The number 1 reason voice over artists state why they didn’t land the job was because they quoted too high.  Voice overs are constantly worried about quoting.  And for every job un-landed, they are even more sure that the reason must be because they somehow quoted wrong.

 

Allow me to put you out of your misery.  There is a 99% chance that the quote is not the reason for you not landing a job.  Dealing with all the voice over enquiries at Piehole,  I’ve noticed  a few interesting things….

 

 

1. Nobody buys the cheapest bottle of wine on the wine list

When it comes to voice over gigs, the majority of the time it’s someone in the middle price range who wins the gig (you know the way you never order the cheapest wine on the wine list, same thing).   The law of averages say that you have the best chance of being “average”, so just knock out your quote and don’t think too  much about it. The only thing you don’t want to be is the bottle of plonk. Everything else is ok.  You can check out our rate calculator which will give you an idea of average prices VOs are charging.

 

2. Speedy Gonzalez wins

It’s the people who respond quicker to a gig enquiry that have a MUCH better chance of getting the job. I’m talking minutes, not hours. Why – because ad agencies and production companies are always on a deadline.  Right now, this moment, is the time they’ve set aside in their day to get a voice over.  They want to tick the box and move on to the next thing on their to-do list.  They don’t want to receive an email  tomorrow from a voice over with a quote for a job they’ve already cast yesterday.  So whether or not that Speedy Gonzalez voice over is cheap or expensive, he’s there to solve their problem right here and now.  And people are always willing to pay for convenience.  So while you’re burning up precious minutes pondering over your quote, you’re actually decreasing your own chance of getting the job.

 

3.  It’s not you. It’s your voice.

For most people hiring a voice over, they’ve put a lot of effort into this production.  It’s more important to get the right voice  than haggle over 50 quid.  So if you didn’t land the job, there’s a very good chance it’s because they felt another voice over was better suited to their brand. Maybe it’s a bank ad, but you’ve got more a mobile phone ad voice in the producer’s opinion.  There goes your job.   And no amount of pondering over your quote can change that outcome.

 

4.  And some jobs just fall through

When you get asked to quote, people are at different stages of production. Sometimes they are ready to record tomorrow. Other times they are still busy working on the script which will be ready in 2 months time and they are looking for options in the meantime. Other people are still considering whether they can afford to produce this audio and are looking for quotes, or maybe they’re pitching on a job, and are getting costs together.  Either way, jobs fall through, get delayed or postponed, it’s pretty common.  So why you beating yourself up over your quote when the job might be canceled due to some other act of god?

 

So where does this leave you?  Number 1) and 2)  are the only things you have any actual control over.  Don’t be too cheap, and move your butt.  Use our ratecard to help you quote quickly.   As for 3) and 4) they are totally out of your control, so have a kit-kat and don’t be fretting about your quoting no more.