I received a voiceover demo that smelled terrible. It reeked of desperation. Pity, disgust, contempt and occasionally nervous laughter can all be elicited from a desperate attempt to reach a voiceover buyer.
In every communication you have, desperation can be heard and felt. To avoid the stink, you should scrutinize every effort you use to solicit your voice. Ask the same two questions:
Do I sound like someone pleading for work?
Am I trying too hard to convince someone of how great and worthy I am of their time and attention?
Your goal is to come across as a confident, busy, working voiceover actor; however, if your cold calls and written text make you sound like a telemarketer or someone who is obviously trying to sell the recipient, you are probably getting a less than desirable result from your efforts.
Today’s business people are just as hardwired as the general public to avoid and dislike “sales” calls. An obvious attempt to sell your services will turn your potential client off to further communications with you.
Instead, try to sound like a professional business partner. A cool, casual, less rehearsed style will signal to the other party that they are communicating with another business professional and that a mutually beneficial relationship is at hand. Don’t let a potential client feel that you need them. An obvious need immediately signals their desperation receptors. While a relaxed approach will help them to understand that you need each other.
In written form, keep things short and sweet. You are a voiceover talent! OF COURSE you are: available for auditions, ready to work, able to send custom demos, have a professional studio and are versatile. We all are. That is the very definition of what a voiceover actor does. Don’t bludgeon your customers with information they have heard a thousand times. Overstating your “professionalism”, “attention to detail” and your “willingness to work” will send your desperate plea wafting in the direction of the client.
So what’s the alternative? On the same day that I received the aforementioned “desperation demo” I also received a card from voice actress Kara Edwards. It simply said. “I’m so glad to know you – thanks for all you do!” No thank you Kara, for getting it. As a casting director, I’m far more likely to keep Kara’s card while admiring her confident and professional demeanor.
If you are less than 2 years into your voiceover business and you are still “in-training” it may seem as though you have nothing to offer a potential client. That’s your fear talking, and fear is desperation’s best buddy. You cannot be afraid to approach potential business, nor should you postpone or prolong the process because you feel that you are not 100 percent prepared to do so.
The average client has no reason to doubt that you are anything less than you claim to be. If you say you’re a pro and carry yourself like one, a potential client will accept this information. I’m not saying to attempt to procure a major LA or NY agent with this approach. However, local chamber of commerce members, Joe Blow’s Tire and Auto and most other locally owned businesses have no reason NOT to believe you.
Small and local clients can help to validate your new career simply because they see you as someone knowledgeable about voiceover. You probably know far more about voiceovers than your dentist. So if you tell him you are a professional talent, able to record a better more professional sounding voiceover for his message on hold system, – he will not doubt you.
You must believe that your skills are worthy, that your voice is worthy and most importantly, you must believe with all your heart, that the skills you possess are valuable. You are a business owner who offers a valuable service to other businesses. If you doubt yourself at all, that little thing called desperation will seep into your pores and out of your mouth (or onto a page.)
704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com
Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Success, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Clients, Belief, Self-Confidence, Income, Home Studio, Recording, Microphone, Professional, Coaching, Voiceover Coaching, VO Coaching, Voiceover Coaches, Working Actors, Los Angeles, New York, Charlotte, North Carolina, VO Demo, Voiceover Demo, Demo Producer