VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[mythwoman]

Hey All,

I'm never quite certain where to put my posts so please forgive me if it's not supposed to be in Chat.
I'm doing quite well with anime in North Texas and little animation projets on the side but something internal is keeping me from marketing outside of Texas.
I'm sure it's probably insecurity at this point because:
#1. I need to have my animation demo redone (hopefully by Marc Graue!)
#2. My marketing skills are poor
#3. I'm waiting till after the VoiceLympics cruise so I can add more training to my resume (promos, narration).
#4. I feel uncertain that my studio (without ISDN, phone patch or skype) will be adequate for potential clients.

I know marketing has been an ongoing subject here at vo-bb so I've been exploring the archives all I can and I may have missed a post or two or ten, but can anyone recommend an online workshop, or coach, or teleclass that would be beneficial?

That's just what's on my mind (among other things) today. I'd super appreciate hearing from anyone who has a moment!

Later!
Mary

[Rob Ellis]

Do what you can, with what you have, and who you are, now.

I don't know what kind of marketing you are doing or have done, but I think it is better to keep it simple:

find out who makes the hiring decisions, and contact them. And if you have never sold before or made outgoing calls, feeling nervous and scared is normal.
I think a phone call, at least in the beginning, is mandatory. E-mail is good for follow-up, but as an introductory vehicle is too easy to ignore.

My philosophy is that as you start making those contacts, you will get the feedback you need to progressively fine tune things.

Be careful about wanting to get everything "perfect" before making contacts.
Coming from a sales background, I believe in just getting yourself out there and taking the slings and arrows.

[KaseyKruz]

As far as the studio, if you have a cell phone with a earphone or hands free device, then you have a phone patch. Skype is free and easy if you have a PC in your studio. As far as ISDN, from what I have read here, it is becoming harder to get service initiated and a variety of products are on the market being touted as ISDN replacements and bridges, so I don't think ISDN is a neccessary service unless you have a good amount of work requesting it.
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Does life start at 40?