If you don’t know what your clients want and need, you’ll never be able to give it to them. Paul Strikwerda
Throughout my career I have really tried to educate potential clients. Yet, almost every day I get the same old question:
“How much do you charge for a 2 minute voice-over?”
As if we’re talking about a pound of sugar or a gallon of milk.
I really can’t answer that question, but if you think you can I’d like to know:
What are you basing your answer on?
In the absence of specifics most people start making things up.
Take it from me: Do not assume you know what your clients want.
Ever.
Amateurs make assumptions. Professionals…
More brilliant advice Paul…. For most narration work I do, if I sense that the client is a novice (and so many are) I offer them a selection of free helpsheets – covering topics like ‘remote direction’ and ‘scripting’ etc. When an enquiry progresses, I then send out a job sheet with my T&Cs, a breakdown of costs, turnaround time, delivery options, format and bit rate options, usage, copyright and license information if I am adding music, scriptwriting/editing options – and with a section for the client to complete with their notes – what their target audience is, what they hope to achieve, what platform will the project be used in; what is it’s shelf life; amendment and update options etc.,
When the job is finished, I request written permission if I wish to use clips from the finished item for my own purposes, including showreel etc. and send a feedback form requesting a testimonial.
All of this ensures that clients know that they are working with someone who knows what they are doing and operates in a business like way. It has frightened a couple off I guess – but then if they are frightened off by professionalism, I probably don’t want to work with them anyway.
If only more VOs would follow your advice, the business would not be in the dire straits it is in!
Hey ho…
Helen.
Excellent suggestions, Helen. I love the idea of worksheets.
It’s also important to ask permission to use the recorded material for promotional purposes and you’ve got that covered too.
Last but not least, I usually ask the client to say a few nice words about me. Testimonials are far more powerful than anything I say to sell my services.
Another good post, Paul! Those of us who have been doing this long enough should be well aware of these things – but I’m hoping many of the newcomers to the biz take note and don’t allow themselves to be undersold or overwhelmed.
I’ve found that knowing what one is capable of and playing to those strengths is on of the most important things one can do – it helps one stay focused, on their craft as well as their rates. That’s not to say we shouldn’t accept a project that might be out of our ‘comfort zone’ now and then – that’s how we all grow – but good voice talent know the difference between a challenging project and mission impossible!
Your right: we learn the most from challenging projects and that’s why I welcome them with open arms!
Another excellent blog!
Thank you so much, Andy!
Good suggestions, but as a friend of mine would say, “All in a perfect world!”
I must say something about this suggestion:
Pronunciation: ask the client to provide a pronunciation guide.
Some clients would respond to that question by saying “You’re the expert” and expect you to know and provide the pronunciation guide. Especially if you are a linguist. Asking that question could make the client doubt your expertise before you obtain the project.
In some cases you might be right but it’s not always cut and dry.
A month or so ago, I completed a German audio tour for the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. The script included many words in the native language of the various tribes. Those were not languages I was familiar with, and the pronunciation guide provided by the center helped me bring authenticity to my narration.
In the beginning of my voice-over career, I remember voicing a Dutch commercial for an American brand and I pronounced the brand name the way ordinary Dutchmen would do it. I ended up having to re-record it because corporate headquarters wanted their brand name to be pronounced the (American) English way. As a native Dutch speaker, I was the expert, but HQ overruled me.
One last example. I completed an audio book in English with words in Russian, Slovak, Yiddish, Polish, Rumanian and German. Most of these words could not be found on a site like http://www.forvo.com. Even though I consider myself somewhat of a linguist, I asked the author to pronounce those words for me out of respect for the people and places in the book.
Regarding pronunciation, it may not necessarily be the “proper” pronunciation, but it’s about how the client prefers something to be read. I always ask about “a hundred” vs. “one hundred,” for example. Especially with corporate stuff — they break spelling, grammar and pronunciation rules all the time, as long as they are consistent about it.
The devil is in the details. Or – as Stephen Sondheim likes to put it: “God is in the details.”You’re absolutely right to ask a client about the preferred pronunciation. It’s better to get it right the first time than to have to do make edits afterwards.
Paul, another excellent blog. Your talents and insights never cease to amaze. Thanks for all of your contributions to VO!
Look what you’ve done, Patrick… You’ve made me blush again! Thank you for the compliments. I think I’m glowing in the dark now!
Excellent Paul!
Glad to see you went into such great detail. I think you hit on all the “hot points” when considering accepting a new job.
I too get these requests out of the blue with little or no info for giving them a professional answer. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve only now been thinking about creating a job “template” to send in a email message as a reply to questions like… “How much do you charge for a 2 min project?” I think it’s about time I do that! And I’ll refer to your ADVICE comments as a checklist for my template questions.
I DO have a Revisions Policy in a document I attach to requests from new clients which I send to them early on in the discussion of a job.
I didn’t want to add that into this comment, however, I have and will continue to let anyone have a copy of it if they ask. I’ve circulated it before.
I really am sick of people asking me silly questions regarding a project and disregarding any info that I need to give them an informed, business minded anwswer. Half the time I feel insulted as if they’re talking to an idiot! Other times I just have to say, “Whoa… slow down… I know you’re in a hurry but be reasonable will ya? We’ve never worked together before and I don’t know you from Adam!” “So, you’re in a hurry! Will you feel the same way about paying me in a hurry?” Oh, well that’s a different story… YEAH, RIGHT!” I say, FAST PAY MAKES FAST FRIENDS!
Ok… over and out!
I feel your frustration, Rick! That’s one of the reasons why I wrote this particular post.
At one point I thought about devoting an entire page of my website to “instructions to my clients,” but a.) who takes the time to read it and b.) I don’t want to be perceived as difficult to work with.
Hopefully, a new generation of voice-overs will be less naive and go over this checklist before they commit to a job they don’t know much about.
Some of my seasoned collages will no doubt think that I am once again preaching to the choir, but as long as I enjoy doing it, I will keep on preaching and teaching!
By the way: great newsletter!
Great post Paul. Thanks for all of the amazing content you write.
In my experience, when landing a new gig it’s not uncommon for the new client to provide little details about the project. I often have to ask many of the questions you listed in this post (pronounciation preference of phone numbers is the most common).
However, as you mentioned in your most recent comment, I often fear coming off as difficult to work with. While obtaining answers to these questions will only benefit the client in the end I could see some clients opening the email, seeing “a lot” of questions, and quickly getting annoyed. It’s sad but true – we live within a very impatient society.
Have you ever experienced such a “problem” when trying to be thorough with a client? The problem being the client expressing frustration with you.
Thanks again Paul!
As the French say: “It’s the tone that makes the music” (C’est le ton qui fait la musique).
I never ambush a client with a whole list of questions. First I do some relationship building and then I focus on doing my homework.
Once there’s a dialogue going on, I get to the details.
Quite often, clients are grateful that I am bringing this stuff up. It shows that I’m a pro and that I take my work and their project seriously.
Jordan… what you’re saying (repeating Paul) about clients thinking you’re difficult to work with or losing patients because they have to read your questions, is also a concern I have each time I answer the emails of those potential clients. I can understand. yet, it irritates me to know how they seem to just schluck off our part of doing business
when we’re just trying to be professional and fair to everyone concerned.
I know that I have lost work doing this.I may have just lost a $2000.00 job because of it! And I’ve never bombarded them with questions. In fact, I try to do it in two separate emails. But I don’t know any other way to deal with uneducated clients or ones that just won’t slow down enough to listen!
You have a legitimate concern!
Great post. Many of these types of questions are the same that I ask before taking a gig for general recording.
What I found interesting was the few VO artists I had in the studio, couldn’t answer these questions. They wanted to know why I needed to know the style of read, e.g. announcer, friend, etc… I had to explain that I have several preamps and mics, which will bring help with different types of reads. A light airy read may not need a dark tube mic into a transformer based preamp (which gives a more full bodied gritty sound at times)
Sometimes I end up creating the jingle that may go with the VO, and there are things I need to know to nail it, that VO didn’t know when they got the gig.
Again, Great post!
Some fantastic observations, Dave! As you say, not everyone realizes how many tools you have at your disposal that will ultimately make someone sound superb.
I am always grateful for an engineer like you. Due to the home studio revolution, most of us don’t get an opportunity to work together anymore and that’s a shame.
…As always, Paul I appreciate your practical (and important) insight. Eliminating the fear and over-eagerness that cripples us when we get to the money talk is the best way to navigate this business and be successful. Thanks again…
I firmly believe that we never do our best work for the money, although I do enjoy a good pay day!
Nice Post Paul: Ever get tired of hearing that?? Hope not!!
Great list(s) to have next to the phone & computer to refer to when dealing with clients. It gives everyone a chance to stop, take a breath & explore the project – because the client is focused on all the OTHER elements of the production process and (rarely) gives your needs as a VO person much consideration.
At Creative Media, we often insist on seeing a script before giving a hard quote – as many questions are answered right there.
Nice share – thanks!
Tim Keenan
Comments from readers always make my day, Tim.
In my experience, some clients have become so accustomed to their production flow that they forget that hired helpers (such as voice-overs) need someone to fill in the blanks.
Questions are the answer.
Tim makes a good point here!
The client is focused on other things during a project’s production and often overlooks what we need to work with. And many times seeing the script answers several questions we will have.
Top stuff Paul.
Keep up the great work, with best wishes,
Karl
Thank you Karl. At first I was afraid I’d be stating the obvious in this article, but what’s obvious to one person might be news to someone else.
For those of you who don’t know Karl… He just turned my “Building a Vocal Booth on a Budget” booklet into an ePub version that can be read on digital devices such as an iPad or an iPhone. If you’re interested, let me know!
Karl, you’re the best!
Ah … it’s nothing – “It’s what I do!” some of the time 😉
Thank you Paul for this post. As a relative newcomer to the industry, this is extremely valuable information.
Lee
That’s exactly why I wrote this piece, Lee. I’m glad the information is useful.
Great article, Paul.
Also, you’re not preaching to the crowd–rather, you’re getting out info to those of us newbies who want to be pros but don’t yet know what we need to do that. And it’s much appreciated.
Cheers,
Richard Baldwin
Hi Richard, once upon a time we were all beginners, and to this day I still have to remind myself of the basic principles that got me where I am today. One thing I have learned from well-known names in the business is that success should never be taken for granted. There’s no such thing as an “established talent.” The minute you stop marketing, you’re undermining your future.
Thanks for this great article, Paul, as well as all of the others! Lots of information I certainly need to put in practice in my business!
I really appreciate that you’re willing to share your knowledge and experience with us, especially those of us who are relative newcomers to this business.
Keep sharing, please! I’ll keep learning.
Knowledge that is not shared and isn’t put into practice is useless. We can all learn from each other. Thank you so much for reading my writings! I realize that there’s so much information out there, and I am always encouraged that people take the time to visit my blog.
It would even be a great read for studio’s and copywriters… especially if the latter come from the print world and don’t have a clue as to what it takes to cater a trained throat and what would be the requirements for a professional VO to shine in a script. That script needs to shine before the VO sits down in front of the microphone. Also a lot of technical issues seem to cross our paths. I am blessed with experience from both sides of the glass, so I can always fix any lurking problems before they even become noticable in the client’s eye.
As far as running the risk of being ‘difficult to work with’… I never fear that. I am a pro, I expect my client to be one as well. I offer help whenever I can, first of all… by making MY JOB easier. Most of the times it’s the lack of production details that cause confusion later on. It’s best to eliminate that sooner rather than later.
And if all else fails, I ask the client what he/she would consider the ‘no go area’. If I know what the client definately does NOT want… hey it’s a start anyway 😉
And one of my voice coaches always used to say… beware of lowballers paradise. That’s where the biggest headaches are found. Keep it up, Paul. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Edo, thanks for visiting! I agree: it would be good to distribute this among studios and copywriters. Educated customers are usually easier to work with. Some of our colleagues have a fact sheet they send to the client prior to the recording. That way, all the kinks are ironed out beforehand.
My pet peeve is that I often have to deal with scripts that are written to be read, not spoken. Those who have worked on both sides of the glass as you say, do have a better sense of what sounds good and what doesn’t. In Dutch we’d probably say “Bekt het lekker of niet?”
Yeah, something like that 😉
Great Article Paul, always thinking what is your true value. Acting like a pro, is necessary to put in clients shoes and try to educate or to think like them to understand them and solve their issues.
Congrats every one for all their comments, than you, have a good week.
@Raúl: Thanks for your kind words. If we call ourselves voice actors, we have to act like it. Our value is not only in the ear of the beholder, but in the way we think about our craft and what we believe it’s worth.