When I was first starting my voice over career I had a recurring nightmare: a harsh, accusing voice on the other end of the phone asking over and over: “What’s your experience? What have you done before? What’s your experience? What have you done before? What’s your experience? What have you done before?”
At the time the answer was nothing and I dreaded running into that guy while making my marketing calls.
Fortunately he never materialized and before long I had lots of real jobs to talk about.
But if you’re just starting out, you might wondering what to say when people ask you questions about your experience and rates.
Questions that can catch you completely off guard like…
What do you charge?
Give me a range for your services.
Where can I hear samples of your work?
As always, in this week’s Inside Voice Over I have your back with some practical advice about how to handle the dreaded rate and experience question when you’re a brand new beginner.
Watch this week’s short training video Here Now
After you view the video leave me a comment. I love getting to know you and learning how I can help.
To your voice over success,
Susan Berkley,
Founder, The Great Voice Company
HI Ms Berkley. I look forward to attending one of your boot camps, I believe your wealth of experience,And practical advice will help me immensely.Thank you for sharing.
Hi Danny, We’d love to see you. Next Bootcamp is Dec 2-4. Give us a call at 800-333-8108 for details. Warm regards, Susan
Susan,
I received the “what are your rates?” question from a new prospective customer today. The timeliness of your video was perfect! I recall what you’ve always said: “It depends”!
Thanks,
Joe
Synchronicity! What did he say when you said “It depends”? Thanks Joe
This was great. I have another thought, too. I know from experience that even though I have lots of relevant experience, my mind goes absolutely blank when I’m being put on the spot in real-time. To counter this, I will put together lists of answers to those potential questions, and keep it close by when calling. Hey, it’s all part of the job, right? So, this will give me practice ad-lib-ing convincingly! 🙂
Fantastic David! Here’s another suggestion: write you answers to any potential question you can think of on index cards and keep them by your phone. That way you will never be at a loss for words..SB
Dabbling with voice overs for 8 years! Now retired and would like to pursue it in earnest!
Any suggestions? Any chance you can put me in contact with someone who started his/her voice over career after retirement?
Thank you!
Hi Frann, We have MANY students who have done that. Give us a call at 800-333-8108 or email talent@greatvoice.com and Mark can help. Susan