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MARKETING Personal Networking: It's Not About WHO You Know, But Who Knows YOU March 25, 2014  By Dane ReidVoice Actor In any business, networking is important. But because voice over talents work from behind the microphone, I believe they often may neglect the sunshine and the rain. From your soundproof closet or booth, it's sometimes hard to remember that there is a whole world out there where people shake hands and kiss babies. It’s a world where you are not just heard, but seen. I also often hear from voice talents that your demo is your calling card - but I disagree. Your calling card is a handshake. For this reason, I spend much of my time reaching out to actual people, and shaking their hands. WHO KNOWS YOU? So much is made of who you know or what you know. But the key is who knows you! For a long time, voice over talent never wanted to connect their faces with their voices. Demos and online presence was never associated with pictures. This was to keep people guessing about your voice type and not pigeonholing based on your appearance. But when you run a voice over business, that traditional thinking may go out the window. It's important that people remember your face when a project comes up 6 or even 12 months later. HOW I NETWORK For instance, I arm myself with several things when networking. The first one cost me nothing. It's my smile. I’ve been complimented on it for years. And when I realized that it was an asset in my business, I started to use it. In fact, just smiling helped me break out of my introverted vocal booth mindset to make networking more fun and effective. People remember it and respond to my apparent friendliness. BUMMY SWEATS UNREAL But the smile is only part of it. We’ve all heard the legends of the the voice talent with bummy sweats, dirty sneakers and ruffled hair who went into the studio and walked out with a $10,000 check for 10 minutes of work, right? After all, that was the selling point that I was told. But I discovered when I got out into the world of decision makers, that that guy was an urban myth. Or at least ,this wasn’t going to be my reality. In fact, I had an incident that proved the opposite. I was out with friends at a restaurant when a client I had been wooing saw and approached me. He looked me up and down and said, "You look quite prosperous.” I gave him that smile and a handshake and received a call from him a few weeks later. Since then, he has been my client going on two years now. LOOKING SUCCESSFUL So what does a voice over talent look like? For me, it means looking comfortable and stylish. It's a cosmopolitan look. It’s a look that says, "I do voice over work and I’m successful at it. And I’m comfortable in life.” After all, people like doing business with people who are experienced. Because of this, people believe in my product before they even here it. WHAT'S YOUR STYLE? But recreating my style and image won’t be effective for everyone. YOU choose your look - but remember that people will think of that look as your voice type. Or as your level in your career. So I recommend that you at least dress in a way that will draw positive attention. The last thing to remember is that going to one event gets you invited to others. Which will build your network of potential clients and friends. I sign myself up for lists so that I can be notified of upcoming events. Exposure, Exposure, Exposure. This is your key. -------------------- ABOUT DANE Dane Reid is a voice actor originally from New York City, now residing in Atlanta, whose passion for voice over spans a decade of voicing and producing commercials, radio imaging and short narration projects. He's also a published author, busy traveler and adds that he's an "avid creator and endless dreamer." Email: dr@danereidmedia.com Web: www.danereidmedia.com |
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This year I made a decision to do a lot more face to face networking with producers of documentaries and corporate narrations. It's been great to get out, socialize, learn about their exciting projects and start being seen as a resource for narrations in both English and Spanish, which is an unusual niche. It's definitely paying off, plus I'm terribly social so I'm making some great new friends! I highly recommend it and am so glad I took the advice of a number of super talented colleagues whom I deeply respect, like Tom Dheere, who highly recommended this, and acted on it.
Your article really resonated with me! Plus, I'm with you on the smile. I am a generally optimistic person and can't help but smile. I look for other smiles. It works! Some day I hope we'll meet and exchange some of those! Until then, I wish you much success!
Does anyone else get frustrated by noisy clothing, though? I know better than to wear something like bangle bracelets, but I never noticed how many articles of clothing make a swishing noise until I started voice acting!
I recently joined our local Chamber of Commerce and have gone to several of their events and meetings. It's a great way to meet folks and let them know what you do. You never know when businesses will need your service.
Sure, there may be times when I record in my studio in sweats and a t-shirt, but if I'm networking with people in person, I treat it like a job interview. And that means dressing the part.
And we all need to remind ourselves of the human element in our quest to deliver creative and meaningful projects. Isolation does funny things with your mind. I like your advice about balancing interaction with action in the studio. Being a people person, but also enjoying the quiet of creativity, I support and practice this advice. Thanks for posting, Dane!