts on
how to grow and thrive in their freelance business.
Marketing Cookbook for Translators is an easy to

follow guide for freelance translators looking to build
or grow their business, outlining all the marketing and
client retention strategies to make that dream a
reality. I wanted it to be as easy as following a recipe
in a cookbook. It is not just another book about
marketing. It’s specific to your niche, targeted to
your needs like a pinch of salt to a soup.
Marketing Tips for Translators - The Ultimate Collection

of Business Tips from the Podcast
Wonder how other freelance translators market their

businesses?
Effective marketing – of yourself, of your business –

can help you reach the next level of success. The
ideas and tools explored in this book have produced
positive results for translators at every stage in the
game and they will for you too.

A Step-by-Step Marketing Course for Busy Freelance
Translators
Two different tracks (beginner and experiences) and

two different general target markets (agencies and
direct clients), resulting in a marketing plan to find
and contact your ideal clients and create a thriving
freelance business. For any language combination
and location.
The Quick Start Guide to a Marketing Plan is a simple

20-page e-book. You’ll get expert tips on how to
assess your current business situation, define your
target market, create business goals, create a
marketing budget and calendar, and learn how to
track clients and follow up with them.
Quick Start Guide - 10 Steps to an Optimized Website

for your Freelance Translation Business
A 10-step Guide, specifically crafted for professionals

who want to have an online presence and use the
tools of online marketing as a freelance translator. This
book is a clear and comprehensive tool that helps
translators optimize their website in order to win more
leads, more clients and the advertising they need in
order to become a fully-fledged business.

Quick Start Guide USP: Finding and Using Your
Unique Selling Point When Marketing to
Translation Buyers - Seven-Step Process
Many of my students have struggled with

defining their own Unique Selling Proposition. This
is why I have compiled all of my best tips and
steps into an easy to follow e-book. If you follow
the steps outlined in this eBook, you'll walk away
with a greater sense of confidence, a solid
foundation for your marketing, and an effective
USP for your freelance translation business.

41 Checklist For A Successful Freelance Business

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What to Include and Not to Include in Your Translator CV

 Name and contact information

 Picture if not common for target market and if not professional

Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 6

Have you calculated your target income per hour, week,

Is this target income including administrative costs for freelancing?

Are you aware of average market rates for similar services?

Do you have a pricing range? Red-yellow-green zone

Have you created pricing and product bundles to remove

Can you communicate the value of your services in price

Do you know how to raise your fees?

Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 7

Effective Cover Letters

 Create a meaningful subject line: connect and peak

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 How to Write Effective Cover Letters

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Platforms to Use to Help Your Freelance Business

 Calendar for Scheduling and Planning (for example Google Calendar)

Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 10

Build a mastermind group to help provide insight and support for

SET A SPECIFIC TIME

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What the Agency Checks:

Once You’ve Received Your First Job

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Where to find them:

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1. Contracts you sign with translation companies

2. Have your own contract or terms and conditions

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1. Base your specialization on your previous professional experience. (For

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2. I know who my ideal clients are, based on my specialization

3. I have clearly defined goals for my business, based on my

4. I have a written business plan with steps on how to achieve

5. I have a written marketing plan with steps on how to reach

6. I have a plan for continuing education in my craft and for

Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 17

8. I know what the most important income-bringing activities

9. I have dedicated ―working‖ hours and my friends and family

I have a clear vision for my business. I know what I want to achieve

Copyright 2018@ Tess Whitty – www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com 18

1. Follow procedure indicated on agency website

What the agency checks:

3. If applying by email: Is language combination included in subject?

Once you have received first job

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Preventing and dealing with Customer Complaints

1. Read all instructions carefully

1. Don’t take it personally—move on—everyone makes mistakes sometimes

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Before the Event:

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80/20 Principle: 20% of your customers or prospects produce

80/20 principle for existing customers: