laura@volaura.com

973.747.6800

  • Home
  • Demos
    • Demos
    • YouTube Bumper Demo
    • Commercial
    • Covid Response And Emergency Management
    • Radio Imaging
    • TV Affiliate
    • Narration
    • Audiobooks
    • Political
    • Tours
    • Character
    • Kids Voices
    • Baby Voices
    • Promo
    • eLearning
    • Explainer
    • Telephony
    • Government
    • Medical Narration
    • French Commercial
    • French Narration
    • Podcast
    • On Camera
  • Copy Writing
  • Studio
  • Clients
  • Coaching & Demos
    • Voice Over Coaching
    • Book Online
    • Business Coaching
    • Demo Production
    • Prepaid Scheduling
  • Blog
  • Contact

female

Don’t Assume Anything When Quoting VO Jobs

January 17, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

The Scenario

This week a job came in from a repeat client. I actually saw the booking posted on Voice123, but it was with a different gal from the production company than I had worked with before. When I submitted the read, I mentioned I had done work for both their agency and that client. I heard back right away that they were booking me. Great!

The Script in QuestionThey sent me the script and asked for my rate. They needed a RUSH turn around, but I was not charging them an extra fee for that. Since they were a repeat client and I was available I didn’t want to nickel and dime them. Anyway, I made a mistake almost right away. The voice over job I did for them was for an explainer video with usage limited only to their website. I assumed, again, I assumed that this was the same. I assumed this because the top of the script was labeled in bold font “VIDEO SCRIPT.” I initially quoted the job based on the last, recent voiceover work I did for them and the assumption that it was a video.

The Call

I got a reply that the price quoted worked for them and they just wanted to have a quick call to go over their notes on the script. We set a time for in 15 minutes so I could turn in around really fast.

Photo of Laura Schreiber in a HurryOn the call, it was great to catch up with the client. As a full-time, professional female voice over actor, building client relationships means a lot to me, and phone calls like this always provide an opportunity not only to better understand my client’s unique and specific needs, but also to get to know them. How better to build a relationship than to actually speak?

Anyway, we jumped on the call, and my client immediately mentioned the television run. I resisted the urge to interrupt her and listened. I then resisted the urge to immediately discuss the rates, and instead focussed on her needs: discussing the new product and the script. Then, after we covered that, I delicately circled back with a “You mentioned this is a tv spot…” segue. I calmly and clearly explained that I had assumed, and yes that was on me, that the job was again a video as the script was labeled video in multiple places. I asked the client two key questions:

  • How long is the tv run (length of usage?
  • Is there social media usage too? If so, is the social media usage organic or paid placement?

GVAA RATE GUIDE TV Broadcast ratesNow, these questions should have been asked in my initial reply email when they were casting me. I should have asked them before I threw any numbers into the air. And as a long established professional voice talent, I should have know better.

I was extremely apologetic, my town was calm, but I also explained that I could not do a TV spot for an internal video rate. I then offered and did send my client the GVAA Rates guide, so that they could better understand what my pricing was based on.

The Resolution

Luckily for me the clients were very nice and understanding. It was clear that I thought it was a video and did not know it was a television commercial. The woman that I spoke to said that she would reach out to the rest of her team, find out the length of the run, and find out if there was social media usage and that they would get right back to me confirming the rate I had suggested.

It did work out. It turned out it was a four month local tv run in Mississippi, with no social media usage for now. We discussed pricing in the event that the client decides to add that usage down the line, or when they see the final spot.

Lessons Learned

Take your time QuoteI will never be in such a hurry, even when I tell myself it’s for the client, that I skip major parts of the information gathering process. The point of having years of experience in the industry is not only to serve the clients well and to provide an outstanding level of service, but is also for precisely these scenarios, when years in the industry should teach us to take a breath, pause, and look at what we are dealing with. I realize that if I could make this basic mistake, anyone can. So do yourself a favor, ask questions. Enjoy the dialogue and back and forth. Don’t be afraid to hop on the phone and clarify a few details. I realize the clients in this scenario could just as easily have been inflexible about the budget, and that would have led to a very different blog today.

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Rates, Voiceover Tagged With: Assume, commercial, female, full time, length of run, organic placement, paid placement, professional, Quotes, rates, Repeat Clients, Rush, Script, social media, television commercial, trust, tv commercial, usage, Video, VO, voice over, Voice123, voiceover

A VO Business in Review: What’s Working and What Needs Work

December 6, 2020 by Laura Schreiber

There's No Reason To Look BackVoice over is a competitive industry, and being a professional female voice over who books mostly commercials and eLearning is something I am very proud of, but it takes daily effort- all day. Every day. I often work weekends. I often work odd hours. And every time I do, I am proud because it means that my small business is succeeding. In order to stay on top of my VO game, it seems like December is the perfect time to reflect on what is working and what could work better. After all, if I’m going to devote to much of my life to pursuing this passion, I want to do as well as I possibly can in voiceover.

What’s working:

Auditions:

I audition a lot. I have a pretty good audition to booking ration, particularly on pay to play sites. I once heard Bob Bergen, renowned voice of Porgy Pig, say that the audition is the job, and I understand just what he went. I also think that my auditions are working in the sense that I submit a lot. Twice in recent months I had clients reach out with direct bookings because they had saved my auditions. Although they had not hired me when I had submitted for that given job, they helpd onto my audition, kept me in mind, and ultimately booked work with me. In this sense, my auditions are going well.

Follow Up:

For me, follow up with both clients and prospects takes several forms. I always send thank you notes after bookings. I send both email follow ups and hand written cards, often with gifts depending on the size of the booking. Typically clients are delighted by this. In addition, I do quarterly check-ins with clients and prospects to maintain the relationships. These are personalized and relevant. I also do outreach, including my monthly newsletter and holiday cards.

Invoicing

I am good at invoicing! I have a great system, so I invoice when I deliver my finished audio. My invoice automatically sends a 30 and 60 day reminder. If it goes to 90 days the client gets a letter from my lawyer/husband. They hate that, but it works really well and I have no money outstanding at present.

Blogs

I blog regularly and am proud of this. I blog so that I am found. In the years since I started blogging, which I was very reluctant to do and did not do when I began my voice over journey, I have tippled my website traffic. In the search terms that I target, I continue to come up on the first page of google. Blogs are going extremely well.

What Needs Work

You'll Know When You're On the Right TrackAuditions

Yes, they were mentioned above. I need to improve my booking ration for agent auditions. I have fantastic regional representation who work really hard to bring me wonderful opportunities. I would love to book more of what they present me with in 2021. I send two takes, I listen to me reads to make sure I am sending my best work, but like I said, the voice over industry is competitive. I am thankful for the agent bookings I had in 2020 and hope to increase the percentage moving forward.

Outreach

Yes, this category was mentioned above as well. The problem is that the possibilities for direct marketing are infinite and I lose focus. I could do a much better job marketing myself. I need to focus on who I want to bring in and what kink fo work I want to regularly book and reach out to those clients with greater gusto. I had been doing it consistently, then work somehow gets in the way of this very important work.

Bringing In New Clients

I need to bring in a few more clients who will send regular work, monthly or weekly. I love the rosters that I am on and I need more clients like that.

Awareness of Changing Market Place

Especially in a year without voiceover conferences to attend, I need to do a better job staying on top of current market place trends. I do not listen to podcasts often, and I have my own perceptions which may or may not be accurate. I think having a better understanding of how the pandemic and election are shaping the marketplace is essential to my new business plan for 2021.

A Glimpse Ahead…

I am lucky that I am not new to VO. I am surrounded by talented women who are innovators and trailblazers. As I plan for the new year, and strategize for my goals ahead, I will be using the network I am so thankful to have built over the years to focus in the right direction.

Filed Under: Voiceover Tagged With: auditions, blogs, bookings, changing market, commercials, female, female professional voice actor, invoicing, outreach, small business owner, talent, VO, voice over, voiceover, working mom

Primary Sidebar

Loading

Laura Schreiber Voiceovers Recent Post

Recent Posts

  • Lessons Learned From Recent Live Session
  • How to Publish a Public Domain Audio Book
  • Having VO Industry Friends Matters
  • Lessons From My First Audiobook
  • Why Positivity Matters in a VO Coach
Laura Schreiber Voiceovers Categories

Categories

  • Laura answers every correspondence with a smile and a prompt reply. In addition to RUSH jobs and quick turnarounds, guided sessions are available and Laura works hard to make every project perfect. Do not hesitate to call or email anytime :) The one exception to this is erotica. Should you need someone for adult content, all the best to you, Laura is not your gal, do not reach out.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Laura Schreiber Female Voice Over Talent Contact Image

973.747.6800

laura@volaura.com

SKYPE: lauraschreiber324

ipDTL: Laura Schreiber Voice

Laura Schreiber Female Voice Over Talent Sourceconnect

LAURA IS REPRESENTED REGIONALLY IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD.

©2023 Laura Schreiber Voice. All rights reserved. PRIVACY POLICY.

Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites  // Site design by notobelladesigns.com.