I really enjoy watching Kitchen Nightmares, the Gordon Ramsay show on FOX. I’m not sure what it is about it. The disaster state of the restaurants? The completely clueless state of so many of the owners? Chefs who have skill but have lost their passion?
Or maybe it’s just the way Chef Ramsay always seems to sweep in and save the day. He’s like a super hero in a white jacket.
On the most recent episode I watched, Ramsay traveled to Boston. More specifically, the north end, also know as Little Italy. The Italian eatery he was visiting to help was owned by two sisters. They grew up with their family restaurant and eventually decided to branch out and start their own place across the street.
When The Competition Is Plentiful
According to the show, in this particular section of Boston there are many as 80 Italian restaurants. That’s a lot of competition for a struggling business to face. Regardless of what industry you’re in.
A conservative estimate would place the number of so called “professional voice actors” in the tens of thousands. Granted, anyone can call themselves a professional. This doesn’t make it so. No matter, they’re still out there. They’re still doing what we do. They have computers and microphones they bought for $5 at Radio Shack, and they’re recording demos and submitting auditions.
In the midst of that, it’s hard to stand out. I mean, we all have a voice. We all can read. Most of us, anyway. So how do you rise above? What is it about you that will make people take notice?
What’s On The Menu?
Back to Kitchen Nightmares.
With 80 Italian restaurants in the area, Chef Ramsay needed to find a way to make this particular eatery unique. After all, every restaurant had food. Italian food, to be exact. They all had tables. Ambience. They had waiters, waitresses, hosts, bars and chefs.
To make this place stand out, Chef Ramsay created a custom menu, the likes of which none others served. That’s what would set them apart from the other 79.
What Sets You Apart
So that leads me to my point. In an industry where the competition is plentiful, and where many of us share similar qualities (voice, reading, equipment), how do you set yourself apart? What’s on your menu that the other pros aren’t serving up? How will you attract customers, meet their needs and leave them satisfied?
A great restaurant draws much of it’s business from word of mouth. Satisfied diners become, in essence, ambassadors, who spread the name of the restaurant amongst their family and friends.
What sets your voice over business apart that will make your clients become ambassadors for you?
