Double Dutch

It all started with a short article on his company blog entitled:

“A Quick Guide To Selecting The Right Voice Talent”.

The author, Chris Johnson, is co-Founder of Simplifilm, a young company specializing in “Hollywood-style Explanation videos”. They’ll have to make a video to explain what that means, but Simplifilm says it uses animation and storytelling to demo software applications.

This does not come cheap. Back in July, the company was running a “Grand Opening Sale” offering “3 minutes of broadcast quality demo movie work for $20,000. That’s 40% off the going rate.” You do the math.

Before he became a filmmaker, Chris was Finance Director at Robert Owens for Ohio Attorney General 2008, and he worked as a loan specialist at First Ohio Home Finance.

Thanks to his financial background, Chris seems to know the value of a voiceover, and he’s not basing it on anecdotal evidence. This is how he starts his blog:

“Did you know that the right voice can make a 35% difference in conversion rate? We replaced a voice track in a video – and made no other changes, and the conversion rate went from 2.5% to 3.8% on cold traffic. (Cold traffic is people that are mostly strangers that are coming in via search engines and social media).”

I’m not sure how “2.5% to 3.8% on cold traffic” leads to a “35% percent difference,” but Johnson is definitely on to something.

VOICEOVER CONVERSION
This is not the first time a video company noticed a correlation between the choice of voice and website conversion.

The conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors taking a desired action. It often refers to the number of shoppers turning into buyers. Depending on the size of a company, even a small increase in conversion could mean a significant rise in profits.

San Diego-based Fireclick monitors conversion rates. If you want to get a better idea of industry averages, the Fireclick index will provide some insight.

For software, it averages about 2% per year, with a cart abandonment rate of 75%. That means that three quarters of online software shoppers never become buyers! Could selecting the right voice really change that?

In 2009, Ginger software asked video optimization firm EyeView to develop an introductory video for their homepage to increase the number of visitors that would actually download their software.

EyeView ran a test: 50% of the global audience saw the video with a British voice-over, and 50% saw it with an American voice. Globally, the British voice-over was 4% more effective. For US audiences, the conversion rate for the British accent was 5.5% higher than the American one.

Eyeview:

“The Brits didn’t have it all their own way. In India, the American accent was 12% more effective at converting visitors. But the most surprising statistic of all came when we looked at the comparative performance of the two accents in the UK.

For audiences watching the video in the UK, the voiceover with the American accent was 8% more effective at making visitors download Ginger’s software than the British accent, representing a significant swing away from the global trend.”

Simplifilm’s Chris Johnson confirms:

“The right voice is key to converting video watchers into new customers. When you get the right voice, it breathes life into your video productions, and you should take the time it takes to select and respect your voice talent.”

Please remember that, next time you’re tempted to low-ball yet another voiceover project!

With voice talent having such a tremendous impact on conversion, how much does Simplifilm pay per production? Bear in mind that they charge about $33,000 for a 3-minute video. Johnson:

“Generally, productions are around a couple hundred dollars. We’re not going to lord over them or dangle money like some jerk, we want to do business, be respectful and move on.”

FINDING THE PERFECT PIPES
Now, wouldn’t it be interesting to know where Chris finds the right voices? According to his article, two talents work for him on a regular basis and he tells his readers:

“If -for some reason – you need to find someone outside of your network (…) you can start with Voice123.”

Voice Coach and talent Mark Avery read the blog and responded:

“Unfortunately, many producers and end-users of voice talent have gone to the “discount superstore” mentality of hiring voices for their projects, and the results often show themselves in low conversion rates.”

Of course I had to put my two cents in. Thinking back to my interview with Bodalgo’s Armin Hierstetter, I wrote:

“Chris, most online voice casting services will accept anyone with a credit card, talent not required. It’s not unusual for voice-seekers to receive over 100 auditions for a simple project. Imagine how long it will take you to listen to all these mediocre submissions…”

These turned out to be prophetic words. That same week, Chris joined the Voice Over Professionals group on LinkedIn, and this is how he introduced himself:

“Howdy, guys, I’m new to the group. I’m a production company doing software stories. We’re looking for a stable of 4-6 males and 4-6 females for future work.”

OPEN THE FLOODGATES
You can imagine what happened next. I’ll let Chris tell the story:

“So, when I asked for submissions here – and other places – they started trickling in. Then the floodgates opened.

Last count was 400+ and I have seen no slowdown… both here, from another couple of sources.
I’m surprised because I (hopefully) didn’t represent myself as being too “giant.” I caused 400+ auditions for what will amount to $5,000 or so in fees annually – at most.

Now, how do I read through ‘em all? I put everyone in a spreadsheet, but what’s next? How do I sort people out? I need say 8 voices. If I take 5 minutes per x 500 voices, that’s 2500 minutes.

Or 42 hours JUST listening to voices. I’m not doing that.”

At this point I started to jump for joy, thanking Simplifilm’s founder for the perfect example. This is exactly why most Pay to Plays will eventually implode. Do you get my drift?

Some of my clients have worked with voice casting sites for a while, and they’re starting to realize how expensive “going cheap” can be. Think about it!

How long does it take to find a quality needle in a huge haystack made of scrap metal?

Let’s look at the numbers.

Of course it’s unusual to get 500 auditions for one job, so why not assume that Chris Johnson has to weed through (only!) 100 demos. If he spends 5 minutes on each talent (as he just wrote), this will still take him eight and a half hours!

Imagine being in Chris’s shoes. Should he hire someone to do the dirty work for him and weed through hours and hours of audio? That person needs to be paid too.

If Chris is lucky, his hired help might find the perfect voice among the first 20 contenders. However, my clients concur with Armin Hierstetter that the overall level of entries is usually way below the mark. They’re forced to listen to a deluge of demos before they finally spot the right voice at the right price. What an expensive way to find cheap talent!

Critics might say that I am exaggerating the situation just to make a point. Voice seekers don’t listen to that many demos. Or do they?

In their Client Experience Report Winter 2011, Voices.com states:

“(…) it often surprises talent that the majority of clients review all their auditions. I say majority as that includes those who reviewed “all of the auditions” (45%) plus those who reviewed “50-100 auditions” (8%).”

A while ago I noticed that so many voices.com projects were still listed as open after many, many months. Could one of the reasons be that the client simply gave up after listening to 30 mediocre auditions?

Fortunately, there is an easy solution.

Some of my clients find it much more cost-effective and less time-consuming to hand their project to an agent and let him or her select four or five voices that can all deliver the goods. Clients might end up paying union rates and agent fees, but in the end they’re saving time, trouble and money.

Bye-bye Pay to Play, and thanks for the memories!

THE BABBLE BUBBLE
Online casting services have grown exponentially in the past five years. Fast growing companies often fall victim to their own success. Quality and customer service are compromised and sacrificed in favor of rapid expansion as they’re chasing after the big bucks.

It is no secret that more and more (pseudo)voice actors are joining Pay to Plays. That means that more dogs are fighting over the same bare bones. The chances of landing a decent job at a decent rate decline rapidly.

Here’s my prediction. At some point in the near future, there is no point in joining such a service anymore. It’s not worth it.

Saturation leads to annihilation. Bubbles burst. Cheaply made balloons will pop first.

What’s left is just hot air.

Try fitting that in a 3-minute video demo!

Chris Johnson, here’s a word to the wise:

If you need new talent, call an agent.

Don’t ask for any names of agencies, though.

You might get a list of … about 500!

Paul Strikwerda ©2011
www.nethervoice.com

Technorati Tags: Armin Hierstetter, Bodalgo, Chris Johnson, conversion rate, Double Dutch, Double Dutch Blog, Dutch voice actor, explanation videos, EyeView, Fireclick, Fireclick index, Ginger Software, LinkedIn, Mark Avery, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, Pay to Plays, Pay-to-Play, Simplifilm, voice over professionals, voice-over, voice123.com, voiceover, voiceover agent, voices.com, voices.com client experience report

Alright.

Last week’s pity party is over and I’m back at the helm of Starship Nethervoice.

A warm and fuzzy “thank you” to all of you who have reached out to me in the past few days.

Yes, I missed you too!

One of those people was news anchor and fellow VO-pro Dave Courvoisier. He called me from Vegas to let me know that I was not forgotten. This moved me so much that I promised to dedicate a song to him at Faffcon’s karaoke night. Any suggestions as to how I can best serenade him in his absence?

You might not praise my singing, but I will sing Dave’s praises any night. In a way, Dave is like a city that never sleeps. A big proponent of SM*, Super Social Dave can simultaneously be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Amplify, while presenting the evening news and writing a new article for his blog. Sometimes I wonder what it must be like, to live inside his head…

On August 4th, Dave’s Voice Acting in Vegas Blog featured an interview with Jason Ojalvo, the man behind Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). If you haven’t heard of ACX yet, I recommend you read Karen Commins’ blog post and Andy Bowyer’s article in VoiceOverXtra.

In a nutshell, ACX is a virtual market place for people practicing what I believe to be the oldest profession in the world: storytelling. Narrators, writers and producers can find one another on ACX and create spoken books together.

Here’s what I particularly like about the ACX-model:

• It’s FREE! Yes, you’ve heard me. There’s no paid membership and there are no exorbitant escrow fees;

• ACX has a well-designed website and excellent customer service;

• There’s no middle man. Believe it or not, there is direct contact between narrator, producer and author/rights holder, resulting in…

• Reasonable rates and the opportunity to take a chance sharing royalties;

• Quality Control: ACX is very picky about recording and production requirements. It takes more than a credit card, a mic and some shareware to list oneself as an audio book narrator;

• A wide distribution network.

Here’s what needs tweaking:

• ACX currently offers projects in 6 languages. I’d like to see that number grow and -of course- include Dutch (my mother tongue);

• There are no projects posted in my preferred rate scale: the $400 to $1000 per finished hour range;

• At present there’s no way of telling whether or not an audition has been listened to, unless the narrator receives an offer. I’d also like to know how many colleagues  have already auditioned for a particular project;

• On 8/4/’11 ACX had 1939 narrator samples, but no way to search for a particular talent. It took me a while to find some of my favorite voices;

• Some talents have two pages, e.g. one under BeeAudio (talent is  available for: $200 – $400 Per Finished Hour) and one under their own name (same talent for hire for: $100 – $200 per finished hour). Are narrators competing with themselves and does this double listing give them an unfair advantage?;

• ACX does allow you to select a narrator by gender. There are 1296 audio samples listed under male and 760 under female. Why are women underrepresented? When I selected “Both,” 116 samples came up. (1296 + 760 = 2056 and not 1939

• When searching by gender, some female narrators came up, even though I had narrowed  my search down to male voice-overs;

• Chapters selected for audition are often purposely chosen because they contain some challenging paragraphs in terms of pronunciation. A quick example:

I wanted to audition for a book about the life of a Tibetan Lama. After an hour of extensive research, I still couldn’t find the correct pronunciation of his holiness’ name. Normally, I’d expect the author to provide a pronunciation guide, and I’d like ACX to lend us a hand in that department. Lama Geshe Dhargyey will bless you.

• ACX currently offers 676 non-fiction titles and 596 fiction titles looking for a narrator. I’d like to see the number of fiction titles go up. But here’s the big one:

• There are only 7 titles in the kids section. There’s obviously some untapped potential in that genre!

Jason Ojalvo told CourVo:

“The buzz is that ACX is one of the most empowering services ever created for actors. “

To me, Dave Courvoisier is one of the most empowering colleagues in the voice-over business. Dave loves to share. Thanks to him, what happens in Vegas, never stays in Vegas.

Whether Dave’s anchoring the news or narrating a voice-over script, SaVoa Board Advisor 07041 is a distinguished member of that ancient tribe of storytellers.

I’m already looking forward to the next Amazing CourVo Xchange!

How about you?

Paul Strikwerda ©2011
www.nethervoice.com

*SM: Social Media

PS Be sweet: please retweet.

Technorati Tags: ACX, Amplify, Andy Bowyer, audio book promotion, Audiobook Creation Exchange, Dave Courvoisier, Dutch narrator, Dutch voiceover, Facebook, Faffcon, Google, how to create an audio book, Jason Ojalvo, Karen Commins, LinkedIn, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, SAVOA, the oldest profession in the world, twitter, Voice Acting in Vegas, VoiceOverXtra

On August 1, 2007, serial entrepreneur and Boston-based tax accountant Lewis Weinstein quietly launched the beta version of ReferralKey, an on-line referral management system.

Some called it “LinkedIn on steroids.” Others feel it’s just another version of the traditional inbound marketing strategy. How does it work?

Once you create a ReferralKey online profile showcasing your amazing accomplishments, you can invite others to join your network and start exchanging leads. Does the following viral email look familiar?

Are you taking on new clients?

If you’re taking on new clients, I’d like to include you in my private referral network to send you business leads through Referral Key. Please accept my invitation below. Thanks!

Best,

Person’s Name
Name of Their Company
City, State

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but there was one problem. It didn’t take off. Weinstein told the Boston Globe that professionals using the site felt it just wasn’t helping them generate enough new business. Weinstein: “The common response was, ‘I thought you were gonna send me referrals.”’

A wait-and-see approach never works and Weinstein discovered that something essential was missing from his system; something that drives all human behavior: an incentive.

TAKING THE BAIT
You see, the average RefferalKey member wasn’t just going to refer a colleague or a friend on the basis of his or her merits or the existing relationship. Before they were willing to make a recommendation, they needed one question answered:

“What’s in it for me?”

Weinstein’s answer: Cash, Omaha Steaks, L.L.Bean or Callaway Golf gift cards.

ReferralKey was relaunched in April 2010, based on the following principle:

“Grow your business by offering rewards to other people who send you successful referrals.”

This winning idea turned boring, unresponsive professionals into bounty hunters, ready to stake their claim and claim their steak. I just received an email from a colleague offering me 10% of whatever she will make, if she lands a job based on my referral.

RefferalKey even lets you track referrals to “ensure your relationships are reciprocal”. Yes, my friend, if you rub my back, I’ll rub yours and just so you know… I do keep score!

Do you like it so far? If you’re having any doubts, you’re not alone.

Chris Reimer is Vice President of Social Media at brand developer Falk Harrison. He writes in his blog:

“The first time I got an email with the subject line “Are you taking on new clients?” Holy crap, I was excited! You bet I’m taking clients! (what a hook). Ten seconds later, I felt the shame of spam, deflated, and just a little pissed. After receiving 100 of these emails? No one likes spam.”

Kathryn Delany is a web designer and Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Specialist. She writes:

“I have been sucked into the vortex of the Referral Key saga. I usually am very cautious about these emails. However, the initial invitation generated from a long trusted colleague so I signed up. Sadly I followed the instructions on importing my LinkedIn Contacts little suspecting that this site hijacks the list before you can choose who you would like to invite to your circle. As it ‘imports’ your contacts it automatically sends out the invitation to everyone on it!”

Chris Reimer concludes:

“Stop joining services that blast out marketing messages Uzi-style as ReferralKey.com does. The bad taste you are leaving in people’s mouths is not worth it.”

A MORAL MAZE
Apart from receiving downright annoying emails, I have  a more moral objection. There is a good reason why professionals like lawyers, realtors, accountants and therapists have adopted codes of conduct, specifically prohibiting them from taking payment for referrals. It is considered to be unethical.

Look at the definition of bribery:

“an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient”

RefferalKey says it is based on “trusted relationships,” but if you’re meeting a need with greed, what does that really say about your definition of “trust” and “relationship”?

Do you really think you can buy my opinion and influence my behavior by offering me a bounty? Is that how you think I operate? I almost feel insulted!

YOUR TRUE MOTIVES
If I were motivated by money, I probably wouldn’t even be in the voice-over business. Take it from me: You will never do your best work for the love of money. You do your best work when you hold yourself up to standards no one else can or will match. Your best work is always a labor of love and never the result of greed.

Here’s my bottom line: a referral needs to be earned, not bought. I owe a huge part of my business success to referrals, and I am frequently asked to recommend colleagues. For those recommendations I get paid big time.

Before I tell you what I receive in return, you should know that I take my referrals very seriously. The fact that I will recommended a certain person, reveals as much about me as it does about the person in question.

One can usually judge someone by the company he or she keeps. When you pass the name of a colleague onto someone else, you put your reputation on the line. So, how do you go about it?

When you’re thinking of recommending someone, ask yourself the following question:

How do I know that someone else is good at their work?

Here are your options:

• See – I need visual evidence (e.g. I need to watch them do their work)
• Hear – I need to hear them (e.g. listen to their demo)
• Read – I need to read about them (e.g. a review, a report, a website)
• Do - I have to work with them to get a feel for how good they are

In certain circles, the answer to this question is called a “Convincer Strategy,” and most people come up with more than one answer.

The next question is:

How often does a person have to demonstrate that they’re good at what they do, before I am convinced?

• A number of times – e.g. Three or four times
• Automatic – I always give someone the benefit of the doubt
• Consistent – I’m never really convinced
• Period of time – It usually takes e.g. a week, a month… before I can tell if someone’s really good

The last thing you need to be aware of is your frame of reference:

• Internal - No matter what anyone says about her, only I can tell whether or not she’s any good
• External – A source I trust recommended her and that’s good enough for me

It’s very common for people to have an internal frame of reference with an external check, or the other way around. If your frame of reference is completely internal, no one will ever be able to convince you of anything. If it’s completely external, your opinion will be dependent on what others have to say.

Whether we realize it or not, all of us have different ways of convincing ourselves. If my frame of reference is pretty much internal and a person needs to consistently demonstrate to me that he’s any good by working one-on-one with me, systems like RefferalKey are useless.

It will only work for people with a more external frame of reference who are convinced by reading about someone, and based on that, give the person the benefit of the doubt. How big of a group is that?

QUALITY REFERRALS
Should you decide to give RefferalKey a try, ask yourself how well you know the contacts you’re about to invite and how well they know you. In other words: what is the quality and the depth of the referrals this system generates? Is it worth the risk of pissing people off with automated impersonal email messages?

Referring people can be very rewarding. It’s an essential part of being in business and staying in business… as long as you do it for the right reasons. If you landed a gig as a result of my recommendation, I demand that you pay me back by doing the best job you could possibly do. As one of my teachers used to say:

“If you look good, I look good, so you better make me look good!”

Secondly, don’t send me any money or vouchers for Omaha Steaks. You booked the job because you’re the best and you deserve it. I don’t take any credit (or cash) for that.

Take your 10% and give it to a worthy cause. Pay it forward.

That’s the key to referrals!

Paul Strikwerda ©2011
www.nethervoice.com

PS Please refer someone else to this blog by retweeting and “liking” it on facebook.

Technorati Tags: Chris Reimer, Double Dutch Blog, Dutch voice over, how does ReferralKey work, how to give business referrals, inbound marketing, Kathryn Delany, kickbacks, Lewis Weinstein, LinkedIn, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, ReferralKey

It’s one of those mornings. I just put on my grumpy pants and I’m not in the mood to write a brilliant blog post. I just need to vent about social media.

The non-event that triggered the outburst you’re about to enjoy, is at the top of my list:

1. Robotic requests to connect, befriend, recommend or refer.

You know what I am talking about. Automated messages such as:

“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”.
“You are a person I trust…”

Give me a break! Do I know you? Have we ever met? Did we do business together? If the answer to these questions is NO, then why are you bothering me? Are you a hacker, a stalker, a spammer or a child?

Are you truly interested in me, or do you just want to milk my carefully built-up professional network for personal gain? Should I send you to social media etiquette school and ask the teacher to put you in the corner?

Your profile tells me you list yourself as a “PR-specialist”. If your approach is an example of how you conduct business, you will be the first person I will never hire. How’s that for a recommendation?

2. Mixing business with personal info.

Just because we’ve worked together, doesn’t mean I need to know that you came back from your doctor and had a wart removed. Spare me the details!

I don’t care what you’ve had for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Your kids don’t interest me. Your spouse leaves me cold and your high school pictures are just as boring as all the other high school pictures on the Web.

Facebook Profiles are for people. Facebook Pages are for nonprofits and businesses. Facebook’s official policy states:

“Facebook profiles are meant to represent a single individual. Organizations of any type are not permitted to maintain an account under the name of their organization.”

“If you create a profile for your business, your account may be disabled for violating our Terms of Use.”

3. Making it all about you, all the time.

Yes, I know the world revolves around you, but do you have to rub it in 24/7? Thin books become pretty old pretty fast. It’s so easy to saturate social media with self-centered fluff. It quickly becomes counter-productive.

I’m happy for you that you landed a new client and I’m sure your latest product looked and sounded great, but do you have an interest in what’s going on in the rest of the world?

It’s obvious that you like talking about yourself, but can you actually shut up and listen for a change? And when you do, do you really hear what I am saying, or are you waiting for an opportunity to bring the conversation back to… YOU?

If you’re the busy professional you claim to be, how on earth do you find the time to constantly tweet, text, chat and comment?

4. Using money as your motivator.

What am I to you? Am I a friend or a business lead? Did you mislead me by befriending me? True friends want to give and share without expecting anything in return. What is it that you really want? Are you trying to warm me up to soften your sale?

I don’t want to be reduced to something that’s bringing you one step closer to meeting your monthly quota. If you want to lose your friends forever, try involving them in your multi-level marketing scheme. There’s a reason why it’s very lonely at the top of the pyramid.

Stop selling yourself. Don’t prescribe a cure before you know the illness. Find out how you can be of service. And if you don’t have anything to offer at the moment, leave me alone. Please. I’ve got work to do.

5. Asking me to do your homework.

You wanted to know how you can become a voice-over artist. You told our facebook group that you don’t have any gear; you have no demos and zero experience. You have no budget and apparently no brain. That’s why you asked the community to do the homework for you.

How about doing a quick Google search, or is that too much to ask? Are you perhaps used to things being handed to you on a silver platter? If that’s the case, forget about a career as solopreneur.

The self-employed get their hands dirty. If they want something, they go after it. And when they’ve exhausted their research, then they might turn to a colleague for advice.

I consider myself to be reasonably responsive, knowledgeable and quite supportive, but there’s one thing I will not support: laziness! So: get off you butt and stop wasting our time!

6. Having no manners.

Picture this: I just took an hour out of my schedule to give you some valuable tips and connect you to a few colleagues. My friends tell me that you followed up with them, so I know you received my 3-page email. Did I ever hear back from you? No Sir! Not even a thank you.

The words “please” and “thank you” are rapidly disappearing from our language. Kids don’t use them anymore because their parents stopped using them. After all, what’s the point? Why thank someone for something we take for granted?

Mind you, I’m not looking for an ego-boost and I don’t need validation in order to feel valued. But I still believe that it is more than a common courtesy to show some appreciation for something someone has done for you without any ulterior motives.

Secondly, the fact that it’s easy to be anonymous online, doesn’t give you permission to be rude, insulting, childish or ill-mannered. We can’t hear your tone of voice and we don’t see your facial expressions. That’s why it’s so easy to take your words literally, so be careful of what you say and how you say it. Notice how diplomatic I am in this rant?

7. Leaving non-comments, just to get your name out.

I love my readers. Without them my blog would make the sound of one hand clapping. I love the readers that become subscribers even more. Right up there, are the ones that get involved and care to comment. You know who you are and you also know that I make an effort to respond.

I do have one simple request: If you have nothing to say, don’t say it!

It’s an old, self-serving strategy to try to trick search engines into believing that you have an internet presence by leaving a two-word comment followed by your contact info. These days, search engines are much smarter than that. They may even penalize you for plastering your name all over the web.

8. Luring me with the Lord. OMG!

You might have heard the story of the man who got into a serious car accident recently. He was rammed by a Hummer with a “God is my co-pilot” license plate. He not only lost a leg. He also lost his faith.

Let me put it bluntly: I go online for information and communication; not for salvation. For me, conversion rate is about turning visitors into customers. Let’s not trivialize the sacred scriptures and turn the internet into a stairway to heaven.

Believe it or not, my soul is safe and my religious convictions and affiliations are none of your business.

*               *               *               *                *

Okay…. I feel so much better already.

It’s not healthy to keep everything boiled up inside.

Thanks for letting me blow off some steam.

Speaking of Social Media, what are things you find absolutely intolerable?

Whining? Political debates? Stereotyping certain groups? Fake endorsements? Customized advertising? Farmville? Bad spelling? People like me?

The floor is yours!

Paul Strikwerda © 2011
www.nethervoice.com

Technorati Tags: common courtesy, difference between facbook page and profile, Double Dutch Blog, Facebook, facebook friend, friend request, internet etiquette, LinkedIn, manners, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, saying please and thank you, Social Media, twitter, voice-over, voiceover

Is there a cure for the common cold call, or should we just let it rest in peace?

Before you start reading, let’s do a quick experiment. In a moment I am going to list four things.

As soon as you see number one, simply label your very first response as either positive or negative and move on to the next word.

Are you ready? Here we go:

- Telemarketing

- Cold calling

- Do-Not-Call Registry

- Networking

So, what’s your score?

Do you think your reaction is unique or universal?

I’ve just subjected a few of my friends to this unscientific test and -surprise, surprise- the numbers 1 and 2 elicited a strong negative response.

Telemarketers are among the most hated professionals on the planet. Most people would rather have their wisdom teeth extracted without sedation, than make a couple of cold calls.

In essence, cold calling revolves around fear and loathing!

Some commentators call cold calling ‘an abusive and masochistic process that damages your brand as well as your personal reputation‘. Others still believe that playing the numbers game (100 calls leading to 10 appointments resulting in 3 sales) is a foolproof system for the thick-skinned. They claim that cold callers who piss people off, just aren’t very good at their job. What do the experts think?

NAMES, NOT NUMBERS
Mahan Khalsa founded the Sales Performance Group of FranklinCovey. He’s the co-author of “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship.”

He writes:

“When sales is a numbers game, people are numbers and each one of the numbers tends to get treated equally. After all, we don’t know which one out of ten will even want to meet with us, so we can’t afford to do the research and preparation necessary to customize the call to their company and to them as a person. And that’s exactly what it feels like on the other end. You don’t really know me, don’t know my company, don’t know what is important to us—and yet you feel you have something we want.” (click here for more from Khalsa)

John Jantsch is a leading small business expert and author of “Duct Tape Marketing” and “The Referral Engine”. He heard Khalsa speak at a conference and recently shared the following statistic in his blog:

“Cold calling results in about a 1-3% success rate for getting an initial appointment and it’s generally abusive to both parties. When that same call is made with a referral, the rate jumps up to 40% and even much higher when that referral comes from within the company.”

There you have it. As far as I’m concerned, Jantsch and Khalsa just killed Cold Calling. I don’t think we’ll have too many mourners at the funeral, do you?

DRUMMING UP BUSINESS
As Jantsch points out, there are much more effective ways to find new customers. I must warn you, though: the strategies I am about to share with you are neither for the passive nor for the aggressive. They are not for the introvert, the modest, the lazy and the ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘wait and see’ types.

If you want to dig up potential clients, you have to become a miner. You most certainly will have to get your hands dirty and take the time to delve deeper. Here are a few gold mines that are surprisingly close to home:

1. CURRENT CLIENTS are a phenomenal resource. So: mine your own business! Satisfied customers are your best credentials and walking billboards. Please promise me to never conclude business without asking for:

a. A testimonial
b. Referrals

Tell your client:

“I really enjoyed working on this project with you. You must know a lot of people in the business. Who else do you think could benefit from my services?”

Always ask:

“Can I let Mr. so-and-so know that you referred me?”

Most of us enjoy buying stuff, but we deeply distrust salespeople. We will, however, trust colleagues and friends. That’s one of the reasons why under the radar Facebook marketing is so effective.

2. NETWORKING works, as long as you get off your butt. Don’t expect people to come to you. Anywhere and everywhere that you can meet other businesspeople face to face is better than cold calling.

Local networking groups like your Chamber of Commerce offer opportunities to meet and mingle. Here’s how to make the most of these type of meetings:

• Be unconventional! Seek out events where you might be the only expert in your field. Don’t waste your time and money talking to sad colleagues sharing horror stories at so-called conventions. Be a winner, not a whiner.

• Spend 80% of your time asking questions and listening to the answer. It’s priceless market research!

• Be sincere. Be positive. Pay people compliments. I know you’re good at that sort of thing. They will remember you.

• Realize that this is about building relationships and not about selling.

• When you receive a business card, write a few key words on the back that will jog your memory. After the event, enter the info into your database and add your personal impressions.

• Select a few people that could benefit from what you have to offer and with whom you seem to have good rapport. Then take the next step…

3. SOCIAL MEDIA offer a great way to follow up with your new contacts. Connect on LinkedIn:

“Steve, it was nice meeting you the other night. Good luck with that new project. When I drove back I had to think of that charity you’re involved in. If you like, I can help you with a logo. I’d love to contribute.”

Don’t just send someone the “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message. What am I to make of such a lazy, robotic approach? Are you really interested in me, or do you just want to milk my network?

A network is often the result of years of careful relationship building. Do you think you can just tap into that treasure by sending me an automated message? You can do better than that! Why don’t you buy yourself a mailing list for Christmas instead? That will teach you the value of business leads!

Please personalize. Give me a reason to connect. Have the decency to respond to someone who was kind enough to open up his/her network to you. If you can’t take a minute or two to say “thank you,” what does that tell me about the way you usually do business?

OLD VERSUS NEW

• In the old sales model, the focus was on closing a deal ASAP. The new paradigm is: “How can I help you?” It’s not about getting. It is about giving. Don’t expect to get any referrals if you’re not prepared to give any referrals.

• The old model was built on dialing rate and breaking through respondent resistance. In the new world you would never force a relationship. Be patient. You can’t expect to reap the rewards if you’re not willing to sow the seeds and tend to your crop. Yet, too much fertilizer is overkill.

• Use social media to get to know your contact as a person, not as a prospect. Once you’re connected, they’ll get to know you too.

4. FREE PUBLICITY is a perfect way to introduce yourself to the community. Your neighborhood paper is starving for copy. How often have you seen the headline:

Local author signs new novel at Barnes & Noble

How about: “Local voice talent lands gig on national TV”? These stories don’t come out of a hat. You have to create that BUZZ. How do you do that?

• Write a press release about your latest accomplishment. Make sure it’s written in the third person. Otherwise it comes across as rather self-gratifying.

• Fax your statement. Unlike emails, a fax can’t be deleted or filtered out. Snail mail doesn’t have to be opened immediately. A fax shows urgency.

• Get in touch with the host of a radio show highlighting businesses in your area. You could be her next guest.

• Hold or sponsor a contest and make your service the prize.

• Prominently participate in your community by donating time and expertise. Don’t settle for a behind the scenes job. Be the spokesperson!

• Always follow up with a call.

5. BECOME A KNOWN EXPERT by offering free talks or by writing a blog or a column in your paper. Get your name out. If people don’t know that you exist, they will never hire you. A few pointers:

• Make sure that what you have to say is relevant to your audience. Come up with a catchy title for your talk. Instead of “Creative writing 101” try “How to sell your first short story.”

• Speak no longer than 20 minutes and stay away from Power Point; then take questions. Engage your audience. Don’t bore them with a sleepy slide show!

• Give everyone a freebie at the end with your contact information; put out a mailing list and follow up.

6. PEOPLE YOU DO BUSINESS WITH don’t need to warm up to you. Your car dealership, your accountant, your lawyer, that studio you work with, even your hairdresser, caterer and photographer are all part of huge networks. Why bother grooming a business in Baltimore when you have these resources in your back yard? Unless -of course- you live in Charm City.

Here’s the key: start sending these people some business today, but don’t do it because you expect something in return. Do it because they deserve it. And remember: make sure the friends and colleagues you refer drop your name.

What if -at first- nothing happens? I’d say this to you: Delays are not denials. This is not instant oatmeal. Besides, the old-fashioned type tastes better and it will give you more sustenance.

You can’t manipulate people and turn them into your puppets. What you can do is model certain behavior, hoping it will rub off. If you’re a parent or a teacher, you already know that this works. And if nothing happens, nothing’s lost. You have gained valuable feedback that allows you to fine-tune your approach. Focus on finding businesses that share your philosophy.

THE PROOF AND THE PUDDING
Old paradigms are like dragons: they are hard to kill. Once you cut off its head, a new one appears. People who have bought into the presumed strength of one sales system, aren’t easily sold on something they aren’t even willing to try.

I know for a fact that I can’t convince you of anything. I don’t even want to. Make up your own mind, but do me one favor: don’t diss these strategies out of hand. Try them out. Experiment, knowing that no system in the world works one hundred percent, all the time. Don’t even treat it as a system. Before you know it, a system becomes a formula, a procedure and a routine, taking us right back to square one.

Feel free to disagree. Contribute to the comment section below. Nothing attracts blog readers like a bit of controversy. Share what has worked for you and why. The only knowledge that’s worth something, is knowledge that is shared and put into practice.

In that spirit, allow me to share one last story with you. This time, it’s personal.

LOVE AT FIRST SITE
This is my wife and I love her dearly. Not only is she beautiful, wise, warm, intelligent, witty, strong, creative, a fabulous musician and teacher… she also puts up with all of my quirks. People always ask me: “You are so lucky! How did you meet her?” The honest answer is: online!

Looking for love online is no easy thing. Right now, there are millions of lonely hopefuls longing for some eHarmony or the perfect Match. And all of them will tell you they like long strolls on the beach; someone with a sense of humor who loves kids and has a steady job.

What would you do to find Mr. or Mrs. Wonderful among millions of internet singles?

Would you type a zip code into a matchmaking search engine; pick a 100 mile radius and start calling every single prospect within that area? You’d probably face verbal abuse, accusations of harassment and maybe you’ll go on a couple of first dates. Still, how would you know these people are a good fit for you? Yet, this is the old cold callers way of (mis)conducting business.

Instead, why don’t you begin by asking yourself these questions:

- Who am I?
- What’s important to me in a relationship and why?
- What do I have to offer?
- What kind of person would be a good match for me and why?

Based on these answers, it will be much easier to come up with a unique profile and zoom in on people with potential.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to this precious platitude:

It’s not about finding the right partner.

It is about being the right partner.

One last thing.

Before I put my online profile up, I did some serious soul searching and I answered the questions above to the best of my ability.

The end result?

I did not find my wife…

She found me!

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS Be sweet. Please retweet. Thanks!

PPS In my next blog: a revelation about my double life…

Technorati Tags: building freelance business, cold calling, creating free publicity, do not call registry, does coald calling work, Duct Tape Marketing, Dutch voiceover, eHarmony.com, Facebook, freelance secrets, freelancer, Freelancing, generating business leads, getting freelance business, how to become an expert, John Jantsch, Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play, LinkedIn, looking for love online, Mahan Khalsa, Match.com, Nethervoice, networking, neutral English voice, online dating, online dating success, Paul Strikwerda, referrals, Social Media, telemarketing, The Referral Engine, the truth about cold calling, twitter, why cold calling doesn't work

In July, something happened to me that had never happened before: I won a prize. Voices.com had asked members to write about their experiences with their service, and somehow, they liked my story the best. Here’s a quote from what I wrote:

“Two months ago, I decided to challenge Voices.com. My dollar-a-day membership plan paid off big time. With $2300 in the bank, I had earned more than 38 times my investment.”

The genuine article was posted on Double Dutch (and all over the Web). Thanks to this entry, I became the surprised winner of a $500 gift certificate to Sweetwater. So far so good, right? But, wait… is there something wrong with this picture? My winning entry sang the praises of a Pay-to-Play. You might have noticed that there’s even a voices.com banner on my blog. Yet, when you take a look at this blog, I seem to be “Mr. Critical” when it comes to these voice-over matchmaking sites. Could Double Dutch be accused of Double Standards? Colleague Steve Hammill put it this way:

“I must say that I had to chuckle when I saw your endorsement of a P2P site on this web page. It’s quite an elaborate endorsement.”

So, what’s the real deal with the Dutch dude?

At the time of my unexpected win, some blogging colleagues suggested that they would never take part in a competition like that, because they wanted to remain ‘impartial’. Even though I don’t agree with their assumption, I respect their point of view. I also believe that my writings have shown that my opinion is my opinion… no matter how sweet the waters may be.

INSIDER INFO
Let’s get personal for a moment. I happen to be one of those guys some psychologists eagerly label as “fixers“. A few weeks ago, I was looking for an item at my supermarket that wasn’t there. Yes… it was a product from Holland. What else could it be? Now, I could moan and groan about it for the next twelve weeks, or I could go the manager and suggest he stock this particular Dutch delicacy that nobody should live without. The first option was easier and would have taken less time. So, I picked option two. The manager listened to what I had to say and put in a request. Within a matter of weeks, I got a phone call that the item was on the shelves, and by the way…. how soon could I stop by to pick it up, compliments of the store?

It was a small thing that made a big impact. Now my friends tell me: “Stop talking about where you go grocery shopping. We get it, already!”

I happen to be a strong believer in bringing about change from within... one Dutch treat at a time. That’s why I Pay to Play. My P2P-memberships give me access to some of the inner workings of these sites, and that means that I can speak from experience when I write about them. I don’t want to be one of those armchair referees. I enjoy being out on the field, playing the game.

THE P2P ADVANTAGE
There’s no doubt about it: voice-over matchmaking sites have earned their place in the market. In fact, if you’ve been kind enough to keep track of my “ponderings” on this blog or on various LinkedIn-voiceover groups, this is a recurring theme. Every day, sites like voices.com save you and me time and money that we would otherwise have to spend on advertising, marketing and acquisition. The free podcasts, articles and expert advice are a treasure trove for beginners and old-timers alike. And occasionally, these sites even help you or me book a job. However, I’d advise any voice-over pro or amateur against totally relying on P2P’s for leads. I’m sure these sites would be the first ones to tell you that.

FAIR IS FAIR
Every medal, no matter how shiny, has two sides. I’m not one of those people who, blinded by one side, can’t see the other. There’s still so much room for improvement, and rather than being a winner or a whiner, I want to come up with ideas on how these sites can make their services even better. Sometimes they actively ask for my opinion. Sometimes I just can’t help myself, and I blog about it. At times, people even read these blogs and respond.

But let’s be honest: not all is well in voiceover land, but we can’t blame everything on P2P’s, and I don’t think I ever did. WE are part of the problem. A BIG part. Every time we take on a job for less than we deserve, we send a signal to voice-seekers that we’re willing to be taken advantage of. Every time we put in a bid that’s below what’s commonly accepted as reasonable, we’re telling our colleagues that we don’t give a bleep about the long-term consequences. We can’t force sites like voice123 to uphold minimum rates. It’s their business to run their business any way they want. They make most of their money from memberships and not based on how much we get paid per gig. That’s what agents do.

Last but not least, when we’re operating out of the bargain basement, we’re telling ourselves that our unique talent, our invaluable experience and our phenomenal skills are only worthy of a handout. If you truly believe in leading by example, is that really what you want to instill in your children? Of course I know that there’s much more to self-worth than a bunch of numbers on a paycheck. I’m not asking you to charge astronomical fees either, simply because you feel like “you’re worth it”.

All I’m asking for is that you please educate yourself by taking a good look at resources like these… many of them offered by the same voice-over sites listed in this article:

http://www.edgestudio.com/Voice-Over-Rate-Card.htm
http://www.voices.com/voice-over-rates.html
http://support.voice123.com/article/How_Much_Are_Talents_and_Voice_Producers_Charging_for_Non-union_Voice_Over_Work_Delivered_Online.html
http://www.aftra.com/documents/2009_Radio_Commercials_Ratesheet_Revised_5-6-09.pdf
http://www.voiceoverresourceguide.com/index.html

NOW WHAT?
Even the best information is totally useless if you don’t do anything with it. You have at least three options:

1. Show me that the rates listed in these resources are outrageous and out of touch with reality, and argue that you don’t deserve to be paid that much. OR…
2. Agree that these rates (no matter how average they may be) are reasonable, and stick to them when bidding and negotiating.
3. Don’t be involved in this discussion, but keep on complaining and watch from the sidelines as others are sticking their necks out.

SAVED BY THE UNIONS
Some of you have asked me: “How about the unions? Isn’t it their job to deal with remuneration? If you’re so unhappy with the current rates or the lowballing bidders, why not join AFTRA?”

I’d say: Well, if you can afford to be a union member, great! If you get paid union rates or above, even better! However, don’t walk away from your own responsibility by telling me that the unions are the only parties who can fight our fight, and that non-union members have to pay the price for not being in the union. Members are usually the first ones to tell you that things aren’t what they used to be, and that the presumed power of AFTRA, SAG, ACTRA, EQUITY and others, is fading fast. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the majority of Pay-to-Play users are non-union.

Do you remember these numbers? Almost 40% of professional voice-overs make less than $25,000 per year, even after having been in the business for 10-25 years. Over a quarter of those surveyed make less than $10,000 per year.  (Source: VoiceOver Insider magazine). I don’t see these people joining a union in the next few weeks. So, who else will stand up for the thousands of unrepresented voice-overs, who love what they do and who also wish to make a decent living?

Don’t expect SaVoa (Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists ) to go to battle for you. That’s not SaVoa’s mission. Article 2 of their STANDARDS OF BUSINESS CONDUCT clearly states:

“neither SaVoa nor its members shall collude to set or attempt to set minimum rates for voice over services.”

So, at the end of the day the ball’s back in your court… where it always was and always will be. We all choose what we want to live by, and what we’re willing to accept. The great thing about living in this free country, is the fact that in many situations, we can choose where we wish to draw the line. Sometimes it’s not so easy to see that one decision, no matter how small, has an impact on the whole. If you have any doubts about that, ask Rosa Parks.

CONTEST IN CONTEXT
And finally… here’s an update on my voices.com “success story”. I became a member on April 24th of this year, and I have no regrets. Stephanie Ciccarelli who handles the PR for “voices”, knows that my endorsement of her company was not motivated by a prize, but it was inspired by my experience at that moment in time. There’s a reason why there still is a voices.com banner on this blog.

It’s almost six months later, and I can tell you that I have landed exactly THREE jobs through voices.com. All of them were booked before I won my prize. It’s not for lack of trying. In fact, since I became a member, I’ve sent out a total of 378 demos; most of them custom-made, hand-crafted and with a touch of Dutch. I think I can do better, and I think sites like voices.com can do better. And that’s exactly why I share these thoughts with the rest of the voice-over community and beyond.

A RESPONSE
Voices.com has a dedicated LinkedIn Group for members who’d like to be involved. Whenever I write a new article, I post it under “news”, and that’s how many of you probably found out about Double Dutch.

Stephanie Ciccarelli wrote the following about my previous blog on her LinkedIn group page,:

“With regard to what has been posted re: “What Pay-To-Plays Don’t Want You to Know”, let me share the following:

These sort of postings in the Voices.com LinkedIn group are giving me cause for concern. I would request that articles deliberately questioning the integrity of services such as Voices.com not be posted in the Voices.com LinkedIn Group in the future. While the article may mention our company, or others in this space, it is unacceptable for me to let unfounded information as it pertains to Voices.com be shared through our own property.

I will be replying to the blog posting personally with my thoughts.”

I encourage you to read her thoughts in the comment section of my last post. I also urge you to share your thoughts on the following:

-Do you believe that I questioned “the integrity of services such as Voices.com?”

-Did I provide “unfounded information as it pertains to Voices.com?”

-Do you agree with Stephanie, that we should refrain from posting articles such as “What Pay-To-Plays Don’t Want You to Know” on sites affiliated to those that are mentioned in the article?

Paul Strikwerda © 2009
www.nethervoice.com

PS Are you having a hard time figuring out what to charge for your voice-over services? You’re not the only one! My next article will take you through some of the steps involved in bidding on an audio book project.

Technorati Tags: AFTRA, contest, Double Dutch, LinkedIn, non-union, P2P, Paul Strikwerda, Pay-to-Play, rates, SAG, SAVOA, Stephanie Ciccarelli, success story, union, voice-over, voice123, voiceover, voices.com