Summer has arrived. For many of us, there are plenty of options and distractions to keep us out of the studio. Floating in a pool with a cold drink, anyone? So how do we stay motivated to get the work done when we’d rather be at the beach?
When you stop focusing on the what, and start focusing on the way, that changes everything! Watch this weeks video tip to learn more.
After a recent road trip, where I recorded an audition in the back seat of a Ford Fusion (and booked the job) and recorded a couple gigs in hotel rooms in West Virginia and Tennessee, it left some people asking… “why are you taking road gear to work on your vacation?”
Great question! Fair question! This week, I share a few thoughts on the subject.
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The holiday season is upon us and Christmas is just a couple weeks away now.
Got your shopping done yet? Yeah, me neither.
Taking a look at the calendar this year perhaps you’ve noticed, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New Year’s Day all fall right smack dab in the middle of the week.
When the holidays fall like that many companies offer extended holidays to their employees.
Have you asked your boss about their plans for you yet?
Yes, that means, have you considered what you’re doing for Christmas holidays?
I know some VO’s who are shutting down on December 23rd and not opening up again until January 6th. If you’re in a position with your business to be able to take the extended leave, more power to you! I hope you enjoy it as you’ve certainly earned it. 🙂
I know some other VO’s who will work straight through.
If you haven’t thought about it yet, now would be a good time to determine exactly when your studio will be opened and closed over the holiday season and offer a courtesy heads up to your regular clients that may come calling.
On a related note, if you’ve got ongoing projects that will extend through Christmas, it might be a good idea to confirm now with your clients when they’ll be open and closed over the holiday season so there’s no confusion.
Whatever your plans are for the Christmas season, it’s my prayer that you are surrounded by the ones you love.
Yesterday I posted the following status on my Facebook page:
Ever feel like every client you’ve ever worked with all went on vacation at the same time but didn’t invite you?
In other words… this week, I haven’t had much in the way of voice over work. Welcome to summer vacation season!
So what is one to do when all your clients are apparently on vacation and there’s no work to be found? Some panic. Freak right out. Assume the end is near. Start searching for change in the sofa cushions. You can do that, I suppose. But I do have some better suggestions.
1) Read A Book: Something on marketing. Sales. Web design. Social media. Read a book that will make your business better.
2) Make A Demo: When’s the last time you cut together a new demo? Are you due?
3) Update Your Profiles: Have you checked your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ profiles lately? Are they current?
4) Update Your Client List: Do you list your clients on your website? Are all your latest ones included?
5) Update Your About Page: When’s the last time you updated your bio page on your site? Is it current?
6) Connect On Social Media: Do you sometimes feel like you don’t have enough time to devote to social media? Now you do!
7) Send Postcards: Every time I send handwritten postcards to clients I get thank you notes and often new work!
8) Create Something: Paint. Draw. Write. Cook. Get the creative juices flowing just for fun. You might surprise yourself.
9) Do Paperwork: A necessary evil of business… and it’s ok to admit you’re behind on your books. Catch up.
10) Dream A Little: Take a walk or a drive and spend some time dreaming up new goals for your business and life.
11) Give Back: Volunteer for a local charity or church. Someone is always looking for a helping hand.
12) Make A Video Demo: Find out more about these great tools by clicking here.
13) Guest Blog: Got something to say? Offer to write a guest blog for your favourite VO site.
14) Un-procrastinate: We’ve all got at least one thing on our to do list we aren’t doing. Git ‘er done!
15) Take A Vacation: If you can’t beat ’em… join ’em! Maybe you need a vacation too!
Slow days and weeks in the summer is no surprise to those of us who have been in this business a while. People vacation. It happens. There’s no need to panic. But there’s also no need to entirely give up on all productivity.
Consider the spare time a gift and make the most of it!
This is a subject I’ve written about in the past, but I think it’s one worth revisiting. Especially since the summer vacation season is upon us.
If you’re building your business the right way, you should have a number of clients that you work with consistently. These are your bread and butter clients.
I like to refer to these jobs as the ones that walk through my door. I don’t have to audition or search them out on casting sites. These are the clients you’ve built a relationship with and when they need you, they just send a script and know you’ll be there.
But will you be there?
The debate rages on amongst voice over actors about whether or not you bring road gear with you when you vacation. Arguments can be made for either side and, honestly, that’s another debate for another day. And another blog post!
For this post, let’s assume vacation means vacation. As in… no work.
None of us like to let down our regular clients and I think it’s safe to say none of us like to leave money on the table. Nothing worse than losing a few hundred (or thousand dollars) because you’ve gone away and are unable to record!
Here’s the thing, it can be avoided. To an extent.
If you’ve got summer vacation plans in place already, that means you know when you’re going to be gone. Giving your regular clients plenty of heads up notice could prevent you from losing work while you’re away.
I’ve done it in the past. I let clients know the dates I’m planning to be on vacation and if they know they’ve got projects coming up that will require my voice, they either bump them up to complete the voice over early, or push them back, so we can work on it when I return.
More often than not, your regular clients are going to be happy to accommodate you. It’s in everyone’s best interest.
There’s nothing worse than sending an email to someone you work with and getting the vacation auto-responder. Now you know you’re stuck. Either you’ve got to wait or you’ve got to make other plans. But you had no advanced notice. Personally, I think it’s a poor way to do business.
A quick call or email is all it takes. And if you know you’ve made the arrangements ahead of time, you’ll be able to relax all the more during your vacation knowing you’re not losing money while you’re away!
Happy Summer Holidays!
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