Leesha

Voice Overs

leesha@compassionatevoiceover.com
240-988-9693
Commercial Narration Interactive voice response

Voiceover Success is in the Focus

Business Tips, Personal VO Views, VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

I’ve heard the expression that in decision making, you should “Thrown it (an idea) against the wall and see if it sticks.” Does this phrase apply to your voiceover success strategy? In voice acting like any other businesses, if you want to be successful, you must have a focus.

If you’ve ever watched dangerous pets being fed by trainers, you see them throwing an assortment of mouthwatering morsels that are quickly gulped up by the animal to make room for the next catch. As a voice talent, you don’t have to mock the feeding of an animal. It’s okay the choose what you want and what you don’t want to do in your business. Making wise choices in your running your voiceover business will improve your performance and lighten your mental load on your pathway to success.

It can take many years to become successful in business. Those of us in the business of voice acting, usually have no idea of how long it will take for us to reach our perceived success whether it be money or voiceover jobs. The uncertainty of time to success is the strongest reason to focus and choose what works for you in your business.

Know What You Do Best

Identify what you are best at as a talent. Are you drawn to performing commercials, radio promos, or narrations? Focus on that skill or those skills in your training pursuits. If you’re not sure yet, verify with your coach where your best voice performance lies and then research on how to be the best in that genre.

Not everything matters equally, and success isn’t a game won by whoever does the most. Yet that is exactly how most play it on a daily basis.” Gary Keller, author of The One Thing

You don’t need to go after all areas of voice acting. Focusing on what you are good at will lead you to success faster than the “catch whatever” attitude when searching for and accepting voiceover jobs. Target your best audience through marketing and focus on the jobs you want.

Now that you know what you are good at, what does the voiceover industry need in your preferred genre? What are the ideal styles that work best in reaching target audiences’ clients? Look, listen, and find out what voice producers want and focus on being in the position to deliver those tools with excellence.

Become the Best You Can

Train, practice, and train again. With the fast pace and change within the voiceover industry, you must be open to what is working now and what worked yesterday. Are you current in your voice acting delivery and style? How can you improve? Your best delivery today should be relevant for today and not what was good yesterday or last year.

Get the Word Out About You

Market to the voice-over seekers in your chosen genre. Purchase marketing or client lists if needed and find your reach out by email or social media sites or even cold calling. If your budget does not support the purchasing of voiceover contact lists, do your web search using keywords and phrases to narrow down potential voice searcher in your area. Once you feel you’ve exhausted the search in your area, expand nationally, and even internationally to find your target audience.

Stay Focused (Don’t Change Unless You Must)

You may receive offers to do other types of voice acting work, but you may want to steer clear of accepting those offers. I’m not suggesting you leave money on the table, but if you move from your goal, you may fracture your focus and lose sight of your goal. There are many types of voice acting, so staying in your voiceover genre will grow your business more steadily over time to the goal you want.

Focus as you break a lip!

Kindness: Shared, Remembered, Returned

Business Tips, Personal VO Views, VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

I recently vacationed in Idaho and stayed at a resort hotel. Late in my stay week, I left my hotel room early one morning for breakfast. When I returned later that day, I found a note from the housekeepers thanking me for my stay. While the note could have been an indirect reminder of the gratuity, I’d like to think the note was just a sincere appreciation. Each time I encountered the cleaning staff, I made a point to greet them pleasantly and compliment them on their services. I was so moved by the note, that I left a “nice” gratuity in response. Never underestimate the power of kindness.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “kindness” as the quality or state of being kind, treating people with kindness and respect. Kindness, such as in the case mentioned above, prompted me to increase the amount of gratuity I planned for the cleaning staff. It also gave me a good feeling that I was appreciated as a guest.

Likewise, I had a different episode just a few weeks before my vacation. A neighbor in business has shown me little kindness over the past few weeks. While she has not said anything overly offensive, her short emails written in bold, capital letters and her curt responses to my emails regarding community matters, gave me the feeling that she has a low personal regard for me.

Now, this is not entirely a rant; it’s more of me pointing out a lost opportunity. I believe the services my neighbor offers could be enhanced through narrations, targeted voice marketing prompts, and information videos on her website. Moreover, I support her vision and applaud her as a successful entrepreneur. However, due to our interactions, I believe our working together would not be beneficial. Alas, the experience is a missed opportunity due to the lack of kindness.

Kindness Matters

Speaker and author Bob Burg once said, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” Do people trust you? Do people like you (and do you care)? Are you genuinely kind to others? We all have good and bad days, but do you try to maintain an attitude of openness and kindness? Small acts of kindness can determine your business’s future, primarily as a working voiceover artist.

Don’t Miss Your Opportunity

Working voice talents interact with many potential clients throughout the day. The person that serves us in the restaurant may be the owner. The Uber driver may be part of a small company burgeoning on video success. Your neighbor, whose child has just visited your door requesting a small donation to his or her high school band’s field trip, may be in need of your business services.  Voice actors are like passion ambassadors.

We have fantastic opportunities to touch the world through our human voice. The art of vocally communicating emotions that compel others to act can best be performed by a voice actor and second to no other mode of communication. It all starts with the behavior of kindness.

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

Princess Diana

Never overlook kindness in building new friendships. Who knows, you may need the favor returned sooner than you think.  Lastly, you may further be surprised as how being kind to others helps you stand out from the pack in all areas of your life.

Be kind as you break a lip.

Scammers Still Like Voiceovers

VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

If you’re a voice talent with your contact information on the Web, you may have seen rashes of email scams. Over the last few weeks, many of my VO colleagues have received emails from potential scammers. Education and awareness are the best defense for keeping your voiceover career safe. Always practice safety online and in business; it may prevent you from being scammed.

Scams are no joke, and you should practice safety on and off-line. Voiceover talent Doug Turkel writes in his April 2016 blog,  Anatomy of a Voiceover Scam, about direct email scams targeting voice actors. His story is eye-opening as to some of the tactics used by these electronic predators. Unfortunately, the list of scams has increased since Doug’s 2016 article.

These Hoods are not Merry Men

You may think that times are changing, and voiceover scams are of a lesser concern today. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The list of ways and methods unsuspecting new and existing voice talent can be ripped off is expanding.

Gravy for the Brain list popular scam methods targeted at voiceover talent. They include:

  • Royalty Scams
  • Voiceover Demo Reels
  • Pay to Play (P2P) Sites
  • Voiceover Training

In Voiceover Scams: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off (27th January 2017) Hugh Edwards writes that royalty scams are among the most common scams. “These scams are much more common and are actually worse because they happen all the time in our industry and are easily missed. They aren’t asking you to send them money, but they are conning you into not receiving the right amount of remuneration in the first place,” says Edwards.

Voiceover Demo Reel production is also an area that has been a feeding ground for the unscrupulous. In 5 Ways To Spot Predatory Demo Coaches, Dave Courvoisier notes the cues to spotting overnight voiceover production houses. “They will typically promise that a weekend’s work in their studio (usually out of town) will result in a dynamite demo you can take to any agent anywhere to get voiceover jobs.”

Voiceover Training is not based upon vague processes or promises. Becoming a successful voice talent involves understanding one’s capabilities and learning how to run a voice acting business successfully. No voiceover coach or demo production company can promise mastery of voice acting in a single weekend or through a few Web-based seminars. The business of voiceacting involves training and marketing. There is no short cut around acquiring and getting the knowledge to build and maintain a successful voiceover business.

Be Safe Not Sorry

Voiceover work is exciting and fulling, so take time to research all too-good-to-be-true jobs, training, and promised royalties that could end up costing your aspiration and passion for voiceovers. Protect what you love so you can do what you love for as long as you want.

Break a lip!

Time for Social Media or Voiceovers?

Personal VO Views, Uncategorized, VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

Spending time on social media is excellent for connecting within the voiceover community. The various outlets provide a unique way of keeping up with the trends, events, and innovations in the VO industry. How much time of any given day should one spend on social media? Is it possible to spend too much time socially surfing? Make sure your social media activities don’t overshadow precious work hours in other areas.

As a self-employed voiceover artist, I find time management is crucial. I know that many voice artists are versed in computer skills, which is necessary for successfully managing one’s home studio and electronic interactions. However, it is essential to plan your time wisely, so you are not spending more time on social media than in other areas of the voiceover business.

Schedule Your Time: If you share your time in many daily pursuits, plan when to check in with social media. Social media is an excellent marketing tool and provides a unique opportunity to connect with potential clients. Still, this is only one tool in your marketing plan.

Social Media and Your Business: Posting and networking are not just efforts at play. Curate your content to reduce wasted hours and individually shape your posts.

Katie Lance writes in Social Media Time Management: The Best-Kept Secrets Revealed for Curating, Creating and Promoting Hot Content “Whether you are building your Facebook presence, creating unique Stories for Snapchat, or building a community on Instagram – curating is probably going to be a part of your process.”

Make time for other Voiceover Management: Always seek ways to hone your skills. Regular practice helps you to develop a better voice delivery, so as they say, “Practice makes perfect.” Never minimize the need for practicing your voiceover skills over web surfing. Likewise, make sure you’re leaving time for client follow-up, auditions, and other necessary daily business habits.

Don’t leave out Human Interaction: Remember, you are a talent on the move. Compassion, tenderness, and kindness are great attractors within the human spirit. Let your soul show through when meeting others on and offline. Personal interactions can lead to new business relationships just as much web connections. Social media should not replace human interaction to give it a different flavor.

Okay, now go for it, and break that lip!