Dutch-to-avoid-travel-strategy – De Pitchcoach

#durftevragen For 25 years, before I became an entrepreneur, I travelled at least 15-20 hours a week to and for my corporate jobs. In cars, on commercial airlines, even in military planes. I hated it.

So when I started De Pitchcoach, I decided that I would do my 1-on-1 coaching from my office in Utrecht, right in the middle of the Netherlands. And that I would only give group sessions and lectures in the Netherlands. Unless, obviously, someone was inclined to fly me in with their private jet.

So logically, I decided to make everything  (website, presentations, brochures) in Dutch. Even though I’m bilingual.

Soon the cracks in this Dutch-to-avoid-travel-strategy started to appear, however.

Digital translations

First, I was asked to give a course on speechwriting for an international groups of women in France. Online. So I made an English-language presentation to aid the course and translated my digital hand-outs into English. No problem.

Printed hand-out

Then I got a call from a Dutch charity organisation based in The Hague, who needed a training for their fundraisers who come from all over the world. Could I do that in English? Sure, I already had quite a bit of the material in English.

And in order to perfectly cater for this mixed Dutch/English-language audience, I asked my designer to turn my bonus hand-out “De Spiekbrief”(with the four must-have elements of a Perfect Pitch) into a dual purpose document. Dutch on one side, English on the other. On glossy paper. No problem.

Quotations

Then a big Dutch bank called, another international charity and a large software organisation. All based in the Netherlands, with training locations in the Netherlands, but with English as their working language.

So I turned the ‘English’ option on in Moneybird, my bookkeeping software, in order to send quotations in the appropriate language.

But I always apologized that the accompanying brochures are in Dutch. It was no problem.  “Oh, I can read Dutch” or “my colleague can read it” were standard reactions. But I didn’t really like having to say that.

Masterclass brochures

So two weeks ago, I sat down, translated my two training brochures and sent them to my designer, Willem van de Bos. And Thursday he came back with two beautiful brochures for the masterclasses Present Perfectly and Write your Pitch.  

Happily, I felt like I could lean back and enjoy this new accomplishment.

Bilingual website?

But there is no rest for the wicked. As three days later, on Sunday, I got an email from a leadership coach in my network, referring one of his clients to me. In English. Ending the email with the words: “Her English is fluent, although her website isn’t yet.” From no problem to new problem.

And this week at the Exact Marketing & Sales Summit where I gave a workshop “Body Language that Works”, two people approached me afterwards to tell me that they were disappointed that they couldn’t read my Dutch language website.

#durftevragen

So now I wonder. Should I also get a bilingual website? What is your experience with that as an  entrepreneur working from the Netherlands? Let me know at info@depitchcoach.nl