Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-ratorâ„¢

Business

Do you think that lack of money is holding you back?

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt:

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have..
I saw a show on the Biography channel a few days ago about Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Their names may not be familiar to you, but I’m sure that you have used their marvelous invention countless times: the Google search engine.

While Google is an Internet mammoth now, I was very impressed to learn about the humble origins of this company. After Page and Brin wrote the code for their search engine, they tried to sell it to other established companies, like Yahoo. No one was interested.

They were so committed to their idea that they decided to form their own company. However, they had a small problem. The computers needed to run their program cost a LOT of money. Rather than giving up on their dream, Page and Brin used hard drives from PCs that were lying around and — get this —

built computer cabinets from Legos!

Obviously, their search grew in popularity, they were able to get financing for proper computers and the rest is history.

What can you take away from their story? Do you put off your dreams of working in voice-over because you don’t have the money to buy the top-tier equipment? If you’re already a voice-over professional, do you criticize yourself or are you constantly unhappy because of equipment or facilities that you don’t have? Or do you create recordings with pride and joy using whatever equipment you have, making your plans for the upgrades that you will enjoy as your business expands?

We often use lack of money as an excuse when our own resistance is the cause of our lack of progress. Nobody said that building a career would be easy. Nobody said that it wouldn’t be scary sometimes. Nobody said you would have all of the answers.

If you follow the words of Rough and Ready Teddy (someone who, by the way, knew the value of persistence), you will find that you can accomplish great and wonderful things just by opening your mind to the rich possibilities at hand. By consistently taking action and moving toward your goals using whatever is available to you at the time, your eventual success will be better than you could have dreamed possible!

 

Persistence is especially needed in marketing

Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

— Thomas Edison

I have read that one of the fastest ways to achieve your own dreams is to help other people achieve their dreams. I think that universal law is true because what you put out in the world comes back to you. In fact, one reason I started this blog is so I could help other people achieve their dreams of thriving voice-over careers.

However, when I write these articles, I benefit, too. I’m reminded of the days when becoming a voice-over artist were just a whispering in my mind. I think about every step I’ve taken to change that whisper into the reality of being a professional voice-over talent working in my beautiful Parisian-themed studio, and I can see how my consistent actions over time have built upon each other to make this fabulous career that I love. If I give advice to someone else, I re-read it as if I am the recipient and immediately think of areas in which I might improve in my own business.

I really do like to help people who are getting started or otherwise building their careers in voice-over, but I don’t have much time to help people on an individual basis. I’m finding that it’s much easier and faster for me to point anyone seeking my advice here and to my web site.

In this age of incredible technology and abundant information, I also think that people should do some research and have some respect for others’ time. READ AND ABSORB everything you can before you start asking questions. Building a career takes time, and no shortcuts exist. No matter how much I or anyone tells you,

your success is totally up to YOU.

I can’t decide any action you should take. I can’t do the work for you.

I can, however, highlight some lessons that I have learned along the way. When I mentioned the Atlanta attorney in yesterday’s column, I said he was a brilliant marketer. Observant students of marketing would have noted that I said he had repeated his message in multiple media. While his slogan is “One call — that’s all”, his success is due to the frequency and repetition of his marketing message in several formats. He’s not just relying one type of marketing (or even more simply, one call!) and hoping to bring in business. He wants to make absolutely sure that you see him everywhere you look, and you know exactly what he does and what he can do for you.

How can you apply this important concept to your voice-over business to attract clients to you? I wouldn’t necessarily advise advertising on park benches like our attorney friend, but are you utilizing:

  • a personal web site
  • phone calls
  • networking
  • direct mail
  • one or more agents
  • on-line casting services
  • forum postings
  • e-mails
  • articles
  • reciprocal web links and listings on free web sites
  • speaking engagements/training classes
  • industry advertisements in printed and web-based directories
  • signature lines on your e-mails
  • imprinted products

Obviously, my list is not an all-inclusive, exhaustive list of marketing channels and tools; books are filled with great ideas to promote your business. I even have seen ads on eBay for voice-over services. I don’t know how well those people are doing with their listings, but I give them kudos for thinking of a different media outlet in which to advertise their voice-over business.

While it’s great to market using the proven channels that everyone in your industry uses, I had an epiphany while listening to the extraordinary Mastermind Marketing System from legendary marketing guru Jay Abraham. Among the many things I learned from this CD set is that I should observe other industries and use them as a model. If you can market yourself in a way like no one else in your industry, you will more than likely will be a big fish in a big pond!

For instance, I have attended trade organization meetings when I have been the only voice talent in attendance. I have always made several good contacts at such gatherings which led to jobs after successive follow-ups months or, in one case, years later. My postings to web forums unrelated to voice-over have sent immeasurable traffic to my web site and who knows how many jobs.

This week is typical for me in that, like the attorney, I am not waiting for prospects to appear from only one endeavor. I am working on an audiobook pitch to one company, an e-learning pitch to another, a postcard mail-out to one target market, updates to my web sites, auditions from my agents and casting services, follow-ups about work with a TV station and contacts with a meeting planner. While next week’s exact activites may vary, one thing will not change: I will be doing something everyday to improve and increase my business.

I will conclude this entry with two powerful quotes to share regarding the persistence of effort that you will need to build your voice-over career.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

— Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

I know that persistence trumps talent and looks every time. Given how I look and how little education I’ve had, persistence is pretty much all I had to fall back on. I arrived in Seattle in 1973 and decided I was going to work at KING-TV. They were somewhat less excited by this than I was. I called the news director every Thursday morning at ten for four years. Didn’t miss a one. At first they had no interest because I had no college degree. Then because I had no TV experience. Then because they had no job. In July of 1976, they figured out that I was just going to keep on calling. So they gave me the worst job in the newsroom. I loved it.

But long before then, I knew persistence was essential. When a 10-year-old tells his parents he’s going to be an anchor someday, they think he’s nuts. At 20 and out of work, they think he’s foolish. I’ve had a wonderful life because I never once doubted that things would work out. That is the lesson I teach my daughter. Decide what you want and do it. People will tell you that you’re being silly or a dreamer. Ignore them all. Just keep plugging along, make the phone call every week. I know this for certain.

— Aaron Brown, former ABC and CNN anchor as quoted in O Magazine, November 2002

 

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! 🙂

 

The keys to a successful business

Yesterday, Drew and I, along with a couple hundred other people, went to an all-day Internet marketing seminar at a major Atlanta hotel convention center. We both are researching some new business ventures, but we were primarily interested in learning about driving traffic to our existing web sites. If someone is offering a free teleconference, webinar or seminar on a topic in which I’m interested, I take advantage of every opportunity to learn something new. Even one bit of useful information can give me a competitive advantage.

The company sponsoring yesterday’s event is in the business of selling web sites to people who want to sell products. The marketing principles for a web site promoting a service like voice-over acting and a product line are the same. As with brick and mortar companies, my on-line presence is an extension of my off-line business. I heard some very useful information about improving my search engine rankings and some clever marketing techniques that made the day worthwhile.

Of course, spending a rare weekday with Drew was the best part! 🙂 A nice lunch at the hotel was included in this slick presentation; after all, you needed to keep your strength up if you were going to be able to sign your name on your check or credit card slip when you made your major purchase later in the day.In looking over some of my material and doing my own research, I ran across a free e-book titled Starting Your Internet Business. The book is offered on a site that interacts heavily with eBay merchants and Entrepreneur Magazine, and the book seems to have some good tips about setting up your on-line business.

I was particularly interested to note the comments in chapter 11 about the merchant account. A merchant account is the company that does your credit card processing for you. Voice talent who accept credit cards tend to use PayPal to perform this service, but businesses selling a product need to provide a secure, click-and-go ordering and credit verification system in their interface. If you have a heavy volume of credit card processing, you should consider getting your own merchant account as not everyone has or is comfortable using a PayPal account.

The company presenting the yesterday’s seminar was charging a special workshop rate of $999 for the merchant account. When I say special rate, they said the normal rate was $1800! However, to entice you to sign up at the workshop, the rate was discounted. To report all the facts, I should mention that this rate would apply to all of the sites that you purchased. The presenting company was really pushing 6 sites; I won’t even tell you how much they wanted for the site set-up and monthly programming.

However, Chris Malta, the e-book author, mentioned that a merchant account could be obtained for less than $200!. I’ve been thinking about getting a merchant account for my voice-over business and will look into the sources that he lists. Obviously, it pays to do your homework and shop around for your services. I wondered how many of those people yesterday signed up for the full package, not even knowing what product line they wanted to sell, much less a comparison cost of other providers’ web development and hosting fees. Also, while I’m on this tangent, the presenting company yesterday kept discussing drop-shippers as a source of products, but they never bothered to mention that you probably have to pay to get access to the best directories of suppliers.

I haven’t finished reading everything in the free e-book, but he also talks about some basic business items like a tax ID. At first glance, a voice-over person might not think much in this book would apply to his or her situation. However, lessons can be extrapolated from every book on business!

I particularly wish that every person dreaming of a career in voice-over who plans to write to me would first read chapter 9, The Real Business World. The author wrote that if you only remember one chapter in the book, it should be this one. Malta included 3 typical e-mails that he has received, along with his analysis of each person’s chance for success. If the subject were voice-over instead home business and drop-shipping, I could say that I have received similar e-mails and had similar gut reactions to them. In addition, the drop-shipper who wrote asking to be removed from the directory listed recurring problematic themes that I have noticed from people who write to me for guidance.

While I personally respond to everyone who contacts me requesting information, I also have noticed that 99% of the people never bother to thank me for my time (and time is money, you know!) or give me any indication whether my communication with them was helpful. I make this statement not because my ego needs stroking, but to point out the decline of courtesy in our society. Simple courtesy is a much-desired trait in business and in life.

In short, you CAN make your dreams about your business into a reality….by doing your own research, taking consistent action toward your goals, always learning new things and treating others with respect.

 

Can podcasting be integrated in corporate training?

This post is my recent response to a training e-zine about using podcasts to deliver content to a remote workforce.

I applaud the reader who wishes to use podcast technology in his or her company’s training efforts. However, like any training vehicle, the trainer must evaluate whether the technology is the most effective means for communicating the message.

I read that CapitalOne and IBM have successfully integrated podcasting into their corporate training environments. I believe that part of their success depended on the fact that both companies equipped their mobile users with iPods.

In the example given of a sales and customer service force consisting of 130 people, I would imagine that not everyone has the same level of computer skills. I also think that they may not have portable players or same level of expertise in using them. Your employees may have some resistance to using their own portable devices for playback of company training messages. Your IT or finance department may not have the resources to purchase the same device for everyone. The IT department may have instituted security restrictions that prohibit downloads of .mp3 files or the connection of personal devices to corporate computers.Deciding to provide audio content means other training issues must addressed. How will you demonstrate the process of accessing the audio files and copying them to myriad laptops or portable players? Who will provide support when the employees experience problems? Since the recordings would be internal training products, how would you notify the employees that new audio content is available?

For these reasons, I recommend that you fully involve your IT department in your plans. In implementing this change, I suggest that you post .mp3 files on your intranet in conjunction with a blog or user forums. A blog is short for web log. Once the software is configured, designated authors can rapidly post content to a web site without knowledge of HTML or any intervention from your IT department.

I realize that your remote staff probably does not have any more time to spend at a computer. Blogs can be maintained and archived by date and categories, so the remote workforce can quickly see new postings and find relevant past articles. In the blog, you could post your short time-sensitive updates, product development updates, answers from instructor-led sessions and other items that require more frequent updates and interaction with your sales force.

You can set up the blog so that comments are allowed, which enables your remote workforce to respond to the postings with questions and comments. The questions and comments might highlight areas requiring additional explanation that would be suitable for audio content. The blog could advertise new audio content as it is available.

Everyone can listen to the audio content when sitting at their computer. At a minimum, you could publish instructions so that everyone would be able to burn the files to CD and could at least start listening to some content in their car. Those employees who know how to copy the audio files to their own devices can do so and build buzz for the portable training efforts.

Your audio content could be focused on new training topics as needed and the monthly talk show that you envision. In your talk show, you could interview and feature people from different facets of the company. You may even think about replacing all of the internal newsletters and funneling that content into your talk show program. Another interesting use of audio content might be a short segment which summarizes all of the blog entries for the week.

Once you have decided to create audio content, you have a couple of options for creating the actual file. (Technically, the file is not a podcast unless it is automatically syndicated over the Internet.) If you plan to produce your recordings in-house, make the commitment to invest in a quality microphone and software which will allow you to record and edit the audio files.

Spend the time to learn the software so that your recordings sound polished. You are competing for the attention of busy people, and your recordings should sound as good as anything s/he would hear elsewhere. You may wish to integrate music and sound effects into your recordings. Like any training delivery method, you wouldn’t want to transmit your content to the learning community unless the message was clearly articulated and easily understood. The audience could become confused and frustrated listening to audio with poor sound quality

Outsourcing the audio file creation process to a professional voice talent can relieve you of the production burden and provide you with more time to develop your scripts. A professional voice artist can perform your script fluidly and flawlessly as though she is an employee of your company. You can locate a voice actor for your project by using on-line search engines and casting services or by calling a local talent agency. You can request that voice talent submit a short audition from your script so that you can select the voice that is most compelling for your copy.

As a bonus, some talent may have previous work experience in your industry and would bring that credibility and authenticity to your project. For instance, I hold a Master’s degree in computer information systems and have over 20 years experience in the IT field, while a fellow voice talent friend has a similar background in molecular biology.

Rates for talent affiliated with unions are published at www.sagaftra.org. However, podcasting per se is not listed on the charts since it is a new medium. Rates shown are for the talent only and do not reflect any costs for studio rental. Non-union talent have varying rates depending on the scope of the project. You may be able to negotiate a contract based on the frequency and length of recordings required.

I and many other voice actors record in our own studios and are able to send you an .mp3 recording with crystal clear clarity in short turn-around times, usually within 24 hours. While I can’t speak for other voice talent, my fees include my studio production time. I also work with my clients on script revisions to ensure that their message conveys the intended meaning.

I would advise that you keep the length of your initial recordings to 15 minutes or less. You will need to evaluate each part of the process to determine the best method to produce each recording, and your remote staff must get accustomed to receiving audio training.

 

A Tale of Two Web Sites

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct
the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present
period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its
being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree
of comparison only.

Was Charles Dickens really writing about the French Revolution in his novel A Tale of Two Cities, or could he perhaps have been writing a prediction about my move of my domain name to a new web host?

It was the best of times because I have a new web site. Along with a new design, the site contains updated demos, pictures of my beautiful new studio with its stunning Parisian theme and testimonials, as well as expanded informational content. It was the worst of times because the site design has been completed for some time, but I haven’t been able to launch the site. My main domain karencommins.com still points to Earthlink’s servers, while the new site can be previewed under either the KarenCommins.com or KarenVoices.com domains on 1and1.com servers. If you have clicked the logo on my blog, you have already seen the new site.

It was the age of wisdom because I developed the new site under a different domain. Furthermore, I was wise to shop around for a new web host who offered better pricing and customer service than I was receiving from Earthlink. My web site would never go down when I made the transition from the old host to the new one.

It was the age of foolishness to think that something that should be an easy task actually would be.

It was the epoch of belief when I started to make the DNS changes to move karencommins.com to the 1and1.com name servers. I believed I would access my account on Network Solutions, quickly make the change to my Whois record and routers everywhere would know about the change within a few days.

It was the epoch of incredulity when I learned about the snarled mess with my domain registration. I own the domain karencommins.com. Network Solutions is the registrar. However, my Network Solutions account did not reflect my domain.

It was the season of Light when the Network Solutions rep explained that Earthlink was one of their wholesale accounts. While Network Solutions was the actual registrar, Earthlink had registered the domain on my behalf. I therefore needed to contact Earthlink and request that Earthlink make changes to my Whois record for that domain.

It was the season of Darkness when I had to call Earthlink. First, the people on Earthlink’s support lines could not understand that changing my DNS record is a separate issue from changing my web hosting account. Earthlink refused to change my DNS record to a different web host, even though I would continue to pay my monthly web hosting fee to Earthlink and even though Earthlink was obligated to service my domain registration. Earthlink promised to release its stake on my domain registration so that Network Solutions would have total control of it. A phone call a week later had me going through the same scenario, only to learn that nothing had been accomplished.

It was the spring of hope when I called Network Solutions again and was offered the opportunity to convert my wholesale registration to a retail account. I had to fill out a form and provide proof of my identity and fax it back to the company.

It was the winter of despair (even in May) to learn on a subsequent phone call to Network Solutions that my first fax was never received. My despair continued when, after receiving confirmation that my second fax was received, I did not hear anything from Network Solutions. They told me that the paperwork could be processed in 3 days or less, yet 3 weeks passed without any communication from Network Solutions. At least I could shake off my despair by going on vacation with Drew!

We were all going direct to Heaven when I called Network Solutions earlier this week and found out that my paperwork had been processed! Apparently, I didn’t receive the notification because I somehow had 2 accounts, so they merged the information. HALLELUJAH!!!

After over 6 weeks of effort that included at least 6 phone calls and 2 faxes, I FINALLY am able to enter a simple change to my DNS record that will cause my current domain to match up with my new web site. You might think that I have already made the change and am just waiting for the replication to occur around the world. If that were the case, though, I wouldn’t feel the need to tell the story about it in pure Dickensonian fashion.

I truly think things happen for a reason. For instance, a monumental traffic jam in New York on Sunday 7 May prevented me from getting to the airport in time to make my flight home. The next flight was delayed an hour due to weather problems in Atlanta. I had the opportunity to calm a terribly irate passenger who was in the same circumstance with me. She was railing at the Delta agents because all of the eateries in LaGuardia — such as they are — were closed. I told her that if being late was her worst problem in life, she had no real problems.

I said there was some reason we were delayed. We weren’t meant to be on that earlier flight. We might have run into bad weather that would have made us sick. Maybe we would have had to circle Atlanta because we couldn’t land. I would much rather be standing in an airport than sitting on a plane!

I also reminded her about all the things for which she could be grateful. She was standing there in seemingly good health and had not been in a wreck in the incredible traffic jam in NY. She was so much better off than the vast majority of the world’s population, most of whom would be glad to trade places with her right then. She not only said she saw my point, but she stopped having her tantrum with the Delta agents. (BTW, after hearing this exchange, the Delta agent who was helping me granted my request of upgrading my husband’s ticket to first class at no charge!)

Maybe the Universe put all of these extreme delays of moving my domain in my path for a reason. Maybe I need to do a few more things on the new site before I launch it to the world. I know it has a few missing links and a couple of pieces of incomplete content. At least now I can make the change whenever I’m ready!

I started this entry with a famous quote from Charles Dickens, and I’d like to end it with another that, while less famous, sums up my ordeal in moving my domain name:

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many
not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.