VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Adam Verner]

Hey all, I'm wondering if anyone has tried a promotional discount to potential clients in an effort to convert them to actual clients. If so - did it work for you?

I'm sending out a batch of postcards soon with a Thanksgiving theme to my list of potential clients (these are people I've actually talked to over the phone and sent a demo to, but haven't hired me yet). I was thinking a Thanksgiving offer of "25% off voice over services!" would be enticing.

Is 25% too much? Too little?
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Adam
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Natural Voice
adamverner.com
adamverner.com/blog
twitter.com/adam_verner
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[ricevoice]

I'm sure you'll get replies from people who have been doing this a lot longer than I have, but here's my semi-newbie (part-time v-o for 8 years, full time v-o for 2 years) view:

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Taking what I do and putting it "on sale" somehow cheapens my work, imo. It also comes off as a little bit desperate. And unless you have a rate sheet on your site (which I do not), there's no point of reference for what the 25% is off of. This isn't like a tangible object like a TV that has fixed costs associated with manufacturing and selling it... putting your services "on sale" is another step in commoditizing v-o, something that's been discussed here before. And it seems to me that most people hiring voice talent understand that very rarely are our rates set in stone... and taking 25% off your rates just lowers the starting point that you're negotiating from.
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Chris Rice - Noisemaker
www.ricevoice.com

[Philip Banks]

It's very difficult, in fact near impossible to ski uphill so I would suggest it's not really a winner.

As you want a response to you card it may be a better idea to ask people to send you an email letting you know that they recieved the card with the promise that everyone who replies by a given date will be placed in a draw and one person selected at random will receive something like a coporate candy gift basket. Add that you will not collect email addresses.

[todd ellis]

i have been mildly successful with "promotions" with small-budget, low-work items like message on hold. i'll sometimes offer a buy four get one free on a quarterly update program. the catch is - they pay for four but rarely use one per quarter anyway - sort of like many of the "rewards" programs i am a part of - i swipe my card - but rarely redeem any points. some people DO, i'm sure - but most of us are lazy.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[anthonyVO]

I would caution against selling these people anything - discounted or not. Why not send a postcard inviting them all to a bar to enjoy a special Thanksgiving brew or a cafe/restaurant to have Thanksgiving dinner with you. You can subsidize their meals (there's your discount) or pick up the check (if focused on a smaller group.) Make these people your friends not your "target."

-Anthony

[Mike Sommer]

The VO business is not like we have product that's spoiling in the back room that we need to get it out of here.

Offering discounts make you a discount brand.

The best thing you can do is make sure your demo is spectacular, you're movin' and shakin' the trees- letting people know you're out there, and work on making yourself a trusted reliable actor.


When you do get a gig find some way to plus it.

But stand on the corner with a tin cup and a sign that says "Will Voice for Scrapes" will just get you glancing looks.
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Jeffrey Kafer]

How's this for an alternative. Offer a Starbucks gift card to anyone who refers a new client to you. Seems less desperate, but achieves the same goal for you. And tis the season for egg nog lattes.
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Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

[Moe Egan]

mmmmm egg nog lattes.
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Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
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[Adam Verner]

Thanks for all the tips friends!

Very good thoughts, ricevoice - I can see how the "discount" image could be counter-productive in the long run. I thought of doing this mainly because I was looking for something else to talk about in marketing materials other than the usual "here's me again, I've done blah blah blah recently, hire me!"

Jeffrey - I like your idea! I think I'll go down that route - I need to find some "special" to offer to catch attention, without cheapening my brand or undercutting my own prices.

Good stuff, ya'll!
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Adam
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Natural Voice
adamverner.com
adamverner.com/blog
twitter.com/adam_verner
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[Gregory Best]

How about pumpkin lattes? Is that Coffee Bean? I'm getting hungry thinking about pumpkin pie.
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Gregory Best

greg@gregorybest.com

[anthonyVO]

Relationships take time, so it's usually not the most popular route for talent. I understand that. However, it will yield better long term results and, eventually, your time/money ratio will not be as top heavy as the market in which you are presently seeking to make yourself known in.

Buyers who are attracted by price and specials will usually continue to look for better prices and specials - even after having hired you. That's not where you want to be. Save your money. The return you'll get on your postcards will be equal to or less than the return you'll get by going door-to-door in your local area. (Most likely the latter.)

Make friends and grow relationships on the other side of the glass. They're the ones who will hire you because of *you* not because of a red tag sale or other "special." If you insist on competing in the tier of voice-overs filled with bargain shoppers and - as a result of the lower barrier to entry (i.e., no need to develop relationships) - more competition, then you'd better take a note from Starbucks when it decided to enter the instant coffee market with Via; make sure you are absolutely the very best and can go toe-to-toe with ground coffee. That way, your "special" will be special not because of dollars saved, but because of perceived value.

Do I have $50 clients? Yes - two of them. But it literally takes me two minutes to record and one minute to upload, they get every single take (coughs included) in one large file, they're never in a rush, and they order three to six reads a month ($150-300/month.) There are some talent who have $150 clients that require pickups after revisions, have the audacity to request a phone patch, and need it NOW! If that client finds a talent that can do it for $100, they will undoubtedly go with the lower price; prompting the poor artist to spend more time in regaining another $150 client.

In summary, I understand the need to get business NOW, but if you do that, make sure YOU pick and choose whom you're doing that business for, because it can really f*ck up your time/money ratio. And that's all we have.

Good luck.
-Anthony