…I was approached by a wannabe voice actor who touted his cold-calling abilities, not his great pipes.
I was floored. Really.
I mean, how many times a month are you contacted by a newb who claims they’re always told they have a great voice, and were convinced that was their ticket to free riches. I never discourage. An engaging voice is a nice tool to have in your kit, but when it comes to a formula for VO success, the marketing trumps the mic 80% of the time.
In the interest of full disclosure, this gentleman also mentioned: “…my voice has been described as sounding trustworthy, impartial and sincere and as having clarity and conviction.” That’s nice, I thought…but who’s gonna hear that conviction unless you find some agents, or clients, or prospects to listen.
Well, in this case, the VO hopeful has a useful skill to drum up those prospects: a great record of cold-calling. Often, your first call to a prospect is your first audition. The quality of your speaking voice AND the finesse with which you handle the call just might get your foot in the door.
I encouraged this guy to persist…it was the first time I didn’t have to explain that a deep voice alone was not enough to be a runaway success in voice-acting.
So let me just encourage you, too. Marketing advice is overwhelming on the web. I’ve found a few reliable blogs and sites that consistently offer great marketing suggestions. Below are a couple of recent articles:
How to Turn Your Best Customers Into a Growth Engine
27 of the Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned Since Starting My Own Business
Six Smart Ways to Capture Emails
…and there’s more…so much more.
Here’s the definitive list for Marketing Blogs: The Top 75 Must-Read Online Marketing Blogs.
Whew!
Now get out there and make some cold calls! (or not — it’s never worked for me, but Maxine Dunn swears by them!)
CourVO
