It is absolutely essential to establish good habits for voiceover success. The following is a list of five that are key to developing a business strategy and building a client base, so you can achieve your revenue goals. These habits—in fact this type of article—is familiar to you I’m sure, but I’ve added one that may be new to you.
Develop a routine and stick to it
Developing a routine and sticking to it is the only way to make progress. No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, if you don’t have a plan, you can’t be successful. It’s important to develop a routine that is personal to you. First make a list of daily responsibilities aside from voiceover, including self care such as meals, child care, etc. Write down how much time they take. Be honest about it. The rest of the time is available for working toward Voiceover success.
Put your mouth where the money is
Putting your mouth where the money is requires taking a look at the last six to twelve months of work you’ve done. What area of voice over has brought in the most cash? If its Corporate Narration, then that’s what you should be spending most of your time on. That means audition for those jobs the most. It also means sending regular marketing emails to existing and prospective Corporate Narration clients.
Be consistent with your habits for voiceover success
Being relentless in your consistency will gain you repeated and measurable results. Set a goal of doing five auditions per day. That’s one hundred per month! Voiceover is numbers game. The more times you roll the dice the more chances you have to win.
Talk to your colleagues regularly
Talking to a colleague once a week or once a month to bounce ideas off of, or just blow off steam, has been essential for sticking to my good habits. You may think, sharing ideas with “the competition” is a bad idea, but I’ve found its the opposite. The voiceover business is isolating enough. Sharing your habits for voiceover success is good karma. Reaching out to a peer to share ideas on a regular basis will help keep you sane, and might spark a new idea for both of you. Win Win!!
Proceed with an open mind and be flexible
The last thing to keep in mind is to remain flexible and keep an open mind. Once you have a consistent routine of auditioning, marketing, and checking in with your colleagues, its important to see if you’re getting positive results. Once a month, take look back at your schedule and see if you can make improvements. What went well and what felt like a waste of time. Once you establish good habits for voiceover success make sure to regularly assess, adjust, and move on.
*This article was partially inspired by James Clear and his writing on deliberate practice. I recommend following him. His writing has been very helpful to me over the years.