All this week I’ve been sharing some thoughts on the subject of voice over rates. I’ve offered some alternative perspectives to common practices and ideas surrounding the topic.
Whether you do or don’t post your rates is something you’ll have to decide for yourself based on what makes the most sense for your business and your clients. For me, posting my rates has been a great decision. One I wish I had made sooner.
5 Reasons I Post My Voice Over Rates
1) It takes the mystery out for potential clients: I can’t stand it when I visit a business web site and they want me to call or send an email request for pricing information. If I don’t like it, and won’t bother doing it, I know others will feel the same.
2) It keeps low ballers away: People who want a voice over for $25 are people I don’t have time to deal with. There’s no point in even trying to negotiate with them. My time is better spent in other areas. Having my rates on my site has saved me more than a few back and forth conversations with people who simply aren’t willing to pay.
3) It creates a trust: When a client asks me for a quote I give them a number and then direct them to my web site to see my public rate card. That way they know right from the start I’m being fair and honest with them and not trying to maximize their budget for my own gain.
4) It’s brought me more business: Remember the people who visit a web site and leave when they can’t find rates? I book those jobs now. Since I made the decision to post my rates I’ve booked more work through my web site then I did when I made people inquire for a quote.
5) It’s a starting point for negotiation: Some voice talents think that posting their rates means that’s the final price. It’s not. For me, my rate card is the starting point for negotiation. I’ve worded it in such a way to let clients know these prices are the base but are subject to change based on individual needs.
Decide What Works For You
If you’ve had a chance to read all of the posts from this week, no doubt there is a lot of information for you to process. Voice over rates are a heavily debated topic. Everybody has an opinion, some will fight rather intensely to defend those positions.
You must decide what works best for you and what best serves your clients. Once you’ve decided on that stick to it and don’t let anyone pressure you to do otherwise.
You must decide what works best for you and what best serves your clients.
Whether you post your rates or not, at the very least I do think you need to have a basic rate card that you can quickly and easily supply to a client if they request it.
It shows them that you do have a pricing structure and that you’re not just pulling numbers from the sky or trying to work them for as big a budget as you can.
Here’s to your prosperous career!
QUESTION: How do you approach the voice over rate card?
