How much do you know about your voiceover client? Do you have an accurate view of their stats? Buyer Analytics and consumer data is a multi-billion dollar industry. If you want your cut – then you need to know who you are selling to and why…pronto! There’s so much valuable data ready for the taking…if you ask for it. Wanna know how? Give this week’s episode a listen!
Takeaways
Quick Concepts from Today’s Episode:
Demographics. Client Personas. Buyer Analytics. You can’t sell to someone if you don’t know who they are.
Detailed buyer research to understand the specific needs of your target are essential to making a thriving business.
If you’re not trying to figure out whom you are talking to…WTF?
Recipients of information have expectations – it pays to know that those expectations are being met.
Everyone fits into certain boxes – age, race, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, etc.
Put people ‘into a box’ and stereotyping are two different things.
Being able to state ‘this is a typical buyer’ is based on factual data – not misconceptions or generalizations.
Data is being collected about all us, all the time.
Social media does a great job of breaking down the categories or ‘demos’ buyers fit into.
Advertising trade publications and websites do as well.
Every time you give a company ANY information about yourself, you are giving them marketing information they will use to sell you later.
Data gathering doesn’t require a hard-sell either. Ask genuine questions and open the conversation.
Being a great listener helps you to gather the information you can use.
Converting CRM data into viable sales starts with this process.
Referenced in this Episode
Direct links to things we brought up ++
Let Anne do the market research for you
Recorded on ipDTL
Transcript
>> Today’s voiceover talent is more than just a pretty voice.
>> Pretty voice.
>> Pretty voice.
>> Pretty voice.
>> Today’s voiceover talent has to be a BOSS.
>> BOSS.
>> A BOSS.
>> A BOSS.
>> Join us each week for business owner strategies and success with your hosts Anne Ganguzza and Gabrielle Nistico, along with some of the strongest voices in our industry.
>> Rock your business.
>> Rock your business.
>> Rock your business.
>> Like a BOSS.
>> Like a BOSS.
>> Rock your business like a BOSS.
>> Rock your business like a BOSS.
>> A VO BOSS.
>> A VO BOSS.
>> A VO BOSS.
Anne: Hey, everybody. Welcome to the VO BOSS podcast. I’m your host, Anne Ganguzza, along with my VO BOSS bestie, female, 45 to 65 age group, who likes sports –
Gabby: Why are you making me older? Wait a minute.
Anne: – rocks, jewelry –
Gabby: Wait a minute.
Anne: Oh, I’m sorry. 35 to 55 age group.
Gabby: Thank you.
Anne: I don’t know what, I don’t know what the age groups are split up to. I was thinking of myself, and so forgive me.
Gabby: It’s ok. They vary. It’s all right though.
Anne: I’m like your older younger sister.
Gabby: Yes, it’s true.
Anne: Anyway, [laughs] Gabby Nistico!
Gabby: Hi!
Anne: Hey girl!
Gabby: How’s it going?
Anne: I just completely insulted you while I introduced you, so I apologize.
Gabby: It’s ok. Not really. I’ve been old since I was six. It’s all right.
Anne: Age, to me, I can’t even like –
Gabby: Oh, I can’t gauge either.
Anne: Are you 20 or are you 60? I don’t know. I don’t care. So there you go. But Gabby, the reason why I did that is because I need to know who you are so that I can better sell to you and serve you with my products.
Gabby: Yeah, of course.
Anne: I think that’s something so important for all of us in our businesses to really think about. And I don’t know if we’re always taking about that before we start our marketing process. This is called the buyer persona. We need to create those.
Gabby: Voice actors do a [beep] job at this. Just straight up.
Anne: Gabby, tell us how you really feel. [laughs]
Gabby: Most voice actors don’t think in these terms. They just think of “oh, a person who uses voiceover.” Well, guys? Hello? What does it mean?
Anne: “They want a nice voice. They want it to sound like this.” No, you don’t know.
Gabby: No.
Anne: You got no clue until you do a little bit of research.
Gabby: Yeah. Buyers in every single category, every industry, every service, every product, there are specifics. And you can call them what you want, you can call it a buyer persona, you can call it a demographic, you can call it a profile. So I have this nifty thing that I’ve been using since back in my radio days. It’s called a CNA. It sounds super fancy.
Anne: And I’ve never heard of that, Gabby.
Gabby: It just stands for Client Needs Analysis. That’s all it is. It’s a way to analyze who your client is and what their needs are.
Anne: Yes.
Gabby: So are you doing this, guys?
Anne: Yeah.
Gabby: And if you’re not, what the [beep] are you waiting for?
Anne: It’s every aspect of your business, right? You have to figure out who you’re talking to, whether –
Gabby: Yeah.
Anne: – you’re writing an email, every single instance where you try to communicate and sell with your buyer, you have to think about who you’re selling to. It’s also like branding mixed in the way of that, right [laughs] because –
Gabby: Sure, because there’s a presentation component and there’s the expectation of the recipient. Right? So we all do this. We all have friends that we call up and we’re like, “hey, homey, what’s up?” And then, you know, five minutes later we call grandma, “hi Gram. How are you?” [laughs] You know? Right? We’re like two different people.
Anne: This is true. [laughs]
Gabby: We adapt to the other party, and you have to be capable of doing the same with your buyer.
Anne: Absolutely, and when you sell to them, when you perform, right, your voice as well, right, we’re always thinking about, if we’ve just booked a commercial for – I’m gonna just say, I don’t know, Invisalign, or something like that, who is your buyer, if you’re looking to get into the commercial genre voiceover versus corporate narration? Pretty much different buyers, sometimes crossover occurs there, but the people who are looking to book you for the commercials are not necessarily the same people that will book you for a corporate narration.
Gabby: There’s always crossover somewhere, right, and there are always anomalies. There are always things about the buyer we just did not expect, or there’s somebody who is on the cusp of another box. That’s how I look at them. Everybody fits into a box. These boxes are defined by what? Age, gender, race, economics, education.
Anne: Where they live.
Gabby: Yeah, like geography, I mean, there’s so many components to that, and sometimes, yeah, people get a little upset because they get into, I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to put people in boxes. You have to.
Anne: You’re stereotyping!
Gabby: Hello! If you’ve ever filled out a census form, boxes!
Anne: This could go a whole different way, but you have to be careful in terms of that. You do have to, to a point, when you’re figuring out a buyer persona, this is a typical buyer, but be careful not to stereotype too much or to have that get into your marketing where it could be taken differently. Stereotype and persona are two different things.
Gabby: The difference between stereotype and what we’re talking about, a stereotype is a judgment. A stereotype is like your opinions affecting or altering the data. What we’re talking about is data. It’s fact.
Anne: These are the numbers, Gabby, which caused Facebook a whole lot of trouble [laughs] most recently because there was data that was collected. Anybody that’s out there that is collecting data, right, for marketing, they run into a huge issue if they don’t have permission from the people that they’re collecting data from.
Gabby: And by the way, everyone’s collecting it.
Anne: Yeah. If you didn’t know it, guys, Facebook has been collecting data on us since they started, and that was just always kind of a known fact. What I don’t want people to do, because so many people get aggravated when they see ads on social media. And they get annoyed by them. Well, guess what, guys? You’re also trying to market your business, and so keep that in mind when you see ads. We try not to get [laughs] annoyed at commercials because this is what we do, right? And when you’ve got to sell, you’ve got to think about things like ads, Facebook ads. And if you’re upset that Facebook is collecting information, well guess what, that’s the information you would use to sell to a targeted area, or if you ever did a Facebook ad, always ask for a target. If you ever wanted to know what demographics, what, you know, your buyer persona, the social media platforms break up the categories very well, so you can get an idea of things like Gabby was just saying – demographics, age, education, family, how many cars do they own – all that sort of stuff, that data is collected, and that stuff is useful when you’re selling to them.
Gabby: You can also check out things like Ad World, and Ad Age, and the various advertising trades because they do the same thing. Now here’s where it gets interesting. This just happened in our house like two days ago. James got a little card in the mail, addressed to him, and he opens it up, and it’s from Lowe’s, the home improvement center. It’s a patriotic – like there’s a big American flag on the front, and it just says “thank you for your service, with appreciation, Lowe’s.”
Anne: Nice.
Gabby: And he was like moved. Like – he was like “this is really cool. I can’t believe they did this. How did they know this?” So marketing brain kicks in fully, and I’m like, “don’t take this away from him.”
Anne: Yeah.
Gabby: But all I’m thinking – while I go, “oh yeah, babe, that’s really sweet” – all I’m thinking is, they know you’re a vet, they know you’ve used a veteran’s discount at the checkout before. They’ve tracked your information through your Lowe’s consumer card. It’s a game. It’s a marketing game.
Anne: This is why we get sent these things in the mail that are like disclaimers from credit card companies about how they’re using our information or how they’re not using our information. Everything that we have given permission for is being used in this type of data, and it’s that same data, guys, that you try to use so you can get to know who your buyer is better, to be able to serve them better, to be able to market to them. People have to sell, right, to live. Right? To live and maintain their businesses.
Gabby: Every single detail about your clients potentially become a usable element in your own efforts. Usually what we see is an affiliation, right, something like a veteran’s discount that creates that, people who have children, and the age range of the kids is very important, and pets. Pets are like a super great way to, like, get at people’s heartstrings. I do this, I’m shameless about it, any of my clients that I know have animals, like dogs especially, that’s what I’ll send them. I won’t send the client a thank you gift. Their dog gets the thank you gift.
Anne: Absolutely. Or cats, in my case.
Gabby: You would be amazed. Right? People are like over the moon when their pets get a present.
Anne: Can I tell you how many times I’ll send select food, right, to clients, that is uniquely perhaps Jerry’s food creation, which makes it more special, right, to send to a client?
Gabby: Yes, someone’s ethnicity or again where they were raised, geographic component. Guys, it’s valuable. It’s so valuable in what we do. Sometimes voice actors kind of miss that, or they, I don’t know, they feel like everything happens so quickly inside of a session, and the studio and the director, it’s all so rush, rush, rush. You have to take a little bit of time to try to gather some of this.
Anne: You know, and it’s a great icebreaker, right, for a client. If you don’t want to come at them with a heavy sell, it’s something, if you know a little bit about them like maybe they’re from the same area – this is one of the ways that I was approaching Joe Cipriano because we were both from the East Coast. And so that was my introduction to him. Not like “oh, Joe!” Like I didn’t want anything from him, but I bonded, we bonded with a common, a commonality which then started the conversation. I think that’s a super important thing, is that’s what you’re trying to do with your client. You’re trying to start the conversation, and knowing information about your buyer in not a creepy way [laughs] – let me just rephrase, in not a creepy way, let me just say that again, is a good thing, because it can open up a conversation. It can start a relationship.
Gabby: It’s showing genuine interest, and it’s getting that individual talking. And we have all had a conversation with someone who asked great questions and really got us going, and you know, and afterward you kind of walk away and go man, “that person was so nice, so great.” Not really, they were just an epic listener.
Anne: [laughs] That’s a great quality [laughs] to have, yeah.
Gabby: But it gives this impression of, what’s the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Anne: And Influence Others or something, right.
Gabby: Dale Carnegie. Yeah. It’s a classic. This book is like 100 years old and still absolutely valid in terms of how to get beyond just a business handshake and actually get to know people.
Anne: So I think some people, when they start trying to market their business, they’re kind of scared of personas. They’re scared that it’s going to see creepy and stalkery, so you have to turn it into that genuine interest and genuine, you know, wanting to help someone else and realize that there’s a fine line. There are companies that will use that data for bad things, but that’s not going to be your business, right? Your business is going to be just to find out enough about the client so that you can serve them better, so that you can talk to them, so that you can market to them better because you’ll be solving a problem. That’s a big thing. Your service is going to solve a problem for them.
Gabby: This is how you take an email list, or your CRM, and convert it into specific marketing messages and specific information.
Anne: Yes.
Gabby: It’s like we said earlier, certain clients of ours have very specific needs. You don’t want to bog down everyone with a message if it’s only relevant to 25% of your audience.
Anne: Exactly. Fore example, just gender, right, you might speak on a different topic to a female buyer than let’s say a male buyer because the interest point or your conversation point starts differently.
Gabby: I think really it comes down to gathering data in a way that is organized, in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you, but then having some very strategic ideas on how to implement it and use it.
Anne: And make sure that that data, when you collect the data, it’s legal, how you got that data. It’s not like a list that was, you know, somehow got in to the wrong hands. Just make sure that information is something that people have given their permission for, and you’ll avoid. [laughs]
Gabby: Sometimes, in our industry, look guys, this is an opportunity to go old school. This is literally pull up your CRM while you’re in conversation with somebody, ask them a question or two, and type in the answer in a notes section. That’s what I do. I mean, I have certain clients when I pull up their record, it’s literally, like “has a Chihuahua,” “wife just gave birth, they have a three-year-old,” whatever.
Anne: Oh yeah. So I think, Gabby, when you have the client, it’s great to be able to collect information, but if you don’t have the client, that’s where the educated research and guess – guys, there is no hard and fast answer if you don’t know the client that you’re trying to reach. You have an idea of who they are, and then what you do is you build a persona, a buyer persona of what you perceive them to be needing. A lot of that you can research, Google is your friend, you know, research their industry, research their needs, listen to their conversations on social media and find out what it is that they need to solve their problems in their business, and I think that’s a great start in developing buyer personas when you haven’t met the buyer yet.
Gabby: Yep. And then you modify them as you go.
Anne: It’s not an exact science, and this is why there are marketing departments [laughs] in companies. This is what they do. Develop a buyer persona, guys, and it’s gonna make your world a whole lot easier, your business a whole lot easier to be able to talk, sell and serve.
Gabby: A company that did this really well, as we all know, is ipDTL. When they got this sucker started, it was targeting very specific industries that could use the application. Voiceover is only one of many. Every time we talk to Kevin, Anne and I are amazed by –
Anne: He’s branching out everywhere.
Gabby: He’s at NAB, he’s at this thing, this thing, a podcasting conference. We’re like holy moly. Here we are thinking, oh you know –
Anne: “It’s just voiceover.”
Gabby: “Yeah, we’re the voice actors, we’re superior.” No.
[both laugh]
Gabby: Not by a longshot.
Anne: He hooked me from the beginning, I’ll tell you that. We love our ipDTL. That is for sure.
Gabby: Plus the accent.
Anne: [laughs] So guys, if you want to connect like a boss, check them out at ipdtl.com.
Gabby: And of course, I have to mention our other sponsor, Voiceovers.com, fair, efficient, transparent. It’s a new era of voice over casting online, and we want you to be a part of it. Go check them out.
Anne: By the way, they’re absolutely target marketing. Take a listen to Matt’s videos that he’s been putting out. He’s been giving out a lot of great information about how they’re targeting specific potential clients. So you can learn a lot from that too and we love them over there at Voiceovers.com. Guys, have a great week, and we’ll see you next week.
Gabby: Bye-bye!
Anne: Bye!
Announcer: Join us next week for another edition of VO BOSS with your hosts Anne Ganguzza and Gabby Nistico. All rights reserved, Anne Ganguzza Voice Talent in association with Three Moon Media. Redistribution with permission. Coast-to-coast connectivity via ipDTL.
[outtakes]
1
Anne: Buyer personas.
Gabby: [in Spanish accent] Persona.
Anne: [in Spanish accent] Buyer personas. [normal] But I’m gonna have to pee. Can you give me a minute?
Gabby: Alright woman, go, hurry up.
Anne: I’m quick.
Gabby: I got [beep] to do!
Anne: What are you doing?
Gabby: I’m…we’re gonna go shopping.
Anne: Ohhhh.
Gabby: I don’t get out of the house!
Anne: Ok, all right. I’m getting in. I’m not going to go pee.
2
Anne: I just got in, I was like, “hoo ha!” and you didn’t say anything. Because you didn’t hear me.
Gabby: I didn’t hear you. Hoo ha.
Anne: Ask me why I’m saying “hoo ha.”
Gabby: Because it’s a fun word to say. Or words.
3
Anne: You know I like ATS.
Gabby: This doesn’t have to do with our topic. I’m going to melt in here.
4
Anne: I was in great storytelling mode, and I didn’t press record –
Gabby: Because you’re a genius.
5
Anne: And the other story I have, so last night I watched this movie.
Gabby: There’s more stories! Did you press record this time?
Anne: Yes. You know, I always try to watch creative things when Jerry’s away, things that I’m not sure he’ll be into, right? So I watched this movie called “Middle Men.” It’s about the first instance of payments on the web back in 1990 something, and these two guys who were able to create this program that would take a credit card from anywhere, but it was so funny because they had some great music and it was like some really good throwback scenes to the old days of the Internet. It made me miss, it made me miss the old day of the Internet.
Gabby: Tell me more about the old days, Anne.
Anne: Well, when you were discovering it. It was cool –
Gabby: I’m just [beep] with you!
Anne: Because I’m telling a story, Jerry – Jerry! I mean Gabby. [laughs]
Gabby: You know what, I only wish my [beep] was as magnificent as Jerry’s, that’s all I can say to that.
Anne: That is not going into the outtakes!
Gabby: Oh yes, it is!
Anne: It’s not going into the outtakes.
Gabby: Yes, it is.
Anne: And how do you know how magnificent? [laughs]
Gabby: I’m only making an assumption. I know you and I know how fabulous you are, so I can only assume that that’s a magnificent penis.
Anne: [laughs] Oh my.
Gabby: I feel like that’s the sign above the entryway. Like it must be magnificent. [laughs]
Anne: Blinking neon sign. “It must be magnificent.”
[both laugh]
Anne: The lock at the door that says, “don’t you know who I am?”
6
Anne: Because I just served up a kickass cease-and-desist.
Gabby: Yes, you did.
Anne: Bam.
7
Gabby: ‘Cause I’m going to buy Mod Podge, so send me a paper.
Anne: Oh, I love Mod Podge. I went through my drawers, all my Mod Podge is like dry. It just sounds bad! My Mod Podge is menopausal.
Gabby: My Mod Podge is dry.
Anne: It’s all dry and flaky. [laughs]
8
Gabby: Oh God. Come on, woman.
Anne: It’s hot, man.
Gabby: I know it is. What is it, all of 85 degrees there?
Anne: I have a webinar. It’s 65, and don’t judge.
Gabby: Oh my God! You would die here in the summer.
Anne: But I’m in this little booth. Oh, I know!
Gabby: My booth in July, I’m panting, it’s so hot, Ok?
Anne: I’m just going to say that since I moved to California, I’ve become a complete weather wimp. A complete weather wimp because literally if it’s over 75, I’m dying of heat.
Gabby: Focus, grasshopper.
Anne: OK. [sighs]