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Why Maintaining Rates In VO Matters

May 9, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Recent Negotiation Examples

As a working, professional voice talent, one of the aspects of my job that I dread is negotiating rates with clients. When I think about “living the dream” part of the dream of pursuing my passion for voiceover as a talent, coach, and demo producer does not involve the back-and-forth banter to iron out a rate before a job begins. Yet, this banter is becoming more and more necessary as the days of jobs with desirable rates simply arriving in my in-box seem to be fewer that past years.

Accepting LessLet me share two experiences that happened in the past week. Last week, I heard from an Indie Video Game producer that I worked with in 2016. They were offering me the same role I played then. I had detailed notes in my CRM that they needed a discount as they were trying to launch the game with a kickstarter campaign. When I quoted them this time a normal, mid-range rate, they came back to me saying they were shocked that my rated had gone up. They went on to say that the five other talents had agreed to the rate they offered and they wanted to pay everyone the same. I referred them to the GVAA rate guide, which I will discuss later, and reminded them of the terms of 2016. They came up to my rate for me and for the other talents.

On Friday at the end of the day I client I have done quite a few TV campaigns for sent me two scripts. The rate for both was pathetic for one. It was clear he wanted a buy out, meaning he expects usage in perpetuity, which is never good for voice actors. I responded saying that I’d love to help but that the rate won’t work. I sent some suggestions their way, and said that we need to find a rate that is fare for both of us. My hope is that tomorrow we can work something out and that I don’t have to walk away from a long time client. I cannot, though, work for the rate offered. Maintaining industry standard rates matters for multiple reasons, not just for you as a solopreneur working to make  living, but for the some total of our industry as a whole.

If We all Accept Lower Rates, Will Only Get Lower Rates

Your Value Doesn't DecreaseImagine a scenario where we all just stopped negotiating. Let’s say a client offers $200 for two TV commercials with no mention of the length of usage, and instead of trying to negotiate, sort out the details, and explain why buy outs don’t work for us, we all just said “sure.” The implications would be staggering. The clients, then, would assume there is nothing wrong with this sweat shop pay, and would assume that our years of coaching and on-going professional development, that our expensive studio equipment, that the service we provide, that none of it has value, and that the can continue to lower and lower the rates. Where will it end? How low will they go? I shudder at the thought, and fear that if we are not willing to walk away, these bargain basement rates will become more and more common. You must know your worth and be willing to stand up for it.

Sometimes Client’s Genuinely Don’t Know and Need to Be Educated

As hard as this is to believe, sometimes clients are not actually trying to drive rates down. Sometimes they genuinely have no idea where the rates should be set and it is up to us to educate them. I have had this conversation with many other voice talents, and this is often the case. Often those casting us have never worked with voice actors before. Perhaps they were tasked with hiring a voice actor by someone else, and they know nothing about it. It’s possible, especially in eLearning, that they come from Human Resources or Academia and they know little to nothing about casting. When this is the case, a conversation about rates becomes a wonderful opportunity instead of frustrating and contentions.

Imagine How much Less You would Make If you Took the bottom Number on Every Job

Think about your financial goals for the month. Then think about your financial goals for the year. Then think about that over a three year period. Imagine, then, what would happen if you made 10% less on each job? Worse, what if you made 30% less on each job? It’s not just about having money to live off of and pay bills, at such a large income reduction, it will also effect your ability to save for the future and for your retirement. As solopreneurs, every booking we get matters in and of itself and in terms of building our client base. Each booking also matters for the industry as a whole. We all impact each other’s earning potential.

Where can you find Guides for Industry Standard Rates

If you are looking for sources or rates guides, let me refer you to three:

  • The GVAA Rates Guide is extremely thorough and covers most of what you need: https://globalvoiceacademy.com/gvaa-rate-guide-2/
  • The Gravy for The Brain Rates Guide is very specific, allows you to search by genre and usage, and is also great for EU and UK clients:

    Rate Guide

  • The SAG rate guide cal also be extremely helpful: https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/voiceover

Think About the End Goal: Earning a Consistent, Sustainable Income

In the end, we all want to earn a consistent, sustainable income. I remember hearing Bill DeWees, one of my first mentor’s in voice over, talk about this back in 2015. Yes! That what I needed, consistency. But a consistent income doesn’t just fall into your lap, it requires a rigorous blend of hard work and a willingness to negotiate. If you can’t stand up for what you’re worth, you’ll never get it.

Filed Under: Rates, Voiceover Tagged With: Bill DeWees, booking, buy out, buyout, client education, coach, commercial, Gravy for the Brain, GVAA, income, industry standard rates, negotiating, professional voice actor, rates, SAG, social medial, solopreneur, usage, video game, VO, voice over, voice over coach, voiceover, working creative

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

What Voice Actors Can Learn From Mr. Seinfeld’s Raincoats

August 2, 2020 by Laura Schreiber

https://youtu.be/7NK5Uo0tSBg

Watching Kramer negotiate this deal with Mr. Seinfeld is quite humorous, particularly if you are a working voice over actor and have to frequently negotiate your own rates directly with clients. Here, Kramer, like voice talents, understands the market. Mr. Seinfeld has the product but little knowledge of the market, which can often happen with our clients. The nuances of the value that each bring to the table complicate matters, as George points out. Of course it is much easier when our agents can negotiate on our behalf, but as this is not always possible, this clip has a lot of relevance. This week I had to negotiate a TV and Web commercial campaign with a client I have worked with before. They wanted a buyout in perpetuity which is never great for voice over actors, and they came in with a very low ball offer. Luckily, I was not in uncharted waters. So let’s flesh out my experience negotiating through the much more fun lens of Seinfeld. In Kramer’s behavior we see a lot of mistakes that lead people down a bad path when negotiating.

Don’t Jump the Gun

Don't RushKramer is so excited to make a deal that he doesn’t hesitate to jump at 25%. I think this happens a lot in voiceover, especially with newbies, and especially when times are slow. You have to know your value and you have to know and more importantly understand industry standard rates. First the client asked me for a quote. We had a back and forth that went like this:

I countered by asking if they had a budget they were trying to stay within.
They said no and asked for a quote with a range.
I provided the range and they said they wanted a buyout in perpetuity. This was based on a known industry rates guide.
I did not have a problem in this instance given the end user I was dealing with here. I sent the revised quote.
They came back with a budget at about a third of my quote.
That is the moment you begin a dialogue with industry friends on where to go and how to proceed. I also did suggest to the client that they may want to speak with one of my agents. Notice that unlike Kramer, none of my actions were immediate. They were calm, deliberate, and provided detailed explanations to the client. It was a process. A detailed process.

You Often Need to Show Your Value to Your Client

Here, Mr. Seinfeld did not appreciate the value that Kramer was bringing to the table. His perspective was very one-sided. Often clients need to be educated. When Mr. Seinfeld is in the kitchen talking to Mrs. Seinfeld, they only see the value of their product, they show little understanding of the service that Kramer is providing them with his knowledge of the marketplace. In voice over, some clients do not understand why usage matters. This is why it is always important to invoice for both usage and your session fee on your invoice Every. Single. Time. I have other clients who understand perfectly why it matters and what they are paying for but think that if they are in a very small local area or if their client has a smaller budget then none of that matters. In some instances, for folks who are new to casting voice over actors, they do not understand that they are casting professionals with thousands of dollars in equipment, years of coaching, broadcast ready home studios, and all that we have invested in our businesses. So, as a voice talent, you have to decide what you can live with and what you can’t.

You Need the Right Sounding Board

Kramer got good, solid feedback from George. Kramer listened to George. He was inspired by George to go back to Mr. Seinfeld and talk about the terms again. In George, he had a friend he could count on. Who are your industry friends? This is extremely important in voice over. This is no small thing. This is why conferences, holiday parties, and Uncle Roy’s annual BBQ all matter! When I have these negotiation issues I can talk to my accountability group, the ladies of the “VO Powerhouse” as we call ourselves or I reach out to Maria Pendolino and you can actually schedule consultations with Maria to help you bid. I like talking it through with friends because sometimes I need the right words so that I don’t seem like a crazy person. After all, do you want to seem like Kramer when you go back to your clients to “educate”them? I don’t think so.

If you prefer to brave it on your own, there are other industry resources available including the GVAA Rate Guide, Gravy for the Brain Rate Guide, and the SAG Rate Guide. All of this should give you a strong sense of where your rate should be.

Don’t be Afraid to Go Back to the Table…In the Right Way

Both Kramer and Mr. Seinfeld wanted to renegotiate. But there is a right way to say something and a wrong way, and these two, well…they do not really exemplify a way that a successful small business owner typically will build a meaningful relationship with a client. More than getting the rate that is best for you and best for the voice over industry, you also want a client and not a single gig. If you carry yourself like Kramer, or George, you are not likely to build lasting and meaningful client relationships. There is nothing wrong with taking the time to work through something. This week I was able to get my clients to double their offer. While it was lower than my initial quote, it was much higher than their initial offer, and it is a number I am comfortable stepping up to the mic for. Be positive, polite, and straightforward. Know what you are willing to do and be firm about your boundaries. And then book, book, book!

Filed Under: Client Relationships, Rates, Voiceover Tagged With: campaign, commercial, commercial campaign, commercials, educate, feedback, friends, guidance, negotiate, rates, small business owner, TV, usage, VO, voice over, web

Getting Paid in Voice Over

December 9, 2019 by Laura Schreiber

https://youtu.be/xLQMTmewaSE

It’s not A Hobby…

What makes a professional voice over actor a professional? Well, besides the years of training, the demos, the home studio, and being a part of the community, a big, big, big characteristic is booking PAYING work at INDUSTRY STANDARD RATES. Not Fiverr. Not bargain basement, but once a voice talent begins earning a consistent, sustainable income they proudly earn the title of professional. If they are booking repeat gigs or lots of gigs, they now have the goods to call them selves a pro. Even in WoVo, our professional organization, once you book five gigs at industry standard rates, you are eligible to apply to be a “Professional” member. Thus, it is the act of being paid for the work that you do that is essential.

So, you wouldn’t think that being paid would be so tricky, right? You book a gig, your record your amazing audio in your professional studio, you deliver your audio, and the client pays you? That’s how it should work. But often, too often, it does not play out that way. This month I was fortunate. Almost all, about 80% of my bookings, were paid within 24 hours if delivery. This is not the norm. This blog post is inspired by a less than kind client who although pleased with the work I did, and cast me in repeat commercials and campaigns in the last two years, acted as though he was giving me some sort of loan when he paid his invoice at about 90 days past due. This is simply not acceptable. His total lack of professionalism is appalling. I should not have to explain myself, and neither should you. So, instead of focussing on the exception, let’s focus on why things typically run smoothly and how to create a system that makes it easy for a working talent and for your clients to pay promptly:

Terms Up Front

When I book a job I send a “Seal the Deal” email. This email is extremely detailed and clear. It has multiple components, all of which are important:

  • It thanks the client for casting me in the “Name of Project.”
  • This confirms the casting.
  • It confirms the details they want including specifics about the recording and any requests for tone, style, etc.
  • It covers details about guided sessions/phone patch.
  • It confirms the rate.
  • It confirms my revision/pickup policy.
  • The end of it also has legal jargon making this email an agreement. This is how all of these emails end:

Warm regards,

Laura

Acceptance and jurisdiction: Acceptance of this proposal constitutes agreement that usage rights are limited to the medium and region listed in the job description, and expansion would require renegotiation of these terms. Your acceptance of the above constitutes a contract which – in case of a dispute – you agree will be adjudicated in, and according to the relevant laws of, NY, USA. If the booking is cancelled, the session fee will still be paid in full to Laura Schreiber.

Stating your terms in the initial email is essential. The bigger the job, meaning the more money it pays, the more essential it is that you state your terms up front as you have more to lose.

Invoicing Made Easy

AKA “Invoicing for Dummies,” I want to make it as easy as possible for my clients to pay me. I actually spent years figuring this out, so the client is not the dummy here, I had about a five year learning curve. I tried multiple different ways of invoicing, and find that this system is much more user friendly. I use Fresh Books for my invoices. They are clear. They state my terms which are Net 30. They allow me to set 30 and 60 day invoice reminders.

When I send my finished audio, the last paragraph is always all of the invoice information. Always. It tells them the invoice number, what is due, and the multiple ways they can pay me. Different people prefer to pay in different ways. Do I have a preference? Yes. But it doesn’t matter, I need to make it easy for them. So, in the last paragraph of my invoice I tell them:

Lastly, you will receive a Fresh Books invoice #XXXX for the amount of $XXXX after this email. If you prefer another means of payment, I also am happy to receive payment by check at XXXX Road, South Orange, NJ 07079; via paypal at laura@lauraschreibervoice.com, or at Zelle and Chase QP at laura@lauraschreibervoice.com. Thanks so much again for your business and have a great day,

This email is easy to find. The invoice allows them to pay. This allows them to pay. It’s clear. It’s simple. It’s easy to find again. Make things easy for your clients!

Session Vs. Usage in Invoice

This is extremely important: when invoicing, always, always, always differentiate between your session fee and the usage of your voice. Why? Well what if Sally at the ad agency decides after multiple rounds of casting and telling you that you were perfect 24 times that in the end she really wants a more robust male voice? No problem Sally, she just has to pay your session fee. This is industry standard. I repeat, this is industry standard. You have done the work. You have delivered the work. The session fee is the fee that they are paying for you to get behind the mic and turn on your phantom power and record. If you did a live session? Guess what, they are paying for it. The usage is for the usage of your voice for the run of the spot. Do not book gigs in perpetuity. It is a huge problem. That is a separate blog. Just don’t!!

Some People Are just Nicer than Others

At the end of the day, some people are just nice and intend to pay you and some are not nice or are totally disorganized. Some are both. I had a government job this week that had a low budget but payed within an hour of delivery. I was doing my happy dance. I have had similar jobs that take 90 days to pay. I typically find that some clients just cannot pay on time. Some always will. Try not to let the few who are really unkind ruin your state of mind for the rest who really are good folks.

Filed Under: Client Relationships Tagged With: clients, forms of payment, hobby, Invoice, making it easy, professional, session fees, terms, usage, VO, voice over, voiceover

What Exactly Am I Paying For? You Need Voiceover for Your next Project- Great! But What on Earth Does and Should that Rate Get You?

November 21, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

What Got Me Thinking….

I recently did quite a lot of holiday spots for a really good client. What makes the client a “good” client? Besides that they are lovely to work with, they send me consistent work more than every month, almost every week. This month, instead of my typical monthly invoice, this client sent so much work that I had to send multiple multi-page invoices! That’s what kind of month it was with them. But, in one phone conversation with this delightful and pleasant client, a usage issue came up. These were telephony spots. Instead of paying me for each spot for each location, I learned in conversation that after the holidays one message was going to be used across many locations, but it seemed clear that the client had no understanding that they had crossed a major line with usage. While I might be able to record the phone greeting in one recording session, the usage was no longer the same and the rate would need to be adjusted. For me, this new information about the usage of my voice was a pretty big deal. It also exemplifies why it is so important to actually speak to clients whenever possible and not do everything via email. Put simply, when you hire a voiceover talent for a job, the rate you pay includes both the recording session and is also for usage of that actor’s voice for the agreed upon amount of time.

Explaining Usage

When a professional voiceover actor talks about the usage of his or her voice, they are typically talking about three aspects of the deal: what the scope of work is, how long the work will run, and the market the work will run in. So, commercial work bills out at a very different rate than telephony. Within commercial, tv and radio have different rate scales. Understanding the type of voiceover the audio is being used for is the first step in the usage discussion.

Next, sometimes the length of run time effects the usage of the voice. Another way to say the same thing is: how long am I using this audio for? Is this radio ad running for 6 weeks, 13 weeks, or 6 months? Is this a tag for a tv spot? Is it an explainer video going on a website? Across all genres of voiceover, the person hiring the talent needs to determine the length of time for usage. If usage needs to be extended that can typically be arranged.

Another major component in usage is the market where the voiceover is being used. A voiceover in a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles or New York has a much greater intrinsic value than one running in a small town in West Virginia. Even with telephony, an on-hold message running in one office for one month in Texas has a much smaller value than a message running across several states on the West Coast.

The Session Fee

The recording session is part of what makes up the rate when paying a voiceover talent. You are not just paying for the actual time in the studio, but you are paying for their expertise as a recording artist. The fee includes the years of training and on-going professional development that they have had. It also includes access to their costly and necessary professional, broadcast ready recording equipment. From microphones to pre-amps, each piece of machinery makes a huge difference in the quality of audio that the voiceover artist delivers, and that is part of the fee that you pay.

Revisions and Pickup Policy

The rate that you pay a voiceover talent should always include revisions and you should know and understand your client’s policy on pickups before you start working with them. Performance errors should always be covered. I give tiered estimates but most clients choose an option that includes at least one round of pickups.

Who the Client is Effects the Rate

Again, this is all a part of usage. Who the client is does effect the rate. A huge international company should pay more than a small mom and pop and pop store. The usage of a big client versus the usage of a small client is different because they have different respective audiences and followings, so it follows that their rates should not be the same, irrespective of the level of excellence of the voiceover actor they are using.

Conclusions

We all wish clients understood how our rates were structured all the time. We also wish everyone had our best interests in mind for every booking. Sometimes as the talents it is our job to educate our clients about the rate structure. This may not be fun and may be totally awkward, but failure to do so will result in ongoing rates problems and inability to maintain industry standards.

Filed Under: Voiceover Tagged With: audio editing, fees, professional recording, rates, revision policy, sessions, tips, usage, voiceover

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