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Marketing member services ("Project Connect"), part 3: Premium job postings
Thread poster: Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
Sep 19, 2006

This is my third post on "ProZ.com for Employers", ProZ.com's new initiative to market the services of ProZ.com members to the world's top translation clients (translation companies and end clients both.)

"ProZ.com for Employers" -- or "Project Connect" -- is ProZ.com's top initiative currently, and it corresponds to the number one request we have heard from our members for more opportunities to meet truly desirable clients.

My previous posts on the topic are here:
... See more
This is my third post on "ProZ.com for Employers", ProZ.com's new initiative to market the services of ProZ.com members to the world's top translation clients (translation companies and end clients both.)

"ProZ.com for Employers" -- or "Project Connect" -- is ProZ.com's top initiative currently, and it corresponds to the number one request we have heard from our members for more opportunities to meet truly desirable clients.

My previous posts on the topic are here:

Marketing member services to clients - ProZ.com activities and how you can benefit.
http://www.proz.com/topic/54632

Marketing member services, part 2: Design and PR
http://www.proz.com/topic/55122

Announcing premium job postings

I post now to announce that we have created a category of job postings called "premium" job postings. What distinguishes these are that:
* The client meets a certain standard of desirability (we are retaining the right to bump undesirable opportunities down to "standard" status)

* The job poster has paid for the right to post the premium job

* There is a separate preference set for these. All members will receive notice, by default, of premium job postings for which they meet the criteria. Instructions are given on how to unsubscribe if you are not interested in these notices.
The first premium job has just been posted today. This is a real opportunity from a real client; Lexi-tech is the largest translation company in Canada. However, the system itself is in beta development, so we look forward to your feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Expect a gradual process

As I have cautioned previously, please do not expect this initiative to change ProZ.com overnight. Our new VP, Mike Kidd, is working hard contacting top clients, while the rest of the site team works on development and design, but it is going to take some time for the results to come in. However, if we are successful with ProZ.com for Employers, it will mean better opportunities, appearing more and more frequently, for you, our members.

Thanks in advance for your participation in this effort to boost our collective reach together as a community.
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Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:34
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
Big Step Sep 19, 2006

Good evening Mr. Henry

Let me say thank you for running the site in this way

I found this a great step

Best regards


 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Angioletta Sep 19, 2006

angioletta garbarino wrote:

Let me say thank you for running the site in this way

I found this a great step

Thank you very much, Angioletta. Every now and then we here in Syracuse try to work on something besides rules!

Seriously, though, Mike and the developers (Jason, Justin, Colin) are doing a great job, and a number of members have stepped forward to help out in helping to steer the design firm we've hired in making the platform attractive and easy to use for outsourcers. (I need to get back to them...)

In short, I am optimistic that this initiative could yield some results for the community--over time.


 
Monika Coulson
Monika Coulson  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:34
Member (2001)
English to Albanian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Exciting opportunities Sep 20, 2006

Henry wrote:

All members will receive notice, by default, of premium job postings for which they meet the criteria.


Thanks Henry, this is indeed exciting. As a member, I have a question: Will these Premium Job Postings be for Members only, or for both, Members and Users alike? Sorry if you have already cleared this up, I probably missed it.


MTIA,
Monika


 
Vladimir Dubisskiy
Vladimir Dubisskiy
United States
Local time: 23:34
Member (2001)
English to Russian
+ ...
highly interesting development Sep 20, 2006

This is great, Henry!

Look, do you want to ask members to contrbute with the names of some reliable, reknown outsourcers to ease the job Mike's doing?

I mean people have tested those providers already, so it could be a valid reference)

Looking forward for more developments - you just can not sit still))

Ohmmm..

Henry wrote:

This is my third post on "ProZ.com for Employers", ProZ.com's new initiative to market the services of ProZ.com members to the world's top translation clients (translation companies and end clients both.)

"ProZ.com for Employers" is ProZ.com's top initiative currently, and it corresponds to the number one request we have heard from our members for more opportunities to meet truly desirable clients.


 
Brandis (X)
Brandis (X)
Local time: 05:34
English to German
+ ...
Sounds interesting Henry Sep 20, 2006

Hello Henry,

What kind of implications would this development have on the members? Would the site then be functioning like a few i know escrow the payment from the participating customers and secure forward to the members. AS I have observed on a few sites all members are customers and all are service providers, those systems just rate all participants via a rating system. I cannot judge now how good or bad those are, but it just a thought of checking whether there would be some si
... See more
Hello Henry,

What kind of implications would this development have on the members? Would the site then be functioning like a few i know escrow the payment from the participating customers and secure forward to the members. AS I have observed on a few sites all members are customers and all are service providers, those systems just rate all participants via a rating system. I cannot judge now how good or bad those are, but it just a thought of checking whether there would be some similarity. Best Brandis
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Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Vladimir Sep 20, 2006

Vladimir Dubisskiy wrote:

This is great, Henry!

Thanks, Vladimir.
Look, do you want to ask members to contrbute with the names of some reliable, reknown outsourcers to ease the job Mike's doing?

I mean people have tested those providers already, so it could be a valid reference)

Yes! I'll ask Mike whether or not he thinks we are at that stage yet.
Looking forward for more developments - you just can not sit still))

I love your enthusiasm, Vladimir. But just so that none of those newer to the profession misunderstand, this is the kind of project--the project of expanding a client base--that one can expect to show results only over some period of time (and the degree to which we can be successful is not yet clear).

But your collaborative spirit, Vladimir (all these seven years), is exactly what will make this successful. Thanks!


 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Brandis. Sep 20, 2006

Brandis wrote:
What kind of implications would this development have on the members?

If we are successful, there should just be more, better, offers. Members who so choose will be able to subscribe only to "premium" jobs, so they will not be bothered as frequently by opportunities that they regard as undesirable.
Would the site then be functioning like a few i know escrow the payment from the participating customers and secure forward to the members.

That is not part of our plan at this point. Maybe someday, who knows, but not soon.
AS I have observed on a few sites all members are customers and all are service providers, those systems just rate all participants via a rating system.

Again, there is nothing so significant planned for now with "ProZ.com for Employers". What distinguishes "premium" job postings are only the things I wrote above. What is most significant about the project is that it is the first time that we have dedicated a full-time person to doing sales for our members.
I cannot judge now how good or bad those are, but it just a thought of checking whether there would be some similarity.

Thanks, Brandis.


 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
TOPIC STARTER
Members will have a greater advantage in premium jobs than in the general site Sep 20, 2006

Monika Coulson wrote:
Henry wrote:
All members will receive notice, by default, of premium job postings for which they meet the criteria.

Thanks Henry, this is indeed exciting. As a member, I have a question: Will these Premium Job Postings be for Members only, or for both, Members and Users alike? Sorry if you have already cleared this up, I probably missed it.

It is revenue provided by members that has allowed us to bring in Mike Kidd (one of the top marketing professionals in the industry) for this project, and revenue provided by members that allows us to undertake the supporting development and design. This being the case, it is only fair that members will have a very significant advantage when it comes to premium opportunities--even more significant than the advantage they enjoy in the site now (members already meet clients at 4x the rate of non-members.)

That said, if a premium client needs two Tigrinia translators, for example, and there is only one in our database who is a member [ like http://www.proz.com/profile/82521 ], you can be sure that we will provide a way for the client to reach the non-member service providers in the database, too (but only after the member has been considered).


 
Ralf Lemster
Ralf Lemster  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 05:34
English to German
+ ...
Sales pro Sep 20, 2006

Slightly OT, but still relevant...

What is most significant about the project is that it is the first time that we have dedicated a full-time person to doing sales for our members.

A truly seasoned professional, I may add: knowing Mike from his previous position, and having met him in Buenos Aires, I can only congratulate Henry on his choice.

Best, Ralf


 
Konstantin Kisin
Konstantin Kisin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:34
Russian to English
+ ...
very interested in how this works out Sep 20, 2006

As you know, I am a big fan of this idea. Let's hope it works out as well as I think it will

 
Anjo Sterringa
Anjo Sterringa  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 05:34
English to Dutch
+ ...
What is in it for the customer? Sep 20, 2006

I may have missed something, but why would the (desirable) client pay for the privilege to place a job advertisement? What is in it for the client?

And - what is a desirable client? I know what it means to me: a serious company with a serious attitude to translation, with general conditions that I find justified, with a proper quality assurance system in place (translator - proofreader - internal QA), with interesting projects in my fields, communicative PMs and last but not least,
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I may have missed something, but why would the (desirable) client pay for the privilege to place a job advertisement? What is in it for the client?

And - what is a desirable client? I know what it means to me: a serious company with a serious attitude to translation, with general conditions that I find justified, with a proper quality assurance system in place (translator - proofreader - internal QA), with interesting projects in my fields, communicative PMs and last but not least, willing to pay decent rates for decent work.

In itself, I think this is a good development, but it is still a bit vague to me. Please enlighten me.

Anjo
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Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 00:34
SITE FOUNDER
TOPIC STARTER
Replies to Anjo Sep 20, 2006

Anjo Sterringa wrote:

I may have missed something, but why would the (desirable) client pay for the privilege to place a job advertisement? What is in it for the client?

By distinguishing themselves, they will obtain a greater degree of attention from top professionals like you. Believe it or not, clients are willing to pay for improved access to top translators. (In other words, as Mike says, "you're worth it.")

This may sound odd to some, given all one hears on the web about auctions and downward spirals, etc., but the situation "out there" remains that finding truly talented translators is a challenge, even for the top companies in the industry.

We are also offering a revised platform that gives clients more signal and less noise, ie. a more convenient way to locate and communicate with candidates. This is an important part of the offering for clients.
And - what is a desirable client? I know what it means to me: a serious company with a serious attitude to translation, with general conditions that I find justified, with a proper quality assurance system in place (translator - proofreader - internal QA), with interesting projects in my fields, communicative PMs and last but not least, willing to pay decent rates for decent work.

Yes, all of that, plus reasonable payment terms and mabe some other things. We can define exact criteria together as we begin to bring in clients. For now, we are focusing on the best ones we can find. Lexi-tech is one of those.

To be clear: we have no intention of driving any client out of ProZ.com. But we have every intention of exercising control over what is labeled "premium"--and what is not.
In itself, I think this is a good development, but it is still a bit vague to me. Please enlighten me.

Thanks, I hope the above helps. Bearing in mind that things are still taking shape, please feel free to ask any other questions you have.


 
Brandis (X)
Brandis (X)
Local time: 05:34
English to German
+ ...
is a premium type better than the platinum Sep 20, 2006

Hi there

you said -
"If we are successful, there should just be more, better, offers. Members who so choose will be able to subscribe only to "premium" jobs, so they will not be bothered as frequently by opportunities that they regard as undesirable.
"
Would this mean that the customers and service providers can be more choosy. Is it a different or a higher level of membership. AFAIk a few websites treat all as service providers and seekers. They seek solely the s
... See more
Hi there

you said -
"If we are successful, there should just be more, better, offers. Members who so choose will be able to subscribe only to "premium" jobs, so they will not be bothered as frequently by opportunities that they regard as undesirable.
"
Would this mean that the customers and service providers can be more choosy. Is it a different or a higher level of membership. AFAIk a few websites treat all as service providers and seekers. They seek solely the service from rated people,but both parties pay membership and there is a site average project below which it will not be taken. This in my ideology would enhance a higher level of membership and at the same time bring sites posting to an acceptable average pay. I wanted to consult you along these lines some months back and probably a few other issues. I personally respect the idea, if it helps the community and especially design you have set up. It is truly good design.Best Brandis

[Edited at 2006-09-20 12:07]
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Can Altinbay
Can Altinbay  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:34
Japanese to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Probably the best news from Henry of late! Sep 20, 2006

I believe this will bring in more serious work. Some of it does make it to the jobs forum already, but having a category like this will surely motivate more serious offers, and I welcome it. Thanks, Henry and Mike.

 
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Marketing member services ("Project Connect"), part 3: Premium job postings






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