Dylan got it right-the times really are a-changing. Back in the glory days, a company without dedicated business development personnel or account managers scored zero points with potential clients. But now, as belts are pulled ever tighter, the stripped-down approach has become ... well ... trendy. It's not hard to imagine localization sales guys courting client reps with litanies of all they DON'T have!
Meanwhile, the client's localization managers are busily trying to figure out if they are overpaying the vendors and if they can drive costs down any further. But where once you could learn all sorts of things by rifling through a company's trash, nowadays most of the trash is electronic (with a cute little desktop icon), and getting into a recycle bin involves hacking through sophisticated security systems. Let's not even get into the legal implications of that... Instead, here's an easy checklist for anyone contemplating placing a hefty work order with an unsuspecting vendor:
- If there's a huge, hip reception area and the premises are really flash, you're paying too much. Or maybe you came in the wrong door.
- If there's a mob around the water coolers, you're paying too much. Or these guys are just really thirsty.
- If there are a bunch of shiny, new vehicles in the parking lot, you're paying too much. Or they may belong to your company. Check the license plates and the glove compartments.
- If you can't find the place at all, you're probably paying too little...
- If most of the staff is wearing light-colored woolen clothes and making peculiar bleating noises, they may be smoking something, in which case you're definitely paying too much. But then again, they could just be celebrating the New Year 2003, which is the Year of the Sheep.
Happy New Year, anyway!