People come to me on a daily basis looking for advice about one thing or another as it relates to their voice over business. When they’re coming to me, generally they’re looking for help with marketing, social media, goal setting, etc. Although, I still get a lot of inquiries about demos, home studio and performance to name a few.
Most of the people that reach out are looking for help and happy to get it, in whatever form that may be.
Others, not so much.
Too Good For Guidance
For example, when someone comes to me for marketing help, the first thing I ask is to hear their demos. Before I’ll ever do any coaching with a talent, I need to know they’ve got a marketable demo. Without that, my advice to them would be useless and I won’t take their money for something they can’t use.
When I hear a demo I don’t think they should market, I say so. I’ll suggest further coaching and a new demo when they’re ready. Of course, this isn’t what they want to hear. They want to market themselves now. Find work now. Book gigs now. Make money now.
“I don’t need help,” they tell me. Speaking of their performance or ability.
At this point, there’s nothing I can do for them.
Don’t Stay Stuck
When I first joined Voice123 back in 2008 or 2009, I booked on the site about weekly. My audition to booking ratio was great and I credit the site with leading me to some really fantastic clients. Clients I still work with to this day.
A few years ago, I let all my casting site memberships slide. I had no need for them. I was too busy with my own clients. I didn’t have a lot of time for auditioning and saw no real value in me having a membership. Some castings I let go for other reasons. *cough* * cough* *Voices.com gouging talent and budgets* *cough* *cough*
In the fall, Voice123 offered a really awesome deal on a membership and I decided I’d give it another shot. What the heck. Why not?
My experience on Voice123 this time has been a lot different. I haven’t booked a single gig. Granted, I’m still extremely busy with my own clients and definitely don’t audition as much as I should. Some weeks, I don’t audition at all. That said, I was still surprised I hadn’t booked anything. Especially considering how well I do on my own.
That’s why I reached out to J Michael Collins. Nobody does casting sites better than J Michael Collins.
My note to him was simple. I stated that I’d like to book him for an hour of coaching and have him listen to some of my Voice123 auditions where I received bad reviews, despite them being for jobs in my speciality genres. I wanted to get a second opinion.
Many Voice Seekers don’t know how to use the ranking system on Voice123. The site has admitted as much. So I know bad rankings aren’t always a reflection of the audition or talent. Still, I want to cover my bases. I want to be sure.
I Don’t Need Help – 4 Dangerous Words
Even as a successful voice actor with a six figure income, I know when I need help and I’m not too proud to ask for it.
As you grow into your business and develop as a talent, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. But ever be too proud. Don’t even be too embarrassed. Don’t ever be too afraid.
If someone suggests you might need help in a particular area, listen to them!
Four of the most dangerous words a voice actor can speak are, “I don’t need help.”
Einstein said it best, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”
Don’t let yourself die!
