Forum Decorum

I belong to a slew of groups on LinkedIn – including a large number of voiceover related groups. Why is it that there seems to be a plethora of unprofessional comments. Social media has been around for years now and it amazes me how people don’t seem to understand that what they post is there for the world to see (when a group is an open group).

I felt compelled to comment today on one of them after a couple of people actually started slamming a legitimate producer for not posting his undying thanks to the group. His post was 6 MONTHS ago and people are still posting comments with links to their demos. And now some are complaining that he hasn’t posted to say thank you!?

It is an International Group with members from all over the world, and perhaps members with little time on social media or little time in the voiceover business, so – as a long time full-time voice talent – with a background as a producer – and an early adopter of technology and social media – may I offer a bit of advice? Thanks…

First of all. When someone posts looking for talent, it is fairly easy to click on their profile link and do some due diligence to see if they are “real” company. Check out their website. Is it professional? Can you check out who some of their clients are?

Then, reply privately! There is no need for two or more pages of voice talent shouting “pick me, pick me!” Really, take a look at any thread where someone has posted that they are looking for talent. It screams desperation.

And understand that producer seek talent in a lot of places. This particular producer posted to a group that specifically includes people that say they do eLearning work, so it was logical that he would post a request for people who do eLearning, but he probably was looking in other places as well. Even if this was the only group he posted to, a lot of people DID contact him privately, so he may not come back here…until the next time he needs talent.

But, if you look at the original post – it was 6 months ago! My goodness! Why are people still posting to the thread? And worse yet, castigating him? Why would he ever come back?

There are groups where introducing yourself when you join is encouraged. If you are joining a group where voiceover is not the main focus – then, certainly introduce yourself to the group and provide links to your demos.

Then watch the other introductions as they come in – and send PRIVATE responses to those people who may (or are) seeking the kinds of skills you possess.

The more professional, helpful, respectful and funny you are in the posts you do make to public forums, the more people will think of you as a professional and someone they would like to do business with.

Evolve or Die…

Yes – it’s true – we must evolve or we will go out of business. I’ve used that phrase before (Evolve or Die) when discussing the changes that the performer’s unions need to make in order to survive, but it is also the premise of today’s Voice Over Today electronic newsletter published by Edge Studio. 

TO SUBSCRIBE: send a blank email to:  VoiceOverToday-on@edgestudio.com

They highlighted four areas that will cause you to lose clients. This is a message every voice talent (beginner or pro) should think about. Most of the folks I know do think about these Four Points, but it never hurts to have a reminder. So see below for the article – written by Edge Studio. 

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**Vocal Delivery: ARE YOU NO LONGER TRAINING?

Story: A while ago, one of our clients hired a student we had just trained to narrate a large series of videos.  They loved his voice. Recently we hired him back to narrate another large project. This time, he no longer sounded good.  He lost a good client. I asked if he’d been practicing.  He said no. 

There are 3 reasons why CONTINUED TRAINING IS SO IMPORTANT:  You can fall into bad habits (no one tells you why you lose auditions!) Other voice talent will get better than you (watch out!)   Clients always need new styles (new styles for podcasts, self-guided tours,…) solution: At minimum, work with a coach every other month to ensure you maintain. Preferably, work with a coach every month to become better and offer more clients more styles! Remember: your vocal delivery is your livelihood! 

**Home Studio Quality: ARE YOU RESISTANT TO TECHNOLOGY CHANGE?

Story: A voice talent sent me an audition recording.  Their voice was PERFECT.  But their home studio quality wasn’t.  The client did not like them.  (Note that some clients CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE between poor home studio recording and poor vocal performance.) After telling the talent this, she replied, “But this used to be fine.”  Yes, 5 years ago, her quality was considered good for a home studio.  Today, however, clients are used to better quality.

Here are a few other examples of not keeping up with technology: Talent ask if they can fed-ex a CD to me.  “Huh?”  Why can’t they FTP it to me?  Or oftentimes we hear slight noises in recordings. Why?  I guarantee the talent will lose some work.  Fall behind in technology, and your clients may leave you behind. Here are technology items to stay current with:   equipment (editing on old software is slower, so you charge more, and bid too high)  editing software / file type knowledge (unfamiliar with the new file extensions for flash?  this scares clients)   delivery methods (still have “fed-ex” on your rate card?  you look outdated)

Solution: Hire someone to visit your studio once every 6 months for a tune-up.  Have them update your software, show you new editing features, check sound quality, and set you up for new file types.

**Marketing: ARE YOU COMPLACENT?

Story: At a recent voice over event, I was re-acquainted with a lot of old-timers who told me, “I’m not getting the amount of work I used to get!”  Funny, I thought   they hadn’t marketed to me in years and subsequently I had forgotten about them and how talented they are.  Trust me: there is a reason why major retailers (Honda, Sears, McDonalds,…) continue to promote themselves.  If they don’t, competitors will eventually take over.  IT’S THE SAME THING IN VOICE OVER. Many old-times got all their work from a few clients and/or agents. But things change.  Sometimes suddenly.  Are you prepared?  Or do you rely on a few select clients (who could suddenly go out of business), and meanwhile you’re not prepared to market?

Here are marketing to stay current with:   marketing frequency (do you think single marketing efforts are still enough?)   marketing types (do you think business cards are still all you need?) marketing messages (still trying to be a jack of all trades?) marketing quality (perforated edged, matrix printed business cards don’t work today) 

Solution: hire someone who knows voice over marketing to review your business plan (do you even have one?  if you want to grow, you should have one).  take a workshop at edge or even at a local college.

**Professionalism: ARE YOU BUSINESS-LIKE?

Story: One of our clients got VERY upset with a voice talent who we hired recently.  So upset, they chose to replace him with another talent!  Obviously we won’t hire that talent anymore. But the weird thing is that the voice talent didn’t even realize what they did wrong!

Face it: our little industry has grown up.  It’s now a big, professional industry   complete with its set of do’s and don’t's. And sure, as with anything, as time goes by, there are more and more changes.  So for those of you who are beginning your voice over career, you MUST LOOK PROFESSIONAL from the start.  And for those of you already immersed in the industry, you MUST CONTINUE looking professional.  If you don’t, you chance losing clients.  

You MUST always stay on top of:   appearing professional (the jargon, the sequence of events,…)   dealing with corporate types: knowing when to ask which questions   the general in’s and out’s of the industry   the ever-changing politics of the industry (unions, agents,….)

Solution: Study the industry.  Speak with folks who are in it. Read books.  DO WHAT YOU CAN to come across business-like. This makes a BIG difference in the amount of work you get. (Or consider Edge Studio’s “Talk & Pro 101 Seminar)

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That’s it in a nutshell – and tracks closely something else I drone on about – it takes much more than Talent to make it in this business these days!

You need a combination of Talent, Technological Skills, Marketing Skills and Business Skills.