Part III Should I Appear in My Own Commercials?

In Part III of our series from the article "Should I Appear in My Own Commercials?" from www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com we are reminded of the very simple reason clients advertise...this ain't rocket science.

Advertising has only two goals

Remember...increased sales and/or awareness are the only objectives of advertising. Spending advertising dollars to hear your neighbor tell you he heard, or saw, your latest ad does nothing toward your bottom line (Why is it your neighbors are seldom your customers?). So the test of any campaign's effectiveness must be whether or not it achieves the objectives of sales and/or awareness. True, there are variables that must be considered in addition to the talent (schedule, placement, and the message itself); but a good commercial on a bad station will produce better results than a poor commercial on the market leading station.

In our final installment I'll answer the burning question...finally...of whether or not you should appear in your own commercial.

Part II Should I appear in My Own Commercials?

Many clients choose to appear in their own commercials even given their limited skill before a microphone and camera...and some have good reason. In this installment of my copyrighted article from www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com , we'll explore some of those reasons.

So, why do they do it?

Some truly believe no one can adequately represent their business (one might conclude these are controlling types, but successful business persons are, by nature, take charge persons), others believe no one else should represent their business, and still others just really really like the recognition they receive (remember this last one...it's going to be back soon).

Of the three types above, media sales reps know they can make the most money selling to the final category of spokespersons, those who enjoy the recognition they receive. Why? Well, it's the ploy I mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. When the client measures the effectiveness of a campaign based upon how many friends, neighbors, co-workers or existing customers mention his latest ad, rather than by new revenue and increased sales, the sales rep has found a gold mine (When I was selling advertising, three mentions of a recent commercial on the golf course meant money in my pocket.).

In the next installment, I'll revisit the reasons people advertise...which, too often, may be overlooked at the advertising dollar's peril.

Part I Should I Appear in My Own Commercials?

A client and I had a discussion this morning on the topic of this first installment of a copyrighted article from http://www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com/ :

Should I Appear in My Own Commercials?

Appearing in, or voicing, one's own commercial can be a very effective tool...it can also be a clever ploy by the media sales rep to obscure the effectiveness of a campaign. In this article, we'll explore the positives, the negatives, and the hidden agendas in producing an advertising spot.

Having the CEO, owner, manager of a company appear in his/her own commercials, radio or television, has been utilized for decades with differing degrees of success (or disaster). Victor Kiam (Remington), Dave Thomas (Wendy's) and Lee Iacocca (Chrysler) are three of the most successful national examples of the past 25 years; each an articulate person of conviction, integrity, and charm. Examples of success exist in every local market as well, and every region of the country can site their local businessperson/stars.

But far more highly competent business persons come across the airways as cold, dull or, in the worst case, incompetent and foolish. Watching these persons one becomes uncomfortable and embarrassed, hardly the stuff of which sales are made. And while it is true that some have been wildly successful as spectacularly poor pitch-persons, most just keep spending money for ineffective commercials that fail to make the cash register ring.

In the next installment we'll answer the question of why, given the risks vs. the rewards, do clients still choose to appear in their own spots?

OK, We Elected Democrates...I Still Don't Need a Gun

I have friends who have gone out and bought guns because they fear the 2nd Amendment may be in jeopardy. I don't need gun...there are sure times at http://www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com/ I wish I had one (clients can be a pain), but I don't need one.

Many years ago, I was asked to participate on a panel discussing gun control...I was in favor of stricter laws for gun ownership and EVERYBODY else was against such legislation and, apparently, hated me and my entire family for my beliefs. It was awful...they even chased me into the parking lot to continue to tell me why I was an idiot. The thing was, I was not against gun ownership at all. I'm still not against it.

I believe every American has a right to own a gun, and who has what weapon is no business of our government. I choose not to have a gun...well, that's not exactly true. When Lucia was married to her late husband, she worked in retail and one day came home with not one, but two guns. Her husband did not want a gun, he didn't think she wanted a gun, yet here were two guns in the house. When he asked why she had purchased them she said, "They were on sale." But this is not about women (although this sentence kind of makes it that doesn't it?).

Anyway, when we moved together, she found the two guns...still in the boxes. Now we don't know what to do with them. But I don't want gun because I'm afraid the government is going to come and get them just because the Democrats are in power...I do fear we may be in a "politically correct" world where private ownership of guns may be ruled illegal (that' a change from my earlier belief of what was possible).

I have great hopes the NRA will keep that possibility in check, but there is growing pressure from the dopes with whom we share this planet.

I have friends who have gone out and purchased weapons for no other reason than the fear they may not be able to buy them in the not to distant future. What worries me more is the fact these friends have no training and small children in their home. That scares me...and I still don't need a gun.

Anybody want to buy two guns that probably don't work after nearly thirty years in a box?

Whoa!

Whoa! The day has somehow past right by without my even noticing...too busy to think, I guess.

This is one of those days where everyone has an emergency and they have decided to visit my office to talk about it. I haven't had this many visitors in months...and none of them seem to believe I have any work to do. Gonna be a late night at www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com .

Count to Nine

Sudoku has taken over my life. On vacation, I was given an electronic Sudoku game...and I take it everywhere, EVERYWHERE! One of the cool things about it is the appearance of my game mimics a typical PDA, so people think I'm recording information or texting someone during meetings that don't appear to be going anywhere.

And I now believe all the articles I read about exercise for the brain being beneficial. As I improve at Sudoku, I notice I see patterns emerge that eluded me in the early part of my playing. Better yet, I seem to be making better connections in my writing, speaking and consulting. There is, I believe, carryover from the game to my career.

While I haven't thought this through completely, I believe I'll write more about it for www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com .

If you have yet to Sudok (a new verb,but why not...everybody else does it)...give it a try. All you have to do is count to nine.

What am I Missing?

I spent the weekend, other than Friday, shopping (what kind of idiots enjoy shopping on Black Friday?) and I have to tell you...there are a lot of people out there spending lots of money. In every store we saw lines of people with loaded shopping carts; in the restaurants the tables were filled with smiling, laughing, over-eating families.

In the media, I read and hear of the financial crisis facing our nation...apparently no one has told the people. Today I heard retail spending was up over last year...duh! Just look around, people are out there living their lives.

I am not insensitive to the difficulties facing portions of our economy but, unless I'm missing something, it sure appears the majority of the people where I live are still working and spending.

I have just finished another website voiceover relating to the economy and people considering a business of their own...entrepreneurship seems to be at an all time high.

Whatever we face, I know we'll emerge stronger than we were on the other side of this (perspective is an advantage of having lived through three previous recessions) and my stocks will not only be back where they belong (hopefully I'll profit from the buys I'm making right now), but will reach new highs.

All we can do is keep on keeping on. I'll continue to do my voiceovers through www.smooth-male-voicover-talent.com and spend my money on living life (and we all know life's too short to buy cheap beer,wine, or bourbon). And when I hear the gloom and doom I'll continue to wonder, "What am I missing?"

There's always one

It occurred to me the other day I get paid to attend meetings...so I really should not hate attending all the meetings I'm compelled to attend. And, in retrospect, it's not the meetings I dislike but rather the "blockers" who get in the way of the meeting accomplishing...well...err...they get in the way of the meeting accomplishing anything!

You know who these people are; they always have something to say (I almost wrote the word contribute, but this type contributes nothing) and, generally, what they have to say is negative.

The meeting in question was a "visioning" session (trouble before it even begins). Many of those present had much to contribute, but our blocker always managed to bring the conversation back to a confused, and seemingly endless, maze of words. At every turn, his was the last voice heard on any one issue because no one could follow what he was saying and, thus, did not know where we should go next.

Finally, in desperation, and to prevent my strangling the blocker, I offered a synthesis of the evenings topics wrapping it all into, what I believed to be, a cogent whole. Nods flew around the room and then, just as it seemed we were about to make at least one decision, he began a slow, lengthy, stammering review of what I had suggested liberally punctuated with his own questions (and answers to same). At the end of his monologue we were right back to our previous state of confusion.

This has nothing to do with voiceover business...but I'm still upset at allowing someone to waste three hours (yep, three hours) of all our time. It seems to me no matter how many meetings I attend, no matter where the meetings are held, no matter what the subject being discussed...there's always one.

They Just Don't Get It...Sometimes Neither Do I

I just left a board meeting where the topic of discussion was the continued employment of a sales representative. It was generally acknowledged a rep was necessary, but there is some question as to whether the current person is the right person for the job.

"We need a superstar!" was the sentiment around the table. Then the discussion turned to compensation. As a salesperson for most of my career, I know you don't get, and keep, a "superstar" without offering "superstar compensation." And a good salesperson is worth every penny.

But, for some reason, those around the table thought they could find someone willing to do the work inexpensively. I guess people believe anybody can sell... Believe me, a great salesperson will make his own money if you provide him with product and delivery, but you have to be prepared to write big commission checks. Think about it, the more he makes, the more you're making. What's tough about understanding that?

It's like voiceovers, you may have to pay me more than some others, but you'll get delivery and quality...guaranteed. What's so hard about understanding that? Yet people are always trying to get me to "deal" (and by deal, they mean "do it for less" without any concessions on their part).

A professional takes less time and provides superior results ( see my client testimonials at http://www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com/ , or recommendations at http://www.linkedin.com/in/billsharp ) and actually saves the client money.

The same is true of any sales pro...in the long run, a pro will make you more money than trying to save a buck on an untrained, untested, rookie.

All that being said, I guess I should pay better attention to my own advice when I complain about the fees I pay agents for bringing me work. They get the bucks because they bring me more than my fair share of work. What's good for the goose...

Use Message-on-Hold and Make Money Part II

Let's continue yesterday's stroll down memory lane covering an article from the past:

What you must remember

Remember, your caller had a reason for dialing your number, and it was not to listen to your M-O-H. Your number one job is to keep that customer from hanging up during the wait. Too often, new clients instinct is to try to include everything a caller might want to know about the company, their product lines, and the new website.

If you've have someone on hold long enough to hear all that, you're demonstrating a fundamental disregard for your customers' time, and no M-O-H can overcome that (Last week, I was on hold for over ten minutes...I stayed just to see how long it would be...but I won't call that hotel back!).

I always ask a new client how long they generally have customers on hold before they are connected with the party for whom they are holding. In general, most hope to have their callers on hold no more than 30 seconds, but we all know that is not always the case (in fact, the national average in closer to 45 seconds).

The ideal message

To accommodate a reasonable on hold time and make an impact with your message, I suggest copy not to exceed twenty (20) seconds in length. You may, and certainly should, have multiple messages on your system for those inevitable longer holds, but each should be concise (remember the billboard analogy).

Remember too, your message should ask the caller to take some action. You may choose to ask callers to ask their representative for further information about what they've heard, or check your website for details, or call the receptionist to be placed on the mailing list.

Music...the tie that binds

The style of music you choose for your “M-O-H” is more than personal preference. Music under the message and between messages should compliment your product and business. Music appropriate for a hospital or funeral home is necessarily different than that for a movie theatre or restaurant.

Whatever the style, the music should not overpower your message. You never want to hear callers complain your message interrupted the music, after all...the message is what you've paid for!

Speaking of paying, there are license fees required for use of music, these fees must be paid annually whether your production company bills for them separately or embeds the fee as a recurring part of your invoice.

A powerful tool

Message-on-hold is an opportunity that makes sense. Studies indicate over seventy percent of business callers are placed on hold; callers to educate, cultivate and motivate. Companies taking advantage of this “wasted time” may find new streams of revenue from existing and new customers alike. Don't miss out on this powerful tool. Copyright 2005 - Bill Sharp

Use Message-on-Hold and Make Money Part II

Concluding our discussion of yesterday:

What you must remember

Remember, your caller had a reason for dialing your number, and it was not to listen to your M-O-H. Your number one job is to keep that customer from hanging up during the wait. Too often, new clients instinct is to try to include everything a caller might want to know about the company, their product lines, and the new website.

If you've have someone on hold long enough to hear all that, you're demonstrating a fundamental disregard for your customers' time, and no M-O-H can overcome that (Last week, I was on hold for over ten minutes...I stayed just to see how long it would be...but I won't call that hotel back!).

I always ask a new client how long they generally have customers on hold before they are connected with the party for whom they are holding. In general, most hope to have their callers on hold no more than 30 seconds, but we all know that is not always the case (in fact, the national average in closer to 45 seconds).

The ideal message

To accommodate a reasonable on hold time and make an impact with your message, I suggest copy not to exceed twenty (20) seconds in length. You may, and certainly should, have multiple messages on your system for those inevitable longer holds, but each should be concise (remember the billboard analogy).

Remember too, your message should ask the caller to take some action. You may choose to ask callers to ask their representative for further information about what they've heard, or check your website for details, or call the receptionist to be placed on the mailing list.

Music...the tie that binds

The style of music you choose for your “M-O-H” is more than personal preference. Music under the message and between messages should compliment your product and business. Music appropriate for a hospital or funeral home is necessarily different than that for a movie theatre or restaurant.

Whatever the style, the music should not overpower your message. You never want to hear callers complain your message interrupted the music, after all...the message is what you've paid for!

Speaking of paying, there are license fees required for use of music, these fees must be paid annually whether your production company bills for them separately or embeds the fee as a recurring part of your invoice.

A powerful tool

Message-on-hold is an opportunity that makes sense. Studies indicate over seventy percent of business callers are placed on hold; callers to educate, cultivate and motivate. Companies taking advantage of this “wasted time” may find new streams of revenue from existing and new customers alike. Don't miss out on this powerful tool. Copyright 2005 - Bill Sharp

Use Message-on-Hold and Make Money

I'm currently producing a new message-on-hold for a client and was reminded of the following article I wrote some time ago...it's still good information.

Use Message-on-hold and Make Money

There is a sizable group of people who believe the creators of the “message-on-hold” (M-O-H) deserve to be held with the terrorists at Guantanamo Bay; I may be one of them. But when you're through with this article you'll know how to effectively use “M-O-H.”

The idea of “message-on-hold” sounds great...in theory. You are presented with a customer who, having called your office (understand that, the customer contacted you...obviously he/she has a real interest), is a qualified lead! An existing customer waiting to speak with someone...and an indeterminate number of seconds during which you may fill his/her mind with your pitch.

What should I say?

When working with a new M-O-H client, I begin by asking what message the client wishes the caller to hear. Surprisingly many have not actually taken the time to think about what they want to say during those precious seconds.

Like a billboard, the message-on-hold must be, by necessity, concise and targeted. Ideally, when connected with his party you want the caller to begin his conversation with something like, “How can I learn more about what I just heard?”

Introduce a new product, describe your award winning service, let the caller know how you can help them make more money. But don't make the mistake of trying to tell them everything you know. Keep each message brief.

Don't assume your existing customers know everything you offer. Amazingly, most customers think of their suppliers in a narrow context and may be going elsewhere for products or services you offer. Such opportunities are veins of gold you've never mined.

Continued tomorrow...or go to my website for the entire article.
Bill Sharp
www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com

Holy Smokes!

Holy Smokes! The skies have opened and I'm swamped with work and projects (paying and non-paying). I'm glad there's a recession...I couldn't handle all the work if the economy was healthy. Guess the much needed work on www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com will have to wait for yet a bit longer.

Here I go........

Anyone Can Do It

I just returned from my weekly Rotary meeting. I don't know how long I plan to remain a Rotarian, my track record with service clubs reveals a pattern of interest and involvement followed by abrupt resignation. I served as president of the local Rotary a few years ago and am, frankly, amazed I still belong. But I find the friendship and service to be of a different caliber than I've experienced in other service clubs...then again, maybe Rotary isn't different, perhaps I am (growth is possible at any age...I hope).

Anyway, this isn't about that. Today I was just sitting there when the current president asked the membership to stand for the invocation to be presented by...me! He went on to say, as I was walking forward, that I may not have been aware of the honor as he had failed to contact me prior to the meeting. I said no, I was not aware of it being my turn...but that's OK.

I approached the microphone and asked everyone to join me in prayer and we'd see how it goes.
Naturally, it went just fine.

I have always been puzzled by people's discomfort when faced with the task of praying aloud. No matter what your faith, most public prayer is merely giving thanks for that with which we have been blessed, a request that we be kept mindful of opportunities for service to our families, communities and world, and that all our efforts may be guided to a positive outcome. No need to get into any deep theological thought or sectarian "preaching" that may offend anyone present (I recall even Jesus warned against making others uncomfortable by the practice of one's specific religious tradition).

Prayer should be a natural act...a conversation with some higher power...and the biggest secret of all (kind of like the secret we have in the voiceover business)...anyone can do it. They may not do it well, but they can always improve with practice. It's absolutely true...anyone can do it.

Now I'm Worried

I attended a meeting in the local public high school today. Now I'm worried. The students were as dorky as you would expect high school students to be...but the administration supplied the unexpected "fear factor."

The school was like a war zone with noise and confusion everywhere. And at the end of the day, some adult got on the PA and actually sang juvenile Thanksgiving songs (yes, that's plural) to these young men and women trying to grow-up. It was awful!

One of the young ladies to whom I spoke is in the digital media program and wanted to know more about broadcast careers. She asked about websites, so I directed her to www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com as an example of how not to build and maintain a website. We spoke at length and, after she left the room, she returned to thank me for the time and the opportunity to meet with me. Manners will go a long way in a world, seemingly, without any.

If the administration cannot control what's happening in the building, and condescends to the students, what hope is there for our youth? Like I said, now I'm worried.

Hey! There's a Person Sitting Here.

Last week I attended a meeting of the advisory board at a local career center. Following the meeting I was going to visit my barber, but it occurred to me I should try the school's beautician training program if I really wanted first hand knowledge of the kind of training that the students are getting (and what the hell, it's only hair...it'll grow back...and I don't have that much of it to begin with).

The little girl assigned to me told me I was the first "real human" she had been assigned (Oh joy!). After a few minutes she asked if I would mind having a senior student observe and assist her. I said that would be fine.

The two of them went to work on me and things were going well...until I stopped them after they had referred to me, for the third time, as "the head." "Hey! There's a person sitting here," I said, "You may call me Mr. Sharp, sir, the client...anything but "the head." You need to remember that when working with the public."

Then the instructor came over and asked how things were going. We all said things were fine, and the instructor proceeded to tell the younger lady to all keep her non-dominant hand on the top of "the head" to better control the process. Ah ha! I knew from where the girls had picked-up the habit.

Remembering our clients are complete, complex and deserving human beings is something of value for everyone to remember. I know how often we are thought of as merely a disembodied voice...but how often do I so objectify those with whom I work? It's a lesson we all learned from a simple hair cut.

www.smoothmale-voiceover-talent.com

TGIF

I'm having "one of those days." You know the ones...I didn't run well this morning (point of order: I never run well. If you saw me on the street, you'd know I was doing something, but you may not recognize it as running...which explains why I run at 4am), the entire day has dragged, and yet I need to sound "up." I also looked at my website, http://www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com/ , got more depressed, and decided I have to do something to update it next week without fail (a promise I've been making to myself for months).

Fortunately, I've always been able to compartmentalize and do the job before me without letting the rest of my life intrude upon my performance. But that doesn't change the reality of how I'm feeling.

TGIF...I'm within spitting distance of wine and food with lots of friends to kick-off the weekend. On those rare occasions when I have a day that feels like today, it helps to stop and consider the more important things in my life and how truly fortunate I am to be so blessed. Good friends, good food, good wine...I guess I have much for which I should be grateful. I am.

Humility Has a Way of Imposing Itself in Our Lives

As I look back over the past few posts, I see I declared I was not going to be a part of the "recession." Sounds good...sounds arrogant...sounds, well, kind of stupid to me today.

Last night I returned to my home and was fighting with the garage door opener that was, apparently, malfunctioning. I pushed every button I could find. When that didn't work, I did what any rational being would do, I pushed the buttons harder! Ultimately, I got out of the car and walked toward the door just in case the battery was weak and I needed to be closer. My neighbor was in his front yard doing something (he's always doing something) and he had a big smile on his face.

"It won't work!" he said very self-assured. I asked how he knew my garage door was not going to work, and he told me, "The electricity went out more than an hour ago, a transformer blew at the main station. Gonna be dark for a while."

He was right. We had no power through the rest of the evening. When Lucia came home we decided to go out for dinner (couldn't cook). So we went to a favorite spot, had some wine, and ate as slowly as we could. Not slowly enough.

Still without power when we returned, we found flashlights, got ready for bed (brushing one's teeth in the dark is interesting...not difficult, just interesting), and turned in for the night.

The electric company succeeded in doing what the recession couldn't, I could not work. I couldn't even make phone calls as our telephone is supplied by the cable company...no cable, no phone. The perfect storm...even my cell phone was depleted. The very strength of working for oneself grinds to a halt if you don't have access to one's tools; and all my tools need electricity.

Today the power is once again surging through the lines, but I'm a bit less cavalier about my situation versus others struggling in today's economy. All it takes is one little element to misfire, and we're all in the same boat. My suffering was short, this time. My humility has grown.

They'll Do It Every Time

I received an email today from a friend who was on his way to the local TV station to make a commercial and he wanted to "run his copy by me" for any suggestions (and by suggestions he means free advice). I looked at the copy and saw it was deficient in one area and included some additional information better suited to graphics that could be cut from the copy. That's when it all began.

Oh, he took my advice and made the changes, but then decided he had lots of time he wasn't using, so he added about thirty words to, what I thought, was a complete thirty second spot. He said he was amazed at how many words he could get into a thirty. I suggested he was probably reading the copy silently to himself (he was). "Try reading it aloud...and like you mean what you're saying." I said.

How often people who write their own copy make these simple mistakes...he had included a phone number which, in a thirty, can take a lot of time as each number is a word (people forget that)...that's seven words (in our area it's actually ten words because you have to use an area code for every call). Then he tried to cram as many words as as possible into the spot forgetting TV offers three modes of communication: sound, graphics and pictures.

I offer tips for copy writing on www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com for those who decide to write their own. In more than thirty years of this business, I've noticed most beginners make the same mistakes and they'll do it every time.

Just an Ordinary Day

In the studio by 4:00am...finished early...so I visited my friends at the local General Motors stamping facility. While they had some good news by being awarded some jobs for a car not due for production until 2010, they can't accept that as proof they will be immune from the GM downsizing/plant closings we see across the country.

One of the benefits of the computer age is the ability to send voice tracks anywhere in the world from the comfort of my home studio. How reassuring that my future isn't in the hands of some far off corporate decision maker who knows neither me nor my family.

I returned to my studio re-energized and even more determined to not participate in the current economic environment of doom and gloom; but rather to continue and make http://www.smooth-male-voiceover-talent.com/ an oasis in the midst of depression.