Hi, I’m Robin. And this is me dubbing a cartoon at a major dubbing studio in Miami. Ahh, the glamorous VO life! The only problem was that I wanted to move to a tiny town in the mountains of Virginia and most of what I was working on was top secret stuff that couldn’t leave those studios…which meant I couldn’t do the work from home, which meant I couldn’t move to Virginia. That’s when I realized that I needed to build a clientele that I could take with me no matter where I lived.
And this…this is where the repeat customer comes into play.
Repeat customers are the KEY to constant VO work.
So what does this mean? This means having a stream of work that we can count on, especially in tough economic times. Hello, I think we can all relate to that right now!
The good news is that VO is a profession that seems to hold strong in these tough times and there are several options of places to audition for repeat business – production houses, instructional design companies (these are the companies that do training modules, and some of them have big corporate clients that can snowball into tons of work). There are also advertising agencies, on-hold messaging businesses, and app development companies.
I know, these may not be the most glamorous gigs, but they are consistent!
So, when you have your foot in the door for an audition for any of these places, how do you show them that you are the one to be a consistent “go-to” for VO?
First of all, read and follow instructions. That’s simple Customer Satisfaction 101. And when it comes to deadlines…remember, VO is a global industry. Whatever you do, take note of the time zone. I learned the hard way. Nothing like being 12 hours late on a deadline for an audition in Singapore.
If you have any questions: ask. Don’t assume. It’s better to be 100% sure what the client is looking for, than to risk a 50/50 chance of doing it right.
Be a good communicator. And show you care. That goes a long way.
Be clear about your policies. For example, how many revisions are included in your price, if any.
Be meticulous in your work. If you think you could have done better on your audition, you probably could have. Nobody knows what you’re capable of more than you! Only send your best.
Be as helpful as you can. For instance, if you’re dealing with an international client where English is their second language and you see grammatical errors in their script…you might offer to proofread for free on the first job and offer a discounted rate for repeat business. This helps them out, makes you look professional, and adds more to your rate.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If the job is not in your wheelhouse, if you don’t have time to do it to the best of your abilities, or if you’re under the weather and your voice is off – you’re just not your usual amazing self – don’t put yourself out there. You might not get a second chance!
And just a quick note if you’re hired for ongoing work…
Offer a reasonable rate, but don’t quote too low! Come up with a rate that you can live with because you’ll have to stick to your agreement. I remember kicking myself in the wee hours of the night, while I was editing training modules, agreeing to a ridiculous number to get the job…don’t do it!
So, be consistent. Make sure to deliver your audition on time and in the highest possible quality. Your clients want to know that they are getting the best their money can buy. All you have to do is show them that you care, and that their money is well spent.
When you audition, set out to prove that you will do that for them, over and over – and they’ll keep coming back, again and again!
Looking for more tips on fostering client relationships? Look no further than the Such A Voice Blog!
