I hate cold-calling.
I just hate it.
As a voice talent, I feel like such a nudge when I call just to remind them I’m alive. I started a new round of cold calls last week and I’ve noticed that no matter my approach, the responses pretty much break down into three categories:
10% know who I am, are pleased to hear from me, have me on file, and look forward to working with me when the opportunity arrives.
80% may or may not know who I am, hire voice talent occasionally, and relent if I offer to send them my demo. Or I leave a voice-mail and never hear back from them.
10% can’t wait for me to get the hell off the phone so they can get back the arduous task of not hiring me.
TIP OF THE WEEK:
To maximize your chances of making a positive impact with your cold calls, here are some best practices:
Do your research before you call. Make sure the company casts voice talents directly and the name of the person who does said casting.
Be nice, especially to the receptionist! They are the gatekeepers. It’s good manners (and good karma) anyway.
Know what you want to say. Write it down, but don’t sound scripted. Write bullet points, not an actual script.
Be brief! Their time is valuable and demonstrate that you respect that.
Even if you do everything right, they still may not want anything to do with you. Just eat it and smile. There are plenty of folks out there who are happy to work with you!
NEWS AND NOTES!
Thanks to everyone who attended the Time Management webinar last week. Enjoy the templates!
HAPPY HAPPYS!
Happy Brother’s Day and Happy No Dirty Dishes Day! So, Jeff, would you mind coming over and washing my dishes? I’m a two birds with one stone kind of guy. And Happy 20th Anniversary to you and Katie!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
This, I submit, is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well-adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t. You get to decide what to worship.
David Foster Wallace
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, GKN News…
Tom Dheere is an 19-year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a coach at Edge Studio, voiceover business consultant known as the Voice Over Strategist, and is currently writing & producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.