Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Archives for 2007

Nine Tips About Buying Equipment on eBay

I joined eBay in 1997, and I have bought and sold countless things on this great system through hundreds of transactions. When other voice talent tell me that they don’t have money to get their voice-over demo produced, take a class with a premier teacher or invest in their studio equipment, I ask them if they have considered selling things on eBay to raise some fast cash. If you don’t need it, someone on eBay wants to buy it. By the same token, if you’re looking for something, someone on eBay is selling it.

In fact, whenever I am looking for something, especially equipment for my voice-over studio, I see if I can find it on eBay. I bought my Neumann TLM 103 microphone and DAT recorder from eBay sellers. My mic was brand new in the box, yet I purchased it on eBay at a price much lower than the retail rate quoted by several leading supply houses. However, many people are reluctant to shop on eBay, though, because they fear losing their money to unscrupulous dealers.

An article in yesterday’s Atlanta Business Chronicle fuels this kind of fear and was the propelling force behind this post today. With almost 10 years of eBay experience to my credit, I offer these tips for safe shopping on eBay:

1) Always look at the seller’s feedback rating and read the comments. You need to click on the feedback number and see if the seller is maintaining positive comments from buyers. A high number doesn’t necessarily mean that the seller is currently providing good service.

2) Be wary of sellers who do not provide a picture of the actual item. Some people will use pictures from other sellers’ listings or from vendors’ web sites. You want to see a picture of the actual item under consideration. If a seller can’t provide a picture of the actual item, I move on to another listing. With millions of things for sale on eBay at any given moment, I can wait until I can see the thing that I’m buying.

3) A strong, detailed description of the item indicates the seller’s knowledge. Whether I’m buying or selling, I want to see more than a single line of description on the item. As a sidebar to this tip, make note that if you decide to sell some items, you should be aware that a description that tells a story will make your buyers more attracted to your item. People love to be told a story, and you will get more money for your item if you can make that connection. I’m not saying “tell a story” as in “tell some lies”, but rather add adjectives and background material that make your item sound interesting to the reader.

For instance, when I have sold some of my Barry Manilow collection to pay for studio equipment, I wrote about hearing Barry sing a particular song at a concert and how that song is on a rare and valuable CD. When you can make the connection to your audience, you build trust.

4) Ask questions before you bid. Note how rapidly and thoroughly the seller responds to your questions.

5) Research prices in the closed listings before placing your bid. If you’re buying something common like equipment for your voice-over studio, chances are great that somebody has recently sold the same item. You can learn a lot by reviewing the closed listings to determine how many bidders were interested in an item and the prices paid. Obviously, if you are looking at something unusual like a piece of Dresden porcelain of a woman playing harp (yes, I’ve bought some of those on eBay!), you might not find any comparison listings.

Also compare the eBay prices to those at your favorite dealers. Many of them actually sell products on eBay. My Neumann mic was offered in this manner; an audio specialist with a brick and mortar building also posted items on eBay. Depending on the item, you may need to take service into consideration. For instance, I once bought a notebook computer from someone who only ran eBay listings. Given the nature of that item and the abundance of computers available, I think I would try to find one locally or direct from the manufacturer rather than shop for one on eBay.

6) Ask about the warranty. If you need warranty repair, your warranty coverage won’t be worth much to you if the warranty on your new studio equipment covers the European Union, and you live in the United States. When you see a significantly lower price on a piece of electronics, it may be a “gray market” item. You have to decide how much the warranty is worth to you or whether you’re willing to risk buying an item that may not have warranty coverage for your country.

7) Never, ever agree to pay someone by Western Union wire transfer. The buyers in the Atlanta Business Chronicle story were cheated by sellers who were paid by wire transfer. I learned in a transaction that had nothing to do with eBay that someone using wire transfer is preying on your emotions. If they insist on a wire transfer because they are in a hurry to do the deal, you need to run in the other direction!

They may say things like they are under a bankruptcy order and have a strict deadline, so that’s why they need the money so fast. You should know that once you transfer the money out of your account and into theirs, you can’t reverse the transfer unless they have enough money in their account. They will never have enough money in their account for a reversal!

PayPal is a safe form of payment. I will use it for immediate payment, but I still make the payment on my credit card so that money is not immediately transferred out of my checking account. I should have received the item by the time I receive my credit card bill. If I haven’t, I can always put the item in dispute with my credit card issuer.

8) If you have any uneasy feelings about the seller, you can request their contact information through eBay. You have to be involved in a transaction with someone before you can get their contact information. If you have paid for something and a seller becomes unresponsive, you can request their contact information from eBay.

9) If you decide to pay by check and don’t receive your merchandise, your Postmaster General may become your new best friend. Did you know that mail fraud is a federal crime? The definition of mail fraud from the United States Postal Service site is:

U.S. Postal Inspectors investigate any crime in which the U.S. Mail is used to further a scheme–whether it originated in the mail, by telephone, or on the Internet.

The use of the U.S. Mail is what makes it mail fraud.

Before you file the claim form on that site, you can advise the seller of your intention to start a mail fraud investigation. That action just might make them either cough up the goods or refund your money

I definitely don’t purchase everything on eBay. It’s just another source for me. After consulting with an audio engineer 3 weeks ago, I decided to change my studio components from a PC-based system with an Akai DPS DAW to an Apple MacBook Pro and a Digidesign Mbox2 Pro with ProTools LE. While I looked on eBay, I didn’t buy anything from there this time. I bought the computer directly from Apple since Drew gets a great company discount there, and I found a fantastic deal at Musicians Friend that includes a CAD GXL3000 condenser microphone and Fantom 120GB firewire hard drive. I haven’t tested the mic, but it looks well-made and might be a decent mic to take with me when I travel.

I have used eBay extensively in the furtherance of my voice-over career. I have bought equipment for my studio, and I have sold things in order to raise funds for my demos, training and equipment. I hope these nine tips about buying equipment on eBay give you the confidence to try it for yourself. Feel free to post your comments about how you have used eBay to further your voice-over career or other dreams or any other tips you want to share!

 

Changing your thoughts on Valentines Day

I had a doctor’s appointment today. I have been taking prescription drugs for several years to prevent migraine headaches, and I have decided that I don’t want to take daily medicine for the rest of my life. I want step down the dosage so that I’m off the drugs completely.

While the doctor is willing to accommodate my request, I noticed that she told me more than once that I would probably start noticing an increase in headaches and would need to go back on the medicine. Maybe, but I don’t think so.

The mind is an extraordinary thing. In order to make any positive change in your life, you have to change your thoughts.

I reach for the most powerful, positive thought possible, using techniques that I have learned from many people. For instance, I often hear from people who feel they can’t follow their dreams of voice-over careers or other things because they have full-time jobs. I use the words of Barbara Sher when I tell them to think of their full-time job as a subsidy to their art. I learned from Dr. Wayne Dyer that you must bless your job with love and realize that it is a stepping stone on your life’s pathway.

For the career changers, I learned from Louise Hay that you must start thinking in terms of being ready to release your current position with love to the next person who would be delighted to have it. Train your mind to think of the delicious possibilities that you desire. If you want a voice-over career, visualizing the outcome is the first step you should take on your journey. If you know where you’re going, you will be able to figure out the actions you need to take to get there.

Last year at this time, I was preparing to go to Brazil for a class titled The Inner Game of Voice-Over taught by my coach Susan Berkley and her co-instructor Rich Jones. Those two people are as warm and gracious as the Brazilian sun, and I was a like a flower on a spring day when taking direction from them. Our time together did much to help me analyze my thinking on various topics. They taught based on Dr. Norberto Keppe’s psychological work

I have talked about Susan previously in my blog, so you probably know that she’s the voice of AT&T and other big companies, and she runs a production company. Rich is an award-winning voice talent who now lives in Brazil. Rich has started a podcast titled Thinking With Somebody Else’s Head that challenges some of the popular beliefs held in the world. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’d like you to listen to his recent episode titled Some Truth About Love.

Rich reminds me on his podcasts that love and beauty are all around us. When I think of the world that way, I know that I don’t need to be so focused and driven on producing results in my voice-over career that I have to take drugs everyday to ward away migraines.

 

Susan Berkley’s inner circle and upcoming masterclass

Whether you are just beginning or a professional, I cannot recommend too highly my voice-over coach Susan Berkley for training classes. Susan is the voice of AT&T, Citibank and other companies. She holds teleclasses, voice-over bootcamps and specialized workshops throughout the year to meet the needs of voice-over students.

I am a member of Susan’s inner circle coaching program and have taken several classes that she sponsored. One reason I like the Inner Circle so much is because we have a monthly teleclass. We usually speak with someone in the voice-over industry, but we also have branched out and talked with experts in business areas like marketing. I was excited last night because we spoke with my friend and teacher Hillary Huber about audiobooks.

Hillary was just nominated for an Audie Award by the Audio Publishers Association (I linked to the complete list of finalists). The Grammys only have 2 categories for spoken word, so the Audie awards were established to recognize excellence within the audiobook industry. Hillary’s nomination for this prestigious award was in the mystery category for the book A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Reed.

Hillary talked with us about her process of researching the book prior to recording it. It’s not enough for her to simply look up pronunciations of words. Whenever possible, she contacts the author to glean insights about the characters.

She also talked about how she obtained the work. The audiobook industry is burgeoning, and voice talent can independently obtain work without an agent.

Next month, Susan is sponsoring a very specialized workshop in NY on obtaining work in audiobooks. The class will be taught by Pat Fraley and Hillary Huber, and it will be limited to 12 attendees. Special guests in this upcoming class will be multiple Audie-award winner Barbara Rosenblat (who is once again nominated this year) and Grammy-winning producer Paul Ruben, who will direct you in the studio. You will produce your audiobook demo while you’re in the workshop.

I took this class with Pat and Hillary in LA. They are lovely people and fantastic teachers. You can read about my experiences in that class on my blog. As marvelous as the LA class was, I think this upcoming New York class will be even better due to the presence of these particular guests. I almost wish I could go again!

On-going training is a necessity in this business. If you call Susan’s offices, please tell them that I referred you. You will always receive excellent value for the money with her programs.

 

25 ways to get publicity and traffic to your web site

I subscribe to a fantastic e-zine called The Publicity Hound written by Joan Stewart. In each week’s issue, she posts a question to “help this hound”, and the question this week was from another voice talent who wanted to know how to drive traffic to his web site. I answered with 20 suggestions on Joan’s blog but am including my answer here these ideas may help other people. Also, I am adding 5 more ideas that I didn’t include in my original answer.

As another voice-over talent, many newcomers to the industry ask me the same question. I have written essays on my blog in which I point out that voice-over is a business that requires a marketing plan. Like any business owner, the talent should determine where s/he fits in the marketplace and develop a marketing plan that targets the primary prospects on a steady and consistent basis.

Numerous ways exist to contact the prospects and depend on a person’s time, budget and creativity. If the goal is simply to drive traffic to a web site, obviously, getting a link to your site published in a popular e-zine like The Publicity Hound will do the trick!A web site is just one aspect of a marketing plan. In order to increase business and develop sustained relationships, the voice-over talent must be persistent in taking actions, such as:

1. Creating and maintaining a personal web site

2. Making phone calls to casting directors, producers, directors

3. Networking at industry meetings and events

4. Sending direct mail (postcards, newsletters, etc.)

5. Auditioning for one or more agents

6. Joining on-line casting services and submitting auditions

7. Writing postings in forums to show your expertise

8. Sending e-mails when you see opportunities such as those posted on CraigsList

9. Writing articles that can be reprinted in on-line e-zines

10. Exchanging reciprocal web links with complimentary sites

11. Listing your site on free web directories

12. Speaking at industry or community events

13. Presenting training classes

14. Placing industry advertisements in printed and web-based directories, CraigsList, etc.

15. Including your web site on the signature lines on your e-mails, on your business card, and on every piece of correspondence both on- and off-line

16. Sending imprinted products with your web site to your clients

17. Starting a blog on your web site and post comments on others’ blogs when you have expertise

18. Publishing a regular e-zine to maintain contact and requesting people to forward it

19. Asking for and rewarding referrals from satisfied clients

20. Posting testimonials of satisfied clients on your web site

This list is by no means all-inclusive, and most items don’t apply only to those in voice-over. By implementing one or more of these ideas on a regular basis, a person could spur traffic to his site and potentially increase his business.

Of course, I could have added a few more things, like:

21. Establishing a pay-per-click campaign

22. Generating press releases to announce your news

23. Getting feature stories written about you in the newspaper (a feature story is so much better than an ad! Just ask my friends and fellow voice talents Susan Berkley and Mary McKitrick if you don’t believe me)

24. Sending clippings of news stories of interest to your contacts

25. Joining an on-line networking service

26. Using search engines to locate potential contacts and querying them directly

27. Starting your own podcast

28……

I only promised 25 ideas but got carried away! When you aren’t working, you are working on obtaining work, using the tools and technology at your disposal and through whatever means you feel comfortable. It’s meaningless if someone simply visits your web site. I think a better goal is to think of ways to make connections with your prospects so that you can develop on-going business relationships.

 

Shining the light on pitches to prospects

One need only look at my voice-over studio to know that I am in love with Paris. The Eiffel Tower is my favorite thing in the world. I wear a gold Eiffel Tower charm on a bracelet, and I have numerous Eiffel Tower figurines in my house. The highlight (no pun intended) of my collection is a tall, lead crystal Eiffel Tower that sits on a lighted mirrored base. The base has colored LEDs, so the sparkling crystal shimmers in a rainbow of color as the base slowly turns.

A dear friend didn’t know that I had bought this crystal Eiffel Tower when I was in Las Vegas. As a birthday present, she surprised me with a smaller version of the one I had bought. It even sits atop a lighted mirrored base just like the one pictured here.

Granted, the peddlers swarming beneath the Tower’s four lacy pillars wouldn’t know those things about me as Drew and I exited the Tower on a recent visit to Paris. They would only know that I had been up in the Tower, and they should have noticed that I was carrying a shopping bag. Since it was dark, they may have been unable to discern that the shopping bag was from the Eiffel Tower, indicating I had purchased souvenirs at the Tower gift shops.

Just like at the Great Pyramids, these people all rush up to you, shoving their wares in your face and shouting prices at you. In addition to the ever-popular Eiffel Tower key chains that we have seen (and bought) on previous trips, the new craze was hand-held, flashing, lighted Eiffel Towers. A girl who loves the Eiffel Tower as much as I do and already has 2 lighted crystal Eiffel Towers is a likely target market for such a thing. At the time, though, I was most interested in dinner since it was very late, and we had to get up early for our flight home.

The seller’s approach has everything to do with the prospect’s interest. People shouting prices at me just make me want to hurry along to get away from them, no matter how much I might like their item. As Will Newman points out in his excellent article in the Early to Rise e-zine, you often have to use the word because with appeals to your prospect’s emotions if you expect to make sales.

One of these flashing light vendors started walking with us. Like the guy at the Pyramids, I’ll give him points for trying to create rapport with us. He even attempted to follow Newman’s advice to play to our emotions, but he made a critical mistake.

Since this incident happened a few months ago, I have forgotten exactly what he said to me, but I responded that I already had one. Even though I liked the light, I was thinking I didn’t need to spend money on his light when I had the 2 splendid crystal versions awaiting me at home. I also just had stocked up on Eiffel Tower goodies inside the gift shops.

Did he appeal to my emotions in any way? Did he use humor and charm and say something like, ‘Two are better than one, especially for such a handsome couple! You each could have one then!’

Did this merchant explain the benefits of his product to me? Did he use quick thinking to generate a sale and propose that perhaps I’d like to purchase one as a special gift? Did he mention that the lights were exclusive items to the vendors outside and not carried by the Tower shops? (At least I didn’t see them inside the tiny, crowded little shops in the Tower.)

If he had ever suggested to either of us that we could buy this little light for me as reminder of our romantic nighttime visit to the twinkling Eiffel Tower, he probably would have made a sale. I DID like the flashing light, and he had engaged us in some form of conversation as we walked rather than simply shouting prices at us.

No, he employed a different tactic.

He argued with me.

When I told him that I had one, he said, ‘No you don’t!’ When I assured him that I do have one and had received it as a gift, he yelled at me, ‘YOU LIE!’

Okay, so I don’t have a lighted Eiffel Tower that looks and works exactly like the one he was selling. I think his light was something like a plastic flashlight, while my pieces are lead crystal and only light up when placed on top of the mirrored base. Apparently, street peddlers don’t study marketing tactics or read books by Dale Carnegie, but I would think even they should know that you don’t scream at potential prospects and call them liars.

When contacting potential clients about utilizing you as a voice-over talent, you should research them as thoroughly as possible before making the connection. Look at their web sites and read industry periodicals. The cold-call instantly becomes a warmer call when you already know something about the background and current needs of the person or organization. Practice your script, and be ready to tailor your responses depending on the recipient.

Understand that your first pitch to a potential voice-over client is probably not going to elicit a commitment on a project. You’re not trying to sell some little gadget on the street to someone you probably will never see again. You are a professional person who is introducing yourself and hoping to cast the initial rivets in the iron foundation of what will become a towering relationship among your clients. You usually have to make 5-7 contacts before the light even goes on in the prospect’s head that you are a voice-over artist.

Above all, have respect for everyone with whom you contact. You never know the source of that next job. What you put out in the Universe comes back to you. Would you rather spend your time in darkness, generating negative energy toward the prospect who turned you down, or in brightness, radiating positive energy to attract those clients who are looking for your vocal characteristics, your style of reads, your specialty niche and your value-added services?

If you always speak to and about prospects with deference to their needs, sometimes that first pitch will be all you need to forge a relationship of lasting beauty.

Look forward on New Year’s Day

I know I promised another article that was inspired from my recent trip, but I had to pass on something I just read that will help you move forward in your voice-over career. It’s a new year, and many people have spent part of the day setting goals and reflecting on events of the past year. Every New Year’s Eve, I write in a special journal about my plans and hopes for the coming year. I have goals for all areas of my life, especially in my voice-over profession.

However, I have learned that I don’t want to spend too much time looking back over the past year. It’s easy to fall in the trap of forgetting my many accomplishments for the year. My mind instead wants to dwell on things that didn’t happen the way I envisioned or at all. I want to stay focused on my current plans and keep marching ahead!

I just read Wayne Dyer’s new book Being In Balance: 9 Principles for Creating Habits to Match Your Desires. He makes a strong point in chapter six that made me realize yet again the detrimental effect one’s thoughts can have on one’s voice-over career.

Dyer and others have said You become what you think about all day long. He writes:

Thinking that the past is responsible for your continuing insufficiency is a major source of resistance. You’ve probably been taught that if you don’t pay attention to the mistakes of the past, you’re bound to repeat them. Here’s my take on that advice: Keeping your thoughts on the mistakes of the past guarantees that you’ll continue manifesting them in the present!…
Refuse to think about what’s failed to materialize unless you’re hoping for more of the same….
Be grateful for all that failed to show up. Then shift from resistance to the direction of manifesting your desires, and rebalance your thinking so that it matches up with those desires. 

Maybe you:

  • didn’t land an agent last year
  • didn’t book the amount of work you wanted to last year
  • didn’t get your web site on-line last year
  • didn’t connect with any new clients last year
  • didn’t attend any networking events last year
  • didn’t install or upgrade your studio last year
  • didn’t take any classes last year
  • didn’t send out any marketing materials last year
  • didn’t read any blogs last year (except this one!)
  • didn’t perform any auditions last year

Right. I could continue on with a long list of things that maybe you didn’t do, but that would be negative thinking. Why don’t you write down a list of everything — big and small — that you DID to move forward on your voice-over goals? When I look at my list, I feel fantastic! I see that I took advantage of unexpected opportunities, and I have momentum carrying me into the coming year.

I re-write my goals and plans on an on-going basis. Magical things happen when you write down your goals….but that’s another subject for another day.

I wanted to write today to encourage you to start your new year by looking forward in your voice-over career, not back. Looking back tends to crystallize your thinking and can cause you to get stuck. It’s a new year, so it’s time to move ahead! Decide what you want, and then decide that you have the power to attain it. Once you start thinking those types of thoughts, you will start taking the actions necessary to make your dreams a reality.