VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Foog]

Has anyone had any success bidding higher than the bracket given for a P2P audition? There's a job on voices for a local-to-Toronto TV ad that has the all-too-common $100 - $250 bracket given. I'm putting 300 bucks for my bid, and was wondering whether I am hopelessly wasting my time*, or if anyone has ever managed to land a gig when bidding what I would think is a fair price, but one beyond the range provided.

So anyone ever land the gig while bidding outside the given price bracket?




*I of course mean wasting my time in this particular instance, and not wasting it in general by even being on a P2P site. Say... we just don't have enough discussion and debate about P2P sites here, do we. - I kid, I kid! In fact, I'm begging everyone to try not to drift too far from the topic of my specific question here.
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Andrew Fogarasi

[Bish]

I usually bid high when auditioning for anything that takes my fancy in the lower band. $300 is not uncommon, but more and more $350 plus the fees (therefor $385 to the customer) has become my standard bid. I also state in the cover letter that my bid is whatever it is plus the escrow fees, so they understand that they're paying money to someone else as well.

The golden rule is to bid what the job is worth by your own measure. I have done a whole bunch of jobs where I bid outside their stated range.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Foog]

Thanks Peter, it's heartening to hear that overbidding isn't necessarily an automatic disqualification. I submitted the audition in question thinking that there might be no point in overbidding beyond letting clients know that the rate they are offering is a tad low. (which is a good thing to do, really, but it won't put bread on the table) Knowing that there is indeed a possibility that a client will accept a higher bid than they were calling for is reassuring it is!
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Andrew Fogarasi

[Frank F]

Going back a ways on the VO-BB we had "The year Of The Spine". Meaning stand up for yourself and your own value(s).

You know what you are worth or at least should have a good idea of the concept. Charge a fair rate and be known as a professional.

If you not know what you are worth; then bid low and be known as a cheap read or a hobbyist. You will need to do many, many, many projects to earn a living that way.

Customers will come and go with an amateur. Clients will stay with the professional.

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Bruce]

If you were to read through some of our past P2P threads you would find recountings from a couple of our members who have bid above the range and won the jobs. Methinks that is a rarity.

Imagine you're a producer and you need a voice. You get to keep all or a portion of what you don't spend creating your project. If you want to spend $100 or so and think you'll get satisfactory results you mark you bid request at $100 - $250. Along comes a perfect audition with a bid of $350. What does the typical producer do? Go with the great read, not make extra money now, and hope that a really well-voiced production will get he/she more fame and work down the line? Or stay cheap, pick an "OK" voice talent, and keep the short term profit?

But hey, give it a shot. It's a free country.


B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Dayo]

Bang on Bruce!

I fear that a large percentage of producers who engage with P2P sites are bottom trawling in order to make the most from a tiny budget or pocket some extra profit on the v/o part of the gig.
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Colin Day - UK Voiceover
www.thurstonday.co.uk

[Foog]

Bruce and Colin, your are speaking directly to my cynicism. That's not fair, because I loves my cynicism as much as I loves my complaining! And being a cynical sort, (and complainy. Did I mention complainy?), I had every expectation that the client would choose someone cheaper. I still felt that this audition was one that suited my voice and talents, and was compelled to submit - but I didn't want to undervalue myself. Peter's anecdotal tales of clients accepting higher bids on P2P has made me feel... what's it called again? It's been so long... hopeful? That's it, hopeful! (I'm not sure I like it )


UPDATE: Literally within minutes of hitting submit on this message, I received a PM from the (potential) client thanking me for the audition and stating that he may send some copy from the final script for an additional read. Well huzzah! I've been shortlisted. (now watch as he chooses the feller with the cheaper rate in the end)
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Andrew Fogarasi

[Bruce]

Andrew, I will enjoy being wrong in my cynicism. Here's to your success.


B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[melissa eX]

If you're talking about the site that has 4 ways of sticking their hands in your pockets I think the 100-250 category is a default category that gets selected when the client doesn't choose anything. I have nothing to base that on except for the fact that I've booked quite a few jobs listed as 100-250 for which I've charged $550. Which makes it $605 to the buyer when you add the site's skim fee, (if they had already deposited the money before I could advise them they didn't have to pay that fee.) Almost all have been private audition requests so they had shortlisted me anyway. None ever tried to get me to lower the rate, in fact they never mentioned the rate other than to simply confirm that's what it was.

[Bish]

It's important to read the job posting closely to get a feel for the client. Everything from the job title to the description and the script itself can give you clues as to the quality and expectations of the client. Voices do not have the mechanism that allows a "free bid" from a talent (as does V123), and the client is forced into stating a fixed budget or a range. I think Mel is right in saying that the $100-$250 is the default range, so in some ways it can be taken as an invitation to bid freely.

Some of the things to look out for that may invite a free-bid:
a) Is it an individual or a production house.
b) Have they taken care with the title, or is it a generic ( e.g. explainer video)
c) Are the parameters too wide (e.g. male or female)
d) Does the description clearly define what they are looking for.
e) Are the "Sounds like..." descriptors filled in (_____ and ______)
f) If a production house, how much detail do they give about who they are and what they do.

All these things can be used as clues. Although we are often critical of the way Voices run their business, for some clients (due to billing issues, convenience or just plain line-of-least-resistance) it's the way they choose to work.

All that being said... I'm letting my membership lapse for reasons stated (at length) elsewhere. But again, bidding what you think the job is worth works. I have over-bid and won many times (and Mel's example of more than doubling the budget is extremely noteworthy).
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Lee Gordon]

[Foog]

Update: Got and recorded the gig yesterday. (yay me!) Here's hoping that the client's willingness to meet a fairer price wasn't a statistical anomaly, 'cause I sure as sunshine will do the same thing again when a job with similar parameters next comes up.
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Andrew Fogarasi

[Lee Gordon]

W00t Awesome Dude
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice