Nurturing your voice-over clients, maintaining and growing your relationship with them are some of the most important things that you will do in your voice-over career. Your clients are your bread and butter in this business. Without them you don’t have a career so you need to make sure that you give them a reason for working with you and a reason to give you repeat work.
Source: www.pdrvoicecoaching.com
In such a competitive industry it’s important to go that extra mile so what are some of the things you can do to impress them? Here are a few recommendations:
- Deliver on time – Every project will have a deadline. Whatever you do don’t miss it! Do what you can to get the project finished before the date set. If you can achieve same-day turnaround then that would be the ultimate goal. Clients love speedy turnarounds.
- Quality audio every time – This almost goes without saying but it still bears repeating. High quality audio with no clicks, breaths, background noise of any description is the order of the day. Your client won’t expect anything less.
- Show interest – Showing interest in your client’s business and what they are trying to achieve through using voice over. This will demonstrate your commitment to the task and will help you to build a relationship with them.
- Follow up – After any project you should always follow up to ensure that they are happy with the finished audio and to find out if you can help them with any other projects. Follow up emails thanking them for the business or even handwritten notes are well received by clients. It makes you more memorable for future projects
- Be honest – If the brief for a project is outside of your range of experience and skills then it could be foolhardy to take it on. The best approach would be to respectfully decline the project, explain that you are not the best person for it and tell them the kind of projects that you are capable of delivering. If you know somebody in your voice over network who you can recommend for the project, then do so. Your client will be grateful for your honesty and integrity and if they do have a project that is in your remit they are more likely to trust you with it.
- Keep in touch – If a period of time has passed since the last project, it does not hurt to keep in touch. You can do this through email or handwritten notes but don’t be too pushy. Just remind them that your there, that you enjoyed the last project and that you would welcome the opportunity of working with them again.
- Add value – If you come across a piece of information or an opportunity that you think a previous client might be interested in then share it with them. It will demonstrate that you care about their business and it will increase their perception of you.
So what do you think? How are you impressing your clients? Do you have any other tips you could share? It would be great to hear from you.