One thing I’ve noticed when evaluating websites and LinkedIn profiles for translators is how difficult it is for us to communicate the value we can provide. Instead, we focus on the features we provide, for example, our education, certification, number of years we’ve worked etc. It’s difficult for me too.

However, the area where a customer is really going to listen is when we make the shift from a self-centric pitch to a customer-centric pitch. The advantages they get by using your services, are distinctly different from the benefits they earn by using you as their freelance translator, and they want value from your specific translation services.

Features Versus Benefits and Why our Customers Need It

To really convince a customer that they need what we have to offer, we have to get them to understand the value of our translation services, rather than just the quality of it.

Think about when you’re buying a new car and trying to understand why exactly it is that you should get this car. The sales person tells you all about how this car is red, has 4-wheel drive, gets 30 miles to the gallon, and is eco-friendly. These features, while attractive, aren’t exactly identifying the benefit of buying that car. The benefits behind your purchase of this vehicle would consist of more solid, concrete examples of how it provides value to the specific individual. This would include things like how you will save hundreds of dollars on gas, travel quicker to and from places because of the need to stop less for gas, a smooth, bump-less ride so that you can drink your coffee on the entire drive, time saved because of the lack of a need for frequent servicing. Now I get exactly why this car will benefit me should I buy it.

This is where we, as service providers or businesses, really start to sell our services to your clients, to market our translation services to them. Instead of just making them understand our features and quality, we help them see just how their life will be easier or better simply because they chose you.

Helping Clients Find Value and See Benefits

When we’re really trying to sell our services to a customer, it’s important to take a step back and ask ourselves: what do I think they want? Try to step in their shoes and find just what it is that they really value. Then we can tailor our services or message to include specific benefits for that potential client. When they receive that sense of personalized focus and attention, they’ve become far more likely to appreciate and repeat or recommend our services. Customer loyalty and satisfaction is generated because that client feels they’ve been listened to and that we can respond according to their needs. Profitability, time, ease, environment, recognition ? if we really think about it, most clients’ needs and desires can be narrowed down to a pretty small subgroup of categories.

The trick to finding the benefits for our client comes from our ability to list our features, and interpret how those features will bring our client what they need from their translator.

Help your clients build a bridge between what you offer and what they need. Show them you listen to their struggles and concerns, and demonstrate that you’re responsive to their needs. Really help them see just why you offer the best value for your translation business, because you may not get another chance.

4 Steps to Find the Benefits our Features Provide

To make it easier for us to communicate our value to our clients, I wanted to share a step-by-step process to find the benefits in our features.

1. Make a list of all the features we offer

Think about your services and all the features you offer, and make a list of them. For example, translation, editing, proofreading, transcreation, localization, certification etc. Pick one or two that are the most important to your client and focus on them. In this case, I’ll focus on transcreation and localization.

2. Examine what each feature does

This is when we write a description of each feature. Example:

Transcreation: Adapting a message from one language to another, while maintaining its intent, style, tone, and context.

Localization: The process of adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market. Translation is only one of several elements of the localization process. In addition to translation, the localization process may also include: Adapting graphics to target markets.

By describing each feature in detail you get a better understanding for what each feature can offer a prospective customer, you can get to the benefit.

3. Connect the features to the customer’s wants and needs

How do your features relate to your customer’s pain points and goals?

If your brand already has customers, take a look at actual reviews, comments, emails, and any other user-generated feedback that you’ve received regarding each feature.

What are your customers saying they love about your service? How are they actually using it?

Here are examples for transcreation and localization:

Transcreation: Transcreation can help increase your global brand equity. It makes sure your intended message gets through to your target customer in the local country. With a message adapted to the local culture, you can make sure that your campaign is as successful as on the home market.

Localization: Increased market share and revenue, while strengthening the global presence and building a connection with local customers.

4. How does the feature create an emotional connection?

No matter how big the company is, or how logical the buyer is, they are still affected by emotions in purchasing decisions. Here there are no right or wrong answers. It all depends on the customer, but here are some examples again:

Transcreation: The customer will feel confident that the message they want to convey reaches the target customers. They don’t have to worry about making cultural or linguistic errors that may be at best funny, at worst offensive on the target market.

Localization: The customer will feel secure and relieved that the software works just as well on the local target market, excited about increased profits.

I hope these steps will make it easier for you to communicate the value of your services. These may not be the best examples since it’s not easy for me either. Feel free to comment or give suggestions.

To help you, I’ve created a worksheet with 9 questions you can ask to find the value you provide with your services. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you for free:

Benefits enable you to connect with your target audience emotionally and help define what you will help them with. From a marketing perspective, benefits allow you to address specific problems that consumers have and directly answer with how the product or service will solve them.