In a perfect world, we’d send an introductory email to a new voice over lead, they’d ask to hear our demos, love our demos, immediately hire us, and tell all their friends about how fantastic we are.
Oh, and they’d also pay us full rate up front!!
Alas, this is not a perfect world.
Bummer, right?
Write this down: Marketing is about building relationships and relationship building takes time.
Occasionally, you’re going to send the right email to the right person at the right time and it’s going to turn into opportunity immediately. Most of the time, it’s going to take time.
I could tell you stories of leads I’ve worked for weeks, months, and one that actually took THREE YEARS before they became a regular client.
There are a couple of key takeaways here…
- Prepare for the long game.
- Be patient.
- Never throw away a lead (unless they ask you to).
- Don’t give up!
Statistics have previously shown that 80% of sales come between the fifth and twelfth contact. Some experts say that in today’s always connected world, where we’re constantly inundated with messages via social media and mobile devices, those numbers could be much higher!
In other words, this is going to take more effort than simply sending one email.
Pro Tip: A week after you send your introduction, if you don’t hear back, send a simple follow up.
Marketing is an ongoing effort. The campaign never truly ends. Even after you book the first job, you still need to have a plan to stay top of mind so there will be a second, third and fourth job.
Hang in there. There could be a hundred different reasons why your initial communication didn’t turn into work. Not the least of which is, maybe they don’t need a voice over right now. But maybe three months from now they will!
That’s why you’ve always go to be reaching out. Always got to be marketing. Always have to be staying top of mind!
The number of opportunities you’ll have is going to be directly connected to your ability to do this.
