“I’m brand new to voice over. However, the other day I was talking to a prospective client and they asked me about my experience.

I didn’t know what to say so I told him I was a beginner and he said they don’t hire beginners and rushed me off the phone. It seems like a Catch-22. How can I get experience if no one wants to take a chance on a beginner like me?

Susan Berkley answers:

I can understand your frustration. But no worries. I have an easy solution.But before I share it with you, let me clue you in on the mind of your future customer.

Here’s the deal.

When someone is casting a voice over -to put it politely—their “tush” is on the line.

If they hire a voice over talent and that talent can’t deliver, their client will get mad at them, or worse,  pull the plug.

Some of the ways a talent might not deliver is by not delivering the job on time, poor audio quality or by being unable to take direction and give them what they want.

In a worst case scenario they may even have to deal with a talent who has a melt down in the studio. Unfortunately just about every producer has horror stories to share about the session from hell.

Now I’m sure this would never happen to you, but you can see how important it is to assure your voice over prospects that they can trust you and that they’ve made the right choice.

There are several ways to do this.

1. Never ask if they like your demo. This question screams “I’m a newbie.” It’s much better to ask if they heard anything on your demo that meets their needs
2. Share testimonials from happy customers. Testimonials from satisfied customers put people’s minds at ease. A glowing testimonial is one of the few reasons I can think of for doing a job for free when you start your career. Tell the person you’re doing the freebie for that they must give you a testimonial in exchange for your work. Put these testimonials on your website and mention them as part of your sales presentation.
3. Remember these five key words: my demo says it all. If you are a newcomer to voice over with no experience whenever someone asks what you’ve done simply say: “My demo says it all” Then, turn the tables and say: ” Tell me a little bit about your business. I see from your website that you’ve blah, blah, blah. That’s great! What kind of projects have you been working on lately?”

So if you’re new to voice over, don’t take it personally if your prospects need a little more information.Once you satisfy them that you’re not going to let them down, you’ve paved the way for a long and mutually prosperous relationship.

A great place to gain the confidence and experience behind the mic is our Voice Over Bootcamp Recording Studio Immersion Experience.

Questions? Call 800-333-8108 x229 or info@greatvoice.com

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Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com

Copyright 2013, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved. How to Fake It ‘Till You Make It in Voice Over.