30+ Ways to Strengthen Your Voiceover Business

Your Career Improvement To-Do List:

Yeah, I know. Based on the timing of this post, it probably seems like a “Let’s Do Things Better in 2012” post, or worse yet, a glorified list of New Year’s resolutions. It isn’t. It’s more of a checklist of things we should be doing regularly, or a reminder of things we aren’t doing enough of.

As freelance voiceover talent, and without a “boss” expecting reports on his desk by the end of the day, it can sometimes be difficult to hold ourselves accountable and ensure that we’re handling our myriad responsibilities. Okay, maybe I’m projecting a bit here, but it’s common complaint I hear from fellow voiceover talent: with so many tasks that need attention, it can be difficult just to wrangle them all onto one list, let alone begin to chip away at that mountain of action items. Well now you’ve got one less excuse, because the wrangling’s been done. Most of the items below won’t take you much time, but you’ll get loads of benefits: more time, more money, better control of your career and happier, more loyal clients.

Consider the ROI. We’ve all heard that if we’re looking for new business, then we must be active on social media. Or that the pay-to-play (P2P) web sites are where it’s at. Or that cold calling is the way to go. I’ve gotten a bit of work through social media, none at all through the P2Ps, and while some people swear by it, I detest cold-calling. Regardless of my experiences or anyone else’s, determine which marketing efforts work well for you, and make the most of them. Check the time. Determine exactly how much of your workday is spent 1) doing the work, 2) getting the work and 3) neither one. Increase the amount of time you spend on the second one, and the other two will adjust themselves accordingly. Adjust your rates. Freelance voiceover talent determine and negotiate their own rates. If you fall into this category, and if you know that you’re providing great audio and real value to your clients, then charge real money for it. Talent who work for insubstantial rates are often seen as insubstantial talents. Fine-tune your branding. What might have been the perfect tagline or marketing campaign a few years ago, may not be as accurate as it once was. As we learn, grow and age, our voices and our perspectives change. Ensure that the image you’re projecting is still reflective of your sound and your approach. Nail down your niche. The more specifically (and memorably) you can define your sound for your clients, the easier it will be for them to imagine your voice on their project, making it easier for them to hire you. Fulfill your promises. And your clients’ expectations. There’s no faster way to lose clients than to be difficult to work with, or hard to get in touch with. And there’s no better way to earn a client’s long-lasting loyalty than to be a responsive, professional problem-solver. Change your perspective. Take some time to look at yourself (and your web site, and your reputation, and your work) from your clients’ perspective. Do they see you as “someone who does voiceovers” or as a serious, solid, creative professional? The difference between the two can be the difference between A) having a hobby and B) building and maintaining a career. Be proactive. Hoping to be signed by an agent, or land a big new client? Make the first move and get in touch with them. With so many avenues of communication available to you, there are no excuses for not reaching out. Fire a client. If you have a client who saps your energy and requires more time, effort and aggravation than they’re worth, fire them. You’ll be doing yourself (and them) a favor. You’ll also be freeing up time and attention that you can devote to other clients, to yourself, and to growing your business. Create your own support group. Meeting with fellow voice talent once a month to share, support and brainstorm can have a profound effect on your career. Meeting in person is probably best, but with options like Skype and Google+ Hangouts, there’s no reason not to form your own Mastermind Group. Join the community. This is not a paid endorsement for FaffCon4, (in fact, I don’t even think that they exist), but there is no more potent and efficient way to dial up your passion for the work that we do, and the wonderful people who do it, than by attending this “un-conference.” I could write another few pages about the innumerable benefits of FaffCon, but I already have. Work smarter. As solopreneurs, a lot of what we do (marketing, web site maintenance, graphic design, invoicing, Customer Relationship Management, etc.) has nothing to do with voiceovers. Spend some time finding ways to handle those things more efficiently, or outsource those tasks to someone more well-suited for them. Expand your world. Your clients don’t just hire you for your voice, they hire you for you. For everything that you bring to the table (or the studio) as an individual. As someone whose experiences have helped craft your personality and make you who you are. So read. Live. Be. If you aren’t interesting, your reads won’t be interesting either. Become a mentor. Teach a class. Write that book (or e-book) you’ve been meaning to write. You’ll learn at least as much as you teach, and likely lots more. Study more. On the flip side of #14, remember that refining your skills at the mic makes you even more valuable to your clients. And with years of experience behind you now, you’ll be better able to apply the information you get from a great coach to your performances. Improve your surroundings. Acoustically, that is. Since everyone with a Mac and mic can now record and send audio from home, it’s become vitally important to ensure that your audio meets (and hopefully exceeds) industry standards. It’s likely that your clients get lots of poor quality audio sent to them. Make sure it’s not from you. Set the table. You’ll save yourself a lot of time by putting together some simple document templates in advance. Create templates for your proposals, contracts (or terms of agreement) and invoices now. If you’ve already created them, then double-check them for accuracy. Recommend other voice talent. We’re not always the right choice for a client’s project. Don’t try to force your buttoned-up, corporate voice (for example) onto a laid-back surfer script. Instead, suggest to your client that they hire your fellow professional voiceover talent who does sound like a surfer. They’ll both see you as their hero. Win-win-win.