Value Exceeds Cost: The Designer Voice Talent

The project specs say: Client is very budget focused.  Um..okay. But what does that mean? Sure, so you can go on fiverr.com and find someone to read words for, well, five bucks.  But – what’s the value?

Consider this: How long is takes to get the sound and attitude you were looking for, how much creativity the voice talent brings to the project, how easy he/she is to work with, and your satisfaction with the final product.

If someone calls your phone system, sees your video, takes that virtual tour – what will that potential customer’s first impression be of your product, project or company?  They may not be aware that a sub-par voice created a sub-par first impression, but it will be there.

One recent client told me, at the end of a phone patch session for an awards show, “Working with you guys is always a pleasure because it requires the least amount of intervention on my part.” Thanks!

What does an experienced and/or well-trained newbie voice talent bring to the project? Here are a few of those things:

• Responsiveness. If you say, “can you make it more authoritative, but still friendly, and just make the tempo a bit faster – oh, except on this line…” – we can do that for you.
• Creativity. If you ask, “I don’t know. Just try something.” – we can do that for you, too. Five different ways.
• Fun. We have a professional fee scale because many of our clients are regular customers. Part of that is that we are fun – and easy – to work with. We’ve been at this long enough to bring confidence to the session.
• Professionalism. We meet deadlines, honor commitments, have spent time and money on home studios, take care of our voices, invest in “continuing VO education” to keep our skills sharp – vocal, technical, and business.
• Uniqueness. Like every actor.

To paraphrase an old L’Oreal ad (and date myself in the process): Sure,

I’m expensive. But you’re worth it. Designer voice talents make a client’s work easier, and the final product something to be really proud of. And that pays off, in many ways, in the long run. That’s the value.

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“Randye ‘gets it.’ She has a way of sensing the right level of assertiveness, compassion, playfulness, sarcasm (or whatever is being called for) on the first take so that subsequent takes are more a matter of fine-tuning. Recommending Randye Kaye to my clients makes me look good!” – Walt Graham Productions, Norwalk, CT

“Randye has worked with Fairview Media on multiple projects with tight deadlines, and rapidly changing requirements. She has always been right with us, through easy clients, and not so easy jobs, remaining on track and on time, giving her expert knowledge of professional voicing to us. Randye is an asset that I will continue to keep in my ranks for the future.” – Eric Oppegaard, Fairview Media

Randye is the consummate storyteller. She is among the best voice actors we’ve ever recorded…a real pro.”

— Daniel M. Welsh, President and Publisher, Spoken Arts Media, NY