Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-ratorâ„¢

Archives for 2006

Persistence will keep the voice-over dream alive

We have an attorney in Atlanta who has made a fortune with the simple and effective advertising slogan “One call — that’s all.” The guy is a brilliant marketer who has worked hard for his success, and he has imprinted his business and niche on the minds of everyone in the city. His face and phone number are everywhere — TV ads, billboards, Yellow Pages, park benches. He probably has an ice cream flavor named after him somewhere. If I’m ever in a car wreck and fighting with my insurance company, I know who to call to settle the case and get my check.

Unfortunately, I think that a lot of people enter the voice-over business with his slogan in their minds. As often is the case, I received an e-mail from someone who read my advice page about getting started in voice-over. This person had recently completed a commercial demo, was frustrated by the “lack of response” to it and was requesting my critique on the demo. Since I am not currently teaching or coaching anyone on an individual basis, it’s my policy not to give demo critiques as I would not be available to assist anyone with any revisions they might want to make on the basis on my comments. I always suggest that people find a reputable coach in whose opinion they can trust and work with that person to make their demo the finest it can be. Of course, if someone is interested in the random opinions of other working voice talent, they can always ask the good folks on the various voice-over Yahoo groups and the www.VO-BB.com site to share their views.

Anyone who reads all of my advice page will see that marketing, self-reliance and

PERSISTENCE

will be critical to your success. The dictionary can list different definitions for persistence, so maybe I need to add some from the perspective of a voice-over actor.

When someone tells me they have had “no response” to their demo, I will ask a series questions, such as:

  • What is your marketing plan? Do you HAVE a marketing plan?
  • What steps did you take to elicit a response?
  • How many people who could hire you have you contacted about work?
  • What follow-up steps did you take?
  • What methods are you continuing to use to put your demo in the hands of as many people as possible?
  • Do you have a web site?
  • Do you take steps every day to market your talent?

I don’t really want or need the answers to these questions, but rather they are ones that you need to answer for yourself. You need to be constantly marketing yourself and your talents in order to get jobs and improving yourself. It’s a cycle that will continue for your entire career. Even Nancy Cartwright, who has the dream job of voicing Bart Simpson, says that she still promotes herself, and she still continues to get coaching even after a quarter century of working in the business.

Henry David Thoreau said: If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Sydney Smith said: Whatever you are by nature, keep to it: never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed.

William Penn said: Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains.

An anonymous person said:

Those on top of the mountain did not fall there!

My friend and fellow voice talent Mary McKitrick wrote an inspiring blog entry which illustrated how persistence paid off for her in her marketing efforts. I have had similar results with clients calling me out of the blue after receiving my steady mailings. Like I said on my advice page and as any marketing book will tell you, it generally takes the repetition of at least 5-7 contacts before the contact associates you with your product or service!

Aside from the steady marketing actions of contacting people about your demo, you can always keep your dream alive by doing something EVERY DAY to move yourself toward your goals, for instance:

  • reading every book on voice-over that you can find
  • listening to demos of established voice actors, particularly those at www.voicebank.net
  • taking more classes every chance you get
  • reading books on marketing
  • figuring out your signature sound, target market and niche
  • learning about web site design and maintenance
  • downloading and learning free audio editing programs for your computer
  • joining on-line voice-over casting sites like Voice123.com and Voices.com and auditioning for projects
  • finding and attending meetings to network with people who might hire you such as MCA-I, WIF, ASTD, IGDA, Chambers of Commerce (I deliberately listed acroynms without links because figuring out these association names and how they could be important to your career can count as today’s step!)
  • recording commercials from radio and TV and transcribing the copy, then practicing the reads back with your own style into a tape recorder or minidisc
  • researching equipment specifications for the studio gear that you want
  • running eBay auctions so you can pay for the studio gear that you want 🙂
  • reading EVERYTHING aloud (magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes) and recording yourself into a tape recorder or minidisc

I could easily think of this list because I have done everything on it…and then some. If you will take baby steps toward your dreams every day, I have no doubt that you will reach the success of your dreams!

 

Don’t wait for vacation to send a postcard

Sometimes I’m amazed by the synchronicity of events in my life. For instance, this week I have been looking at sites on-line for postcard vendors. I’m planning my next postcard mail-out and have been comparing prices and offerings, as well as requesting samples. I previously have been working with a local printer, but I may be able to get a better deal on the glossy paper from a company that specializes in postcards. BTW, if you want to know why you should include postcards in your marketing mix and how to plan a campaign, I recommend that you download the marketing guide from www.modernpostcard.com.

This morning, I had to wait for a table at breakfast at a trendy restaurant in an artistic part of Atlanta. While I waited, I thumbed through the August issue of Performer Magazine, a free magazine that I never knew existed. The magazine is aimed at musicians, but the article on selling yourself with your merchandise benefitted me. It listed 2 pages of web sites for various promotional products and — you guessed it — postcards.

I want to go on on a small tangent from my discussion about postcards and marketing at the moment. Not only did the magazine article contain just the material I needed about postcards, but the past articles about recording posted in the magazine web site look like they may be very helpful. I’m always interested to learn everything I can about recording. In fact, I just ordered Pat Fraley’s newly-published book about home recording studios. Even though I have a totally wonderful studio, everything I learn from Pat is of tremendous value. I’m particularly looking forward to reading his info about self-direction, audio production tips and travel gear.

Marketing mentor Dan Kennedy’s e-mail message today said, in part, that frequency and recency are important with your clients, so frequent communication is required. In other words, out of sight, out of mind. I think postcards are a great way to maintain regular contact with the whole client list.

I’m also a member of Susan Berkley’s voice-over silver inner circle. Susan is a fantastic, warm, caring coach who truly wants every person she mentors to reach their highest potential. In the program, we have monthly hour-long teleconference with industry guests where we get the inside scoop on all parts of the business, a day for personal contact with Susan and Susan’s weekly e-mail containing advice about furthering our careers. She usually sends the the weekly e-mail at the beginning of the week, but for some reason, it arrived today. Can you guess the subject of her message this week?

POSTCARD POWER

I told you the synchronicity was rather amazing, didn’t I?

Do you still use postcards in your business? I’d love to hear your comments on the subject, as well as any sites you recommend. I’m obviously looking for a vendor! 🙂

 

A short lesson in goal-setting

I no longer am the only person in my family to have earned a Master’s degree. As of yesterday, I’m proud to report that my brother Michael Schubert has joined me as a graduate with this illustrious degree. He was awarded his MBA in Finance from my alma mater Georgia State University. You may think this entry has nothing to do with voice-over, but the lesson it conveys should be helpful to everyone.


While we dined at one of Atlanta’s historical and celebrated institutions for unique cuisine to commemorate his latest achievement, I discussed with Mike the steps he took to accomplish this goal. Not surprisingly, he told me that he had followed the time-proven steps used by athletes, rock stars, voice-over actors (!), corporate CEOs or anyone working on a large and seemingly unattainable dream.

In the words of William Jennings Bryan:

Destiny is no matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

1. Mike has accomplished and continues to accomplish many wonderful things in his life because his goals are written down.

2. He never has any doubt about the outcome or his ability to attain the desired goal. He believes in himself.

3. In addition, he surrounds himself with people who believe in him. Mike’s wife Tammy is his greatest supporter. Don’t waste your time or energy discussing your dreams and goals to the naysayers. Mike’s signature line on his e-mail is Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone who is doing it.

4. Mike visualized his success. He thought about what it would feel like to earn his Master’s degree and the benefits that reaching this goal would bring to him.

5. Most importantly, my brother consistently took action on a daily basis. He could always see the goal in reach and becoming closer in his sight.

My sister-in-law Tammy, meanwhile, has goals of her own. She is a romance writer who is working to publish her first novel. She has written an outstanding article about how to write your goals so that you can actually achieve them.

Mike has professional goals that will eventually land him the role as the CEO, CFO or CIO of a Fortune 500 company. His sought-after knowledge and skills will serve him well in any of those positions. I just hope that he remembers when he is in those executive meetings that his sister can perform the radio and TV commercials and corporate e-learning projects for his company!

 

What can John Travolta teach us about voice-over?

Drew and I watched the third Austin Powers movie again over the weekend. I had forgotten that John Travolta had cameo at the end of the movie, and I was reminded about an amazing part of Travolta’s story that proves to me once more that

things happen for a reason.

To quote Wayne Dyer:

All things are happening as they should,
and the Universe is acting in complete synchronicity.
You may not know or don’t remember that John Travolta had a hit album in the 70s. The only song that I can remember was called Let Her In. When Travolta was a guest on Oprah’s show a few years ago, he said that someone heard his song and knew he was on TV with Welcome Back Kotter, and that’s how he got cast for Grease (in my view, Travolta’s role of a lifetime #2 after Saturday Night Fever). He said that

all moments have importance

(my emphasis) because a kid named Quentin Tarantino grew up watching Grease and decided that he wouldn’t make Pulp Fiction (Travolta’s role of a lifetime #3, not that I personally liked the movie) without the guy who starred in Grease. Even Travolta said how he can see events building on each other. On another day, I will share a detailed story about my studio that illustrates how events built on each other and were guided by intuitive decisions.

I think his story also demonstrates that you have to keep doing what you believe in doing. If you keep putting yourself, your work, your talent and your ambition out in the Universe, it will come back to you in ways that you couldn’t even imagine, and your future will better than you dreamed possible. Travolta certainly made some bad films in between Grease and Pulp Fiction. He didn’t let the negative opinion of many critics stop him. I think many people thought his career was over by the time Pulp Fiction came out. Since then, he’s been in some fabulous movies and seems to be getting even better. I think even he would be surprised by the success and acclaim he has achieved.

Keep taking those classes, doing the auditions, making contacts…. Do something everyday to advance your career. It all will come back to you. If you must work another job and feel frustrated by that fact, just keep reminding yourself why you are there and choose instead to feel gratitude for the many blessings it provides you. I have a friend who says:

You don’t go on safari without having a base camp.
The base camp has to be funded, stocked and operational in order to have a successful safari.
Your other job is providing the basis for your base camp, and your voice-over career is the grand adventure known as the safari! Remember — you don’t have to risk everything just to get what you want. Live in the moment, and know that every moment has meaning!

 

Do you perform in your underwear?

I subscribe to several voice-over lists. The subject question is actually a current and very active topic on one of them. Many people have answered the question, but I will never be among them. If you haven’t already posted an answer, I hope I can give you some new things to consider before you press the Send button with your reply.

It’s not like these lists are some little private gathering where you can whisper secrets among close friends. Sure, camaraderie exists if you’ve been a list member for a long time, but you don’t really KNOW the other list members. You may have regularly contributed to an e-mail list or forum, but would you know someone from that list if they walked into the room?

Answering or reading such messages is a huge waste of time. If you have some down time, you could be doing any number of productive things to advance your career like calling a client, updating your database, modifying your web site, recording new scratch tracks for practice, learning to apply filters in your editing software, etc. You could be doing things to otherwise improve your life like communicating with family and friends, taking a walk, learning to play a musical instrument, decluttering your office, planning a trip, etc. Of course, you could just sit and be for a few minutes, reveling in the quiet, doing absolutely nothing other than enjoying being alive, perhaps meditating and visualizing the kind of life you want for yourself!

In addition to the time-wasting nature of the topic, you never know who might read your words later and form an opinion about you. Would you answer this question if you knew that your clients or potential clients were reading your messages? How about if your parents or your significant other were to find your post? Would they be hurt or shocked by your response to something that you thought was just silly banter? Any of these people could read what you write on-line because your words live on into perpetuity!

I wrote in a recent post

Nothing is more powerful on this planet
than the words that you think and speak.

This concept was driven home to me in the small yet powerful book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. Rather than paraphrasing the beautiful wisdom of the book, I’ll quote from the cover:

Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

The Four Agreements may sound simple, but they are difficult to implement on a daily basis. Just realizing the power of your words is a life-changing step! When I first started in voice-over, I would laugh and say I would do any job where the check would clear. Now, I decline to perform jobs when I don’t like the words that would be coming out of my mouth. They may be someone else’s words, but I would be the one saying them. If I’m using the power of the word against someone else or against my own beliefs and values, then I won’t take the job.

Since I don’t want to use the power of the word against myself, I don’t want say things that might hurt my professional reputation in others’ eyes….like answering a question in a public forum about how I’m dressed when I perform my job. If someone wants to know how how I look when I work in my studio, they can see the picture of my stunning soundproof studio on my web site.

Answer the question, if you feel so inclined. However, I won’t interested in the answer.

 

A missed opportunity to help others

Twenty years from now,

so throw off the bow line,
sail away from the safe harbor,
catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
Because that what life is about.

–Mark Twain

I love quotes. When I saw this one on Thursday, I thought I would use it to encourage other people to follow their dreams, whether that dream was a starting a career in voice-over, learning to speak French, adopting a dog, visiting a foreign country or bungee-jumping off a bridge. We all have special gifts, talents and skills. No one sees the world the same way, and we’re all here for a purpose.

I think part of my purpose is to help people.

On Thursday, though, I was just thinking about my voice-over business and, more particularly, my web site. Thursday is the day that Drew and I attended an internet marketing seminar. The seminar was more of a pressured sales pitch than we thought it would be.

Mark Twain’s quote was used in the introduction to get people thinking about the kind of lifestyle they would lead if they were free of financial worry, which, according to StoresOnline.com, the presenting company, they obviously could be if they would start marketing products on the Internet today. I doubt Mark Twain ever meant that he thought people should part with their hard-earned money at 18% interest in order to buy a company’s package of 6 web sites!

We knew before we went that StoresOnline would be hawking its products, but we also knew that we weren’t going to buy anything. We only went so we could pick up tips from the panel of 11 internet marketing experts who were supposed to speak with us but never did as a group. (We later learned their role was meet with us individually to sell us the web site package.) In other words, we were going to help ourselves. I now see that I missed a huge opportunity to help other people, and I regret that I didn’t take it.

Since we weren’t going to buy anything, we didn’t do any research on StoresOnline prior to attending the event. We didn’t know that the company keeps changing its name, has been sued countless times around the world due to its shady business practices and has been the subject of TV investigative reports.

However, we did know while we were sitting there that:

  • The first hour was a complete waste of time as StoresOnline got right into their sales pitch. I told Drew we were burning daylight, and we would leave if they didn’t provide some real content soon.
  • We were uncomfortably cold; the temperature became noticeably colder — to the point of being frigid — when the supposed current client began speaking. They couldn’t risk anyone falling asleep! I did tell one of the “consultants” that I was aware of their little ploy to drop the temperature, and there was no reason it had to be 60 degrees. He denied it was in their control.
  • No breaks were given.
  • The “training” was not organized like a true class with objectives, summaries and time for questions. They would not entertain any questions during the presentations!
  • The constant push for 6 web sites was extremely odd. It’s enough work to get one site up and running and fully optimized before you tackle a second one. SIX?
  • We’re getting far better monthly web hosting prices than the special workshop price that we were quoted.
  • If someone orders a product from a web site and has a problem, they will go back to the web site for resolution. They don’t expect to work with a third-party like the actual supplier (drop-shipper) directly.
  • Companies who have special today-only offers and finance people ready to show how you can take advantage of those incredible offers are only there to take your money.
  • If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

I saw people filling out their finance forms, and I heard the credit card machine. I don’t know how much of that activity was from audience shills who were paid from the company to make it appear to real participants like people were eagerly signing up for these offers. From looking at the crowd, we observed that many people seemed to be in the 50-65 age range, while others seemed to have physical issues that would make at-home incomes very enticing.

As a voice-over artist, my profession is based on giving a voice to people who either can’t or won’t speak for themselves. Someone provides their words to me in the form of a script, but I always have to bring out the author’s meaning to the intended audience. During my years in corporate America, I would speak up when no one else would. My gift is my voice, and I regret that it was quiet during this seminar.

At one point early in the day, we did have a little interaction with the table behind us, and I could have said something to those people to not sign anything that day and certainly not to enter any financing agreement. I could have talked to women in the restroom or to anyone in the corridors at lunch. I could have pretended to get coffee (I don’t drink it) and whispered to the people at the coffee pot that this offer was a rip-off and not to buy anything. I could have passed a paper down my table like in high school with the note that no one needs to start with 6 web sites.

We were seated at the very front and center of the room. As the speaker took a breath and moved to the front of the room (he was standing right next to me 90% of the time), I could have stood up and announced to everyone there, “6400 dollars for six web sites? Are you CRAZY?” I’ve certainly got the voice to carry in a large room without a microphone. I could have done it, and we could have walked out. I wonder how many people would have followed us.

I could have done any one or all of these things. I did nothing except listen for information that could help me increase traffic to my own web site, have a nice lunch and skip out early to beat the traffic home. It was all about me that day, but it shouldn’t have been. I have discovered that any time I can be of service to others without any expectation of reward is when the reward is greatest. This episode at the seminar is a good reminder of that fact.

One refined and snappily-dressed lady who works in commercial real estate walked over and talked to Drew and me at lunch. She was proud of her new web site, and fortunately, she started telling US that the seminar prices were too high! Maybe she was trying to look out for us just as I should have looked out for others.

While I missed the opportunity to help others in person, I am posting this entry because I hope that my words will help someone in the future. In the event that I have the chance to attend such a presentation again, I can assure you that I will research the company ahead of time. I will utilize the gift of my voice and network with participants so that they can make informed decisions.