Why it’s Important to be Professional with Voiceover Clients
One of the most important rules for being a voiceover talent is to be professional! This rule seems like common knowledge, and that’s because it is. However, many aspiring talents forget to be professional because many voiceover jobs are done from home and because the work environment is much different than your average job. This can sink their careers before they take off. So, this post will discuss what it means to be professional and why it matters.
What Does it Mean to be Professional?
With that said, what does it even mean to be professional in the field of voice acting? As you know, professionalism is how you conduct yourself while doing business, usually in a more formal manner than how you conduct yourself as a civilian. In voice acting, professionalism usually exhibits these traits.
Being on the Same Page as the Client
With voice acting, you’re going to have many clients, all of whom have their own way of doing business. Some clients will speak like a person you’d want to have a beer with and don’t mind if you’re casual as well. Others wear suits and ties and expect you to behave as such. Just as you have many personalities through your performances, you should also don whatever personality will be the most professional for your client.
Taking Accountability
Did you miss the deadline? Was the recording low-quality or corrupted? Did you forget to answer a time-sensitive message?
Then, take accountability and don’t make excuses. You may have explanations: sickness prevented you from making the deadline, or maybe your email app’s filter made the last message hard to find. But the buck stops at you. Admit fault and find ways to make it right.
Consistent Communication
As a voice talent, you want to communicate in every step of the process and answer emails as soon as you can. If there’s going to be a delay, give your client a heads-up sooner rather than later.
With that said, having boundaries is also important. Make it clear to your clients when you’re available to answer messages and stick to these boundaries. Within reason, of course. If you only have two days a week you can answer messages, people may not want to work with you.
Having a Good Attitude
When you speak to your clients, you should conduct yourself with a positive attitude. Even if it’s a bad day for you, you can set aside that and be as friendly as possible. That said, your friendliness needs to be reserved for business. You may not be friendly with a client like you would with a friend at the bar.
And a Good Social Media Presence
Your voice-acting social media should be kept separate from your personal social media. If you’re fighting with people on X (Twitter) all day and if you’re sharing a bunch of content that some clients may find inappropriate, you may not land too many gigs. In some cases, you can nuke your old social media and create a purely professional.
A Professional Webpage, Too
Speaking of social media, you should have a professional website. This website should be clean, easy to load, and have demos of your performances. You may have an about me page that goes into detail about why you started acting. One page may even be dedicated to cat photos. Spending some money to create a web page may set you apart from the competition in an age where people just set up a profile on social media.
Good Equipment and Setup
You don’t need to spend thousands on equipment when you’re starting, but you should have a decent-quality microphone and a room setup that shows you know what soundproofing is. If you just have a $10 microphone and your room is echoey, it will show in your recordings. Making your recordings sound as professional as possible is perhaps the most important way to be a professional voice actor.
And a Clean Room and Presentation
Many clients will want to have a webcam interview with you. Many talents believe it’s okay to have the room a bit messy, have poor lighting, or be dressed like they just woke up. However, this is unprofessional. Before an interview, tidy up the place a bit. Invest in a ring light you can use during an interview. And while you don’t necessarily need to wear a suit and tie, wear some clean clothes, including pants. You never know when you may have to stand up.
Why Being Professional Matters
Let’s look at some ways that adding a little bit of professionalism can go a long way.
You Will Land and Retain More Jobs
If you conduct yourself professionally, you will get the job. If you have a client already, being professional will increase your chances of them having more work for you when you’ve finished the gig they have lined up. Meanwhile, if you’re unprofessional, you may never hear from the client again.
Improves Your Reputation
When you’re professional, clients will be singing your praises. You may use these as testimonials, or if you’re applying for a gig, you may ask one of them to put in a good word. Having an excellent reputation means that you will land more gigs. Meanwhile, if you are not professional, clients may tell other clients to avoid working with you. It can damage your reputation, which can take a while for you to recover from.
It’s Good for Your Mental Health
Having a clean room, not spending time on social media, starting fights, and taking accountability are good for you. Good mental health will help you land more gigs and be more productive.
Final Thoughts
As your voice acting journey continues, be sure to reflect on how you conduct yourself. If you feel like you could be more professional in some regard, do so. You will see not only more gigs but also a more positive attitude and better mental health.
