3D marketing – the importance of physically meeting potential clients

 

[conversation between three businesspeople*]

In the age of digital tools, Covid and high transportation costs, not to mention some wars in certain parts of the world, the norm, at least in business circles, has become to search and meet potential customers online. It is clearly more convenient in terms of time and personal exposure. Despite these advantages, in terms of making a lasting impression, physical contact remains more effective in creating business contacts. Admittedly, it does require some personal effort and time investment, which are the precise reasons for its impact. Not only is this type of contact effective, it is not difficult to find opportunities to meet both potential customers and colleagues both near and far.

The strength of personal physical contact, as compared to online venues, is that people can size each other up and create a strong impression of each other. While Internet interactions require less time and involve less personal risk , they are also far more forgettable. It difficult to obtain and retain an impression of a person on the basis of text or spoken conversation only. Personal meetings add the vital element of body language and face recognition. The name, face, body, personality and professional aspects of a person combine and form a strong image. That person may not need your service today but will likely remember the person with whom they had a conversation at a marketing event. Human beings still prefer to hire professionals that they have a basis to trust, however intuitive that trust may be.

It is true that to create such contacts, it is necessary to commit time and energy to leaving the comfort of one’s office. Business meetings can easily take up half of a day or take from precious evening time at home. Furthermore, unlike online communication, real conversation requires putting energy into a conversation, searching for positive questions and comments and putting effort to create a positive impression. For many freelancers, this task is quite intimidating. However, it is important to remember that social interaction can include not only conversation leadership but also asking questions and suggesting solutions, which are easier roles for quieter folk. Both potential customers and colleagues admire the skill of listening well and asking relevant questions. It makes the speaker feel important, an important part of creating a positive impression. Thus, even the less social skilled can successfully make business contacts in person.

The main focus of marketing activities of all kinds should be meeting potential customers. Most towns of even small size have various business groups of the BNI/Rotary Club type or other more focused forums. By participating in them, entrepreneurs gains contacts with numerous business customers they would not otherwise meet. On a regional basis, many banks and digital organizations, such as Easy in Israel, have periodical gatherings of participating business. It is worthwhile investing several hours in meeting other business owners, who have no problem with direct marketing as they are doing the same. The participant often receives a free meal for the small price of having to listen to some marketing speech. Another ideal venue are group meetings, notably conventions buisness fairs, whose partipants are our target audience, whether providers of a specific services, such as financial or service services, or share a common background, such as immigrants from certain countries and users of a certain service. A time investment in meeting these groups can produce great fruits. The best advice that I did not take when I started as a translator was “go to your customers”. It is still relevant.

Do not neglect your colleagues. While occasionally they are competitors, they are far more often sources of knowledge and jobs. No entrepreneur or even company knows and does everything. Thus, it is quite possible that these entities may need the service you provide at some time or another. Make the effort to make an impression before they require such a service. You will be first in their minds. Ideal venues include professional events such as conferences and lectures. One extremely effective way of making connections is to host a small get-together of similar professions. It is surprising how much knowledge and business can be attained over a cake and coffee. As the song goes, I get by with a little help of a friend. It is important to go out and make one from among your colleagues.

Digital marketing is here to stay.  At the same time, maybe because of the decline in use, personal marketing is not only more effective in creating positive impression but also far more efficient in creating business. It mainly requires investment of time and energy. To quote Oscar Wilde, the only thing worst then being talked about is not being talked about. Go out and try it.

P.S. I am practicing what I preach. I recently attended an event hosted by my bank for its business customers and made at least three meaningful contacts. I am also giving in-person lectures at the KTLC and ATA translation conferences in September and October, respectively.

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Language nonsense – phrases from a foreign point of view

 

[the Mad Hatter*]

People make language but don’t necessarily understand it. In other words, native speakers use phrases to signify a certain meaning even if the literal meaning of the words is not in alignment, never even noticing the contradiction. Foreigners, struggling to understand the language, then ask “why” questions, to which native speakers have no logical answer besides “because”. This phenomenon is not limited to English but applies to all human languages.

English is filled with strange phrases whose parts do not equal their sum. Why do slow up and slow down mean the same? Should the verb slow function like the volume button on a keyboard, i.e. more slow and less slow? Likewise, I cannot explain why a person drives a car on a parkway but parks a car on a driveway. This is extremely illogical, as Spock would say. Finally, consider the expression never mind. The word mind means “pay attention” as the phrase at rail stations mind your distance. However, I cannot grasp where the never came from. We use this phrase to express dismissal of a comment or event, similar to forget it. However, if I never mind anything, I would never get upset or listen to anything or anybody, which is not the essence of the expression. Thus, when asked by students about these and similar expression, my only answer is “never mind”.

Other languages are no less guilty of sloppy constructions. The French dis donc, literally means “say then”, but actually means “wow” or “what are you saying”.  As an example, if someone experienced an extraordinary event, the listening might say "dis donc". The Hebrew  שים לב [seem lev] means pay attention and is a common phrase in both writing and street signs. Yet, it consists of two words, put and heart, which, put together, do not reflect the use of the term. Similarly in Russian, the answer да нет наверное [da nyet navernoe] consists of three words: yes, no, maybe. In practice, it means I refuse but I have doubt[example credit]. These are merely three examples of myriads of accepted insanity in language.

Lewis Carroll and Dr. Seuss touched on this issue with their famous quotes about meaning and saying. Apparently, if native speakers understand each other, there is no need for strictly logical language. As for foreigners, these expressions are just another element of mastering a foreign language. In practice, nobody is going to change a language just to make it logical.

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Making price exceptions – a case study

 

[axe in wood*]

Quite recently, one of my longest-standing clients, a smaller translation agency,  contacted me and requested a quote for translation of a death certificate from Hebrew to English. The project manager wrote that the customer budget was limited and offered me two thirds of my standard rate. It is important to note that in recent years, I have received far less business from this agency. As I was in the quiet period of the feast or famine work cycle, I considered the pluses and minuses of compromising on my rate.

In theory, when deciding on whether to bend on price, three elements, among others, are relevant. First, the freelancer has to take into account how much work is coming in at that moment since more getting work  in busy times is less important than during a dry period. The second question is whether the customer is established or new. It can be good practice to show some flexibility with established customers as a way of strengthening the business relationship. On the other hand, new customers have this nasty tendency to come to the conclusion that the “exceptional” discount is the rule. Finally, when a special request comes after or during a large project, the translator easily makes up any “loss” that is incurred on the larger project. The supermarkets called this a loss leader. Thus, I balanced all these factors in my mind and made a decision.

I responded by telling the project manager that, while I understood the situation,  I do not compromise on quality and expect not to have compromise on price. What I was really thinking was that the difference in price was the cost of a coffee and croissant in many countries. Not only that, if I didn’t get the project, I still would be able to buy bread next month.

I did not get the project but did not lose the client either. In my opinion, there is a justification for making discounts in certain circumstances, but they are truly the exceptions.

 

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You are not alone – the benefits of student self-identification as a classroom activity

 

[university classroom*]

The first lesson of any course sets the tone for the whole class. The students size up the teacher and make assumptions about his/her approachability, flexibility and personality. After 45 minutes of technical details on the course, the students have identified the technical specifications of the teacher, often correctly.

Unfortunately, the process is a bit one-way. The teacher is focused on presenting an organized and comprehensive description of the course and providing the relevant information. In the first hour, at minimum, the students sit quietly and politely, with maybe a few questions from the more confident ones among them. In practice, the teacher knows absolutely nothing about the students except their names. They are literally a sea of faces.

I teach English to first-year engineering students from all departments at the Braude School of Engineering in Karmiel, Israel. I have more than 30 years of experience and have learned that, regardless of the students’ age, which in my case ranges from 18-30, learners that feel some connection with the teacher try harder and have a greater chance to succeed.

Our task schedule is rather tight, especially with the war-shortened semesters this year, in terms of the amount of material to be covered as we aim to teach four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Notwithstanding this pressure, I choose to dedicate the second 45-minute period of the first lesson to student self-introduction, which can take 30-40 minutes with a class of 30 students. I ask each student to state their name, what type of engineering they are studying, where they are from and something that makes them special, such as a hobby, skill or achievement. I always pose a short question after each introduction regarding some matter about which I am curious. I am aware that this activity is at the expense of a formal learning experience, e.g., articles and sentence structure, but I do not regret this choice as both the teacher and students receive far more benefit.

My benefits include:

1.   It slightly increases the chance I will remember their names although I tell them on the first lesson that I tend not to retain names (unless the students has a “special” personality or the name and face seem to match perfectly).

2.  More importantly, I catch of a sense of who they are in those few sentences, including their level of confidence and skill, emotional state and general personality.

3.  I quickly learn to appreciate and respect them as adults as I discover their amazing achievement as such an early age. I have had students that won awards in numerous sports, founded businesses and, in general, achieved more than I would have thought possible in such a short time as an adult. I may know more English than they do but they are far more talented than me in other areas. It teaches healthy humility.

The students also benefit:

1.     They discover the other students, especially the ones outside their department.

2.    They begin the process of believing that that they can orally express themselves coherently in English. Granted, it is a small step towards the final large presentation before the class. However, for many, especially the more timid among them, this success leads to more confidence.

3.    It allows them to express themselves as adult individuals and see how unique and talented they are. Chronical age and emotional age are far from identical. By being treating as an adult, they tend to take responsible for their actions, one of the key elements in effective learning.

For these reasons, I invest 45 minutes of class time to get to know my students, however slightly, as individuals. Learning is an activity that involves two parties, a teacher and a student, not merely a distant figure talking to the air. We are not alone, neither students or teachers, in this process. It is for teachers, who have the power to set the tone, to create the connection.

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