Now that I have your attention: News Flash: There ain’t an easy way to do it. Ok, so I pulled a bait and switch on you, but it needs to be said. As a Business Development professional, i.e., a hunter for new business, I have worked in various industries over the years, and I enjoy the challenge of the hunt: Digging for the decision maker, uncovering the need and of course, gaining and retaining the business. Did every lead turn into a sale? Of course not, but they were armed with the facts about the company, and knew how to reach me when they were ready. However, I must say, business development in the Voice Over business has by far been the hardest part of my job. This industry is a tough nut to crack, because competition is stiff, and I don’t do $5 spots. Besides, I don’t want to call anybody. In a perfect world, I’d be on the mic auditioning and recording jobs all day! Back to reality. I’m still learning about myself as a voice actor, so first I need to make sure I go after the right industries for my specific genre. I only focus on one at a time (currently radio and TV Commercials), so I just stay focused on this….for now. Prospecting is time-consuming, but in the end, once I’m armed with enough information about the company, I’ll know if the need is there. Instead of wasting valuable time emailing aimlessly to companies who happen to have a website with a couple of videos on them, or even worse, wasting even more time complaining to an unsuspecting fellow voice actor about what I don’t have and what I can’t do, I take a marketing classes. TVAS has various classes that I take advantage of; I’ve even take a couple twice – because sometimes, I tend to talk more than I listen, and I miss valuable information. If you’ve already taken a class, take another one, and this time, take the cotton out of your ears, put it in your mouth, and listen. If that doesn’t work, broaden your horizons. There are industry professionals who periodically have training sessions via Skype or Zoom. Just make sure you listen to everything being taught, and ask questions if you don’t understand. Help is out there. There are clients out there looking for your voice. You just have to be willing to WORK for it.

Spring… a time for renewal and regeneration! Time to put up the boots, coats and sweaters, and see if you can fit into last year’s summer clothes, or maybe you stuck to your fitness resolution and they just might be too big? Either way, time to do some refreshing of the home, body and mind. For me, I cleaned out my files. While I’m not exactly a neatnik, I detest clutter, and my first order of the day was to throw out some scripts; hundreds of ‘em! While going through them, I thought about how much fun I had with some of them and kept those, but I was grateful to have the opportunity to audition for all of them. I booked some, and actually enjoy hearing how others interpret the ones that got away on TV and radio. I also cleaned up my “tech drawer”. This wasn’t hard to do, because I’m still somewhat of a technophobe, so I don’t get into buying expensive mics and the latest electronic gizmos that’s supposed to help me produce faster, cleaner, make my room/voice sound better. I use our very own Vegas Voicers FB page to ask questions before I buy anything. Grateful that the TVAS community not only has excellent coaches, but is chockfull of experienced producers and engineers! Most importantly, I make a mental note to do a daily meditation and keep my spiritual house clean and in order. Clean out some old ways of thinking; keep out the negativity, replace old thoughts with new ideas and ideals, and spring forward!

I saw a nasty VO habit coming, and nipped it in the bud before it fully manifested. It will try to creep in slowly and methodically. A week here, a month there, and before you know it, BAM! You’re dependent on your two biggest clients for 80% of your work. This is a cardinal sin in VO; never, ever depend on a client, or even three, to be your main source of revenue. Ever. No matter what they promise you. This is especially true for Pay to Play sites. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but here it is again: They are only “Pay-to-Practice”. [Read more…]