Find Your Why and Find Your Will

What is your “why”?  You need to know or your resolve will be weak at best.  Your “why” is your reason, your motivation for making one more phone call, doing one more audition, doing one more take… even when you don’t feel like it, especially when you don’t feel like it.  Your “why” will likely be a mix of rational and emotional reasons and, digging deeper, the emotional reasons are behind the rational ones anyway.   Either way, your “why” must be strong enough to move you to action!

It’s really no different from what we do in our voice over work.   We play to the “why” of the client’s target audience, using our voice to invoke the emotions of the audience to take action on the message we deliver.  We color the emotional words in the script, the words that emphasize the “why”.   Speak to their “why” and they will buy.  So will you, but you need to know your “why”.

So what’s your why?  Why are you a voice talent?  Is it the freedom to own your own business and call the shots?  Is it the flexibility of working from your own home?  Is it the perceived image or celebrity status of hearing your voice and knowing you were paid well to use it?  Maybe it’s the thrill of the challenge. Perhaps it’s the ability to finally do something you love!  Whatever your “why” is, find it and write it down.  Post it so you can see it each day as a reminder to keep doing what you need to do, whether its paperwork, auditions, takes, edits, you name it!  Find your “why” and you’ll find your will.

Popularity: 11%

Is 2010 Your Year?

I’m dedicating this year to be the year of laughter, love, and living life to the fullest! It’s going to be my best year yet!  A year to take hold of my passions and work to make my dreams a reality.  A year to launch Voice Over Club, to speak at VOICE 2010, to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone!

I am passionate about what I do and am blessed to work from home as a voice talent, producer, and coach.  I thoroughly enjoy all three aspects of what I do – they complete me.  It hasn’t always been this way.  It started as a dream, something I wanted to learn about and pursue.  Then I made the decision, took action, and followed through with resolve.

I had to learn to take action!  Each day I took action in my voice over career created a confidence in me that pushed me forward.  Each week built up momentum. Each month built credibility.  Each year my income increased.  I just had to start.

What are your dreams?  Are you a prospective voice talent or are you a voice talent?  Which one do you aspire to be?  If you’re serious about being a professional voice talent, do you have professional training and demos?  If not, what is your plan to get them?  What is your time-line?  What will you do to challenge where you are today so you can be where you want to be a year from now?  We each have the same number of hours in a day, the same number of days in a week, the same number of days in a year to accomplish what we choose to accomplish.  The only difference is in our priorities.

Go ahead and decide what you want!  Take action!  Follow through with resolve and make this your best year yet!

Wishing you joyful abundance and blessings for the New Year!

Popularity: 20%

Brand You!

You are the entire package!  You have the skills, the personality, the training, the equipment and home studio setup, the knowledge, dedication, and attention to detail.  You’re it!  But how will anyone know?

It’s all about your brand. Regardless of your voice over prowess you need to figure out your brand.  Your brand is your image, your reputation, how people come to know you and what you’re about!  Competition is fierce, and as a voice over talent, if you don’t know how to brand yourself, much less know your brand, you might as well step into oblivion.

The concept is simple really.  Assess your strengths and what makes you unique.  Think of how you want to be known and begin positioning yourself.  What do you need to do to make your vision of you a reality?  You definitely need to have the obvious business cards, web site, demo, and social media presence.  That’s a given.

Here’s where the pros differ from the amateurs. Consistency.  Frequency. Quality.  Value.  Exposure.  The consistency and the frequency, and the quality and the value of your exposure are critical components of your brand.  Look at your current exposure. Is it consistently portraying the level of quality you deliver?  Is it portraying the value of what you have to offer?  How often are the right people exposed to your brand?  Now take a look at the opportunities to improve in each of those areas and begin!

Branding takes time and effort, but it is time and effort well invested.  Your brand speaks for you when you are not present to speak for yourself.  The fact remains, whether you choose to brand yourself or not, you will be branded!  The pros are sought after not solely for their voice over skills, but because they branded themselves so their voice over skills would be sought after.  What’s your brand?

Popularity: 13%

Removing the Risk!

Risk is inherent in progress and growth and is an integral component of doing business.  Companies take risks, calculated risks, investing considerable time and money developing the products and services they offer and bringing them to the market.  As voice talents, we are sometimes part of the product (narration, animation, video games), part of the service (telephony, p.a. announcements), or part of the promotion of the product or service (commercials, radio imaging).  Regardless of our role, what we do is an instrumental element of their strategic plan.   So what’s your strategic value?  Are you worth the risk?   Of all voice talents vying for the job, why choose you?

Fair questions, all of them.

Effectively removing the risk of doing business with you requires a new vantage point, that of the client.  Simply put, if you were to hire a voice talent for a multi-million dollar investment, would you hire you or someone else?

Here are some points to ponder.

Your performance is paramount!  Preparation is key!  You must be able to deliver the script in such a way that the intended audience not only hears it, but takes it in and acts upon it.  The client is looking for a return on investment; give it to them with your delivery.

Demos are your resume and should showcase the versatility of your range. Make sure your demos are a professionally produced, current, and accurate representation of your abilities as a voice over talent.  The client wants to hire a professional and your demos should reflect your professionalism.

Image and reputation count.  Spending time developing both is crucial.  Post client testimonials on your website.  Network to increase your exposure as a voice over talent.  Contribute to charitable causes by donating your voice. Collaborate with other voice talents.  Share your knowledge and experience with others by blogging about information relevant to the industry.  Leverage the power of social media marketing.   Be a person of your word.  Become known as a person they need to know.

Listen and take direction well.  Then implement it!  This may require a sense of humor and some creativity, especially when the client’s direction is unclear or contradictory; however, your willingness to get it right and do the extra takes necessary, is a reflection of your commitment to the client.  Having a positive attitude and being easy to work with is important.  Make it easy for the client to do business with you!

You are the product.  You are the service.  You are the total package. Companies take a risk when choosing a voice over talent – eliminate the risk and get the job!

Popularity: 24%

How To Audition On Voices.Com

Here are some tips on how to audition on Voices.com.

Popularity: 69%

Getting it Right

Management guru Peter Drucker says, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”  Efficiency and effectiveness are paramount to voice over talents and both are dependent upon daily habits. You know, those little things that can make us or break us?

Here are some success habits that I came up with that I work on daily that may be useful to you:

•The habit of practice, practice, practice! Even if you don’t hit perfect, you can’t grow without it!  All successful voice over talent practice; it keeps a talent sharp and gives that competitive edge.

•The habit of going the extra mile. Giving more than is expected reaps really amazing results!  Simply giving three slightly different reads of script to a client can set you apart from the rest, helping you to become a go to voice over talent.

•The habit of smiling. This is huge for voice talent!   Smiling will come across in your read and will decrease plosives!  Tip: practice in front of a mirror or on your web-cam.

•The habit of learning. Always be learning something new!   No one is ever too good to get coaching or to learn new skills.  Learning is part of being a successful voice over talent and it makes you more marketable!

•The habit of listening. Listening to what other voice over talent have recorded, listening to creative directors, listening to the client, listening to what you just read…it’s all important.  Learn to listen and to implement!

•The habit of giving back. Blogging, posting valuable links and information on Facebook and Twitter, posting a voice over session on YouTube, volunteering your voice for a charity, these are all great ways to give back and to increase your value as a voice talent.

•The habit of being true to oneself. Be authentically you!   Allow who you are to come through in everything you do.  You are hired for more than your voice, let your personality come through. Sure, emulate and learn from other voice talents, but be you!

Doing what it takes to develop these habits is sometimes easier said than done, but easier said than done still needs to be done!  Our daily habits become our character, our character becomes our reputation, and our reputation becomes our legacy.   What will yours be?

Popularity: 16%

Voice Over Auditioning Techniques

Here are some auditioning tips. These will benefit you when auditioning on the pay to play sites.

Popularity: 50%

The Value Of The Extra Mile

The extra mile is a mark of excellence!  It discloses your level of dedication, your determination to earn repeat business, and your willingness to do whatever it takes to do it right.  It’s a powerful habit and a point of competitive advantage.  It’s the difference between waiting to hear back on the audition to see if you got the gig or receiving unsolicited referrals from people who believe so much in the quality and professionalism of your work that they will put their reputation on the line just to plug you!

The extra mile is revealed through our everyday actions and requires a defined purpose.  Is your purpose to increase the amount of job leads coming in, to land more gigs, to establish yourself as an expert in the industry, or to gain unsolicited referrals?  Whatever it may be, exploring ways in which you can implement going the extra mile is a critical element to your success in achieving your objective.

How much time and effort do you dedicate to marketing yourself?  Are you networking with other voice over talents, creative directors, and influential people in the industry?  Do you refer others? Do you give others a reason to refer you? When you audition or record the job, do you often give the client a variety in the takes to choose from?  What is your reputation in the industry? Do you have a voice over coach?  Are you staying abreast of the latest trends in the industry?  Have you taken an improv class lately?  Do you contribute articles, share tips, or videos on other voice over sites?  These are just a sampling of questions that may help reveal areas in which you may decide to apply the principle of going the extra mile.

Albert Gray, the author of The Common Denominator of Success, states it well, “The secret of success of every man who has ever been successful, lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.” Going the extra mile will take a bit of extra effort; however, even picking just one area to apply the extra mile will help to set you apart from the rest.  It is a daily habit that leads to success!

Popularity: 19%

Directed Voice Over Session featuring Terry Daniel

This is a directed voice over session that I recorded recently. The client was directing from New York and I was recording in my home studio in Minneapolis. If you’re new to the voice over industry, you should find this entertaining and educational.

Popularity: 46%

Soundproofing A Voice Over Home Studio On A Budget

Trish Basanyi was kind enough to provide us a video on how she put together her home studio on a budget.

Popularity: 73%

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