Voiceover Blog

Do you waste your time and advertising budget trying to sell your customers on a product What are you really selling?

Recently, I had the opportunity to present an advertising concept to an insurance company. They spent a lot of time telling me about their products. I had to explain to them that they’re not selling a product

Take a look at the print or broadcast ads for fragrances. Is Chanel Number 5 selling a product? The product is what comes in the bottle. What they are selling is a promise “ the promise that you will be attractive and alluring if you use what’s in the bottle.

Many advertisers make the mistake that if they tell customers how great their products are they will buy them. But that is the quickest way to waste your advertising dollars. You must first determine what it is the customer wants to accomplish, and find the benefit where your product will help the customer achieve that need.

–Thanks for reading.

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One of my favorite radio jingles is from KVIL in Dallas. It goes, “It’s a shame what’s happened to radio, ‘coz they can’t afford to do it anymore”.It was sung tongue-in-cheek back in the 70’s, but it’s true today.

If you’ve ever read BUILT TO LAST, one of the twelve myths of visionary companies is “the most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits”.  But the history of visionary companies shows that isn’t the case.  Instead they pursue a number of goals, and making money is only one of them, not the primary one.

Radio is content, and if you look around, you’ll see that quality is heading south. At a recent FCC localization hearing in Tampa, a professor of Journalism told the group, “The FCC rules now narrow the range of viewpoints, and we are overfed Anna Nicole Smith and starved for alternative perspectives on war and how can we become better citizens? We are asked not to think, but to consume.”.  He received the loudest applause. Consolidation has been pushed to the brink.  In many cases there is no more local news.  The same goes for public affairs programming.  But they can’t afford to do it anymore.

Shame on them.

Thanks for reading.

Did you know that Ping Pong is a registered trademark? Yep, it’s actually Ping Pong BRAND Table tennis.  It’s understandable that folks can get confused, kind of like asking for a soft drink, but using the “C” word.

It seems that some folks are also confused about the difference between sales and marketing. Look in the classified ads, and you’ll see ads for “Marketing Reps”  when they actually mean to say “Salesmen”.  Unfortunately, those two terms are not interchangeable.

Marketing is the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

Selling is the exchange of goods or services for an amount of money or its equivalent.

In other words, marketing is getting someone to WANT your product or service.  Selling is actually closing the deal. There’s nothing wrong with being a salesman.  It is a noble profession. But it is the salesman’s job to sell. Marketing is a whole ‘nother animal.

–Thanks for reading.

Whether it’s a corporate video, commercial, or on-hold message, do you want Just Another Voice? Or . . .

Are you looking for that one element which will compell the listener to ACT? A trained and professional voice talent can make those words in a script come alive. Excitement. Credibility.  Warmpth.  Real.

Yes, I can do the in-your-face car dealer spots, but rather than screaming at the listener, I have my own personal style - and it’s more believable than the the cliche-driven commercials you hear everyday.

By the same token, I have also done presentations that were warm, intimate and conveys the meaning that the copy intended.

Just Another Voice does not sell. Understanding the message, telling the story, and getting the listener to trust you does.

–Thanks for reading.