By Laura Schreiber & Voice123’s The Booth
This article is sponsored by Voice123.
You nailed the audition! Your voice is exactly what the client wanted and it’s that project you had a special feeling about. Now comes the difficult part; maintaining successful client communications throughout each stage of the project.
It might seem easy since you already landed the job, but keep in mind that clients need to see value to continue the relationship or work with you again in the future. So when working with clients, whether it’s an audition, a direct booking, a booking from an audition, or a repeat client, you only have one chance to get that first communication right! When they reach out to you, it is up to you as the voice talent, to set the tone for how the communications will go. A warm, friendly, helpful response goes a long way in every scenario and helps to build the foundation for a great talent-client relationship.
Do your best to make them happy every single time!
Common miscommunications when working with clients
Miscommunication issues can take many shapes and forms. Messages can be taken out of context by cultural differences and delays can creep in if both parties are in a different time zone.
I have worked with international clients and had some miscommunication issues, so often the more information that you can spell out at the start of work, the easier it is for everyone.
Worse-case scenarios: A client gets offended, gets the wrong impression, or pulls out of the project. Or a voice actor could jump the gun, miss a deadline, or drop the ball altogether by missing an important project requirement.
How can these negative situations be avoided?
From the first communication with a client, it is best to understand the intentions behind the project. If you can, ask questions about the tone of the project and specifically what they are looking for. Knowing the answers to these and other vital questions in advance of doing the work leads to successful client communications and also confirms that a booking is a booking.
To help you with this, here’s a checklist of vital points that you need to go through beforehand.
- Ask the client if they have a scratch track.
- Ask if they know what music they are going to use. (This helps me understand the tone and the pace of the voice over.)
- Confirm the file format. WAV, MP3, or both?
- Confirm if the client needs raw or edited audio.
- Confirm whom, where and when to invoice.
- Confirm your service agreement, payment, and revisions policy.
A key takeaway for clients, in this case, is to contribute to a faster process by responding in a timely manner, being transparent about project details, and keeping a voice actor in the loop regarding any changes or delays.
How to manage client expectations
In general, all back and forth client communications should be prompt. If you are replying to an audition request, it is to your advantage to submit on the early side. Personally, as soon as I get an audition that looks appealing, I try to submit it. If you can be in the first ten submissions, that is ideal. Sometimes it is hard because of differences in time zones, or the demands of another project, but early submission is the key to getting booked. Once the client hears what they need, they will cast the job. They also would rather work with a talent who is responsive.
When replying to emails, whether for an audition or for a booking, being available makes you easy to work with. If you reply quickly and are transparent in your business practices, you are far more likely to gain a client. Timing matters. If a client has a deadline, you do not want to be the reason why they have to push their deadline. Instead, make it easy for them to get what they need by both responding promptly and submitting promptly.
Make all replies personal so that the client feels heard. Be sure to respond to all of their asks in your email and cover all bases. This also includes your turnaround time, pickup/revision policy, and payment terms.
Do’s and Don’ts for setting the right expectations
- Don’t feel shy or afraid to outline your terms. Clear and transparent client communications benefit everyone.
- Do find out the client’s intentions behind the project. Are they trying to increase sales, or drive more traffic to their website? And what is their target audience?
- Do ask about the tone of the project. Often, the client has a specific sound; a voice in their head that they’re trying to match. Asking for an example such as a celebrity, similar sound, or even one of your samples could point you in the right direction.
But how does this translate into a written message when working with clients? Here are some specific templates that can be copied and tweaked to suit your needs.
Template 1: If you missed a client’s message
Hi, Name,
I am so sorry for the delay!
I had to ________, but I am definitely available now. I always aim for professional and fast communication so I really apologize for this.
If you’d still like to move forward with this, I’m more than happy to make it up to you by adding ____ free revisions instead of _____. And also willing to _________, as a gesture of good faith.
Let me know and once again, sincere apologies.
Check out the full list of free Client Communications Templates here.
To sum things up, successful client communications are all about knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Don’t leave anything to chance. Prepare your communications ahead of time, follow the right format and tone, and always follow the 3 Ps when working with clients:
Professional, Punctual, and Polite.
But there’s so much more to communicating and working with clients. Read the complete Client Communications Checklist For Voice Actors in Voice123’s Voice Over Guide.
I have been blessed to have three precious dogs in my life, and each of them has brought me immeasurable joy. I had no idea, however, that when we got our Labrador Retriever Daisy, in addition to being super sweet and super smart, she would also be super challenging to walk without the right training. A neighbor with two Great Dane pups introduced me to the dog training books by the Monks of New Skete, who have been training dogs since the 1970s. We made the choice to send Daisy for a board and stay training program, and I learned from the brothers that there were a few keys essential to Daisy’s success. We needed to be consistent with her obedience every day and maintain her routine. She would need structured daily exercise. We needed to plan everything- even her walks, to set her up for success. As a small business owner, I realized that in voice over all the lessons that would lead to success for Daisy also hold true to maintaining a successful professional voiceover career.
Now back from New Skete, every day Daisy has to run through her exercises, from leave it and heal to place. Similarly, working on my craft is essential every day. From warm up exercises to practicing cold reading, this is part of my daily routine. I recently reflected on this in my blog about the class that I am taking with Kim Handysides, but in order to stay strong in the reads that I submit both as auditions and as booked work, this daily work is essential to my success.
Just as Daisy needs her purposeful walk, I need a certain amount of daily exercise to stay in shape for voice over, I walk four to five miles a day. I do pilates three times a week. All of that is in addition to my vocal warm ups. When your body is your instrument, you have to maintain your instrument every single day.
In the same way that communicating well with Daisy strengthens our family bonds, doing all of the above plus communicating well with clients strengthens our connections with them. As they can rely on our work being consistently good and being there when they need it, they will be able to trust us for their clients, and in the end that trust is what matters most. As a professional talent, a new booking is great, but when that new booking comes back, it’s almost as good as when Daisy comes galloping towards me.
