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Client Management – Overseas
Good day and a Happy New
Are you available to do any customer After Effects work? I have a 2 minute presentation that I need done. I have Adobe CS3 and I tried to merge 3 A.E. presentations into one, but it needs work. I was hoping to find a professional with an eye for advertising to help men out. The audio soundtrack is already done, so I just need visual work
This was an email I recieved this morning for a job offer.Personally I never have experience with overseas clients, and basically I don’t know where to start. A lot questions in is; How am I going to get paid?. How do I know if this really work? How do management the client revisions,comments…etc.What details should be asking this client? And Lastly how do I rate this??
This would my first time gig for overseas, any help would be appreciated, Thank you and happy new year.
https://www.youtube.com/user/marcdanielvillarin
Look on the Bright Side…
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4 Replies
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Mark-
There’s very little difference between doing business internationally than there is domestically across state lines. Namely, should you run into trouble getting paid using another jurisdiction’s legal system quickly becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
So just apply the same standards you would to any other stranger. 1/3rd on booking, 1/3rd on submission of 1st cut and 1/3rd prior to delivery of final master. Up until that last stage what you’re providing should have timcode or a bug burned into it so they can’t just walk with the product. UNLESS what they’re doing is fishing for ideas and will just take what you show them and try to imitate it. Then you may be hosed for the third or the second and third payment.
If they want to establish credit with you make it a requirement that they pay up front on the first few jobs while you check out their credit with other vendors — hopefully stateside vendors. But don’t assume that they are out to get one over on you. If you’re good (which your web video certainly is) it will be of benefit to them to have an ongoing relationship with you. Treat it as such an you can develop a valuable new client.
One good part of most international business is the culture of the wire transfer. When somebody pays you can know it immediately because your bank can confirm that the funds are in your account. That can be a lot more comforting than a check (cheque) which may or may not be good.
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I just finish my first discussion with the client, and I find that communication is a factor. Email proves to be really difficult when bouncing off comments and ideas to one another, sometime the message couldn’t get throuhj. It will really prove a challenge.
In regards with pay, I been inquiring to many banks, asking what will be the best solution for payments like this, and I haven’t even given an estimate to my client on how much it will cost him. Mainly I have no idea on what are the standard rates there in the states. I might scare him, if I cost too high, then again I might regret it if I cost too low.
https://www.youtube.com/user/marcdanielvillarin
Look on the Bright Side…
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Wire transfers from here costs $35 for the sender — at least from my bank, Bank of America. I believe it’s about the same from outside the US, coming in.
As to communication issues, that’s obviously a much bigger deal, especially when language issues are part of it. Go slow, be very clear in your own communications and avoid colloquialisms.
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your tag line is “look on the bright side”.
There is only one bright side. You get paid. There is only one dark side – you don’t get paid.
Give him a quote. Make it high. If he says “too much money” drop your rates BEFORE YOU GET STARTED. If he says “it’s still too much money”,then you know that you are wasting your time.
Bob Zelin
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