November » 2010 » The Voiceover Boblog

Don’t get scammed

Posted November 30, 2010 by Bob

My friend Bobbin Beam writes about a near miss with a scammer in an article published at VoiceOverXtra.

Category: General | Comments (1)
Are you unique?

Posted by Bob

It’s been said that everyone is unique, just like everyone else. But my real question is, are you better or different in some important way from every other voiceover talent? If not, as Seth Godin points out, you’re stuck with being cheaper. Not a fun position at all.

At its core, there really isn’t any competition in voiceover; at least not as long as your voiceover work is yours rather than work for “just any voice.” Clients who want you will come back to you when they need you again because you are the only source for voiceovers by you, just like I am the world’s exclusive source for voiceovers by Bob Souer. Concentrate on finding clients who want you. Then delight them again and again. I think you’ll like those results. Even more important, so will your clients.

Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (3)
Spotlight on Dan

Posted November 29, 2010 by Bob

My friend Dan Nachtrab does such a terrific job on these voiceovers.

Kudos to you, Dan!

Category: General, People | Comments (1)
Blogging advice from Kevin Delaney

Posted November 28, 2010 by Bob

Kevin Delaney emails today with news about two free webinars he is holding tomorrow, Monday the 29th of November 2010 on the subject of blogging and voiceover.

Category: Blogging, General | Comments (0)
How to succeed in voiceover

Posted November 27, 2010 by Bob

I’ve been asked quite a few times in the last several years for the secret to success in voiceover. My answer is simple. But first, watch this little video from Tom Peters. (My thanks to my friend Ed Hunter for sending me the link to this video.)

So, my answer for the secret to success in voiceover? Don’t quit.

Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (6)
Added to the blogroll

Posted November 26, 2010 by Bob

With just over a month left to take advantage of the early bird registration price, I urge you (if you’re a working professional voiceover talent) to go to the Faffcon site and sign up for Faffcon2. Do it today. Don’t wait until the last possible minute because you might forget. And as every one of us who attended the first Faffcon can tell you, there’s nothing you could do in February of 2011 that will help accelerate your voiceover business better than by attending the next one in Atlanta taking place the last weekend in February.

Meanwhile, I just discovered that a blog has been added to the Faffcon site, so I’ve added that page to my blogroll.

Category: Blogging, Career Advice, General | Comments (2)
Spotlight on James

Posted November 25, 2010 by Bob

On this Thanksgiving Day 2010 here in the USA, I am deeply grateful for the many friends I am blessed to know. One of those friends is James Clamp, who has just received an “AudioFile Earphones Award” for his narration of Hector and the Search for Happiness. Kudos to you, James.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Quote of the day

Posted November 24, 2010 by Bob

From my friend and manager Stacey Stahl comes today’s quote:

“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next
best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

— Teddy Roosevelt

Category: General | Comments (3)
Customer service

Posted November 23, 2010 by Bob

My friend Blaine Parker is a very bright guy who writes a weekly, as he calls it, screed named HOT POINTS. From time to time what he writes is so brilliant, I just have to re-publish it here. This is one of those times.

—————————————

HOT POINTS for The Week of November 22, 2010

IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW LOSING BIG MONEY–OR MAKING YOU CRAZY–BY NOT READING HOT POINTS?

Subscription to this wretched weekly screed is now available to anyone you might deem worthy. Just send your victims to www.slowburnblog.com and have them look for the subscription sign up box in the upper left hand corner.

__________________________________

A JEWEL OF A RESPONSE

Last week, we talked about women’s jewelry from Na Hoku of Hawaii. It’s interesting how much email is routinely generated by the discussion of luxury products. One of the best came from Carrie Lakey, the General Manager of a Salem station group in Colorado Springs.

Ms. Lakey says, “I went to the site…have my eye on the raised plumeria with red enamel slipper pendant!”

Granted, she also said some other things that were much more business-like. But the shopping response is exactly the kind of result that the tale of Na Hoku’s exceptional customer service should generate. In fact, about 20% of readers went to the Na Hoku website.

By offering a 9-dollar refund that I never even asked for, they’ve generated some really good marketing karma. People who’ve never before heard of Na Hoku are suddenly out there, looking into buying a product that is equally as special as the customer service that inspired the story.

OF COURSE, THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FLY IN THE OINTMENT…

We can’t expect life to be all orchid leis and blender drinks, now can we? Another faithful reader, Chester Hull of Prosound (The Caller Experience Experts), enjoyed my tale of consumer triumph and asked:

“If you were suspecting that they might have it together enough to refund part of your shipping, wouldn’t you have been slightly disappointed if they hadn’t done that?”

To which I say, Certainly. But that disappointment would have been tempered by their excellent justification for the high price, to wit: better customer service. After all, I chose the higher-priced shipping option. It’s not incumbent upon them to lose money just because I prefer USPS over FedEx.

CHESTER ALSO OFFERS AN ANALYSES AND POSES AN INTERESTING QUESTION…

“[They put] you in a position [such] that unless they go ‘above and beyond,’ then they wouldn’t be delivering exemplary service. I guess this is sounding like whining, but it reminds me somewhat of advertising ‘Sale! Sale! Sale!.’ After a while, that’s going to work less and less. In a similar vein…how do we as small businesses continue to provide excellent service, without raising the bar so high on the customer’s expectation that we actually create a “bad” experience unless we surprise and delight them with the unexpected? This would be particularly relevant to a business built on ongoing relationships with customers (like mine), or heavy repeat customers.”

Now, let’s note: the first thing I did was agree with Chester and thank him for posing the question. After all, the reader (i.e., “customer”) likes to know his concerns have been heard–a core component of customer service.

THEN, I FIRE A BROADSIDE SALVO, BLOWING CHESTER COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WATER!

Kidding.

Though, I have seen customer service doing exactly that. It’s astounding when a business owner condescends to a customer and tells them how wrong they are. In writing, no less. (Fodder for another Hot Points entirely.)

Anyway, I concur with Chester’s analysis. Always yelling “Sale! Sale! Sale!” is a recipe for “Death! Death! Death!” I’ve also been places where they always act like they’re doing you a big favor for throwing you little bones. That’s not the way it works.

In this case, I should have had no reasonable expectation that Ha Noku would give me a break on the cost of shipping. I hoped. I gave them a test. I was very agreeable and friendly about it. And their reasonable explanation for the price delivered in a respectful and friendly manner would have been sufficient.

But to the bigger question: how do we as small businesses deliver without raising the bar unreasonably high?

SIMPLE: DELIVER IN A WAY THAT SIMPLY MAKES THEIR LIVES EASIER AND BETTER

It doesn’t take a lot. One of the easiest ways is to under-promise and over-deliver. As a customer, one of the most frequent disappointments comes in the form of endless yeses and promises that are never fulfilled. Yes-ing and promising a customer like crazy and never delivering means endlessly thwarted expectations. (This is problem especially endemic to auto mechanics and contractors.)

Conversely, we at Slow Burn like to say things like, “Well, I don’t know how quickly we can make that happen. We’ll try to get it by then.” And then, of course, we do our damndest to beat the deadline. Another way is by throwing in extras when it’s not much of a stretch.

For instance, I typically give a single (rather high) price for a package of 3 actualities-based commercials. If, while producing those commercials, I find I’ve got material for 4 commercials, I’ll consider throwing in the extra one. It’s not a lot of extra work for me, because by then the heaviest lifting has been done. And in the long run it can make us look like heroes because the perception of value-added is quite high.

PULLING RABBITS OUT OF THE HAT ISN’T MAGIC–BUT CAN APPEAR THAT WAY

For a magician, doing this trick is simple. For the audience, it looks impossible and is a delight.

Recently, a radio station let our client’s schedule go dark for a week and a half. They apparently didn’t understand the “Go” order to renew. When we found out, we could have told the client immediately. Then, we could have provided repeated updates on what exactly we were doing about it. And finally, we could have told them the result.

INSTEAD, WE TOLD THE CLIENT NOTHING

Until the problem was fixed.

By then, we’d had several diplomatic discussions with the account rep, and received all kinds of freebies as compensation. (And they went above and beyond the call. They made a mistake and did a very nice mea culpa.) So when we told the client, we came in with a complete package all dressed up with a great big bow.

You had a problem, we solved it, and now we’re getting you all this great stuff.

For a client who is way too busy and working way too many hours in the day, we spared them the angst of the problem. Instead of handing them a troubled pig that needed to be butchered and cooked, and making them watch while we handled the bloody mess, we delivered a tasty meal of pulled pork with beans and slaw ready to eat.

THEY APPRECIATE IT AND IT MAKES US LOOK BETTER

And it’s not an effort at self-aggrandizement. It’s about making their lives as easy as possible. We treat our clients as we’d like to be treated. And if we can delight them in the process, even better.

Of course, this won’t work for every business model and every customer. It needs to be tailored for the circumstances. I know of an IRS problem specialist who’s known (a) for solving the problems (again, in as low-friction a manner as possible for the client), and (b) showering the client with little gifts.

They’re not expensive gifts. They’re little things, like snack foods and CDs. But in a world where the client is totally out of his element and facing a giant ogre of a problem, those little gifts have a surprisingly profound effect. Every client who walks out of that business talks about how relaxed the man made them feel and how great the little surprises were.

Those inexpensive little items are small and real and tangible and unexpected and relatable–everything their IRS problems are not. It’s a surprisingly grounding device.

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF WAYS TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND

From the client’s perspective, the service can look exceptional. From the business’ perspective, these things don’t cost a lot and aren’t a lot of work. Of course, not every battle will be won on those terms.

Sometimes, there’s just going to be the situation where the problem is bigger than the simple solution. We occasionally face them as an agency, and they can leave you feeling as if you’re between a rock and a hard place. But on a regular basis, doing what you love and loving your clients is a really, really good basis for doing business.

Making their lives easier and delivering little surprises can go a long way towards being exceptional in their eyes.

As always,
Blaine Parker
Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in
Park City

www.slowburnmarketing.com
www.spotsbeforeyoureyes.net
Follow on Twitter @blaineparker

Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (2)
Art of the Americas

Posted November 20, 2010 by Bob

My friend Eddie Eagle is the voice for the Art of the Americas wing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Mighty nice work, Eddie.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
VOpedia

Posted November 19, 2010 by Bob

My friend Mahmoud al Taji is a bright and creative man. His latest example of that is The Voiceover Wiki, otherwise known as VOpedia.com. Mahmoud’s blog has more information.

Category: General | Comments (0)
The path to success

Posted November 18, 2010 by Bob

Seth Godin provides a road map to success today. Don’t miss it.

Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
A survey on political ad voiceover work

Posted November 17, 2010 by Bob

John Florian at VoiceOverXtra is conducting a survey on voiceovers for political ads. Here is the link if you’d like to anonymously take part:

http://conta.cc/Survey-VoicingPoliticalAds

Category: General | Comments (3)
Storytelling and audiobooks

Posted November 16, 2010 by Bob

With my thanks to my friend Mary McKitrick for posting the link on the VO-BB, check out the interview with audiobook narrator George Guidall at NPR.

Category: General, People | Comments (1)
Charles Martinet is Super Mario

Posted November 15, 2010 by Bob

My thanks to my friend Eddie Eagle for posting the link to this video interview on the VO-BB.

Category: General | Comments (1)
Added back to the blogroll

Posted November 13, 2010 by Bob

Some time ago Tim McLaughlin told me he was stopping his voiceover blog and asked me to remove the link, so of course, I did. But today he emailed to say he was starting his voiceover blog back up so naturally I’m delighted to re-add his blog to my blogroll. Welcome back, Tim.

Category: General | Comments (1)
Spotlight on Doug

Posted November 12, 2010 by Bob

My friend Doug Medlock is the voiceover for this fabulous spot.

Mighty nice work, Doug.

Category: General | Comments (3)
One of my favorite projects

Posted by Bob

In the last few years, it’s been my privilege to serve as the voice for the radio and television commercials for Wheeling Hospital. Here’s one example.

Category: General | Comments (4)
Spotlight on Kevin

Posted November 11, 2010 by Bob

My friend Kevin Genus does a superb job on this voiceover.

Category: General, People | Comments (0)
Love it or hate it

Posted November 10, 2010 by Bob

Pro Tools is a very popular recording application. I’m not posting this today to try to stir any wars about which audio software is best, because what works for you is what you should use. But, if you have a copy of Pro Tools but you’re not sure it’s a good fit for your voiceover work, my friend Steve Cunningham has some thoughts for you about the various myths about Pro Tools you may hear from time to time. Well worth a few minutes of your time.

Category: General, Tools | Comments (0)
Spotlight on Kara and Kyle

Posted November 9, 2010 by Bob

My friends Kara Edwards and Kyle Hebert are interviewed.

Category: General, People | Comments (0)
How to start voicing audiobooks – deadline today

Posted November 8, 2010 by Bob

Would you like to crack the lucrative market of voicing audiobooks?

One of the world’s most successful audiobook narrators, Barbara Rosenblat,
is conducting a teleseminar next week that answers virtually every question
you might have.

If you’re not familiar with Barbara, she:

* Has voiced over 400 audio books.

* Has won eight “Audie” awards for best audiobook narrator. (That’s more than
anyone else.)

* And, according to one critic: “Barbara is to audiobooks what Meryl Streep is to
film.”

There’s a limited number of spaces available, and a limited amount (registration ends late this afternoon) of time
in which to register. You’ll find all the information here.

Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
A webinar on video game and cartoon voice work

Posted November 6, 2010 by Bob

John Florian emails with news about a webinar Bettye Zoller will be holding next week for those interested in video game and cartoon voiceover work.

Category: General | Comments (0)
How to start voicing audiobooks

Posted November 5, 2010 by Bob

Would you like to crack the lucrative market of voicing audiobooks?

One of the world’s most successful audiobook narrators, Barbara Rosenblat,
is conducting a teleseminar next week that answers virtually every question
you might have.

If you’re not familiar with Barbara:

* Voiced over 400 audio books.

* Won eight “Audie” awards for best audiobook narrator. (That’s more than
anyone else.)

* According to one critic: “Barbara is to audiobooks what Meryl Streep is to
film.”

There’s a limited number of spaces available, and a limited amount of time
in which to register. You’ll find all the information here.

Category: General | Comments (0)
Do you love words?

Posted November 2, 2010 by Bob

If you’re a voiceover talent, I sure hope you do.

My thanks to Roy H. Williams for bringing this video to my attention.

Category: General | Comments (4)
Faffcon 2 registration is now open

Posted November 1, 2010 by Bob

Faffcon 2: Electric Boogaloo will be Friday, February 25 through Sunday, February 27, 2011 in Atlanta. Registration is now open. I hope to see you there!

Speaking of Faffcon 2, my friend Peter O’Connell has prepared a video on the subject that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
The 2010 New York Voiceover Mixer

Posted by Bob

This year’s New York Mixer, hosted by Voice Talent Productions, will be Saturday, December 4.

Category: General | Comments (0)

Bob Souer

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