Recently in Marketing Category
My blog is configured so that I moderate the comments. Otherwise, it would be overloaded with spam comments too ridiculous to repost here. As I was approving comments tonight, I saw this legitimate one attached to the entry titled A Plan to break into voice-over. Even though I usually don't provide career advice on an individual basis, I felt inspired to answer this question as its own entry.
Hi Karen, I took Paul Armbruster's Intro to Voiceover class, been through the various levels of classes with Della Cole and also produced a demo. I met with one agent who told me I needed to get rid of my NY State accent, so I sent to two different "accent reduction" coaches and am now at a standstill. I know I need to market myself but should I redo the entire demo or just have one produced with a couple commercials in my "neutral" voice? Your website and blogs are very informational. (BTW, I am now reading Secrets of Voice-Over Success...) Thanks again! D. J.
"Much of your work in a voice-over career is going to be in managing the business aspects of the job, which starts with your good demo. I recommend that you consult only a few trusted advisors in whom you have confidence; otherwise, you can get too much input and spend too much time perfecting your demo and not enough time marketing it."
Hi Karen, I took Paul Armbruster's Intro to Voiceover class, been through the various levels of classes with Della Cole and also produced a demo. I met with one agent who told me I needed to get rid of my NY State accent, so I sent to two different "accent reduction" coaches and am now at a standstill. I know I need to market myself but should I redo the entire demo or just have one produced with a couple commercials in my "neutral" voice? Your website and blogs are very informational. (BTW, I am now reading Secrets of Voice-Over Success...) Thanks again! D. J.
Several things came to mind as I read this question, and none of them is a short -- or even direct -- answer to the question. First, I can't really answer the question about the demo since I haven't heard it, don't know how old it is, and don't critique demos for other voice talent. In the post I just referenced, I concluded with these comments that definitely apply to D. J.'s situation:
"Much of your work in a voice-over career is going to be in managing the business aspects of the job, which starts with your good demo. I recommend that you consult only a few trusted advisors in whom you have confidence; otherwise, you can get too much input and spend too much time perfecting your demo and not enough time marketing it."
Before asking about re-doing her demo, she wrote: I know I need to market myself but... Here again, I don't know how much marketing she has actually done to know whether her current demo is effective. I refer her back to these entries for some ideas and questions to help her analyze her marketing plan and her demo promotion efforts:
Last week, I read an article by C. J. Hayden, author of my favorite and most highly recommended marketing book GET CLIENTS NOW!, titled What's the Missing Ingredient in Your Marketing? that also may be helpful to D. J. or anyone else struggling with their next step.
Reading between the lines of her message, though, I had a sense that D. J. might feel on some level that her efforts are in the category of "not good enough". That's the point that I really wanted to address today.
I actively listen to both radio and TV commercials, and I encourage you to do the same thing. I often hear commercials with females who have a speech pattern that I find especially irritating to hear. It's that flat, back of the throat kind of sound with words ending on a higher pitch -- it's a dialect I call "upspeak". It reminds me of California Valley Girls of the 80s, especially the way they pronounce words ending in -ER.
It seems that many women in the under-25 crowd have adopted this sound as their own. I suspect they are emulating someone they heard on a TV show because I hear that upspeak dialect even when in the mall or at restaurants. I felt that if I didn't sound like those women, I couldn't be marketable for national ads. Also, the majority call of national ads call for younger voices, so I could think that's 2 strikes against me before I start.
The other big trend I hear is in the 25-35 year old age bracket. These women always seem to have that "crinkle" in their voice -- that little trace of gravel on certain key words. I don't know if it's done intentionally to meet specs calling for "quirky" voices or these women speak that way all of the time.
Whether it's the upspeak dialect or the quirky crinkle texture that a producer wants to hear, I would never book that job. I decided to embrace my own speech patterns after my coach Nancy Wolfson gave me these pearls of wisdom:
- You have to trust that you are ENOUGH. After undergoing voiceover training, you deserve to be there -- at the audition, in the session, on the finished product.
- Don't apologize for anything that you bring to the table.
- If you have an agent who is sending scripts to you, your agent thinks you meet the specs.
If you're concerned about an accent, you can do one of 2 things:
- Work with a speech/dialect coach to reduce it
- Embrace it
Option 1 is certainly viable, and you should be unashamed to pursue it. However, there's also no shame in embracing an accent. In fact, you may be able to garner a lot of work in a regional market.
Training, a great demo, and a marketing plan will only take you so far. To achieve your voice-over dreams, you'll need to set aside the self-doubt and know that you are ENOUGH!
Thanks to all of you who read my voiceover blog and write meaningful comments! I'm always pleased to find real comments from aspiring and professional voice talent sprinkled among the inane drivel like this, which is only posted to be a link to a site unrelated to voice-over:
A few days ago I found your blog and have been reading along quietly. I decided I could leave my opening comment. Im not sure exactly what to write except that Ive loved reading it. Nice site. I shall carry on coming back to this site now and again. I have also grabbed the RSS feed for updates.
For knowledge is limited,
whereas imagination embraces the entire world,
stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.
-- Albert Einstein
Web sites depict a small corner of one's imagination, especially when branding yourself as a voice talent. As a voiceover artist and a person, I continue to evolve, gaining knowledge and skills to be of service to clients, family, and friends, as well as those who are interested in becoming voice actors. My web site and changes in my unique selling proposition (USP) reflect the progress in my evolution. I'm reviewing them here with you in hopes that this post will spark your imagination in your own evolution as a voice talent.
After starting my business in 1999, I quickly realized that a web site would be a necessary means of attracting clients. I designed and maintained the first version of my site. Yes, it is quite colorful, but at least I used a consistent font throughout my web site and on all of my printed materials.
Karen Commins' voiceover web site version 1 (circa 2000-2005) -- snapshot from 12/14/2002
As my voice-over business grew, so did the functionality and information that I wanted to include on my web site. I decided an upgrade was order but didn't have the time to personally develop the site. However, its design was still a production of my imagination. When you rolled your mouse over the microphones next to each menu choice, a little ON AIR graphic appeared above the menu option.
Note that I still use that graphic as the little, custom picture that appears on the address line in your web browser. This picture is generated from a file on my site named favicon.ico. The advantage of the favicon.ico is that it helps your site stand out among your clients' many bookmarks. This article provides a good explanation of the favicon.ico and how you can create one for your site.
Karen Commins' voiceover web site version 2 (circa 2005-2009) - snapshot from 10/18/2009
Like you, I've read all kinds of advice about not including a picture of a microphone on my web site. People in creative industries, especially in advertising, consider microphone pictures on voice talent web sites to be tacky and outdated. While I'm sure that's true, no one ever said that they didn't want to hire me because I had a microphone on my site. Of course, I don't know whether it actually drove people away.
One thing that I do know is that you should choose your USP wisely. My original USP was STAR quality voiceovers performed within your budget! The good news is that this USP attracted clients. The bad news for me was that the USP generally attracted clients who were shopping for voice talent solely on the basis of price. As I wrote in a previous entry, I have so much to offer my clients that competing only on price is not an option.
When I moved to my second web site, I changed my USP as well. At times, I used the line on my site: People don't have time to read. That's why you need me.
However, a USP or tag really needs to be a short, memorable phrase. I later promoted myself with the tag Eloquent voice to enlighten and entertain. (I admit it; I love alliteration!) This tag took the focus off of price and emphasized something about my thought process and speech patterns, but does it really describe my voice? Probably not. Does the tag really need to describe my voice?
I thought about the answer to that question during intense coursework spanning over 2 years with my wonderful coach and branding expert Nancy Wolfson at BrainTracksAudio. I concentrated on learning to analyze patterns in advertising copy so that I could provide bookable and consistent interpretations. Through my lessons with Nancy and her delightful associate, acting coach Jeff Freeman, I also learned once again that other people don't hear us or think of us the way we think of ourselves. My voice is only one part of me, and my branding efforts need to encompass the whole person.
Finally, I finished my coursework and was ready to create a new commercial demo. I stopped marketing my previous commercial demo in September 2007, so reaching this point was particularly exciting to me. On 10 April 2009, I was very excited to walk through the doors at Creative Sound Concepts here in Atlanta. Although I had talked with owner Spencer Herzog through the years, I had not had the opportunity to visit his fabulous studio or work with his great team. I was there in April to record my long-anticipated -- and, might I add, AWESOME! -- new commercial demo under Nancy's direction.
My commercial demo was produced by Rick Santizo at Santisound in Los Angeles. Bill Morrell was my gracious and very capable engineer in Atlanta.
As a technical side note, SourceConnect, rather than ISDN, was used to connect both studios. I had unplugged my ISDN line almost 2 years ago due to lack of use. I haven't had any requests for SourceConnect other than in my demo session. However, I may acquire an account as it seems to be an affordable alternative to ISDN, and it is gaining a larger presence.
With my new demo in hand, the next step was to create an image that would match my voice, style, and personality. Nancy recommended that I work with the very talented Jason Sikes, graphic designer and owner of Village Green Studios in Los Angeles.
Nancy played my demo for Jason and discussed her views of my brand. Leaving my branding image to Nancy's and Jason's imaginations allowed these 2 creative geniuses to develop an amazing new image that represents me on multiple levels!
Karen Commins' current voiceover web site -- version 3 now on-line as of 10/18/2009
This new image is better than I could have imagined! I have not met Nancy or Jason in person, so I was thrilled that they proposed this image. Even more gratifying, some friends had the instant reaction of "Oh, that's so YOU!" :)
In the last year, I've contracted my brand and web domains to my name. The best part of this entire process is that now my commercial demo, my web site, my printed materials, my slate on auditions, my salutations, and my USP work in conjunction with each other and allow me to fully promote myself with consistent branding elements:
- My printed materials like note cards and business cards have the same luscious image. With this design, you know that I'm also planning postcard mailings!
- I slate my auditions with "Greetings from Karen Commins".
- My salutations on e-mails, forum posts, cards and letters is "Greetings" rather than "hello", "hi", etc.
- My USP is now A Vacation for Your Ears.
Being a professional voice talent means that I'm opposed to static, whether it's on the airwaves or in my career. And Einstein was right -- imagining something better in my branding efforts has always stimulated greater progress and my continual evolution, not to mention more clients!
Since I recently began including my Twitter entries in my blog, I thought you might enjoy reading this interesting article in the Nashville Business Journal. It highlights the success stories of several businesses in using Twitter to build their brand and their business. Voice talent will find some ideas for implementation in your own marketing plan.
Refashion. Reorganize. Remodel. Repair. Revise. Reinvent. Reshape. Reform. Rearrange. Repurpose. Revamp. Renew. Revitalize. Rejuvenate.
No matter which word you pick, you now know what my web site designer and I "R" doing, which explains why I haven't posted a blog entry in over a month.
No worries. I have so many ideas about voiceover and marketing still to discuss! I appreciate your patience during my web site renovation and promise to return with new content later in the month to reclaim my place in the voiceover blogosphere!
edited to add photo credit: Skip ODonnell/iStockPhoto
Ralph seemed more interested in talking about himself than in finding out about us. We quickly learned that Ralph is an artist who paints geometric designs on large canvases. He handed me his business card, which had a picture of one of his paintings and the verbiage to look for Ralph on Google. I was a bit surprised that Ralph reached for his card to take it back from me when we parted company.
I told Ralph that I love art, and I asked him how long it took him to create a painting. He replied, "that's my secret." Perhaps I was just making conversation, but for all Ralph knew, I was thinking of commissioning him to create a painting for me.
As he talked, Ralph told us that he had sold his art in Beverly Hills galleries; maybe he thought we would be impressed. He then segued into a tale of a sale that made me want to bail on that male. (Sometimes I amuse myself.) A buyer at one of these Beverly Hills shows wanted to buy a painting that he had priced at $1200 and asked him to cut his price to $700. After he agreed to the price cut, the buyer wrote a check. It turned out that the buyer was Paris Hilton's mother, and she planned to give the painting to Paris as a present. Ralph said that if he had known the identity of the buyer, he wouldn't have cut the price.
Five marketing lessons were once again made clear to me that evening when listening to Ralph. Did you catch them?
1) In a service-oriented business and in life overall, you can only be of service to others if you listen more than you talk.
Like Ralph, many people find themselves to be a favorite topic. Whether I'm socializing personally or networking as a professional voice talent, I ask questions of the other person. When you find out about another person, you are forming the foundation of a relationship. Talking about yourself just seems a self-centered way to pass the time.
You'll remember that I had expressed interest in Ralph's art. As an artist and presumably an entrepreneur, Ralph should be open to prospective clients coming from any source. We voice talent also need to be aware that the next job could come from someone to whom we haven't marketed. In fact, I have noticed that when I put energy into a focused marketing plan, the next job comes from someone out of the blue. I believe that whatever you put out into the world comes back to you, and usually it's in a way you didn't expect.
2) Be as open and willing to explain your work to someone who expresses interest.
It was odd to hear Ralph tell me that his time was his secret, and that remark alerted me that I shouldn't ask any other questions about his work. Whenever people ask me about voice-over, I am more than happy to answer their questions. I also think it's important to educate people about the time required for a project so that they will better understand my pricing.
In addition, I am a firm believer in self-promotion, especially in an industry like voice-over, with new entrants every day. Most of my voiceover work has come through self-promotion. As I tweeted on Twitter (you can follow me at Twitter.com/KarenCommins) a few days ago, this quote from W. S. Gilbert sums up my view on self-promotion:
your merits you're bound to enhance;
You must stir it and stump it,
and blow your own trumpet,
or trust me, you haven't a chance.
3) When you hand your business card to someone, you shouldn't expect to get it back.
I read a job hunting book once in which the point was made that every good salesperson always has something to leave behind. In some cases, the only thing you can leave is your business card. The whole reason to have business cards is so that someone can remember you. I carry my cards with me almost everywhere I go; you never know when a conversation about voiceover might occur. I admit I don't have them with me when I'm sitting in a lounge chair on a cruise ship. However, I do have them in my cabin and would follow up with anyone if the situation warranted it.
Since Ralph had a card with him, I would think he would be happy if I kept it. If I had his card, I not only would know his last name, but I'd know how to contact him if I decided I wanted one of his paintings. Ralph may have kept his card but lost a potential sale.
While I'm on the topic of business cards, I thought you might like to see a gallery of business cards from voice talent. Clever marketer and fellow voiceover artist Peter O'Connell recently asked voice talents to send him an image file of their business cards. You can see them on his web site. I'm also posting my current business card on this page.
4) Having your own web site and owning your domain name is becoming increasing important in cementing your identity in your prospects' minds.
While I didn't have Ralph's card for long, I had it long enough to see that he didn't have a web site. His card had the instructions search for Ralph on Google. I did a Google search for "Ralph artist". Since I don't even know Ralph's last name, I don't know which of the 7,180,000 results relate to the guy I met on the ship.
Many voice talent use their profile page from one of the voiceover pay-to-play sites as their web site link. Some kind of personal web site is better than Ralph's, but it is not the most effective strategy for your business. If you want people to remember you and come to you when they need voice talent, why would you market yourself as one of thousands of talent all vying for attention at one site?
I also don't recommend using personal web space from your ISP because it includes the ISP domain name, and the long link name can look like voiceover is your hobby. It's worth the money to own your unique domain name and create your web site. Whether on my business card, my e-mail signature, or anything I distribute to potential and current clients, I include only the link to my own site and my Twitter address.
5) When you cut your price, you are the one who bleeds.
I couldn't believe it when Ralph said he cut his price at a Beverly Hills show. Think about it -- he was standing in one of the most affluent areas in the world, yet he caved and sold his work for almost half of his original price! He immediately regretted cutting his price when he realized that his buyer easily could have afforded something even beyond his original price.
I don't fault his buyer or anyone for asking for a price cut. We all ask that question at some point, especially in a situation where we think the price is negotiable.
Since many people assume that voiceover is no more difficult than talking, buyers of voiceover services perceive our prices to be negotiable and typically ask for a price reduction. In responding to such requests, I'm always reminded of Pork's answer in this scene from Gone With the Wind (as transcribed directly from the screenplay of the movie's final shooting script published in 1989):
Pork: Miss Scarlett, ma'am . . . Ah gotter know how much money hav' you got lef'. In gol'?
Scarlett: Ten dollars. Why?
Pork: Dat won' be ernuff.
Scarlett: What in Heaven's name are you talking about?
Pork: Well, Miss Scarlett, Ah seed dat no-'count white trash Wilkerson dat useter be Marse Gerald's overseer here. he's a reg'lah Yankee now an' he was makin' a brag dat his carpetbagger frien's done run de taxes way up sky-high on Tara.
Scarlett: How much more have we go to pay?
Pork: Ah heerd de tax man say t'ree hun'red dollahs.
Scarlett: Three hundred! Might just as well be three million! But we've got to raise it, that's all!
Pork: Yas'm . . . How?
Scarlett: I'll go ask Mr. Ashley.
Pork: He ain' got no t'ree hun'red dollahs, Miss Scarlett.
Scarlett: I can ask him if I want to, can't I?
Pork: Askin' ain' gittin'.
If you feel tempted to compete solely on price, you might want to read another post-vacation story titled Cruising for a competitive advantage.
Will these lessons from Ralph the artist help you in marketing your voice-over business? I look forward to reading your comments on the blog!
If you follow me on Twitter (and if you don't, what are you waiting for?), you might have seen these 2 recent tweets about restaurants and not realized they could contain significance to you as a voice-over talent:
Drew and I eat out several times a week. When I find something I like at a particular restaurant, I almost always order the same thing on each visit. For the longest time, my choice of chicken fingers was at Chili's. I would ask them to cook the chicken using the Awesome Blossom batter, and I'd request the Blossom dipping sauce. The Blossom batter and sauce combo gave the chicken a real kick.
Last year, O'Charley's introduced its Pretzel Crunch Chicken with dijon dipping sauce, and I had a new favorite restaurant for chicken fingers. In addition to a distinct taste, the pretzel coating added texture to the chicken. I would order the Pretzel Crunch Chicken practically every Sunday. We always ask for the same server, so I didn't even have to place my order. She knew I wanted Pretzel Crunch Chicken.
You can imagine my tremendous shock disappointment to discover last week that not one but both restaurants removed from their menu the thing that I liked best at each place! To put my thoughts in perspective, let me share another recent tweet from Todd Schnick, a bright Atlanta marketer whose tweets and blog posts I enjoy:
Once I learned about O'Charley's menu change, what did I do? I went back to Chili's. Now that I know Chili's has also removed the Awesome Blossom batter and sauce, I'll be looking for some other restaurant to thrill me with a tantalizing flavor of chicken fingers.
If you're waiting for a take-out order based on my restaurant experiences, here are two entrees for your consideration:
1) If you change your menu of available selections, you can expect your client list to change.
I stopped marketing my commercial demo in September 2007. Since that time -- and not surprisingly -- few people who have visited my web site have asked me to voice a commercial. I expect to receive regular inquiries about voicing radio and TV commercials once I complete my new commercial demo in April under Nancy Wolfson's direction.
I don't try to be all things to all people or market myself as a voice all projects from promos to phone prompts. However, I do think it's important to have and market demos for each of your niche markets. If a prospective client visits your site, they will soon leave if they don't see their particular area represented among your menu of voice-over demos. In fact, some voice actors even create separate web sites to address different types of clients.
2) It's important to monitor your brand to know when your customers are talking about you. If possible, respond to their complaints, resolve problems and show good will.
Most marketers agree that it requires more time, money and energy to attract new clients than to retain existing ones. In addition, word of mouth is a powerful source of both referrals and refusals.
Although I posted my messages on a very popular social networking site, neither O'Charley's nor Chili's has responded to me. Even more surprising, GoDaddy.com didn't respond to me on Super Bowl Sunday when I and dozens of others tweeted about GoDaddy's sleazy ad that prompted me to immediately move -- as in before the Super Bowl ended -- the one domain that I had registered with them to another registrar.
Just as I'm not all things to all people, I also realize I can't be in all places at once. One tool I use to monitor my brand is Google Alerts. I have created alerts for my name and all of my web site domains. I receive e-mails when Google finds my name or domain names across the web. Not only have I been notified when someone references me or links to one of my sites in their blog post, but I also have discovered an instance where someone has violated my copyright by re-posting one of my blog entries without attribution.
An added benefit to Google alerts is that you can create up to 1000 alerts for free and track anything you want. For instance, you may want to track job listings only within a particular web site without going to that site each day. You could enter an alert using the format
site:websitename.com voiceover
Note that you wouldn't enter the leading http://www. for this syntax. Google provides extensive documentation to help you narrowly define your search terms. Also, be careful that you go to http://www.Google.com/alerts to set up your alerts. I saw another site that had a similar address but charged a monthly fee for the service.
I've been writing for a while, so I'll stop now and head over to Twitter to see news from Todd Schnick and my other Tweeple. After all this discussion about chicken fingers, perhaps it's time to try Zaxby's for supper tonight.
A couple of recent newspaper headlines from different cities gleefully state that you can make lots of easy of money as a professional voice talent after taking only a 2-hour introductory group class. According to these articles, a particular group of voice-over teachers seems to be traveling through the country and conducting these "if you can talk, you can break into voiceover and make fabulous money" seminars at community colleges.
I thought about writing a blog entry warning people about the false hopes generated by the headlines and the teaching company, but I decided against it. I don't want to insist that someone considering a voice-over career must follow a certain path. Besides, who am I to predict the outcome of such a class? I suppose it could happen that someone is blessed with the most distinct voice, the most amazing cold-reading skills, the most transparent and authentic interpretation, and the most exciting contacts who are looking for a shining new star to voice their national TV commercial/e-learning project/PBS documentary/trade show video/major animated movie. A 2-hour class is certainly sufficient for this kind of person to be able to hang out the sign as a professional voice talent and have clients with unlimited checking accounts flocking to them with no effort.
For the rest of us, though, gaining work as a voice talent requires much more -- more confidence, more training, more marketing and more relationships, which all require more time, money and effort on the part of the voice actor.
I started writing this entry on Friday, 16 January. When I got up that morning, the Atlanta temperature was a frigid 14 degrees. A good use of time on such a bitterly cold day -- or any day when you have free time -- is to work on your marketing plan, particularly making cold calls. (You knew there was a tie-in with the weather somewhere!)
When I decided to become a voice-over actor in the late 90s, I was perpetually excited during the process of making my demo. I then hit a brick wall when it came to marketing it. What good does a fab demo do me if I can't make myself call people who not only might be interested in hearing it but actually willing and able to hire me? The thing that propelled me to make the first call was the following passage that I read in Rick Crandall's book 1001 Ways to Market Your Services...Even If You Hate to Sell:
Overcoming Your Cold-Calling Fears
Cold calling scares all of us sometime. Ram Yellen deals with his fears by asking himself these questions:
1) What's the worst thing that can happen if I make this call or proposal, or ask for a referral? (They can say no, no, a thousand times no! --or is that from a Victorian soap opera?)
2) What's the best thing that could happen? (You could make a new, lifelong friend.)
3) What would I do if I knew that this person needed my services tomorrow?
-- Pin up a picture of someone successful in your business and ask yourself what he or she would do in this situation. (If it's a competitor, you can do it just to show them up!)
-- Acknowledge the fear and do it anyway.
The bit about the Victorian soap opera cracked me up. Even now, I still have times when I feel fear or anxiety about making calls to pursue my voice-over career. I think about the "1000 times no" line, and it gives me courage (after I stop laughing!) to make the call.
I admit, though, that I still prefer to initiate conversations in writing or in person. The recipient of your calls could think that you don't have any work. They may hold the perception that voice talent who are in high demand don't have time to make prospecting calls.
Still, phone calls are sometimes necessary. For the times you choose to include phone calls in your marketing mix, here are 5 tips that will boost your confidence and courage:
1) Research the organization before deciding to call them.
Google is my friend. I can search for the type of organization and then find company web sites, on-line profiles on social networking sites and possibly news stories related to the target company. Many times, you can see portfolios of past work and get contact information. I can't tell you how many phone calls and e-mails I have received from people who want to work for me as a voice talent. In those cases, I always know that the person has not done their research to identify the nature of my business. Good research will also move the phone call away from the "iceberg right ahead" category of cold call disaster.
2) With your research completed, identify some reason for the call.
3) Write and rehearse a script that you will use when the other party comes on the line.
We voice talent always read from scripts, yet many people ignore this step when deciding to call potential clients. You want to state how you found them and be ready with a list of questions and/or a desired outcome for the call. A recent post in the Marketing Mix blog should give you fantastic ideas for a boilerplate script. Just like any voice-over script, you will want to practice it and possibly record it so that you can deliver it fluidly and easily.
4) Write another script for leaving a message.
You don't want to be caught off-guard and leave a rambling message on voice mail. You also want to motivate the person to return the call. Saying something like "I have some information that may allow you to create an e-learning module at lower cost" is much more intriguing to the prospect than "I'm wondering if you ever need to use voice talent." The second sentence is especially ineffective since it immediately indicates that you haven't done your research.
Also, be sure to state your name and return number clearly at the beginning AND end of the call. How many messages have you heard where someone rushed through a message and then blurted out their name and phone number at the end of the call so fast that you had to rewind the message more than once to understand it? You don't want to be one of those kind of people, do you?
5) Be prepared for follow-up actions.
Take careful notes during the conversation. You may have promised to send your demo or some information on the web, or you may hear some other action that you could take, like meeting them at an upcoming event. Track your needed actions with appointment entries on your calendar.
As you can see, even your preparation for your first prospecting call can require more time and energy than the 2 hours expended in an introductory voice-over class. Perhaps a more appropriate name for the traveling voice-over seminars would be:
"If you can talk, you can call people on the phone to discuss voice-over work with them, and you may even make some money as a professional voice talent if you have an outstanding demo and make enough calls to market it, being sure to do your research ahead of time."
What's in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
-- William Shakespeare
True, but would Google and all of the other web search engines be able to find the rose if multiple names for it were used?
This post marks my 100th entry in this blog, and this year marks my 10th year of my voice-over business. It's time to make some changes. While I don't plan to re-invent myself, I have decided to re-focus all of my efforts to create stronger brand identity with my name.
Aside from the 2 milestones I listed and the fact that we just started a new calendar year, other factors have propelled me to make this change. Earlier in the week, I wrote about Bonnie Gillespie's current column in The Actors Voice: Social Networking and Acting in which she wrote a brilliant analysis of an actor's effective use of social networking platforms in establishing and maintaining a professional brand. One piece of her advice has been percolating in my mind:
Nothing silly or casual, if you're the smart actor user.
Instead, it's your professional actor name!
It's how we would look you up at IMDB or within the Breakdown Services' system.
It's how you're branded.
But people don't think this way. In their minds, most people try to assign one brand name to each product. And they are not consistent in how they assign such names. They tend to use the name that best captures the essence of the product.....Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and are distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.....
While extending the line might bring added sales in the short term, it runs counter to the notion of branding. If you want to build a powerful brand in the minds of consumers, you need to contract your brand, not expand it. In the long term, expanding your brand will diminish your power and weaken your image.(As an aside, I didn't provide the page number because I downloaded the book to my new and life-changing Amazon Kindle wireless reader. When you highlight a book, the Kindle saves the highlight in a text file called "My Clippings", which you can edit on your computer. I copied the quoted passage from the Kindle file.)
For some time, I have had multiple domain names, both on-line and reserved. For years, my main web site was AVOICEAbove TheCrowd.com. In recent times, I changed it to KarenCommins.com. Lately, I had been switching it to KarenVoices.com but continuing to point it at the other domain. The shorter name is easier for people to type and fits better on smaller imprinted products. I also am using KarenBlogs.com for this blog and KarenTalks.com for my podcasts and volunteer voice-over productions. I had been thinking of promoting my specialty of narrations aimed at the information technology industry and had reserved 3 more domains for that purpose.
Whew! I'm tired just writing and looking at that list! As my e-mail signature lines grew longer, I intuitively knew that I was segmenting my search engine rankings by using multiple domains. I didn't realize that my overall brand would be diminished in the process. I can clearly see that these domains are really line extensions.
Furthermore, if I only use my first name in my domain name, people don't know which voice talent named Karen to associate with the work. I searched some on-line voice talent casting sites and found a minimum of 30 Karens listed on each site -- and that's just using my spelling of the name.
This is the year that I contract my brand to one name: Karen Commins. With my name as my brand, my on-line presence will be in total harmony with my off-line life. Some changes are easier to make, such as changing my Twitter username and LinkedIn profile. Other things like consolidating my sites under my name will take a bit more time, energy and money paid to my webmaster.
Like I said, it's time to make some changes. My re-branding efforts will remove the virtual thorns in my side and allow this rose to blossom in the sweetness of a more focused voice-over career.
Most of my articles in this blog pertain to working and marketing oneself as a voice talent. Today, though, I want to write to my potential clients. Sometimes you may need to persuade others in your organization to hire a professional voice talent instead of creating a recording using internal personnel. Here's a way for you to spell it out for them!
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oice-over
is my life's passion! I didn't wake up one morning and decide to go into
voice-over because I thought I could earn some easy money. I can remember
being in 5th grade and knowing that voice-over is what I was meant
to do. I have been in voice-over since 1999, and I intend to be working in
voice-over for decades to come. |
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utstanding
ability to take and perform to your direction. If you want a word or line
with different emphasis or characterization, I attentively listen to your
instructions and carry them out on the next take. |
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ntegrity.
I don't agree to voice every project that is offered me. I believe in the
power of the word, especially the spoken word. If I don't like the words that
would be coming out of my mouth, I won't say them. You can feel assured my
voice would not tarnish the image of your business by being associated with
some other project that you might consider questionable. |
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C |
haracter
reads are a specialty. Two of my audiobooks required me to give a
distinct and unique voice to over 50 characters! I also have provided the voice for several characters in 2 videogames. |
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E |
ducation.
I continuously invest in my education to maintain and improve my skills in
copy interpretation, script analysis, microphone technique, character
development and audio editing. I have studied voice-over with Nancy Wolfson, Jeff Freeman, Susan Berkley, Pat Fraley, Rich Jones, Judith Sullivan and Paul Armbruster. I also have taken a class on Pro Tools audio editing at the Art Institute of Atlanta. I'm currently studying Spanish at Berlitz so that I can perform your copy in another language. |
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ption
for assistance with script revision. I have superior writing skills, as
evidenced by my BA in broadcast journalism and the publication of several
articles in national magazines. |
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ersatile
and pleasing vocal range and pitch. My normal voice is a lower, resonant
pitch that is perfect for narrations in corporate America, but I can go up and down the scale and add characteristics to create
believable character voices. |
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veryone can talk, but not everyone can read aloud well, much less make themselves transparent in the process. As a professional voice actor, I can perform your script so that your audience concentrates on your content, not the manner in which it is performed. |
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ates
are attractive. Many voice talent belong to a union, which sets rates based
on the type of work performed and its usage. The rates shown are for the
voice talent only and do not include studio time. I have flexibility in
setting rates, which always include my voice talent and production time. |
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S |
tunning SOUNDPROOF studio. My studio is custom-built for recording, incorporating special soundproofing construction techniques. The room has no windows, 2 layers of ceilings with added
insulation, 2 sets of doors at each entrance with barrier space and 2 layers
of 5/8" drywall covering the 2x6 walls. I record in a WhisperRoom for enhanced sound quality. In my pristine recordings, you won't hear kids, dogs,
lawnmowers, computer fans, airplanes, thunder, cars or even paperclips as
background noises. |
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B |
usy people don't have time to read. I convert your copy into communication. |
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ou won't need to go through the process again of finding competent, reliable voice talent. |
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K |
eeps your audience listening and interested. Need I say more? |
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lways
on time. You won't miss a deadline because you were waiting for me to finish your
recording. |
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esearch
is done prior to recording session. For audiobooks, I read the book at least
once prior to recording it. I spend time to look up and learn correct
pronunciations of proper names. |
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quipment
is industry standard. Instead of recording straight from a low-end microphone into the computer, I record on a Neumann TLM 103 mic connected to a
Voicemaster Platinum processor. I use Pro Tools LE with a Mbox on my Macbook
Pro computer. If necessary, I could exchange session files with any other
recording studio in the world. |
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N |
umerous clients and credits, including: Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits, Pepsi Cola, ADP,
Verizon Wireless, Georgia Department of Transportation, Delta Airlines,
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, BlueCielo ECM, Georgia Institute
of Technology, and Orkin. |
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C |
redible
and creative actress who delivers sensitive and well-timed copy even during
cold reads. |
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ffers custom auditions of your script for FREE. |
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M |
ember
of Audio Publishers Association. I maintain contact with audiobook publishers
and can direct you to resources that may assist you. |
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arketing
expertise is FREE. I minored in marketing in college and am a perpetual
student of marketing books. I love marketing and am always happy to discuss
it! |
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I |
nformation technology narrations are a specialty. I earned a MS degree in computer information systems and worked over 20 years in IT positions including programmer and LAN/WAN/e-mail administrator. I can perform scripts geared to a technical audience with complete authenticity and believability since I actually understand the words that are coming out of my mouth! :) |
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N |
ot
all things to all people. Would you hire a plumber to fix your air conditioner? Companies value those with expertise in an area, so why should the voice of your important presentation be left to someone who is not skilled in voice-over delivery? Even among voice-over projects, I am selective about those I will perform. For instance, if you want someone to record a movie trailer, I can refer you
to other talent. I specialize in audiobooks and narrations, including
podcasts, documentaries and corporate presentations. I also enjoy performing scripts
used in radio and TV commercials, as well as video games. I often voice the initial greetings and on-hold messages for phone systems, but I will not undertake telephony projects requiring hundreds of menu prompts or file conversions. |
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S |
atisfaction
guaranteed! I require 50% payment up front when beginning a project. If you
are not delighted with your recording, I will not invoice you for the
remainder. I don't know of another voice talent who dares to make this
promise! |
You may have noticed that I only listed 24 reasons that I should be your voice talent. The last is that I'm FUN! I see the use of humor as a mission-critical element in my voice-over business. Everyone is under enough stress, so I want to use humor to help people feel at ease. Contact me now so we can get started on your next project!
the soul finds the path in a clearer light,
and what is elusive and deceptive
resolves itself into crystal clearness.
I am and have always been a voice-over actor in my soul. I am passionate about my work and cannot imagine my life if I didn't express myself creatively behind the microphone. However, even with my boundless enthusiasm for and commitment to my voice-over work and clients, my soul also needs quiet time for nourishment and relaxation.
I feed my soul in several ways, both large and small. Most recently, I took a large portion by allowing myself to totally be on vacation while on a cruise.
Whenever we travel for pleasure, I notify agents and clients that I will be unavailable for recording within a range of dates. I have thought many times about taking a portable voice-over studio when I travel. In reality, though, my desires to travel lightly and enjoy fun, uninterrupted time with Drew coupled with the airlines' increasingly smaller allowances for checked luggage have deterred me from including a portable studio with my baggage.
As a business owner, I always have a laptop on these trips. I check my voice mail and e-mail throughout my vacation so that I can quickly respond to potential clients. Since I'm usually paying high per-minute charges for phone and computer access, it's easy to limit the time spent in those activities while on vacation.
I must also feed my soul in small ways during my regular working days, so I choose to limit time for all on-line activities, especially for social networking. I have read messages from many voice talent who seem to feel that they must have a presence on every social networking site. Perhaps my thoughts on these sites will be helpful to others.
Continue reading Social networking in voice-over.
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