It's not as complicated as you make it!

Are you doing things for the right reasons? I suppose it is somewhat of an ambiguous question. How do we know if it is right if we are unsure of what the intended outcome is? Let me try to explain. We want to be a voice over so everything we do is with that goal in mind. So far so good. In fact, that should be the end of this blog. Well, not so fast. Writing this blog is not going to make me a better voice actor. Yet it is part of the goals I have set up for my voiceover career. See how it gets complicated?

It may help to analyze why you are doing a specific thing before you start. It will give you a better focus. Rather than say the reason we do anything is because of an overarching goal of major significance to our lives, it is better to break it down to something much, much smaller. An example of this is what I did today at the airport while waiting for a flight from San Diego back to Houston. Arriving early, I had some time on my hands. Being a huge fan of Audible, I decided to start listening to “The war of art” by Steven Pressfield for the second time. I had bought the book on the recommendation of another voice actor and with the reasoning that it will help my voiceover career. As part of my travels, I had not spent as much time on my business as I usually would. So rather than watch a movie or listen to music, I decided to do something productive. And guess what, after listening to the book (it’s quite short) it gave me the impetus to start writing this blog.

Take marketing for an example. Many people think the reason that they are marketing their voice business is to get more clients and make more money. That is one of the desired outcomes, but it shouldn’t be why you are marketing. Not in my opinion anyway. The real reason for why you reach out to another person who may need your services is to create a relationship with them. Nobody is going to use your services if the goal of your contact is to get them to give you money. How would you feel if that were the reason somebody marketed to you? Kind of icky, right?

So many people ask Facebook groups and Forums the same questions. What should I write to my prospective clients? Does anyone have a template for their emails? Do you have a script for cold calling? And believe me, I used to be one of them. Anything new can seem daunting. Yet these questions are going to send you in the wrong direction. Instead, we should be asking ourselves every question as if it is from the client’s perspective. If you analyze the task at hand, that is the right reason. And believe me when I say that a prospective client has absolutely no interest whatsoever whether you make a successful career out of voice over. None, nada, zilch. So, when you start to write an email to a lead, have a clear, personal reason for that email. Not someone else’s reason.

Now, many people get hung up on this. Marketing is unnatural to them. It makes them feel icky. Or for some, they have way too high expectations on what the outcomes of these communications will be. Chill out a bit and take it for what it really is. Especially your first email. It is a way for them to get to know you. And what’s the best way to that? No, not tell them everything that is so absolutely fantastic about you and why you are so interesting! It is to let them know that you have taken time to investigate what they do, and you truly found it interesting. See, it’s not that complicated after all.