This year, we are launching a brand new podcast that will begin where “VOD” left off. It’s called, “The Voice Over Cafe.” We decided on this title because we were looking for that laid back coffee shop vibe. Like coming to a coffee shop, relaxing and engaging in some good conversation.

The new show will feature some entertaining segments. Rob Sciglimpaglia, an attorney, film/tv/theater and voice actor based in the NYC area will be a regular on the program. He will be doing “The Legal Minute”, a segment in which Rob will offer up some tips for voice talents and their business. For example, contracts, incorporating your business and more! Rob’s latest role was playing a young father on the famous Chevy Super Bowl commercial, Happy Grad! His new book, Voice Over Legal, will be released soon. For more information, visit www.voiceoverxtra.com/VoiceOverLegalPreview.htm

“The Cafe Mailbag” is a feature we’re bringing over from the old podcast. The segment will feature both of us taking questions from listeners about the voiceover industry. I suppose if someone wants to know our favorite 80′s bands, we’ll be glad to cover that as well!

“The Random Skype Call” will be an entertaining feature. This is a segment where we’ll find another voice talent who is currently logged in on skype and just call them with no prior warning and ask them a few questions. Perhaps they can provide some insight into the industry as well. Beware all you voice talents who are linked up with us on Skype!

The show will feature other segments as we go along but we also plan on having guests on a regular basis. The show will be featured on the Entrepreneur Podcast Network and also available on iTunes. EPN is the brain child of Eric Michael Dye and is the ultimate source for business advice, information, motivation, inspiration and major live event coverage.

The show can now be heard at this web address;  http://epodcastnetwork.com/the-voice-over-cafe-is-on-the-air-with-terry-daniel-and-trish-basanyi/

If YOU are interested in doing Cartoon Voice Overs like this, get started by joining Voice Over Club Today!

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The primary reason for this is because they focus more on their quality of service than their quantity of prices. Sure, you may be able to get food from the other place for lower prices. However, the quality of the food that you get there would not be able to compare to the quality that they are able to guarantee their customers will experience each and every time they walk through their restaurant doors. Their chefs are educated experts in their culinary crafts, their wait staff has been thoroughly trained to provide the best service and the overall experience that their customers have when they eat there far outranks anything that the competing store could provide for their customers. Another reason why their prices are not affected by their competitors is because of the confidence that they have in their quality. They know that their competitors cannot come close to providing the quality of service to their customers that they have become known for. Therefore, they are confident that their customers will be able to see the difference and value it more to the point of paying more money just to experience it.

This scenario applies to almost every single scenario in the business world. Think about it for a moment! Why does Verizon Wireless charge so much for their service when there are so many other companies providing the same type of services for over half of their prices? Why does Disney World charge so much for admission when there are hundreds of other theme parks that don’t charge their visitors anywhere close to what they do?

No matter what situation you think of, it is all for the same reason. Experience, education, expertise, longer track records of successful service and an overwhelming number of satisfied customers all contribute to the overall quality that sets these higher-priced businesses apart from all other businesses.

Quality service should not be sacrificed just to be able to make a quick buck. This principle also applies to our industry as voice actors. We should not feel the need to change anything that we are doing or the rates that we are currently charging for our services just because of our undercutting competitors. Companies such as Voice Jockeys, Internet Jock and Voice Bunny have become popular in the industry because they are able to offer the same type of service that we are for much lower prices. Does this make them better than us? Of course not! Why? Because what we are able to offer, they can not.

We did not take the cheap route in being able to make it to this point in our careers and to become the skilled experts that we are at what we do for our clients. Therefore, why would we take the cheap route in getting customers to use our services over anyone else’s? Verizon is able to draw more wireless customers by refusing to lower their prices, because they are subliminally sending the message to people that there must be something that they have that no one else does. When playing Poker, if someone at the table continuously raises their bet without hesitation, you start to wonder to yourself, “What is in their hand? What kind of cards are they playing with?” The same sense of curiosity applies in the business world and is a great tactic in attracting new customers that want to experience whatever secret they have that no one else does.

We are not going to win over every single customer. That is just not realistic. No matter how good you are at what you do, there will always be someone that will want to follow the cheapest route possible. Some people will continue to choose companies like Voice Bunny over us the same way that they choose other theme parks over Disney World and other cell phone providers over Verizon Wireless. However, like these elite companies that do not budge, we have to continuously have confidence in the quality of our service that only we can provide. Fighting hard to compete with the prices of companies that do not measure up to our level of expertise, skillset and knowledge doesn’t make us better than them; it actually only makes us worse.

Would you really want to sacrifice all of the money that you should be getting by taking a firm, confident stand for the few extra bucks that you would literally be slaving over by lowering your standards and expectations to meet theirs?

First, when it comes to a project, you never want to over sell or under sell your client. The only way that this can be accomplished is if they have informed you of their budget beforehand. This is why it is imperative that you always want to get them to the point of discussing their budget with you. Otherwise, you more than likely will not get the results that you are looking for. For example, if your client sends you a 10-page script and you immediately give them a rate off the top of your head, you are taking a huge risk that could only be of benefit to the client. How so? They would either be joyful because you have made their selection process a lot easier by removing yourself from their list or because you just gave them the deal of a lifetime that would end up costing you more than what you’ll make from doing the job!

Just the other day, a client sent me a 3-page script for a narration. Since I wanted to ensure that I gave her a fair and friendly rate, I politely asked her about the budget set for the voiceover. To my surprise, it turned out that her budget was about $500 MORE than I was originally going to quote her. Of course, you don’t want to come back and say, “Sure that sounds about right!” However, you can certainly come close.

Unfortunately, it does not always work out this way. Sometimes, the client’s budget is far lower than what you were going to quote them. At that point, it is up to you whether or not you want to work within that budget. Many blogs have been created (including some of my own) that have been focused on lowball rates. If you haven’t done so already, it is recommended for you to read over those articles and educate yourself on this so that you can be further prepared whenever these types of situations arise.

We all need to work, but it is also important for us to try to set and maintain the standards for fair and reasonable rates in this industry. Therefore, please be careful when agreeing to do a 5-page script for only $50.

“Budget” is not a dirty word. Get used to the word and implement it into your daily vocabulary! Our clients are comfortable with talking about money for their business, so we need to be just as comfortable (if not more) with talking about money for our own.

1. Pour a glass of Scotch and sulk. I’m kidding! Sign up for as many meetup groups as you can possibly handle and go to the events. You will learn a ton, meet great people and you’ll get new business! There is usually one for every kind of business person and they are free. There is only a fee, when you register for one of the events. Definitely go to the events and bring lots of business cards!
www.meetup.com

2. Build a Facebook business page for your business. This works as a secondary website and will not only help build traffic to your website, it’s an outstanding way to network with others in your industry.

3. Join your local Chamber of Commerce! These are all business owners you will be meeting with and some may hire you for a job or two. It’s an excellent way to network and also a tax deduction. Search for your local chamber of commerce to locate a website and contact information.

4. Send out postcards! Yes, this may sound like the “old school” way of marketing but snail mail is still effective. This gives the client something tangible they can keep on file or put on their refrigerator. E-mail marketing can be effective as well but sometimes e-mail gets lost in the shuffle or ends up in spam folders. Plus, snail mail is a little less intrusive. My last mail-out consisted of a post card and a refrigerator magnet business card!

5. Be active on Twitter! Don’t tweet stuff like, “Spring sale going on right now. Everything is 40% off!” Instead, tweet about how cool the stuff is that you’re selling or how cool it is to have this product and what it can do for you. Engage in other people’s conversations as well. Don’t just yap about your own stuff. Twitter is one big party. When you go to a party, you don’t want to listen to the same person talk about themselves all night. Chances are favorable that you will get annoyed and leave the party. Instead, share what you have going on but also ask questions about their business! Re-tweeting posts is also very effective because you are showing that you care and are willing to help.

There are times when you should embrace the slow lane because you’ll have more time to work on marketing and other things going on in your life. Sure, money can be tight but life is too short to hover in a corner in a state of stress, wondering where the next gig is going to come from. The gas pedal is still within reach. Get into the fast lane and step on it!