Summary: The #1 Mistake Made by Voice Over Beginners By Susan Berkley Today my mission is to save you from an innocent beginner's mistake that could cost you years in your path to voice over success. It's a common, but near fatal error many people make before they even start their training and do their voice over demo. But actually, this mistake has nothing to do with your voice. It has to do with the customers you'll choose as you market your business. You see, most new and emerging voice talent never give a second thought as to who they'll ultimately be selling to, and that's a big mistake. They spend their time perfecting their home studio, their demo, their logo or their website without stopping to consider WHO they are for and then they complain when they don't get the results they need. People try to present themselves as a versatile talent with a something for everyone, the man or woman of a thousand voices. But this type of positioning can actually backfire and keep you from booking work! First off, no one is equally skilled at all types of voiceover, you only want to put your best stuff on your demo. And second, showing too much variety can confuse your customer Haven't you ever gone into a store and become so confused you just walked out the door without buying anything? I know I have. Big brands in crowded marketplaces solve this problem by niching their products for a specific market segment. Consider 1-A Day Vitamins, for example. This legacy brand has specialty products for different customers including: Women's Essentials, Men's Pro-Edge, Women's 50+ Advantage, Women's Petites, Teen Advantage and Vitamin Gummies, to name just a few. To get started in voice overs the right way, you must become a specialist, not a generalist. As a voice over specialist you can charge more because you bring expertise and a targeted solution to a specific group of customers who can listen to your demo and look at your marketing materials and say "that's for me!" Here at The Great Voice Company, whenever start with a new beginner, the first thing we do is take a look at their voice type and their life experience and help them determine their specialty market right off the bat and that's why our students get such great results without the nail-biting frustration many voice over beginners face. For example private mentor client Fred Meseck does this brilliantly with his demo and marketing materials for E-Learning producers. We've helped Eric Saunders position himself for animation work and I've helped others niche themselves for audio books and medial narrations. Some people even get so targeted that they release specialty demos for retailers with Santa Clause and Halloween voices! I'd love to help you too. Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors.
