The market segmentation strategy for a language service provider (LSP) may involve serious triage of business opportunities, even to the point of rejecting prospective clients (see “How to Drive Translation Sales,” Mar11). A major reason for not working with a given prospect is low localization maturity (see “Localization Maturity Model 2.0,” Jan11). Why? Mature clients can be easier to service, but less mature prospects may incur added cost for onboarding and education in best practices. There is an upside: LSPs that market to evolving organizations may benefit from less competition, the opportunity to become entrenched, and exponential growth over time. This brief outlines a quick test to determine where a prospect falls on that continuum.

• Author
  Donald A. DePalma
  
• Categories
  Best Practices , Supplier Business Issues, Technology, Translation and Localization, Industry Providers, Technology Vendors
  
• Keywords
  Differentiation, Global content management, Localization, Localization maturity, Sales and marketing, Translation, Translation management systems