How to make a ton of money in voice over. Or anything.
I just finished three books by famed multi millionaire Real Estate agent Gary Keller. Yes, I'm a voice over guy, but I love real estate too. In fact my degree is in Business/Real Estate. One piece of wisdom I've gained in my half century on earth as that if you want above average results in your chosen industry, its extremely helpful to look outside your industry. Two of the books I read are specifically about real estate - The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and the third was less specific - The One Thing.
As I listened to all of them, I thought a lot more about Voice Over than real estate! "How can I apply this to my voice over business?"
Here are a few things I learned or was reminded of:
Many of us have heard of the 80/20 rule. It was originally discovered in 1906 by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who determined that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. It is also true in business that about 80% of your results come from about 20% of your efforts. Want bigger results? Figure out what that 20% is and do more of that! Bill Dewees, successful voice actor, marketing genius and voice over coach talks about this in his training.
In real estate, you are virtually guaranteed to be successful if you spend 4 hours a day, 5 days a week marketing and prospecting. In voice over, assuming you have the training, a decent recording studio and a place on the web for people to find you, I have no doubt that the same thing is true.
The trick is to ACTIVELY and CONSISTENTLY let the world know you exist! And you can't give up after a week or a month or even a year. If you have the luxury of being able to dedicate full time to your voice over career, MOST of your time should be spent marketing and prospecting when you start out! You could be rocking the greatest pipes on earth into your Neumann U87 being fed into your Avalon 737 in your custom VO booth after having been trained by the greatest coaches on earth (Nancy, Marice and David) - but if no one knows you exist, you ain't gonna book a thing!
In fact, you should never stop marketing yourself. Gary Keller says you can NEVER have too many leads. You may think, "sure, for real estate thats's true, but there are only so many hours in a day I can sit in a dark room and talk to myself". Well, that's true, but there's a great way to deal with "too much work". First of all, LEVERAGE yourself. Once you get to that point where you've got SO much money and SO much work, figure out what the best use of your time is. I'm guessing its not invoicing, maintaining your website, updating your social networks, and editing your VO work. If you're THAT busy, the best use of your time is talking into that mic! Pay someone $15/an hour to do THAT stuff so you can spend your time making your $500/hour.
Secondly, raise your rates! There's a number that will give you that perfect balance.
But I digress. More on how to get to "too much work". In The One Thing, Keller convinces the reader to focus on One Thing. Find that driving force in your life that makes you want to get up and take on the world. It may be voice over. And it this point in your career it may be marketing and prospecting.
Once you find your passion and your purpose, focus on it. Literally block out 4 hours per day 5 days per week in your calendar to do that one thing. Make that time sacred. Don't skip. Don't allow interruptions. Learn to say "no" when someone needs you for something during that time. Remember, when you say "yes" to something, you're saying "no" to everything else!
But how do you market your voice to the world?
Ahhhh. That's a topic for another day.
In the meantime, check out Keller's books. You won't regret it.
As I listened to all of them, I thought a lot more about Voice Over than real estate! "How can I apply this to my voice over business?"
Here are a few things I learned or was reminded of:
Many of us have heard of the 80/20 rule. It was originally discovered in 1906 by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who determined that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. It is also true in business that about 80% of your results come from about 20% of your efforts. Want bigger results? Figure out what that 20% is and do more of that! Bill Dewees, successful voice actor, marketing genius and voice over coach talks about this in his training.
In real estate, you are virtually guaranteed to be successful if you spend 4 hours a day, 5 days a week marketing and prospecting. In voice over, assuming you have the training, a decent recording studio and a place on the web for people to find you, I have no doubt that the same thing is true.
The trick is to ACTIVELY and CONSISTENTLY let the world know you exist! And you can't give up after a week or a month or even a year. If you have the luxury of being able to dedicate full time to your voice over career, MOST of your time should be spent marketing and prospecting when you start out! You could be rocking the greatest pipes on earth into your Neumann U87 being fed into your Avalon 737 in your custom VO booth after having been trained by the greatest coaches on earth (Nancy, Marice and David) - but if no one knows you exist, you ain't gonna book a thing!
In fact, you should never stop marketing yourself. Gary Keller says you can NEVER have too many leads. You may think, "sure, for real estate thats's true, but there are only so many hours in a day I can sit in a dark room and talk to myself". Well, that's true, but there's a great way to deal with "too much work". First of all, LEVERAGE yourself. Once you get to that point where you've got SO much money and SO much work, figure out what the best use of your time is. I'm guessing its not invoicing, maintaining your website, updating your social networks, and editing your VO work. If you're THAT busy, the best use of your time is talking into that mic! Pay someone $15/an hour to do THAT stuff so you can spend your time making your $500/hour.
Secondly, raise your rates! There's a number that will give you that perfect balance.
But I digress. More on how to get to "too much work". In The One Thing, Keller convinces the reader to focus on One Thing. Find that driving force in your life that makes you want to get up and take on the world. It may be voice over. And it this point in your career it may be marketing and prospecting.
Once you find your passion and your purpose, focus on it. Literally block out 4 hours per day 5 days per week in your calendar to do that one thing. Make that time sacred. Don't skip. Don't allow interruptions. Learn to say "no" when someone needs you for something during that time. Remember, when you say "yes" to something, you're saying "no" to everything else!
But how do you market your voice to the world?
Ahhhh. That's a topic for another day.
In the meantime, check out Keller's books. You won't regret it.
Goals? Do they work? Take 63 • Epispde 4
Puppies, the gym and voiceover OH MY!
Are you a goal person? Do you set resolutions at the start of each year, only to be setting the same ones next year?
Is there a single "key" to success in voiceover? In any business or endeavor?
What's helped me the most as I've tried to improve?
Find out in episode 4 of Take 63!
Are you a goal person? Do you set resolutions at the start of each year, only to be setting the same ones next year?
Is there a single "key" to success in voiceover? In any business or endeavor?
What's helped me the most as I've tried to improve?
Find out in episode 4 of Take 63!
My New Girlfriend! Gasp!
As I was packing the garage to move a couple months ago, I found a list of goals from 1998. One of my goals was to have a Frisbee dog. All three of the dogs we've had since then have been rescues, with their built in issues. They've been awesome, and we've loved them to death, but I haven't been able to turn any of them into frisbee dogs. Speaking of death, we lost one (Toni) last year and another (Riley) this year. Toni lived to nearly 16, and Riley to 14. Nothing can replace them. My daughter Kalin was crying, missing Toni, just yesterday. : (
Jonesie - my wife's dog -is our most recent rescue and we're working hard with him to help him get over the insecurity and aggression issues he came with. He's in obedience classes right now, and he's come a long way.
I'll be 50 next year. Mid life crisis time, right? A little anxious, and in need of something exciting, something new, something different. OK, I'd really like a 2013 BMW M5, but that like $100 grand. I'd love a 6 month hiatus to Italy, but that's not practical just yet.
So what to do... Well, I've been obsessing about Border Collies for some time now. And it was time. I ultimately found my dream dog - a purebred female Border Collie with high toy drive - from Heather Hutchings of Power House Border Collies.
My new baby's name is Saphira Marie. Saphira after the dragon in the Eragon book series (not the movie, the movie sucked) and Marie is my daughter Kalin's middle name.
She is literally the most beautiful dog I've ever seen. Sure, I'm slightly biased, since I'm in love and all, but if you can find a better looking dog, send me a picture! And she is freaking perfect - fun, playful, affectionate, afraid of nothing - human or animal, and has an off switch so she can be mellow.
She goes with me everywhere I can take her, and some places I can't. She's eaten at lots of restaurants - they just give her a pass since she's so freaking adorable.
Oh, and she's already great at fetching a Frisbee!
Here are some pics my awesome photographer wife Leila took of us tonight:
Jonesie - my wife's dog -is our most recent rescue and we're working hard with him to help him get over the insecurity and aggression issues he came with. He's in obedience classes right now, and he's come a long way.
I'll be 50 next year. Mid life crisis time, right? A little anxious, and in need of something exciting, something new, something different. OK, I'd really like a 2013 BMW M5, but that like $100 grand. I'd love a 6 month hiatus to Italy, but that's not practical just yet.
So what to do... Well, I've been obsessing about Border Collies for some time now. And it was time. I ultimately found my dream dog - a purebred female Border Collie with high toy drive - from Heather Hutchings of Power House Border Collies.
My new baby's name is Saphira Marie. Saphira after the dragon in the Eragon book series (not the movie, the movie sucked) and Marie is my daughter Kalin's middle name.
She is literally the most beautiful dog I've ever seen. Sure, I'm slightly biased, since I'm in love and all, but if you can find a better looking dog, send me a picture! And she is freaking perfect - fun, playful, affectionate, afraid of nothing - human or animal, and has an off switch so she can be mellow.
She goes with me everywhere I can take her, and some places I can't. She's eaten at lots of restaurants - they just give her a pass since she's so freaking adorable.
Oh, and she's already great at fetching a Frisbee!
Here are some pics my awesome photographer wife Leila took of us tonight:
 |
| True Love |
 |
| Yes, her eyes really are that blue. |
 |
| Vocal warm ups |
Portable Voice Over Studio - VO on the Road
Every once in awhile, I'm able to escape. I mean, full on escape. Just leave town, alone. At this stage of my life, a solo 7 hour road trip is really a lot of fun.
I recently took such a trip from my home in California to meet up with my brothers, one of my sons and my nephew for a guy vacation. We met in St. George, Utah for some amazing mountain biking.
Along with my mountain bike, luggage and a crate for my new Border Collie to be picked up on the rebound, I also brought my portable voice over studio. My travel studio consists of an iPad, Twisted Wave, and an Apogee Mic.
But come on, its vacation, do I really want to WORK on vacation? Well, sort of. I actually love doing voice over. And while I don't go out of my way to audition on vacation, if I client needs something right away, I want to be able to provide it...
Sure enough, after I left the house, a client emailed and needed a script read. So I drove up I 15 and found an offramp to nowhere. I pulled down a dirt road, where the only noise I could hear came from the shrieking cactus. I whipped out my studio, put a towel over my head, recorded, edited and sent.
If you're serious about voice over, a portable rig isn't a bad idea.
Trevor
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
I recently took such a trip from my home in California to meet up with my brothers, one of my sons and my nephew for a guy vacation. We met in St. George, Utah for some amazing mountain biking.
Along with my mountain bike, luggage and a crate for my new Border Collie to be picked up on the rebound, I also brought my portable voice over studio. My travel studio consists of an iPad, Twisted Wave, and an Apogee Mic.
But come on, its vacation, do I really want to WORK on vacation? Well, sort of. I actually love doing voice over. And while I don't go out of my way to audition on vacation, if I client needs something right away, I want to be able to provide it...
Sure enough, after I left the house, a client emailed and needed a script read. So I drove up I 15 and found an offramp to nowhere. I pulled down a dirt road, where the only noise I could hear came from the shrieking cactus. I whipped out my studio, put a towel over my head, recorded, edited and sent.
If you're serious about voice over, a portable rig isn't a bad idea.
Trevor
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
Trevor Jones and The 2012 Olympics
I sometimes think "Dang, I'm too old to be competitive in any sport now". Ok, I was never really into sports, other than lifting, motocross, martial arts and marathoning, but still... So the odds of me making an appearance in the Olympics were, well, zilch.
Until now...
Airing during the 2012 Olympics is...
MY VOICE!
...for several spots I did for Wreck it Ralph.
Oh look, here's one now:
Email me here: trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
Until now...
Airing during the 2012 Olympics is...
MY VOICE!
...for several spots I did for Wreck it Ralph.
Oh look, here's one now:
Email me here: trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
Website Update!
My website was fine - but it was starting to look dated, even though it was only a year or two old. More importantly, it was Flash. Gah. I wish Flash would die a quick and painful death. Yes, Flash can be pretty, but its just slow, buggy and not supported on iPhone of iPad.
So here's the new website!
www.trevorjonesvo.com
So here's the new website!
www.trevorjonesvo.com
Dancing with the Disney Channel Stars - Beauty and the Beast
No re-release of Beauty and the Beast would be complete without this!
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
email me at trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
email me at trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
The Ultimate Portable Voiceover Studio
Most of the time, I'm within about 30 feet of a voice over booth. But sometimes I'm on the road. Yes, I know, I should take a real break every once in a while and totally relax. But, I love voice over - even doing auditions. Sometimes, a client needs a job done, no matter where I am in the world. I've traveled with a big chunk of my real studio and I've also left town without anything. Neither option worked.
I researched and tested and finally found what I think is a pretty amazing travel studio. It consists of the iPad 3, TwistedWave, and the Mic by Apogee.
When the iPad first came out, I thought it was a waste. Just a big iPhone. Now that I have one, it's indispensable. I use it all the time - from email, to reading auditions and of course, recording auditions.
I tried other apps for recording on my iPhone and later on my iPad, but nothing met all of the features I needed. Specifically - recording quality of at least 48k/16 bit, the ability to easily and quickly edit and exporting options that included both mp3 and AIFF. TwistedWave meets and exceeds my needs for voiceover.
For a mic that costs $199, the quality is incredible. Joe Cipriano AB'd the Mic against his Sennheiser 416 and the results are impressive.
I thought I was the first one to notice this exact set up, but right after I recorded this video, I saw a post on Kara Edwards wall on Facebook and she found exactly the same thing! Brilliant minds think alike.
Check out the the video to learn more.
Go ahead and shoot me an email with your questions, I look forward to connecting with you.
trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
www.trevorjonesvo.com
I researched and tested and finally found what I think is a pretty amazing travel studio. It consists of the iPad 3, TwistedWave, and the Mic by Apogee.
When the iPad first came out, I thought it was a waste. Just a big iPhone. Now that I have one, it's indispensable. I use it all the time - from email, to reading auditions and of course, recording auditions.
I tried other apps for recording on my iPhone and later on my iPad, but nothing met all of the features I needed. Specifically - recording quality of at least 48k/16 bit, the ability to easily and quickly edit and exporting options that included both mp3 and AIFF. TwistedWave meets and exceeds my needs for voiceover.
For a mic that costs $199, the quality is incredible. Joe Cipriano AB'd the Mic against his Sennheiser 416 and the results are impressive.
I thought I was the first one to notice this exact set up, but right after I recorded this video, I saw a post on Kara Edwards wall on Facebook and she found exactly the same thing! Brilliant minds think alike.
Check out the the video to learn more.
Go ahead and shoot me an email with your questions, I look forward to connecting with you.
trevor@trevorjonesvo.com
www.trevorjonesvo.com
I'm Afraid. Will Apple Become Dead To Me?
I guess you could say I'm sort of an Apple fan boy. I've had Mac's since the days of the LC. Right now in my home we've got 4 Macs, 4 iPhones, maybe 3 iPod touches, an AirPort Extreme, an Apple TV and who knows how many other iPods.
I've been editing on Macs using Final Cut Pro since version 1. I record voice over using Soundtrack Pro. I'm addicted to all things Mac.
But that could be changing.
Apple abandoned Final Cut Pro in favor of iMovie Pro. When I first read about Final Cut Pro X I was giddy, and planned on buying it the day it came out. Then the reviews started coming in. Uh oh. I went to the Apple store and tried it out. Horrific. Unprofessional. Unusable. Don't get me wrong - I'm all about new stuff, changing the paradigm, going tapeless and such. But are you kidding me? Basic functionality available in the first version of FCP isn't even there in FCP X.
And over the last few months we've heard rumors that they might discontinue the Mac Pro. No. Way. My Mac Pro has 4 massive internal hard drives and three video cards. I'm sure thunderbolt is amazing, but I really don't want more cables and hard drive enclosures cluttering my studio, attached to some high powered iMac.
I get it. From the narrow view of a business exec, the real Final Cut Pro has a very small market base. Laptops are 70% of computer sales. The pro market is a tiny fraction of the consumer market. But why in the heck do you think the consumer market does so well? One reason is because the pros tell the world how amazing Macs are. Why has my immediate and extended family embraced Apple and spent 10's of thousands of dollars on Apple products over the years? It has a lot to do with the fact that big brother and daddy (me) has worked in the entertainment industry for a dozen years on a mac, and sings its praises.
Please Apple. Don't make me get a Droid.
www.trevorjonesvo.com
I've been editing on Macs using Final Cut Pro since version 1. I record voice over using Soundtrack Pro. I'm addicted to all things Mac.
But that could be changing.
Apple abandoned Final Cut Pro in favor of iMovie Pro. When I first read about Final Cut Pro X I was giddy, and planned on buying it the day it came out. Then the reviews started coming in. Uh oh. I went to the Apple store and tried it out. Horrific. Unprofessional. Unusable. Don't get me wrong - I'm all about new stuff, changing the paradigm, going tapeless and such. But are you kidding me? Basic functionality available in the first version of FCP isn't even there in FCP X.
And over the last few months we've heard rumors that they might discontinue the Mac Pro. No. Way. My Mac Pro has 4 massive internal hard drives and three video cards. I'm sure thunderbolt is amazing, but I really don't want more cables and hard drive enclosures cluttering my studio, attached to some high powered iMac.
I get it. From the narrow view of a business exec, the real Final Cut Pro has a very small market base. Laptops are 70% of computer sales. The pro market is a tiny fraction of the consumer market. But why in the heck do you think the consumer market does so well? One reason is because the pros tell the world how amazing Macs are. Why has my immediate and extended family embraced Apple and spent 10's of thousands of dollars on Apple products over the years? It has a lot to do with the fact that big brother and daddy (me) has worked in the entertainment industry for a dozen years on a mac, and sings its praises.
Please Apple. Don't make me get a Droid.
Citizen Warrior
My son Kelsen is in the middle of basic training as an Army reservist. I was proud to be a part of this video for this great organizition.
Muppets Sneak Peek!
The Muppets opens today!
Here is a sneak peek at this fun new feature. OK, if you've seen the movie, it won't be a sneak peek, but for the rest of you!
You can hear me narrate the open...
Here is a sneak peek at this fun new feature. OK, if you've seen the movie, it won't be a sneak peek, but for the rest of you!
You can hear me narrate the open...
The Future
When Apple finally released the iPhone 4s, I wasn't planning on getting it. I mean, it was barely an upgrade right? A little better camera, full HD, a faster processor and that whole "Siri" thing. Well, I happened to glance at my AT&T account and saw that I had two upgrades coming. Hmmm. Then it occurred to me that I could sell my old phones for about what I could get for the new phones.
Welp, that settled that. The Saturday morning after the phones were released, I was standing in line at the Simi Valley Apple Store to get my wife and I new phones - just the $199 16GB versions of course. But... minor problem, they only had one16GB phone left. O darn. I had to get myself the 32GB version (ya, ya, I should have given that one to my wife - except that she wouldn't know what to do with that much space.)
So, whats the verdict? It is a tad faster, tho not hugely. I haven't noticed a big difference with the camera, but I haven't done side by side comparisons or anything. But is there anything that I, a professed Apple Fan Boy, who's owned an iPhone since the day it was released just LOVES?
Yes.
Siri. She rocks. OK, she can't understand what I'm saying some of the time, and couldn't connect to the network at times that first week. But dude, do you have any idea how cool it is to be able to send LOOOONG texts to my brothers, just to be obnoxious, WHILE DRIVING? I do it ALL the time. Sure, it looks like someone from Tajikistan listened to me talking into my phone at 80 MPH and tried to guess what I was saying, and typed it, but hey, the gist is generally right. I don't just use it for silly stuff either, I actually communicate with friends and family, without having to actually - heaven forbid - call them.
The day after I got my 4s, I even dictated a letter to my son (who is in Mexico on a mission), one paragraph at a time, using Evernote.
What about my voiceover business? Baby. I use it nearly daily to set reminders for myself: "Remind me at 8 a.m. to revise that narration for Coca Cola" or "When I get home, remind me to record the voice over for Kodak". It is a simple to do list, but for me, it works. With IOS5, its a simple matter to swipe your finger down and see what's on your plate for the day.
The beauty is that Siri is an AI: she'll get smarter, better, faster and be able to do more. It may be a bit of a novelty now, and that will wear off. But it IS practical and useable for me and my voiceover business, and I anticipate I'll be using it more and more in the future.
Siri IS the future. Embrace her. I have.
I took my 4s with me Mnt Biking in St. George - She helped me keep tabs on my VO biz, while documenting our fun:
www.trevorjonesvo.com
www.youtube.com/trevorjonesvo
www.twitter.com/trevorjonesvo
Welp, that settled that. The Saturday morning after the phones were released, I was standing in line at the Simi Valley Apple Store to get my wife and I new phones - just the $199 16GB versions of course. But... minor problem, they only had one16GB phone left. O darn. I had to get myself the 32GB version (ya, ya, I should have given that one to my wife - except that she wouldn't know what to do with that much space.)
So, whats the verdict? It is a tad faster, tho not hugely. I haven't noticed a big difference with the camera, but I haven't done side by side comparisons or anything. But is there anything that I, a professed Apple Fan Boy, who's owned an iPhone since the day it was released just LOVES?
Yes.
Siri. She rocks. OK, she can't understand what I'm saying some of the time, and couldn't connect to the network at times that first week. But dude, do you have any idea how cool it is to be able to send LOOOONG texts to my brothers, just to be obnoxious, WHILE DRIVING? I do it ALL the time. Sure, it looks like someone from Tajikistan listened to me talking into my phone at 80 MPH and tried to guess what I was saying, and typed it, but hey, the gist is generally right. I don't just use it for silly stuff either, I actually communicate with friends and family, without having to actually - heaven forbid - call them.
The day after I got my 4s, I even dictated a letter to my son (who is in Mexico on a mission), one paragraph at a time, using Evernote.
What about my voiceover business? Baby. I use it nearly daily to set reminders for myself: "Remind me at 8 a.m. to revise that narration for Coca Cola" or "When I get home, remind me to record the voice over for Kodak". It is a simple to do list, but for me, it works. With IOS5, its a simple matter to swipe your finger down and see what's on your plate for the day.
The beauty is that Siri is an AI: she'll get smarter, better, faster and be able to do more. It may be a bit of a novelty now, and that will wear off. But it IS practical and useable for me and my voiceover business, and I anticipate I'll be using it more and more in the future.
Siri IS the future. Embrace her. I have.
I took my 4s with me Mnt Biking in St. George - She helped me keep tabs on my VO biz, while documenting our fun:
www.youtube.com/trevorjonesvo
www.twitter.com/trevorjonesvo
Balance.
My wife Leila and I just celebrated 15 years of marriage, and escaped to Ventura for the weekend. Right now I'm looking out a huge bay window at a sea of sailboats in the harbor. It's been beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.
However, we have a couple hours of down time this morning, just hanging out in the hotel, and I'm having a hard time not thinking about my voice over business. I'm thinking "wow, I have a couple hours where nothing is competing for my attention, what's the best use of my time?"
During the week, I'm going pretty much non-stop. I almost never watch TV. In fact, the TiVo broke, and it made me giddy. I have zero desire to replace it. I'll break out the X-Box for a brief stint once in awhile, but I find that horribly unfulfilling. It's almost always gym, work, family or church. Oh, ya, and my dog Jonesie. I feel one of those pulling at me all the time - and I do enjoy all of them - but I have a hard time stopping completely.
The question is, should I? I think so. I think I should take a break, relax, chill out - but I just don't seem to be able to. I wouldn't even know what to do. Even as I type this, I have a business book sitting next to me - the only book I brought with me. Some of the other tabs I have open are for voice over work, invoicing and VO marketing ideas.
I don't know. Maybe it's OK to always be on the go. I can rest when I'm dead.
However, we have a couple hours of down time this morning, just hanging out in the hotel, and I'm having a hard time not thinking about my voice over business. I'm thinking "wow, I have a couple hours where nothing is competing for my attention, what's the best use of my time?"
During the week, I'm going pretty much non-stop. I almost never watch TV. In fact, the TiVo broke, and it made me giddy. I have zero desire to replace it. I'll break out the X-Box for a brief stint once in awhile, but I find that horribly unfulfilling. It's almost always gym, work, family or church. Oh, ya, and my dog Jonesie. I feel one of those pulling at me all the time - and I do enjoy all of them - but I have a hard time stopping completely.
The question is, should I? I think so. I think I should take a break, relax, chill out - but I just don't seem to be able to. I wouldn't even know what to do. Even as I type this, I have a business book sitting next to me - the only book I brought with me. Some of the other tabs I have open are for voice over work, invoicing and VO marketing ideas.
I don't know. Maybe it's OK to always be on the go. I can rest when I'm dead.
Choose a Color!
When I first started out in voice over, I was under the very erroneous impression that I always had to sound "professional" and, you know, sort of flat. So I'd do a read for my coach, Nancy Wolfson, thinking I sounded amazing, and she'd basically yell at me: "Trevor! Choose a color! You need to choose a color - and you're clear, no color at all!"
I got it. I still hear her during my reads.
I've been reading Teri Apple's book, Voiceovers: Everything You Need to Know About How to Make Money With Your Voice, and she says the same thing: Choose an emotion.
When you're reading a script, don't just read, feel what you're saying. Read it first a few times, decide on an emotion and go with it. Don't worry about every little word - if you're feeling it - and just saying it naturally, you won't have to think about it.
Try it.
Trevor Jones Voice Over
I got it. I still hear her during my reads.
I've been reading Teri Apple's book, Voiceovers: Everything You Need to Know About How to Make Money With Your Voice, and she says the same thing: Choose an emotion.
When you're reading a script, don't just read, feel what you're saying. Read it first a few times, decide on an emotion and go with it. Don't worry about every little word - if you're feeling it - and just saying it naturally, you won't have to think about it.
Try it.
Trevor Jones Voice Over
Purple Cow
My wife has been pushing Seth Godin on me for awhile. I finally caved and started watching his YouTube videos. Really good stuff. I wanted more. So I purchased his audio book, Purple Cow. Audio book you say? Heck yes! I LOVE audio books. I read while I run. I read while I drive. I read myself to sleep. But that's off topic.
In the dark ages before the interwebs, marketing went like this: Huge companies spent millions of dollars on national TV campaigns, sold a ton of product, and reinvested the money in, yep, more TV time. They forced ads down our throats, we watched, and bought. This worked fabulously. Then. But this was before TiVo, Hulu, Netfix and an epidemic of ADD.
Now, if we don't want to watch an ad, we don't, so more effective marketing has evolved. Certainly, some companies have not evolved and they're still using the 1970 model. It doesn't work anymore.
Now, you've got to do things differently. You've got to target your marketing - get your product or service in front of people who WANT to see it. That's the genius of a Google search - you type "widget", and you see ads for just what you're looking for.
The main point of the book however, is that marketing should start with the creation of the product. You need to create a product that will market itself. You can no longer create something, and then think, "hmm, how will I market this?" The product or service has to be the marketing. And how will it do that? It must be a purple cow. It's gotta stand out. Be different. Make people take notice.
If your product IS the purple cow, you'll have the early adapters (sneezers) gobble it up. It will be so cool, that they'll "sneeze" it out into the world, and then the rest of the world will start to adopt it.
So here's the question: How are you going to make YOUR voice over business, your widget or other product stand out?
Check out Seth's book and get the full scoop.
In the dark ages before the interwebs, marketing went like this: Huge companies spent millions of dollars on national TV campaigns, sold a ton of product, and reinvested the money in, yep, more TV time. They forced ads down our throats, we watched, and bought. This worked fabulously. Then. But this was before TiVo, Hulu, Netfix and an epidemic of ADD.
Now, if we don't want to watch an ad, we don't, so more effective marketing has evolved. Certainly, some companies have not evolved and they're still using the 1970 model. It doesn't work anymore.
Now, you've got to do things differently. You've got to target your marketing - get your product or service in front of people who WANT to see it. That's the genius of a Google search - you type "widget", and you see ads for just what you're looking for.
The main point of the book however, is that marketing should start with the creation of the product. You need to create a product that will market itself. You can no longer create something, and then think, "hmm, how will I market this?" The product or service has to be the marketing. And how will it do that? It must be a purple cow. It's gotta stand out. Be different. Make people take notice.
If your product IS the purple cow, you'll have the early adapters (sneezers) gobble it up. It will be so cool, that they'll "sneeze" it out into the world, and then the rest of the world will start to adopt it.
So here's the question: How are you going to make YOUR voice over business, your widget or other product stand out?
Check out Seth's book and get the full scoop.
Your Brand - Take 63 Episode 2
In this episode, I show you how the look and feel of my brand has evolved and give you a few tips that may help you with your marketing and web presence.
http://www.trevorjonesvo.com
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