The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over (45 page)

Once signed, you should keep your agent up to date on your work. Let him or her know how your auditions and sessions go, and keep the agent current with an updated demo as needed. Calling your talent agent once a week should be adequate, unless he or she requests you call more or less frequently. Your agent can also be a very good indicator of the areas you are weak in, and may recommend classes and training if necessary. The key to working with an agent is to stay in touch and ask for advice. They generally know the business far better than you.

One good question to ask your agent is how you should handle work you obtain on your own. Some agents will allow you to handle your own personal bookings without paying a commission. However, it may be advisable when someone directly approaches you for work, that you refer the company or person to your agent, especially if you are a union member. As a professional performer, your job is to perform. Your agent’s job is to represent you and negotiate for the highest fee. Although it is generally wise to let your agent handle the negotiations, there may be some situations where it might be best for you to handle the money talk yourself. This is something
only you and your agent can work out, but if you have a good relationship with your agent, and the situation warrants, you may have a better chance of landing the job.

I know one voice actor who auditioned for a CD-ROM game and noticed that the other voice actors who said they had an agent were being passed over for callbacks. With this in mind, he called his agent to discuss the situation. Their mutual decision was that the voice actor would avoid any mention of representation until after he was booked. He handled the negotiations himself and actually managed to get a higher fee than most of the other voice actors booked for the project. Even if you are an accomplished negotiator, your agent is your representative.

As a career grows, it is common for performers to change agents several times. A word of warning, however: Changing agents can be traumatic. You are likely to have a case of the “guilts” when leaving an agent, especially if the person has done a lot to help promote you and develop your career. When this time comes, it is important to remember the reasons why you must change agents. You may have reached a level of skill that is beyond your agent’s ability to market effectively, or you may simply be moving to a new part of the country. On the other hand, you might be changing agents because your current agent is simply not getting you the kinds of jobs you need.

This is your audio brochure and your product (at least at this point in time). Your demo is what your potential employers (your customers) will use to judge your talent as it applies to their projects. Your demo is your primary marketing tool. You will need a high-quality demo to market your talent and sell your services.
Chapter 18
, “Your Voiceover Demo,” covers this subject in detail.

Sales calls are an art form all their own. This primer will give you some basic ideas, but you should also consider some additional study on the subject of sales and marketing.

You will need to spend a fair amount of time on the phone, contacting potential clients. Know what you want to discuss before making any calls. Know your niche, what you do best, who you are marketing to, and be specific about the type or types of voiceover work you are promoting. If you are trying to get into animation voiceover, it’s not appropriate to call ad agencies or discuss your expertise with telephone messaging.

Before calling, do some research on your prospects to learn how they use voice talent. When you call, let your professionalism speak for itself and show your prospect that you understand their needs and how your voice work can be of benefit to them. Be careful not to be in a rush to sell your services. You’ll be much more successful if you engage your prospect in a conversation to let them get to know you, and for you to gather additional information about how you can help them. Have some prepared notes to look at so that you don’t forget anything important during your call, and be prepared to answer any questions that might arise during the conversation.

Needless to say, your stationery should be printed, your demo should be produced and ready to mail before you begin making calls, and you should have a system in place for cataloging prospects and following up.

Remember, you need to talk to someone who is directly responsible for hiring voiceover performers. If you do not have a contact name already, tell the receptionist the purpose of your call. She will most likely direct you to the person you need to speak to, or refer you to someone who might know to whom you should speak. If you can’t get connected right away, get a name to ask for when you call back. If you get voicemail, leave a clear and concise

message that includes your phone number at the beginning and end. It’s a very good idea to write out your message so you know what to say when you are forwarded to voicemail. Keep it conversational so you don’t ramble or sound like you are reading as you leave your message.

It may take a few follow-up calls before you connect with someone. If you already know how the company you are calling uses voiceover, your conversation should be of an introductory nature. If you don’t know, your call should focus on how voiceover work might be used to benefit their business. Either way, the call should be more about them than you. You probably will find some companies that have not even considered hiring an outside professional for their voiceover needs. Undoubtedly, you will also find many that are not interested in what you have to offer. Remember, this is a numbers game, so don’t let yourself get discouraged.

Offer to send a copy of your demo to those who are interested. Follow up by mailing your demo with a letter of introduction. It is amazing how many people never follow up a lead by sending out their promo kit. You will never get any work if you don’t follow up.

You will need the following basic items for follow-up:

• A cover letter on a professional-looking letterhead Business cards
  
• Labels and envelopes to hold your print materials and demo
  
• A voiceover client list detailing any session work you have done
  
• A website you can refer prospects to for additional information about you and your services, and where they can listen to your demo
  
• Your demo as an audio CD for mailing and as an MP3 file for posting on your website and emailing.
  

First impressions are important, and the more professional you look in print, and sound on the phone, the more your prospect is likely to consider you for work. If you use color in your logo or graphics design, you should consider using special paper designed for color ink-jet or color laser printing. With appropriate computer software and a good printer, you can design a simple form letter that can be adapted to your needs.

You will need several different versions of your letter of introduction, depending on whether you are following up from a phone call, or if the follow-up is from a personal meeting.

Keep your letter to no more than three or four short paragraphs in a formal business style. Personalize the heading as you would for any business letter. Thank the person you spoke to for his or her interest, and for the time spent talking to you. Remind them of who you are and what you spoke about. Let the company know how you can help them and how they can contact you. Also, mention in the letter that you are enclosing your demo. Be sure to
include your website and email address in your letter. The following is an example of a typical follow-up letter:

Unlike the other performing arts, in the world of voiceover, a résumé is not a requirement. Most talent buyers are more interested in what you can do for them now, rather than what you have done in the past, but a list of clients may be helpful. If you have an agent, include the agent’s name and phone number in the letter. In larger markets your agent’s number should be the only contact reference. In smaller markets you may want to include your own number as well as your agent’s. (
Note
: Your agent’s name and phone number should be on your demo, but mention it in the letter as well.)

You do not need to mention your union status or fees. Your union status should have been established during your phone call, if that was an issue, and it should be noted on your demo CD label or in your email signature. Your fees are something to be negotiated either by your agent, or by you, at the time you are booked. If it comes up in a conversation, just tell the person that your agent handles that, or that you cannot quote a rate until you know what you will be doing. If they insist, quote the current AFTRA scale for the type of work they are asking about. At least that way you will be quoting a rate based in industry standards. If you are booking yourself as nonunion, freelance talent, mention that your fees are negotiable.

During your initial call, you should have set up a timeframe for any follow-ups. After sending your thank-you letter and demo, call your contact at the scheduled time to confirm that the package was received. This helps to maintain your professional image and serves to keep your name on their mind. Don’t ask if the person has listened to your demo. That’s not the purpose of your call. If they bring it up, fine, but you should not mention it.

Before completing your follow-up call, ask if there are any projects coming up in the near future that might take advantage of your talents. If so, and if the company is considering other voiceover talent, be sure to make yourself available for an audition. Phrase your conversation in such a way
that it seems like you are offering to help them. This puts you in a position of offering something of greater value to your potential employer, rather than just being someone asking for work.

Once you have established a list of possible employers, you will want to stay in touch with them. Consider sending out a brief note or postcard every six months or so and on holidays. The purpose here is to keep your name in front of the people who book talent.

Perhaps the only rule for follow-up is to be consistent and persistent. Maintain a professional image, keep your name in front of your prospects, and you will get more work. Here are some ideas for follow-up reminders:

• Thank-you card (after session, meeting, or conversation)
  
• Holiday and seasonal cards
  
• Birthdays and anniversaries (if you know them)
  
• Current projects you have done
  
• Generic reminder postcard
  
• Semiannual one-page newsletter updating your activities
  
• Special announcement about upcoming projects