Double Dutch

Can ten minutes make a ten thousand dollar difference?

Not so long ago, a colleague introduced me to a client in need of a narrator. His institute was searching for a European voice and for someone who could read an audio book full of names and quotes in German, French, Dutch and other languages. That happens to be my specialty, and I was pretty confident that I could take on the task.

A day later I received an email. The client had listened to my online demos and found my sound to be ‘too commercial’ for this rather academic endeavor. In other words: Goodbye, Vielen Dank and bonne chance.

Now, some people might leave it at that and move on to the next best thing. Not me. My response to this client was a short and simple F-U!

You see, no matter how good a generic sample of your product may be, it has one fundamental flaw. Whether it’s a bunch of book covers you designed, websites, sales letters, videos or voice-over demos: they only showcase what you believe to be your best work.

If that’s the case, I have news for you: your client doesn’t really care about what you’ve done for other people in the past. Every client has the same response:

I am unique. Can you solve my problem?

If I’m looking for a handyman to fix that leak in my basement, do I really need to know that this genius is also a master mason and a talented woodworker? I don’t think so!

But listen to this: once Handy Andy’s in the door and has freed me from the floods without charging me an arm and a leg, I might want to talk to him about those broken concrete steps to my front door and that railing that’s been hanging by a few loose screws.

And after Andy’s assessed my steps and staircase and has run the numbers, I expect nothing but an F-U from him, and it better be within a few days. Otherwise I’ll go to Helpful Harry.

MISSING THE MARK
Failing freelancers make two crucial mistakes.

ONE: they sin against the Fifth Habit of Highly Successful People as defined by best-selling author Stephen Covey.

Seek first to understand. Then be understood.

Instead, these freelancers tell you everything you don’t need to know and were afraid they’d bring up. If only you would understand what they’re capable of, you’d hire them on the spot, wouldn’t you?

Excuse me…  Doctor, don’t you need to know what’s wrong with me before you write me a prescription?

TWO: failing freelancers forget to Follow-Up.

In my case, not following up with the audio book people would be admitting defeat without having given myself a fighting chance. Throwing in the towel is easy. Sorry folks, but I don’t believe in ‘easy’. Forget the song title. Easy never does it.

Let’s look at these mistakes in greater detail.

FIRST BLUNDER: Not following up, period.
Some of us have become masters of hollow phrases and empty expressions. How many times have you heard the words: “I’ll get back to you,” and you said to yourself: “Yeah, right. That’ll be the day!”

How many times have you ended a conversation with “We’ll talk soon,” and sooner became later, and later became “You seem familiar. Have we met before?”

Talk is cheap (that’s why there isn’t much money in voice-overs, these days). Seriously, be a man or woman of your word and make that follow-up call or write that email. Don’t put it off till tomorrow because tomorrow never comes.

Here’s what you do after you’ve spoken with a promising contact.

As soon as you put that phone down, type up a quick email, and begin by writing something nice followed by something specific. Let’s say you promised to email a prospect an estimate. Put your promise in writing and tell her when to expect your proposal. Make it a habit to always beat that deadline. Don’t allow a hot prospect to cool off or explore other options. Get that proposal in fast.

Provide your client with all your contact information. You’d be surprised how many business-related emails I receive that are simply signed by some “Jeff” or “Ginny”.

Also, with a last name like Strikwerda it’s no surprise that people have a hard time remembering it, let alone how to spell it. It is in my best interest to give my contacts a reminder.

My goal is fourfold:

1. to show the client that I am responsive
2. to make it easy for them to get back to me
3. to offer alternative ways of staying in touch with me (e.g. Facebook or Twitter)
4. to reinforce my brand, Nethervoice

In all my years as a freelancer I’ve heard many clients complain about colleagues. Number one on the list of grievances is a lack of responsiveness. They tell me:

“It takes ages for him to get back to me. What’s going on? I get the feeling that he could care less about my business. Do you have someone else you could recommend?”

Think about it. If I were to advertise myself as someone who can offer a quick turnaround on a project, and for whatever reason I take three days to respond to a simple question, what is the real message I am sending?

SECOND BLUNDER: Only following up when something’s wrong.
Unpaid invoices. Unanswered emails. Broken promises. That’s when most people feel the sudden urge to follow-up. It’s a bad habit because it will primarily associate you with problems and negativity.

The secret to building a solid relationship is to make sure that your client, your agent (and even your partner) has as many positive interactions with you as possible. That’s not rocket science, is it?

Learn from what the Mad Men of Madison Avenue have practiced for decades. The secret to any successful campaign rests on the extent to which the advertising agency manages to manipulate you into associating negative feelings with a problem and positive feelings with a product.

Let me be clear about one thing: I am not suggesting that you trick those on whom you depend into liking you. I just want you to be mindful and treat others the way you’d like to be treated yourself. That’s all, really.

So how do you handle tricky things like unpaid bills? Guess what?

You don’t!

Do yourself a huge favor and have your bookkeeper handle that outstanding balance. Let your lawyer deal with that contract. Leave it to your agent to negotiate your rate (or to the Unions, for that matter). Stay out of the line of fire and focus on delivering the goods to the best of your ability. That’s your job.

But do follow-up to put the power of PR into practice. And by PR I mean: Positive Reinforcement. It works with kids. It works with your partner. It certainly works in business.

Follow up…

• after that meeting
• after your call
• after they’ve received your proposal
• as soon as you’re selected for the job
• when someone else got the job
• when the job is done
• to thank your colleague for the referral
• and refer your colleague to someone else
• after someone answered your question on a forum
• to congratulate, encourage, admire and inspire
• after reading a blog that was really helpful

THIRD BLUNDER: Becoming a follow-up freak.
Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Remember that it’s all about purposeful positive reinforcement, but in moderation. Just because I have shown an interest in your services at one point in time, doesn’t mean that I want to be on your mailing list, or that I want to befriend you on Facebook or follow your silly tweets on Twitter. If I’m interested, I’ll make the first move. You don’t have permission to cyber-stalk me.

This relationship is not about you. It is about me -someone you might do business with or have done business with. Stop leaving those self-serving comments on my blog. I don’t need to know what you had for breakfast or that you’re a fan of Fox News. That’s not a follow-up. That’s being a pain in the tush. Don’t you have work to do?

UNDERRATED
Used correctly, the follow-up can be one of the best instruments in your freelance toolkit. But if it turns out to be so effective, why don’t more people use it? I think that it’s in part due to laziness and sometimes even carelessness. However, I also believe that it has to do with a culture that seems more intent on punishing unwanted behavior, rather than on reinforcing positive behavior.

We tend to take action when things go wrong, and often, we’re not grateful for the things we take for granted. We want things for free. We get things for free. Why say “Thank You” for something that didn’t cost you anything?

If this is a trend we wish to turn around, you and I should lead the way. Take a minute or two to follow-up with that colleague who passed your name on to his client. Let that company know how much you appreciate the fact that they paid you in full within ten days after you sent them an invoice. Thank that engineer for making you sound better than ever. Show someone some gratitude, instead of an attitude. Follow-up! Use the power of PR!

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE?
So, can ten minutes really make a ten thousand dollar difference?

As soon as I received the message that my voice was ‘too commercial’ for this academic, international project, I jumped on-line and found the book that needed narration. I picked a paragraph with some German and French names in it, and in my best un-commercial voice I began recording. Within ten minutes, the client received an email with a custom demo.

One day later, the job was mine, as well as the prospect of receiving a nice check.

Understand first. Then be understood.

Some have asked me:

“Does every follow-up have a happy ending?”

Well… I’d have to get back to you on that one!

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS How many international clients do you have? Have you ever experienced miscommunication because of language problems? If so, my next article is for you!

IMPOSSIBLE CLIENTS. We know who you are! You’re searching for a specialist who can handle almost anything. Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Does your family doctor make a great brain surgeon? Can a novelist write irresistible advertising copy?

Yet, some clients are looking for a be-all, do-it-all freelancer with young, fresh ideas and years of experience. Is that too much to ask?

Some psychologists say that the fact that we humans are able to hold two diametrically opposed ideas in our mind at the same time, is a true sign of intelligence. Part of me wants to believe that this is indeed correct. The other part thinks it’s utter hogwash.

Does this theory imply that we have to develop a split personality in order to be perspicacious? Well, I’m more than torn about that too.

On one hand it seems kind of dim to define intelligence in such a limited way. On the other hand, aren’t most eternal truths simple and succinct in nature?

THREE CHEERS
Today I am celebrating the official launch of my company Nethervoice, exactly one year ago. To mark the moment, I started to reflect on the dichotomies of freelance life.

If you’ve just discovered this blog, you should know that I make a living as a full-time voice-over professional. Yes, I am the disembodied voice reading an audio book to you during long car rides. I tell you when to click the “next-button” as you’re e-learning on-line. I have sold cars in South-Africa, hotels in Spain, ski slopes in Austria and stoves in Finland. And that’s just the boring stuff…

But whether you’re making your money as a faceless voice, as a copywriter, a graphic designer or you’re in any other way self-employed, you and I have lots in common. Day in day out, we’re dealing with seemingly contrary forces that are interconnected and interdependent, that -somehow- give rise to each other.

Taoists already know what I’m talking about: the ancient concept of Yin and Yang.

Here’s an example of two concepts that seem mutually exclusive or at least contradictory:

1. SPECIALIZE or GENERALIZE?
Marketing gurus tell us: you can’t be a Jack of all trades. Don’t do what everybody else does. Find your niche. Create, don’t imitate. Lead, don’t follow. Distinguish yourself.

Here’s the problem: by narrowing your niche, you could be narrowing your market and you run the risk of becoming a one-dimensional, one-trick pony.

However, if you don’t differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack, you could become a dime a dozen. Why should a client hire Mr. or Mrs. More of the Same?

This is your challenge: you have to find your own voice and be flexible. Great inventors come up with a product that:

- solves a common problem

- is totally unique and

- appeals to a wide audience

2. FAMILIAR or FOREIGN?
Most people embrace the familiar and fear the unknown. But if you wish to grow on a personal and professional level, you must step into uncharted territory and invite the unpredictable.

During one of my voice-over coaching sessions, I asked a rather stuck-up student to read part of the Declaration of Independence… in a pirate voice. I ran into resistance from the get-go.

“I can’t do a pirate voice,” he said emphatically.

“Why not?” I asked.

“First off, it’s disrespectful. Secondly, I’m not going to make a fool of myself,” he replied.

I said: “You want to be a voice-over actor, don’t you?” “Actors have the ultimate excuse to be ridiculous. How are you ever going to expand your range, if you’re not willing to try something new? Were you one of those kids that only ate Mac & Cheese?”

Well, I didn’t really say that last thing, but it crossed my mind.

Reluctantly, my student became Bad-Rum Ronny and started:

“Arrrr… When, in the course of human events…”

And just as he was getting more comfortable with his new found identity, I said:

“That was fantastic! Now, please take it from the beginning, but this time, I want you to be a female pirate. Pretend you’re Johnny Depp’s big sister…”

My student looked at me as if I had lost my sanity.

“You’re really pushing the envelope,” he said.

“Oh, come on,” I pleaded. “The Founding Mothers would be so proud of you. And if you do it, I promise to write about it in my blog.”

That apparently worked because this time he sounded more like Geena Davis in Cutthroat Island.

“Wow,” he said. “I never knew I had that in me. That’s kind of scary…”

“Here’s what I learned,” I said. Some people avoid taking risks because they’re afraid of what the world might think of them. But playing it safe won’t get you very far. One day, you’ll have a client that will ask you to do something you’ve never done before. Something that might scare the living daylights out of you.

Do it anyway.

You have to be comfortable with who you are, in order to allow yourself to break out of your comfort zone. In other words: be comfortable being uncomfortable. It means you’re growing!”

3. ACT NATURAL
As a professional performer, this is another oxymoron you have to live with. You have to learn how to be natural in unnatural situations. It comes in different variations:

• Act, but don’t make it look like you’re acting.
• Read but don’t sound like you’re reading.
• Pretend not to pretend.
• Deliver a meticulously prepared and polished performance that seems spontaneous.
• Give it your all, but make it seem effortless.
• Don’t try it. Just do it. Be yourself.

It’s great advice, but nobody ever tells you how to get there, right?!

It all goes back to the “Four Stages of Learning,” a theory posited by psychologist Abraham Maslow. He coined four psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence in a skill:

1. Unconsciously incompetent: you’re not aware that you can’t do something
2. Consciously incompetent: you know that you are incompetent at something
3. Consciously competent: you’re developing the skill, but you constantly have to think about what you’re doing
4. Unconsciously competent: you’ve become so good at it, that it has become second nature

All of us go through these phases when we’re learning how to drive, how to type  and how to walk. Only when we’ve reached the level of unconscious competence, we are able to Act Natural.

In a world that revolves around instant gratification, quick fixes, easy answers and immediate results, this is a very unpopular 4-step process. We want it all and we want it now! Why is it so hard to find gratification in delayed gratification?

4. EXPERIENCED or EXCITING?
Do the following scenarios ring a bell?

a. You’re trying to break into the business, but you don’t want to come across as an absolute beginner.

b. You have years of experience, but you don’t want them to think of you as yesterday’s news.

It’s an impossible situation, isn’t it? Here are a few more stereotypes:

• Seasoned pros are old school and too expensive.
• Rookies are wild cards and need a lot of hand-holding.
• Veterans are rigid, arrogant and demanding.
• Newbies are unpredictable and have yet to hone their skills.

This black-and-white thinking is nothing but a distortion of reality. Do not fall for these false dilemmas. Challenge them instead. You might have years of experience but does that mean that you have lost your Mojo? Is a beginner by definition always new, fresh and exciting, or is he just a copycat? Are clients paying more because your rate is higher, or is it more expensive to hire an amateur?

A BALANCING ACT
As a freelancer you have to be able to deal with two diametrically different ideas at the same time. Don’t worry. You’re intelligent. You can handle it!

Let me leave you with some more freelance Yin and Yang:

- Have a strong backbone, but dare to be vulnerable.

- Be personable and keep things strictly business.

- Be spontaneous, but bite your tongue.

- Be proud of your accomplishments and stay humble.

- Be confident, but doubt yourself enough to evaluate your performance.

- Set the highest standards, but cut yourself some slack.

- Be available and accessible, but balance work and play.

- Sell yourself, but don’t sound like you’re selling yourself.

- Be passionate about your work, but know that it’s a means to an end.

- Keep your head in the clouds and your feet firmly planted on the ground.

- Be able to multi-task and stay completely focused.

- Be in the moment and plan for the future.

- Admire without feeling threatened.

A NEW YEAR
As I am opening a new chapter for Nethervoice, one of my friends asked me:

“Paul, what are your plans? Your blog is doing so well and you’re turning down voice-over work. Are you going to focus more on your writing or on narration?”

I thought about it for a moment, and then I said:

“Either way is better.”

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS Read the incredible story of how Bill “The Boomer” lost a $5000 gig and perhaps his reputation

PPS Stay in touch with Double Dutch and subscribe today!

RECESSION DEPRESSION… I don’t think it has made it into the DSM-IV yet (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Give it some time and the American Psychiatric Association might include it in the next edition (together with Orthorexia nervosa, a harmful obsession with health foods).

If your plate or glass always appears to be half empty, it’s tempting to feel hopeless and helpless about the current state of the nation. Of course your freelance career is down in the dumps. It’s the economy, stupid! It has nothing to do with you.

Here’s the thing: if it has nothing to do with you, it means that you can’t turn it around. You’re a victim of circumstance. Now go to your doctor and ask for a happy-pill. You might be depressed, but the least you can do is feel good about it.

SUBJECTIVE REALITY
Remember that no matter where you look, you’ll always find a way to filter your perception of reality to justify your outlook on the world. If you feel that this time of economic crisis is limiting your chances of landing freelance jobs, you’re right. If you feel that the current recession is creating brand new freelance opportunities, you’re right! What you focus on most, is most likely to materialize. That’s the idea behind the self-fulfilling prophecy.

As a blogging freelancer, I get a lot of emails from colleagues who want to pick my brain. Here’s the number one question people ask me:

How do you beat the recession?

My first inclination is to ask them “What recession?” but that would be insensitive. Of course I know that millions of people are scrambling to get by. I used to be one of them. But feeling overpowered and helpless about it, is not going to pull you out of your slump. If you’re giving in and giving up, it’s game over. But that would be too easy. I think you deserve better.

INSIDE INFORMATION
At the risk of sounding like a self-help guru, I do believe that one way to beat this recession is by working from the inside-out. Before you do anything, I recommend you look at the way you are perceiving yourself right now.

In Holland we have a saying:  “Als je voor een dubbeltje geboren bent, word je nooit een kwartje.” Or in plain English: “If you were born a dime, you’ll never become a quarter.” It’s another way of saying: You need to know your place (and stay there). Well, if that’s really how you feel, what impact does this have on the choices you make?

If you’re applying for a job, and deep-down inside you’re telling yourself  “I don’t deserve this” or “I’ll never make it,” aren’t you setting yourself up for failure?

Other people grow up believing: “I can do anything I set my mind to” or “No matter what happens, I’ll always find a solution.” How do you think this impacts the way they lead their lives?

CONVENIENT ASSUMPTIONS
Here’s the remarkable thing about beliefs: it doesn’t matter whether they’re true or not. Yet, beliefs are a powerful driving force behind behavior. Beliefs can give us hope, strength and courage, or they can fence us in and bring us down. A belief is not some innocent abstract concept without consequences. Some people are prepared to kill and die in the name of whatever they believe in. Americans wouldn’t be celebrating the Fourth of July, if it weren’t for a set  of certain powerful beliefs!

Proponents of mind-body medicine like Bernie Siegel, M.D., are convinced that our beliefs can heal or harm our body, and that our state of mind has a measurable impact on our immune system.

If you think that all of this is just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, realize that this too, is a belief. Beliefs don’t have to make sense. Beliefs don’t need to be scientifically sound. Beliefs give people a feeling of certainty. All that matters is whether or not a belief is plausible. The placebo effect is entirely based on this assumption.

SCIENCE-FICTION
Nevertheless, a group of medical students who firmly believed in a logical, analytical approach to medicine, wouldn’t have any of it. How could ordinary thoughts possibly influence biological functions and seemingly autonomous chemical-electrical responses? That’s just a bunch of New Age baloney!

One day, their professor walked in and said: “By a show of hands, how many of you believe that the mind is capable of influencing the body?” Not one single hand went up in the air. Mind over matter wasn’t science. It was science-fiction.

Then the professor started reading one of the more notorious passages from “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” by D.H. Lawrence. Soon his audience started to blush. At the end of a few quite explicit paragraphs, he looked up at his students and asked the same question again. “How many of you believe that the mind is capable of influencing the body?” This time, they all raised their hands.

So, let me share one of my empowering beliefs with you. It goes like this:

THERE’S NO ONE LIKE ME

I can already hear some people’s reaction:

“Well, duh… After all that build-up, is that the best you can do? Thank you Captain Obvious; superhero of platitudes! That’s not much of an eye-opener, is it? Of course there’s no one like you (and that’s probably a good thing).”

Well, once you get past the sarcasm and cynicism, consider the following.

Every day, thousands of people are waking up with a dream. Some want to become writers, news anchors or architects. Some want to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis or invent an environmentally-friendly way to clean up oil spills… or a way to clean up the companies who are responsible for this Brutal Pollution.

But by the time we enter our teens, most of us have learned that dreams are figments of the imagination and that in order to grow up, we must face “reality”. Isn’t it strange? We start out as this helpless but boundless human being filled with infinite possibilities (especially if you were lucky to be born in a country like The Netherlands or the United States).

Then the process of social conditioning and conforming sets in. If we wish to please our parents and other role-models, we better be compliant and allow ourselves to be conditioned in order to be worthy of their love, attention and affection. We learn to blend in and not to raise our voice. If we do well, we are rewarded. If we don’t fit the mould, we have to face the consequences. Heaven forbid that we should stand out from the crowd…

GO YANKEES
When my 8-year old daughter wanted to go to school in a Yankees-shirt while 98% of the kids were wearing Phillies-Jerseys, some parents thought I was nuts. Why would I expose my daughter to ridicule and make her stick out like a sore thumb? What kind of a parent does that?

Here’s the thing: my daughter didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy about the Phillies. She happened to root, root, root for the Yankees. And when she went to school, she soon found out that a few other kids were Yankees fans too. Yes, some classmates made fun of her and others ignored her. But she held her head up high and felt even stronger because she stood up for something she believed in. Months later, the Bronx Bombers defeated the Phillies to win the World Series.

What does that have to do with beating the recession? I’ll tell you! If you want to be self-employed but you don’t believe in yourself, you are sabotaging your success even before you’re out of the gate. You have to be comfortable with who you are and with what you have to offer (comfortable, not cocky). If you’re in the service industry, you are your product. If you’re producing a product, you will be identified with it. Whether you like it or not, you are your brand and you better embrace it.

RIDICULE AND MOCKERY
When I set out to become a full-time voice-over professional, I knew the odds were heavily against me. Some people said:

“Do you honestly believe that you’ll make it as an actor? Dream on! The restaurants of New York and LA are filled with thousands of hopeful waiters. All they do is wait and wait for an opportunity that never comes. These days, anyone with a mic and a laptop can claim to be the next Don LaFontaine. The market is saturated. The economy is bad. Why don’t you get a real job, my friend?”

Here’s why I didn’t: because I knew that there’s no one like me. Yes, there are tons of people who do what I do, but they don’t do it the way I do it. It’s just a matter of letting the rest of the world know what I have to offer.

Believe it or not, this process started less than twelve months ago. This time last year I had no ‘corporate identity’ and there was no company website or a blog. I didn’t own expensive equipment and I had no big shot agents ready to represent me. All I had was a bunch of excited neurons bouncing around in my brain.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I had a number of people who believed in me, and who were willing to lend me a very generous helping hand (Thank you Pam, Dick, Polly and Folkert!). But before they could believe in me, I had to believe in myself.

GETTING THERE
After less than a year I’m nowhere near where I want to be, and it would be arrogant to pretend otherwise. However, I am proud of what I have achieved so far. This blog is read by more people than I ever hoped for; Internet Voice Coach just posted my first tutorial, and the award-winning Florida Realtor Magazine now features an article I wrote about voice-overs and virtual home tours.

I am recording voice-overs in four languages for clients on all continents, and I couldn’t be happier that I proved my skeptics wrong. Now, this list of personal achievements is not  some vain attempt to show off. Rather, it’s my way of telling you what could happen if you refuse to give in to recession depression.

The skeptics will tell you “I will believe it when I see it”. I am telling you that you have to believe it before you will see it.

When Disney World opened its doors, Walt Disney was no longer alive. Before the opening ceremony, a reporter asked Walt’s brother Roy: “Don’t you think it’s a shame that Walt Disney isn’t here to see it all?” Roy answered:

“That’s not exactly true. Because Walt saw it, we are seeing it today!”

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS What are some of the empowering beliefs that help you deal with the recession? Share them in the comment box below!

PPS My next article is all about freelance dilemmas:  is it better to be a generalist or a specialist?

Is there a hidden link between price and perception? Do we get what we are paying for? Are we more satisfied when we’ve paid top dollar?

On January 14th, 2008, a team a of scientists from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University, published a paper called:

“Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness.”

It was the result of research I would have loved to be part of. The hypothesis was that the price of a wine affects the way a person experiences it in their pleasure circuits in the brain. It should answer the age-old question: does an expensive bottle of Bordeaux taste better because of the price tag?

The theory was put to the test using functional MRI scans of people while they tasted wine samples they thought were from different wines at different prices, when in reality they were the same. What a mean thing to do! Lead author Antonio Rangel, associate professor of economics at the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Caltech, said he was “shocked” when he saw the results.

What determines the price of wine? Here are a few factors:

• Profit the wine maker & distributor & seller wish to make
• Resources used
• Expenses such as production cost, labor, transportation, promotion, overhead, taxes
• Skill level of the wine maker
• Uniqueness and positioning of the product
• Market demand and market value
• Experience: the older the wine, the more expensive

SHAKESPEARE
Since this is a blog about the art of voice-overs and not about vinification, here’s my question: “Shall I compare thee to a Chardonnay?” Well… that’s a rather risky idea and I’ll tell you why: a nice bottle of Chardonnay is probably richer and more expensive!

Let me give you a taste from the bottom of the barrel:

Craigslist: “You have an awesome British accent that Americans go crazy for. I want to have an awesome British accent as the voice of the message on my voice mail. It’s really simple and shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes (at most!). Compensation: $20.”

Virtual Vocations: “Voice talent – 60 second recording. You need to be British or sound British. You need to be able to record this at your home with your computer. P.S. I’ll happily pay you for this. I was thinking $5 to $15 by PayPal, since it’s pretty simple.”

Odesk: “Voice over is for a 20 page presentation naration. If your bilingual that will be the best if you able to do only on just mark it in your letter and make you price in concideration. $50 fixed”

LOW AND BEHOLD
Mind you: I did not make these examples up (I use my spelling chekker… well, most times). Is it just me, or is there a serious disconnect between what you and I need to earn to make a decent living, and what these voice-seekers are prepared to pay? Of course you can always argue that these examples are extreme. But are they, really? Here’s my challenge:

Sign up for Odesk; go on Craigslist, VirtualVocations and similar sites, and report back to me in a few weeks. And please, don’t limit your search to voice-over jobs. Ask your friends in IT, copy writing, translation and graphic design to join you in your quest for fair compensation. You might be as surprised as Antonio Rangel. We’re not talking about incidents. We are dealing with a serious trend.

But if you want another example, here it is: the project I mentioned in my last blog, the 304-page book by a former Goldman Sachs partner. The client was offering between $500 and $750 for a recording that would take at least ten hours, if not more. Not one single reader of this blog got back to me and said: “Wow, that’s a phenomenal payday!” Nevertheless, how likely do you think it is that this producer found his narrator for even less? Four letters sum it all up: V E R Y.

GAME TIME
Did the rules of  the game change, and nobody bothered to tell us? Go back a few years. How did we put a price on our services in the past? Remember the days we actually had direct contact with the voice-seeker? A personal connection has always been a pivotal part of any business relationship. It’s the grease that makes things go smoothly. Doesn’t it all begin with building trust? How do you do that, if your client is purposely hiding his identity? It’s impossible to do your own background check to find out if this company is even legit. These days, you can’t even be sure your demo is nothing but a time-wasting test balloon for a campaign you’ll never be part of.  

But let’s continue our flashback. With the rapport going, we could start talking about the requirements of the job. We could ask simple questions such as: “What sort of a read do you need? Who’s the audience? What kind of person is the narrator?” It was an opportunity to go beyond the vague descriptions we’ve gotten accustomed to. Descriptions such as: “Male voice. North-American. Middle-aged. Non-Union.” How much help is that?

In the old scenario, we wouldn’t have to second-guess the word count, what market our commercial would play in and details about a possible buy-out… things that anyone needs to know before putting in a serious and realistic bid.

And finally, with all the blanks filled in, we could talk money. We could educate the voice-seeker about the going rates; the value we’re adding and why we’re worth it. We could discuss a reasonable time-frame for the project and counter objections about our fee, and do the back-and-forth that’s part and parcel of the sales process. It was give-and-take. Negotiate. Communicate. And now? Now, you and I just type a few numbers into the “Your Fee” box and send our hopes and dreams into cyberspace. Someone once said:

“Change is inevitable. Progress isn’t.”

NOT ALONE
Social Media Consultant and freelance writer Deb Ng believes that independent contractors have dropped the ball when it comes to setting rates. Deb writes:

“Did you know many freelance writers won’t give a rate quote to a client and would rather the client set the rate? There are many reasons for this:

• The freelance writer doesn’t know what to charge

• The freelance writer is afraid of bidding too low

• The freelance writer is afraid of bidding too high

• The freelance writer is unsure of the “going rate”

• The freelancer lacks the confidence to request what he deserves”

and she continues:

“Do you know why so many web masters pay $1, $3 or $5 for an article? It’s because they can. They believe it to be a going rate. Since so many freelancers accept the client’s terms and price, the client is able to dictate the payment. If less writers accepted these rates, employers would be forced to pay more money. If you want to break out of the low paying rut, you have no choice but to set higher standards.

By letting someone else set your rate, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. Writers should have an idea of what to charge before embarking on a freelance career. If you enter into it with the mindset that you have to take what is offered, you’ll never be paid what your worth. Remember, you’re freelancing because you want to take charge of your career and your life. How can you do this without knowing how much to charge?”

IN VINO VERITAS
Antonio Rangel and his team discovered that people who were given two identical red wines to drink, said they got much more pleasure from the one they were told had cost more. Brain scans confirmed that their pleasure centers were activated far more by the higher-priced wine.  

One of my favorite BBC programs is “Dragon’s Den”, where “cash-hungry entrepreneurs pitch for investment from some of Britain’s top business brains.” A young business woman made an excellent presentation, and the multi-millionaire investors we visibly impressed with the product and her poise. However, she walked away empty handed.

Her mistake? She had low balled the amount of money needed. Peter Jones, one of the investors, summed it up like this:

“What a shame. If you had asked for more, I would have taken you seriously.”

Paul Strikwerda © 2009

www.nethervoice.com

PPS Do you know how much you’d need to make to break even? Read the next installment for the Double Dutch recommended freelance rate calculator.

Did you ever sell your soul to the devil? Have you had serious doubts about taking on a certain project? Did you dare to say “No” to a fantastic deal, because you refused to compromise your integrity? Is that one particular campaign you worked on years ago, still haunting you?

DRAWING THE LINE
Doing voice-overs (or any freelance project for that matter) is not always a trouble-free ride into Shangri-La-la-land. Seriously, you could end up in a minefield of moral mazes, challenging the core of your identity. Let’s be more specific.

Say, you’ve had a rough couple of months. All of a sudden, the phone stopped ringing; you’ve been fighting and fishing for projects and had no bites. Is it you or is it the economy? The mortgage payment is coming up soon and you really need a new computer. Things aren’t looking good.

Then -out of the blue- you get an offer. Not just an offer. It’s a very, very lucrative, long-term contract to be the voice of… a cigarette brand. All your troubles could go up in smokes! All you have to do is sign on the dotted line. There’s only one tiny problem: your chain-smoking dad died from lung cancer, and you’ve always been a fervent non-smoker. What would you do?

Scenario number two. You’ve made it big and things are getting better and better. Your commercials can be heard in every single state, promoting that superstore with rock-bottom prices. It’s gotten to the point that, when you open your mouth, people immediately call out the name of that store. Annoying, but also flattering, in a bizarre way.

Then a terrible story hits the news: your chain is selling products that are put together by orphans who are working as malnourished slaves in some faraway land, seven days a week without any pay. All of a sudden, your voice is being associated with child labor and abuse.

So, do you cut your ties and your losses, or do you ride out the storm, knowing that this too will pass? After all, who else is going to pay for your glorious bathroom renovation?

MONEY OR MORALS
For some people in the business these situations pose no problem. They are proponents of the pragmatic approach. A job is a job. Money is money and the rest is irrelevant.

On the other side of the spectrum we have the folks who will never ever do a burger ad because they won’t touch a slab of meat with a ten foot pole. Where do you stand?

The ‘pragmatists’ will tell you to leave politics and principles at the studio door. Who cares if you don’t believe in a particular product? You’re an actor. It is your job to pretend. And if your conscience gets in the way of faking it, you have no business being in this business.

The ‘principalists’ will tell you the opposite. It would be disingenuous for a vegetarian to sing the praises of a local steakhouse. Could you do it? No matter how much you’d beef up your voice, how could you convincingly read what you feel’s not right? Well, maybe you can, but you won’t.

As someone once said: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to. But where to draw the line?

HIDDEN POTENTIAL
There’s one other complicating factor voice-over actors have to face: we are the masters of the disembodied vocal chords. We disappear into obscure whisper rooms. We cherish our anonymity. Some members of this tribe vehemently refuse to put a headshot on a demo for fear of ruining the magic and mystery of the faceless voice.

Being able to hide also opens up the road to Temptation Island. The anonymous can get away with pretty much anything. Movie stars have to think twice about the endorsements they say yes to. What if you’re selling a lipstick that was tested on sweet little innocent bunnies? Your anti-animal cruelty fans might start boycotting your movies, and that could be the beginning of the end of your career.

Voice-over job seekers are essentially hiders. But does having a low profile mean that it’s okay to throw ethics overboard, and do as we please without ever thinking about the consequences?

Could we possibly support a campaign against global warming on Monday, and promote that hideous gas-guzzler on Tuesday?

Is it okay to do a PSA for the NRA on Wednesday, and speak out on behalf of Mothers for Gun Control on Thursday?

Of course I just pulled these examples out of my hat, but I’d like to know what dilemmas you have had to struggle with.

When you’re bidding for a job, do you take the time to research the company to make sure it’s 100% kosher before you lend them your voice (or your pen)? Has your agent ever pushed you to do a gig you didn’t feel comfortable doing? Have you ever paid the price for refusing to compromise?

Time for me to sign off. I was just asked to do a commercial for a cruise liner, and even thinking about a ship stuffed with people stuffing themselves makes me seasick.

Get me out of these troubled waters, please!

Paul Strikwerda © 2009

www.nethervoice.com

PS Have you done a job for BP, lately?