J. Michael Collins

If you’ve ever read through my articles, or listened to one of my webinars, you know that I’m a devout proponent of a “The Customer is Always Right” attitude. I have always believed that success is in large part a direct result of customer service and the way you treat your clients, making them want to return over and over again.

As boilerplate advice, this should be an ironclad principle; but what happens when business picks up so much that you find less and less time to offer your clients the personal touch? How do you avoid becoming a victim of your own success, and creating a negative cycle that harms growth right as things seem to be coming together?

This is a challenging question, and a problem most of us would be happy to have. That said, it’s a very real issue for talent with careers that are mature or maturing.

Your most valuable asset is your time. Keeping this in mind is the foremost element in finding a happy medium between customer service and opportunity cost. If you are booking regularly, the single most valuable use of your time is likely auditioning for new work or marketing to new clients. These are the activities that generate new revenue, and create the potential for establishing new long-term clients to power the growth of your business. Therefore, time spent servicing existing clients, though important to keeping them happy, is creating opportunity cost by taking you away from activity that has the potential to generate additional sales.

What this means is that you need to establish a minimum figure to define the value of your time. If your metrics tell you that one hour of auditioning or marketing is likely to lead to at least $300 in work, you would be ill-served to devote an hour of your time to servicing a client who is paying less than that. As such, there comes a point where you need to re-evaluate your rates, and even terminate client relationships that are potentially costing you money. A bird in the hand is certainly worth two in the bush, but if you have an established pattern of results that can be statistically demonstrated to yield X amount of revenue for Y amount of time investment, selling your time for less than that ratio is selling yourself short.

There is a false perception in our industry that buyers are exclusively cost-driven these days. While many are, just as many value quality over saving a few dollars, and are very likely to consider a reasonable rate adjustment to maintain access to a talent with whom they have an existing and positive relationship. Don’t be afraid to tell your clients that due to increased demand you have to implement a price hike commensurate with how the marketplace is now valuing your time. Will you lose some clients as a result? You bet. However, the 75% who are willing to honor the value of your time will make up for that lost revenue, freeing you to spend more time generating new work at your new rates.

Your revision policies deserve some attention in this respect as well. Early in my career, I was happy to offer copious script changes and round after round of performance revisions to clients, often at little or no charge. I was thrilled to have the work, and when you only have a few gigs a week….or a month…..your time doesn’t seem so valuable. Today, I’m sure to spell out clear revision policies for my clients. Live-directed sessions are considered final sale, and sessions over 60 minutes will incur an additional session fee. For jobs completed offline, I’m happy to offer reasonable performance revisions as long as they don’t include wholesale direction changes…..it is our duty to get the job done right, after all. My price will also include one round of minor script revisions for non-broadcast work, or broadcast work that has not yet aired, (if it’s already on the air and the script is revised, that’s a new spot.) Clients deserve service and reasonable flexibility. That said, minor means minor. For a commercial, that’s a line or two. For an industrial, perhaps a paragraph. For a training module, maybe a page. Anything beyond that, or any additional script changes, are billable, because they take me away from activities that will grow my business, and quite literally cost me money by using my time.

Your clients deserve respect, cordiality, and professionalism at all times. They deserve attention to detail, diligent work, and a reasonably flexible attitude that accommodates the eventualities that everyone encounters in this business. You, however, deserve to be fairly compensated for the time you spend making their product shine…….after all, your time is valuable.

JMC: Tell us about this year’s venue.

The 2016 Voice Arts Awards ( http://sovas.org/home-vaa/), preceded by the That’s Voiceover Career Expo (http://thatsvoiceover.com/), are just around the corner. These November staples of the voiceover industry social calendar conceived and brilliantly managed by Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker, who founded the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, offer all members of the voiceover community the opportunity to both learn from industry luminaries, and celebrate the business that is so near to all of our hearts. Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss the scholarship with 2015 recipient Brenda Robinson.

In 2015, The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences introduced the first SOVAS Academic Scholarship (http://sovas.org/sovas-scholarship/,) which I had the honor of sponsoring. This year, the scholarship has grown in content and support, and the opportunities for career advancement provided by the package of training, equipment, and access are second to none.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

JMC:

Tell me about your background in voiceover and where you were in your career when you won the SOVAS Academic Scholarship.

Brenda:

I was involved in the film industry in Utah off and on for years, first doing background, then auditioning for minor parts and commercials. Later, after starting voice over, I joined Utah Women in Film and started learning a little more about film-making behind the scenes. I also sing, and have studied Broadway, opera and pop. Voiceover was something I was intrigued by, and it was just the love of being creative and acting but being somewhat anonymous that made me want to dive in. I worked with a coach on and off for about two years before I made my first commercial demo almost 8 years ago, and I have been working at it ever since, doing a few various spots, from E -books to some corporate narration, commercial work for web and TV, to recently working with a children’s author in the UK narrating one of his stories. There will be more collaborating to come. There’s been a lot of learning, sometimes through the school of hard knocks, along the way.

JMC:

How did you first hear about That’s Voiceover?

Brenda:

I met Joan Baker two years ago at VOICE 2014, which was produced by Penny Abshire and James Alburger. She won the Humanitarian Award. Afterward, when everyone was dancing, I started talking to Joan as we were dancing and I mentioned that Rudy was already a Facebook friend of mine, and then she and I connected on Facebook. After that I started taking notice more about That’s Voiceover, and I knew I just had to attend last year.

JMC:

What were your thoughts when you were announced as the scholarship winner? There was no formal application process in 2015. Was it a surprise?

Brenda:

I had absolutely no idea it existed, and yet even though I didn’t know anything when you, (J. Michael,) started talking and got ready to announce it, a feeling came over me that my name would be called; Yet it was all in one moment and very surreal. More than anything, I felt humbled and so grateful to have been chosen. That has meant as much or maybe more to me than even the financial aspects, but of course that helps too. It was great to be the recipient of such fantastic opportunities, and to be given this gift. Many VO friends I was sitting by kept telling me to run up to the stage, and although I remember some of what happened, much of it is a blur.
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JMC:

What did you enjoy about That’s Voiceover in 2015?

Brenda:

I enjoyed the chance to mingle with other voice artists, or those looking to get into the business, and to hone my craft and learn more from some of the best in the business, like you, JMC, Joan and others. I love how the voice community in general is so giving and I feel there is less ego involved than in some other forms of acting and entertainment. I really like the opportunities it gives us to audition for big jobs like the Channel 2 news and the Speed Dating with agents, as well as attending the awards themselves, which are such a wonderful addition to the entertainment industry by honoring voice artists.

JMC:

How has the scholarship helped you advance your voiceover career?

Brenda:

It has given me the confidence and more of the tools I need to take me to higher pursuits. It was great to work with Joan one-on-one, and I feel we have made a real emotional and professional connection. I took away some valuable information that I have kept and implemented regarding the auditioning process and getting out of my own way so I can soar. We have a lasting connection on both fronts. Pat Fraley has always been so genuinely kind and helpful as well, and he has such a wealth of knowledge about different aspects of the business, in addition to various genres of voice over, which when followed and practiced make a difference for the better in the audition process and when voicing anything.

JMC:

What do you hope to learn at this year’s That’s Voiceover expo?

Brenda:

By continuing on this path and working through the tough times, I will continue to hone and gain invaluable skills. Also, learning more about the business end and technology and growing more as a voice actor, It’s always wonderful to see so many friends I know and to make new friends in the business.

“I did it my way.” That’s likely to be etched on my tombstone for several reasons, some more laudable than others. Among them can be counted my voiceover career. From building it based on a radio background, (not the dreaded announcer!) to embracing online casting in its infancy and defending the platform concept despite many controversies to eschewing Los Angeles for Luxembourg, my career has been defined by the non-traditional……and there’s not much I would change. However, one element that I look back on with some regret is the history of my personal skill development as a talent long before I became a coach myself. At that time, I thought, no one needs a voiceover coach.

As a self-starting entrepreneur first and an artist second, I have always put the business of voiceover ahead of the more metaphysical performance side of the equation. I didn’t need a coach, by God, I was a natural. I could do it on my own, figure it out through trial and error, and develop by doing. Either you have talent, or you don’t, and I didn’t need to pay someone hundreds or thousands of dollars to be taught how to read copy. I had it within me, and I was quite sure. There was a time when I genuinely believed voiceover coaching was a scam, plain and simple, designed to separate wide-eyed newbies from their money or to feed upon the dreams of those nibbling at the edges of the industry with promises of cash and glory. Not going to fall into that trap, was I?

I was right about being able to learn and perfect my craft on my own. Over twenty years, I slowly transitioned from a one-trick, big-voiced pony into a versatile voice actor capable of delivering just about any read from late-twenties hipster conversational to movie trailer to grizzled old cowboy, and pivoting on a dime between them. To this day, I’ve never had an hour of coaching in my life, and I’m damn proud of what I’ve been able to teach myself over the years by doing, failing, and learning from my mistakes. I’m walking talking proof that no one needs a coach to be successful in this business.

I’m also a damn arrogant fool.

As I’ve become a part of the coaching and demo production community over the past eight years or so, I’ve been blessed to watch both talents I’ve coached personally and those taught by my colleagues build incredible careers, often in a matter of just a few years. In a handful of cases, I’ve seen people go from zero to big-league bookings and earnings in as little as a year with a well-planned strategy, intensive study, and the guidance of a coach who became a mentor. Seeing this magic at work has filled my heart with joy, but it is also bittersweet.

It’s bittersweet because I now realize with absolute certainty that if I hadn’t been so mule-headed for the first ten years of my career (when I was stuck in a lazy middle rung on the VO career ladder,) and had accepted the help and guidance of people with more experience who knew better, and who could have made me a better talent faster, I could have been where I am today far sooner. Indeed, I would be willing to bet that my rejection of coaching has cost me as much as a million dollars in lost earnings throughout my career simply because I thought I could do it all on my own. In the end, I did, but my wallet is a lot lighter because of it.

There is no doubt in my mind that any and all talent can benefit from the ear of a quality coach and that newer talent can position themselves for success far earlier with such guidance than they can without it.

That said, there have been many discussions lately about what makes a good coach and what to look out for as potential red flags when finding the right fit for you.

I believe the core definition of a quality coach is someone who possesses a background in the industry, knowledge of the marketplace, an ear for nuance and subtlety in delivery, and the heart of a teacher, taking genuine joy in the development and success of their students.

This can take a lot of forms in our business. Some people prefer a coach who is also a successful, working talent. These people experience the life they are training their students for every day and will always be on top of the latest trends and shifts in the marketplace, as they have to be aware of the lay of the land to compete in their own right. There’s a strong argument for learning from someone who has been there and done it and continues to do it every day.

Of course, successful working talent by definition, will have limited availability if they choose to move into coaching, as coaching rates (however high they may seem to some,) will never match what a busy talent can earn from actually doing VO work. As such, you may have to approach several of these types of coaches before finding one with an opening to take on a new student, or you may have to accept spending some time on a waiting list.

There are a handful of highly-respected coaches who have never been VO talent, but rather have come from backgrounds as casting directors and agents to develop followings as trainers of talent. These folks can offer the unique insight that comes with having been on the other side of the glass, and though they may not be performers themselves, as experienced buyers their ears are in tune with what the market expects.

Many successful talents start coaching late in their career to transition to a lifestyle where they have more control over their scheduling. Several well-known coaches fit this mold and can offer the wisdom of accumulated experience to teach what it takes to build and sustain a career in the long run.

Finally, in recent years several credible organizations dedicated to training have emerged, often aggregating some of the top coaches in the industry under their banner to offer a wide variety of a la carte services to talent. These organizations will manage your VO education in a more classical academic manner, often laying out a series of classes and programs for you to complete to progress in your training.

All of these options are valid and can potentially help you build your career, but you also must be vigilant in protecting yourself from less ethical players who may simply be looking to make a quick buck by offering cookie-cutter services with questionable content to anyone with an active credit card.

Red flags you should consider include hard sell or high-pressure tactics, constant streams of spam or solicitations, emails shouting at you in all caps to SIGN UP NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! Suspiciously low prices can be a warning sign as well. Successful coaches, especially those who are talents, don’t need to cut their rates to pay the bills. Watch out for programs that are over-long or over-short. Voiceover isn’t nuclear physics; You aren’t going to get a degree, and you don’t need to study for years before you are marketable (and if you do, your coach should be discussing whether this career is really the right fit for you, and maybe not taking your money.) On the other hand, a weekend intensive coaching package with a demo attached is usually a sure recipe for a waste of cash. Some months of training and a well-thought-out demo plan should be standard expectations.

Moreover, the Internet is your friend, because the Internet never forgets. When checking out coaching options, do your homework! Google the name of the coach or organization and look for reviews, good bad and neutral. It will be hard to find complaints about the best coaching choices.

References are gold. Any coach should be able to give you at least a handful of verifiable references of people who will attribute part or all of their success to working with that coach. An even better test? Ask them to give you a reference of someone they have turned away because they didn’t think they could help them, or didn’t think it would be a good personality fit. An ethical coach doesn’t accept everyone who walks in the door.

Once you’ve done your research, make sure you and your coach mesh on a personal level. Different coaches have different styles of teaching. Some are shouters, screamers, and cursers. If tough love is what motivates you, you can find it out there. Some are nurturers, peppering constructive criticism with praise. Styles vary from energetic and performance driven to didactic and academic. Not all will be the right fit for everyone, so get a feel for whether you will be happy spending many hours of your life with this person.

Ultimately, though, however you do it, if you are considering coaching, don’t hesitate. I did for a long time, and I’m poorer for it. Learn from my mistake.