Voice-over Talent | Double Dutch

Aug 12 2010

F-U, or the power of PR

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:

to show the client that I am responsive
to make it easy for them to get back to me
to offer alternative ways of staying in touch with me (e.g. Facebook or Twitter)
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!

Technorati Tags: attitude of gratitude, Dutch voice, Dutch voiceover, follow-up, freelance, freelance blunders, Freelancing, Handy Andy, Mad Men, Madison Avenue, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, positive reinforcement, Seven habits of highly successful people, Steven Covey, voice-over talent

Categories: Articles, Freelancing, Money Matters, Personal, Promotion

tags: attitude of gratitude, Dutch voice, Dutch voiceover, follow-up, freelance, freelance blunders, Freelancing, Handy Andy, Mad Men, Madison Avenue, Nethervoice, Paul Strikwerda, positive reinforcement, Seven habits of highly successful people, Steven Covey, voice-over talent

Mar 25 2010

10 ways to spot a voice-over amateur

By Paul Strikwerda and has 50 comments.

“Dad,” said my almost eight year old daughter…

“What does baklava taste like?”

“It’s like a slice of heaven”, I answered.

“In that case… I don’t want it,” she replied.

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s sooo good!”

My daughter answered:

“I don’t want to taste dead people in my mouth.”

Moments like that are priceless. It’s great to be a parent! This slice of life also reminded me of the fact that things that are apparent to you and me, might not always be so obvious to others. Take language for instance.

THE NATIONAL PASTIME
Here in America, we’re used to all these baseball-related expressions. Ten years ago, I had no idea what would happen if life would “throw me a curve ball”. How could I? I was born and raised in Holland and the Dutch are crazy about ice skating. This was a whole new ballgame!

Yesterday, a videographer touched base with me because he was looking for a narrator. He had used an on-line service to find a voice, and now he was lost in eighty plus auditions. Before he could give me a play-by-play, I jumped in and asked: “Do you really know what you’re listening for?”

“Well,” he said, I don’t want a rookie. I want someone who can hit it out of the park. I mean, this script is a can of corn, and I wouldn’t want a wannabe to drop the ball on me.”

When I heard those words, I knew it was my time to step up to the plate.

TEN RED FLAGS
I’ve been in the business for over 25 years, and it usually takes me 2.5 seconds to identify someone from the bush league. I don’t even need to hear them read a script. Just tell me how much, or rather, how little they charge. Cheap rates are the first red flag.

The second red flag is the quality of the recording. These days, most talents will record in their home studio. It’s cheaper and more convenient, but the quality can definitely suffer. Here are a few common problems.

The volume might be too low, or certain words might be too loud and distorted (that’s called ‘clipping’). You might also hear cars passing by or a dog barking in the background. That should tell you that the recording was not made in a dedicated, soundproofed space. Building a sound booth can set you back thousands of dollars. Most beginners don’t have that much to invest.

If you happen to hear hissing, it’s usually the result of cheap gear or turning up volume settings too high. A hum on the recording is typically caused by a ground loop. It occurs when there is more than one ground connection path between two pieces of equipment. Pros know that. Amateurs have no idea and don’t know how to fix it.

A third indicator is bad microphone technique. How can you tell? You’ll hear popping plosives like P’s, B’s and T’s. You might also hear harsh and shrill S-sounds (so-called ‘sibilance’) that tickle your ear drum in an unpleasant way.

Tip-off number four is lack of vocal technique. An amateur might take very noticeable breaths. Breathing is such a natural thing; most of us aren’t even aware that we’re doing it. Being close to a mic enhances every single sound. Pros have practiced and mastered the ‘silent breath’.

Amateur recordings can also be filled with annoying lip smacks, mouth noises, clicks and crackles. Some of them can be edited out, but bad edits are a fifth sign of amateurism.

Sloppy articulation and incorrect pronunciation come in on number six. Some amateurs are rather lazy speakers, and their delivery will lack clarity, especially when they pick up the tempo. I’ve also heard beginners over articulate certain words, making them sound unnatural and contrived. A professional narrator will do her homework and will correctly pronounce words such as inaniloquent, rastaquouere or nudiustertian.

Poor or inappropriate delivery is clue number seven. You don’t want your serious documentary narrated by an overselling wannabee actor who has watched too many infomercials. Local radio show hosts give themselves away because they have cultivated an “announcer voice”. You’re listening for a crisp, natural delivery. Not for a news reader.

Number eight: the inability to interpret a script. Any text can be read in a million ways. A voice-over professional will always sound like he knows what he’s talking about (even if he doesn’t). An amateur will sound insecure, lost and untrustworthy.

A professional is flexible and appreciates and incorporates feedback fast without fussing. A pro can be coached. An amateur is afraid of criticism; is inflexible and needs a lot of hand-holding and training. What you might save in terms of money, you will inevitably lose in valuable time (not to mention the aggravation…).

Expert firefighter Red Adair once said:

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job,

wait until you hire an amateur.”

Number ten is my personal favorite. You can always spot an amateur by the way certain questions are answered. A few examples:

You: “What kind of monitors do you have?”
Amateur: “What do you mean? I have an 18 inch flat screen Dell monitor”
(monitor is another name for loudspeaker)

You: “How did you stage your gain? Outside or inside the box?”
Amateur: “I don’t really perform on stage. Is there something to gain by doing that?”
(Gain staging means setting the volume levels)

You: “Newman recently came out with a ribbon shotgun microphone. It’s only $199! Should I buy it?”
Amateur: “Really? I didn’t know that! I thought Newman was a Seinfeld character.”
(The correct spelling is Neumann and it is pronounced “Noy-mahn”. There is no such thing as a ribbon shotgun microphone, and Neumanns never come that cheap).

HOME RUN
“You’re an Ace”, my videographer friend said. “Thanks for all these tips. You deserve a place in my Hall of Fame. How did you come up with all that stuff?”