July 2006 Archives

I subscribe to several voice-over lists. The subject question is actually a current and very active topic on one of them. Many people have answered the question, but I will never be among them. If you haven't already posted an answer, I hope I can give you some new things to consider before you press the Send button with your reply.

It's not like these lists are some little private gathering where you can whisper secrets among close friends. Sure, camaraderie exists if you've been a list member for a long time, but you don't really KNOW the other list members. You may have regularly contributed to an e-mail list or forum, but would you know someone from that list if they walked into the room?

Answering or reading such messages is a huge waste of time. If you have some down time, you could be doing any number of productive things to advance your career like calling a client, updating your database, modifying your web site, recording new scratch tracks for practice, learning to apply filters in your editing software, etc. You could be doing things to otherwise improve your life like communicating with family and friends, taking a walk, learning to play a musical instrument, decluttering your office, planning a trip, etc. Of course, you could just sit and be for a few minutes, reveling in the quiet, doing absolutely nothing other than enjoying being alive, perhaps meditating and visualizing the kind of life you want for yourself!

In addition to the time-wasting nature of the topic, you never know who might read your words later and form an opinion about you. Would you answer this question if you knew that your clients or potential clients were reading your messages? How about if your parents or your significant other were to find your post? Would they be hurt or shocked by your response to something that you thought was just silly banter? Any of these people could read what you write on-line because your words live on into perpetuity!

I usually write what I hope are thought-provoking entries that give you some insight into how I perceive the world and how I approach my business. It's been a busy day that still has me at work, but I just saw an interesting interview that I thought other voice actors would like to read. I subscribe to many voice-over and acting lists, and today, a link to an interview with Debbie Cope was posted on one of them.

Debbie Cope is the founder and managing director of Cope Management, which is a boutique agency that manages 16 of the top voice-over talent. In the interview, Cope points out the continual need to practice and take classes; she also discusses current industry trends. Rather than give you my views today, I thought a link to hers would you serve you well!

I love quotes. When I saw this one on Thursday, I thought I would use it to encourage other people to follow their dreams, whether that dream was a starting a career in voice-over, learning to speak French, adopting a dog, visiting a foreign country or bungee-jumping off a bridge. We all have special gifts, talents and skills. No one sees the world the same way, and we're all here for a purpose.

I think part of my purpose is to help people. On Thursday, though, I was just thinking about my voice-over business and, more particularly, my web site. Thursday is the day that Drew and I attended an internet marketing seminar. As you can tell from the excellent, detailed entry on Drew's blog, the seminar was more of a pressured sales pitch than we thought it would be. Mark Twain's quote was used in the introduction to get people thinking about the kind of lifestyle they would lead if they were free of financial worry, which, according to StoresOnline.com, the presenting company, they obviously could be if they would start marketing products on the Internet today. I doubt Mark Twain ever meant that he thought people should part with their hard-earned money at 18% interest in order to buy a company's package of 6 web sites!

We knew before we went that StoresOnline would be hawking its products, but we also knew that we weren't going to buy anything. We only went so we could pick up tips from the panel of 11 internet marketing experts who were supposed to speak with us but never did as a group. (We later learned their role was meet with us individually to sell us the web site package.) In other words, we were going to help ourselves. I now see that I missed a huge opportunity to help other people, and I regret that I didn't take it.

Yesterday, Drew and I, along with a couple hundred other people, went to an all-day Internet marketing seminar at a major Atlanta hotel convention center. We both are researching some new business ventures, but we were primarily interested in learning about driving traffic to our existing web sites. If someone is offering a free teleconference, webinar or seminar on a topic in which I'm interested, I take advantage of every opportunity to learn something new. Even one bit of useful information can give me a competitive advantage.

The company sponsoring yesterday's event is in the business of selling web sites to people who want to sell products. The marketing principles for a web site promoting a service like voice-over acting and a product line are the same. As with brick and mortar companies, my on-line presence is an extension of my off-line business. I heard some very useful information about improving my search engine rankings and some clever marketing techniques that made the day worthwhile.

Of course, spending a rare weekday with Drew was the best part! :) A nice lunch at the hotel was included in this slick presentation; after all, you needed to keep your strength up if you were going to be able to sign your name on your check or credit card slip when you made your major purchase later in the day.

I was reading the tremendous ongoing discussion about non-union voice-over rates on the Voices.com VOX Daily blog. Many people rightly pointed out in their comments that the rates are too low. However, some talent questioned how they could ask for higher rates without having their clients go ballistic and/or running for the hills.

I would like to address this question by stating that you have to develop a prosperity mindset. Nothing is more powerful on this planet than the words that you think and speak. (You would think, of all people, someone in the voice-over industry would be aware of this important Universal rule! smile) To change anything you dislike in your life, including the rates you are currently charging your clients, you must first change the thoughts that you think.

I recommend that every person who is interested in acting, voice-over or anything to do with the performing arts subscribe to Bob Fraser's free newsletter called ShowBizHowTo.

1. Sign up using the easy two-line form at www.showbizhowto.com
2. Answer the confirmation e-mail. (This step is mandatory.)
3. If you don't mind, please send Bob a a quick e-mail at bobfraser@showbizhowto.com that says "Referred by Karen Commins" (So I get credit for the referral)

Bob is an actor/writer/producer/director who may be best known and remembered for his role on the TV show Benson. He is one of those rare individuals who realizes the power of words, and he uses his words to send uplifting, encouraging, POSITIVE messages. He offers practical advice, quotations (you all know how I love quotations!) and success stories in every issue.

This post is my recent response to a training e-zine about using podcasts to deliver content to a remote workforce.

I applaud the reader who wishes to use podcast technology in his or her company’s training efforts. However, like any training vehicle, the trainer must evaluate whether the technology is the most effective means for communicating the message.

I read that CapitalOne and IBM have successfully integrated podcasting into their corporate training environments. I believe that part of their success depended on the fact that both companies equipped their mobile users with iPods®.

In the example given of a sales and customer service force consisting of 130 people, I would imagine that not everyone has the same level of computer skills. I also think that they may not have portable players or same level of expertise in using them. Your employees may have some resistance to using their own portable devices for playback of company training messages. Your IT or finance department may not have the resources to purchase the same device for everyone. The IT department may have instituted security restrictions that prohibit downloads of .mp3 files or the connection of personal devices to corporate computers.